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And the second part of this thanksgiving Peter brings out a further aspect of tension and Christian living. He has already drawn a contrast between fulfillment of Christian hope and the present situation of living by faith. Now he shows how this situation is one of rejoicing despite suffering and of testing in hope of future approval. He begins by noting how Christians can and do rejoice in their present situation because of the hope that lies ahead of them. (Marshall, pp. 39 f.)
1:5
And the second part of this thanksgiving Peter brings out a further aspect of tension and Christian living. He has already drawn a contrast between fulfillment of Christian hope and the present situation of living by faith. Now he shows how this situation is one of rejoicing despite suffering and of testing in hope of future approval. He begins by noting how Christians can and do rejoice in their present situation because of the hope that lies ahead of them. (Marshall, pp. 39 f.)
1:6
… Peter does not have [necessarily] direct knowledge of the particular “ordeals” facing the churches to which he writes—any more than of the sufferings of the “brotherhood throughout the world” (5:9)—he uses vague terms … to encompass a whole range of possible troubles. The readers themselves could fill in the specifics and Peter leaves it to them to do so… (Micheals, p 29)
The passage delineates two time periods: the present, characterized by grief in this sense, and the future, characterized by joy. Peter is not speaking paradoxically of joy in suffering … But escalogically of joy after suffering. The same temporal sequence is found in John 16:19-22 where the “grief” of a woman in labor followed by “joy” at the birth of her child serves as a metaphor for the disciples’ situation in the world. (Micheals, 29)
Men who live within themselves, and mark their own feelings as Christians, will often stand and wonder at themselves. Of all riddles, the greatest riddle is a Christian man. As to his pedigree, what a riddle he is! He is a child of the first Adam, “an heir of wrath, even as others.” He is a child of the second Adam: he was born free; there is therefore now no condemnation unto him. He is a riddle in his own existence. “As dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and not killed.” He is a riddle as to the component parts of his own spiritual frame. He finds that which makes him akin to the devil–depravity, corruption, binding him still to the earth, and causing him to cry out, “O wretched man that I am;” and yet he finds that he has within himself that which exalts him, not merely to the rank of an angel, but higher still–a something which raises him up together, and makes him “sit together with Christ Jesus in heavenly places.” (Spurgeon)
1:7
Peter uses the metaphor to make two distinct points. First, genuine faith is more precious to God than gold because gold is perishable …, while faith, like the inheritance for which it waits (v 4), is indestructible and eternal. Second, gold nevertheless … has something in common with genuine faith, in that it is “tested by fire” … (Micheals, p 30)
1:8
“you have never seen him, but you love him.” The transition is not so abrupt as it may seem. If the term “revealed” implies that Jesus Christ is now invisible, the relative clause that follows makes this explicit. (Micheals p 32)
Love for the Lord God is the identifying mark of his people whether in the OT or NT … and thus virtually the equivalent of trust or faith… (Micheals p 32)
The tested “faith” 1 Peter 1:6-7 and the love for Jesus mentioned in v 8 are simply two expressions for the same basic commitment, the one that defines every Christian community and determines its stance in the world until Jesus Christ is finally revealed. (Micheals p 33)
The main duty, however, is to concentrate on the culmination of our hope when Christ returns (cf. v. 7; 4:3; Titus 2:10-13). When we fix our hope completely on the grace to be brought to us then, present trials will not deflect us from obeying God faithfully now. In other words, Peter urged his readers to face their daily trials with a specific attitude clearly and constantly in mind. We should remember that what God will give us soon, as a reward for our faithful commitment to Him, is worth any sacrifice now (cf. Rom. 8:18). (Constable)
As we go through 1 Peter, we will, of course, need to keep in mind Peter’s attitude toward the existing world. But we already note that Peter strong stress on the future does address questions to us. Have we lost the future dimension from the life of the individual Christian and of the church? Have we grown used to a situation in which the coming of Christ and the revelation of salvation do not fall within our expectations? True, We believe in the future hope in principle, but has it lost its importance as a factor in our daily living? And, as a result, do we lay too much stress on salvation now, both in our own lives and in the life of the world, and too little on what Christ has yet to bring? (Marshall, p. 43)
Our salvation is still in process.[67]
"… 4 Ezra 7:98, “They shall rejoice with boldness, be confident without confusion, be glad without fear, for their hastening to behold the face of him whom in life they served, and from whom they are destined to receive their reward in glory”… (Micheals, p 35)
As we go through 1 Peter, we will, of course, need to keep in mind Peter’s attitude toward the existing world. But we already note that Peter strong stress on the future does address questions to us. Have we lost the future dimension from the life of the individual Christian and of the church? Have we grown used to a situation in which the coming of Christ and the revelation of salvation do not fall within our expectations? True, We believe in the future hope in principle, but has it lost its importance as a factor in our daily living? And, as a result, do we lay too much stress on salvation now, both in our own lives and in the life of the world, and too little on what Christ has yet to bring? (Marshall, p. 43)
Marshall, I. Howard. 1 Peter. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, Ed. Grant Osborne, et al., InterVarsity Press, 1991.
Michaels, J. Ramsey. Word Biblical Commentary: 1 Peter. Ed. David Hubbard, et al., Word Publishers, 1988.
Most Works Cited. Please click here to access the web-page for all of the works cited, save those above–if any. Most of the works cited on the linked web-page correspond to the verses they are outlined with. In the case of background information and other general reference citations, one will find cited material with the Bible books the citations are associated with.