A New Future
1 Peter 1:3-9
Tony’s Overview Video
How to Use
Preparing to teach
- Read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge in this month’s issue of the Nurturing Faith Journal
- Watch Tony’s Video for this session
- Select either the Adult or Youth teaching guide and follow the directions
Click to read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge
Key Verse: 1 Peter 1:3 –
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead …”
Did you make it to a sunrise service or church worship for Easter? Chances are, you experienced an inspirational celebration of the high point of the church year. But what do we do after Easter, when the hallelujahs have faded and routine returns? The book of 1 Peter offers encouragement for Christ-followers who may flounder in the wake of the resurrection, and it will be the source of our studies for the next several weeks.
Being Christian is not always easy: Jesus promised his followers a comforter, but also a cross. Peter’s letter to Christians of the late first century addresses the difficulties faced by those who try to live the Christian life in a pluralistic culture that in some ways was not so different than our own.
No one can say with certainty whether the Apostle Peter wrote this letter, as it bears several marks of having been written long after his death. Still, it is likely that his teaching inspired it. In our studies, we may refer to the author as “Peter” with the understanding that someone else may have written it in his name. [DD] [DD]
When Christians changed their lifestyle and no longer participated in their pagan cultures, opposition was inevitable: we recall how idol-makers in Ephesus started a riot when their business suffered because of the Christian movement (Acts 18:23-41).
The writer of 1 Peter sought to encourage and comfort those Christians whose changed lifestyle had made them unacceptable within their cultural world. We may experience some of the same pushback in our own society, whether from non-Christians or from fellow believers who hold to different doctrine or values.
A living hope (vv. 3-5)
The letter begins with a salutation (1:1-2) in the style made popular by Paul, replacing the typical word “greetings” with “grace and peace.” The letter is addressed to the “exiles of the Dispersion” (NRSV), which usually refers to the “diaspora,” or scattering of Jewish exiles throughout the known world. The writer, however, apparently considered both Jewish and Gentile Christians to be part of the diaspora. This terminology is a reminder that all Christians have connections with God’s covenant people.
The address mentions the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, all in the northern half of what was then called Asia and is now the country of Turkey.
It is likely that the letter was designed to circulate among churches in the region so that all might learn and be encouraged (5:12). Its message did prove to be helpful, so much so that the letter traveled to other areas and eventually came to be accepted as scripture, inspired by God and instructive for churches and Christians in all places and all times.
Christian letters often included a prayer of thanksgiving after the greeting, so we are not surprised that vv. 3-12 offer a prayer of praise for what God has done in the lives of believers. [DD] The writer begins, appropriately, by offering thanks for God’s great mercy. It is because God is merciful that we are freely offered a new birth (literally “re-begotten”), made possible through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This gives to believers a living hope.
We can’t overemphasize the importance of hope, and for Christians, that hope is firmly grounded in Christ’s resurrection. If there had been no resurrection, there would have been no church. It was Christ’s resurrection that convinced his disciples that Jesus truly was the Son of God, victorious over death and evil. The resurrection led them to trust in his promise of eternal life to those who are “born again” (John 3:3).
Some Old Testament prophets hoped for a resurrection sometime in the future, at the end of the age. In contrast, the resurrection of Christ gave to Christians a living hope, a confident assurance of life beyond the grave.
While the new birth can lead to an abundant life here on earth, the writer also speaks of “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (v. 4). We normally think of an inheritance as something we receive when someone else dies, but this inheritance comes when we die.
Three adjectives describe this eternal inheritance: it is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. The writer adds a nice alliterative touch, for the three words all begin with the negative particle a: aphtharton, amianton, amaranton. [DD]
The word for “imperishable” means “not subject to spoiling.” The term translated “undefiled” is related to a word that can mean “to stain or dye.” With the negative particle, it means “unstained.” The word for “unfading” derives from the name of a flower, the maranth, with a negative prefix attached. It is used only here in the New Testament, but appeared in Greek literature to describe a flower whose beauty never fades (Daniel Arichea and Eugene Nida, A Translator’s Handbook on the First Letter from Peter [United Bible Societies, 1980], p. 18).
