1 Peter 1:3-5

Written ~ 10-26-2023

1 Peter 1:3-5

(New Living Translation)

³ “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation –

⁴ and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

⁵ And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.”

(The Message)

Verses 1:3b-4…

“Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now!”

Have you ever thought about what we have waiting for us in Heaven? I mean really thought about it. Verse 1:3 says that after we have become born again we will live with great expectation. That anticipation and expectation can become quite great when we start understanding the priceless inheritance we have waiting for us.

Romans 8:16-17 says,

“For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.

Ephesians 1:11a says,

“…Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God…”

Also in Colossians 1:12 it says,

“…He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the Light…”

An inheritance is a birthright. The only way we can receive the inheritance waiting in Heaven, is to be born into the family of God. When we become a child of God through the acceptance of His Son Jesus Christ we will then become co-heirs with Christ Jesus! Romans 8:17 says, “…we are heirs of God’s Glory…” What that means to me, is that everything we learn about God, the Almighty God, our Father in Heaven, the power, the glory, the magnificence and all of His promises will be given to us. What we see and receive here on earth is nothing compared to what we have waiting for us in Heaven!

Let’s look at verse 1:4,

“…we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.” (NLT)

“…we have an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that doesn’t fade away, reserved in Heaven for you…” (WEB)

What if you had an object, like an inestimable gemstone, an original Gutenberg Bible, or a one of kind sportscar, you would keep each of those things under lock and key, more than likely there would be a constant worry of it being stolen or ruined by outside elements. But guess what? Our inheritance, waiting for us in Heaven is PRICELESS, that means no matter what we think our inheritance is worth, we could never calculate a sum high enough. Another difference between an earthly inheritance and a Heavenly inheritance is that our Heavenly inheritance is kept safe by God Himself! It cannot be touched by corruption, it cannot be defiled, contaminated, polluted, it cannot spoil or decay, it cannot be stolen. Our Heavenly inheritance will not be locked away where it can only be seen behind glass and iron bars. So this is the expectation we live for today! The fullness of our inheritance will be revealed to us on the last day!

1 Peter 1:5 says,

“…And through your faith, God is protecting you by His Power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see…”

We need to understand this. From what I have studied and read from numerous commentaries and Study Bibles there are three distinct “definitions” to the word salvation. When we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and accept Him as Lord and Savior we have “stepped into salvation.” Here is what the “Case for Christ Study Bible” has to say about salvation…

The Bible speaks of salvation as:

#1. Past— When a person first believes – Titus 3:4-7 and 1 Peter 1:2

⁴ “…When God our Savior revealed His kindness and love, ⁵ He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. ⁶ He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. ⁷ Because of His grace He made us right in His sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.”

² “…God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and His Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.”

#2. Present— The continuing process of salvation, or sanctification – 2 Timothy 1:9 and 1 Corinthians 1:18

⁹ “…For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time—to show us His grace through Christ Jesus.”

¹⁸ The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.

#3. Future— When Christ returns and salvation, or sanctification, is completed through glorification – Romans 8:23-25

²³ “…And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as His adopted children, including the new bodies He has promised us. ²⁴ We were given this hope when we were saved. If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. ²⁵ But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.”

I really loved how that Study Bible clarified verse 1:5, I hope it opened your mind as well, I know I certainly learned something new today…

So, when we are born again, our name gets written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 20:12-15), as we continue our lives here on earth we are to live a holy life, continue to live in our Salvation. Then on the last day, the final day of judgment, God will open the Book of Life and find our names written in its pages and when He does, we are given the fullness of our inheritance, the fullness of our Salvation. This is something wonderful, too awesome for words, we have a gift waiting for us in Heaven that is indescribable!

That is why we look to Heaven with anticipation, it is why we need to walk with Jesus and follow His example, to be excited for His return and our eternity with Him in Heaven. Verse 1:3b…

^3b “…Now we live with great expectation…”

My prayer is that you live in expectation. I pray that you have turned your heart over to Jesus Christ and have been added to the list of co-heirs with Jesus.

1 Peter 1:3a,

³ “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.”

By believing and accepting that Jesus died on the cross for you, but not only that He was raised from the dead for you, you can now step into salvation. Start your new, born-again life today. It starts with a simple prayer…

Dear Jesus, You know my heart, all the things I have done and said. Please forgive me for my unbelief. Please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth to die on the cross for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead to give me freedom from sin and death. By faith through believing in Who You Are, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse this heart of mine, white as snow. Help me not to doubt any longer and breathe life into me, fill me with Your light. Thank You Jesus! Amen.

If you solemnly prayed this prayer, tell at least one person, so they can share in your joy!! I rejoice with you! All the angels in Heaven rejoice with you! You have just had your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life! You are guaranteed the inheritance as a child of the Almighty God!

It is very important to me that those who might be reading these journal pages of mine and don’t yet know the Lord Jesus Christ, that you make that decision. Today. Your heart and mind may not understand everything you have been reading, but if you open your heart to the truth of who Jesus is, you will be saved from sin and death. By the Power of the Holy Spirit you will be amazed at how quickly after giving your heart to the Lord your eyes and ears will be opened to the truth.

~AMEN~