The author also thanked God for the protective promise of salvation that ensures our future (v. 5). We usually think of salvation in the context of one’s initial experience of trusting Jesus and being assured of eternity (cf. Luke 19:9). Paul sometimes speaks of it as a present possession being worked into a finished product (Phil. 2:12). At other times, “salvation” refers to the consummation of God’s redeeming work at the second coming of Christ (Rom. 13:11; Heb. 9:28), and that is probably its meaning here. Christians experience this sense of security through the living hope of committing their lives and their eternity to the power of God.
Trial by fire (vv. 6-7)
Salvation calls for rejoicing, even if current troubles limit our rejoicing to future hope. “In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials” (v. 6). This theme recurs throughout the letter. [DD]
The writer did not spell out the “various trials” his readers had suffered. Persecution is not limited to violent or physically harmful acts. The word here translated as “suffer” was most commonly used for “grieve.” It speaks of the emotional effects of suffering more than physical pain. The distress of grief may seem overwhelming, but in comparison to eternity, it is but “a little while.”
Pain, whether it arises from persecution or misunderstanding or heartache, is not just to be endured: it can be tapped for self-growth and increased maturity. Like a smelting fire that burns away impurities and renders gold more valuable, the heat of public derision or opposition could serve to purify the believers’ faith and prove it genuine. That kind of faith, according to the author, will result “in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (v. 7).
The metaphor of gold is helpful, but it falls short of describing true faith. Gold is fireproof, but not destruction-proof. In contrast, genuine faith that has been through the fire is imperishable. Counterfeit faith is inherently worthless and brings shame upon both Christ and the church. Faith that has been tested and proven to be genuine brings greater glory to the author of our faith.
The outcome of our faith (vv. 8-9)
Faith involves believing in something for which one has no visible proof. [DD] In trying times, faith may falter, or it may grow stronger. The writer of 1 Peter recognized the tested and true faith of the Christians in Asia Minor by affirming “Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy” (v. 8).
If the apostle Peter wrote these words, the author would have been an eyewitness to Christ’s life, work, and resurrection. In contrast, the people to whom he wrote had not heard Jesus teach, seen his miraculous works, or witnessed his resurrection – yet they believed. They walked by faith and not by sight (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7; John 20:29).
The believers not only believed in Christ – they loved him. Through the experience of faith and love, they experienced the joy of knowing the presence of Christ’s spirit and the assurance of their final salvation, the ultimate outcome of faith (v. 9). Suffering is not required for faith, but pain can strengthen us along the pathway to our ultimate salvation. [DD]
Scholars have often noted that 1 Peter has many similarities to the writings of Paul. This is particularly evident in this moving introduction to 1 Peter. The author begins with an affirmation of the Christian’s living hope (v. 3), then speaks of genuine faith (vv. 5, 7), and finally moves to joyous love (v. 8). These are the three things that remain when all else fails, aspects of Christian maturity that Paul often emphasized (1 Cor. 13:13; 1 Thes. 1:3, 5:8). For Christians who face the intense pressures of an unbelieving culture, these three virtues are central.
Does living in your world ever leave you with a level of tension between the life you live and the one to which you are called? Don’t give up: in Christ we have a hope that lives.
Adult Teaching Resources
Download the PDF of teaching resources for this lesson.
This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: 1 Peter 1:3-9
Youth Teaching Resources
Parent Prep
Our students make hundreds of choices everyday. Some of the choices that they choose are different than that choices that we would choose. How do you interact when your students makes a different choice than you would have made? How do you support your students when they make choices that aren’t healthy choices for them to make? How do you support your students when they make choices that are healthy for them? Do you think your student recognizes the difference? It might be easier to talk about the decision making process then the decision that was made.
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: 1 Peter 1:3-9
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
Encourage youth to check out this video ahead of the lesson.
“Hope” from The Hunger Games
Via www.youtube.com
Need Help?
Learn how to better use Nurturing Faith teaching resources.