The Messianic Ransom Was Planned and Executed for Our Sake

HYMN

#213 – “My Hope Is In The Lord”

REVIEW

We recited 1 Peter 1:1-18 as a whole and reviewed propositions for each verse covered in previous weeks.

STUDY & PROPOSITIONS

1 Peter 1:19

Our ransom was heavenly, not earthly.

  • Our price for redemption could not be made with anything of this world, like silver and gold. No amount of money could ever change a person's heart and redeem their souls.

  • The price of our ransom was heavenly; precisely, our ransom was purchased with the price of Christ's blood. By quality and value, it is precious.

  • God allowed animal sacrifices for sins as a foreshadow of the real sacrifice that was to come, which was human blood (Hebrews 10:1-4).

  • Humanity is in sin, and human beings are sinners. Every human being has to pay for their own sins, but no one can serve as their own ransom payment or anybody else's because their blood is not unblemished and spotless as a sacrificial lamb.

    • Romans 3:10-18 - "There is none righteous, not even one"

  • The only pure and unblemished sacrifice that can pay for man's sin is Christ's. Christ had to offer His own precious, unblemished human blood for sins, and the only way to accomplish that was through an earthly incarnation and offering made on the cross.

1 Peter 1:20

The Messianic ransom was planned.

  • Christ was predetermined and foreknown as the planned sacrifice. Christ is the fulfillment of what Reformed theology calls the "pactum salutis", or the "covenant of redemption." God had the redemption plan before the creation of the world. This means that before Genesis 1:1 and the creation of all things, God had a plan! God chose who He would redeem even before creation was created. This tells us that the whole purpose of creation is to execute God's redemption plan.

  • Christ’s first coming and His redemptive work marked the beginning of the last times, in which we are living now in hope of the future to come in eternity.

The Messianic ransom was executed for our sake.

  • Christ paid the ransom for our sake. In another sense, this was for the sake of the Father, in that He fulfilled the will of God who sent Him (John 6:38) in our redemption. Christ committed to fulfill God’s sovereign plan to be the sacrifice and payment for our sins. But as we are the ones who needed redemption, Christ’s ransom was paid and completed for the sake of us who believe, so that by faith we would receive forgiveness and redemption. So then it was for our sake and it was for the Father’s sake that Christ paid our ransom.

Our Conduct Perceives Eternity

HYMN

#198 – “Across The Lands”

REVIEW

We recited 1 Peter 1:1-17 as a whole and reviewed propositional truths that were covered in previous weeks.

STUDY & PROPOSITIONS

1 Peter 1:17

Our conduct perceives eternity.

  • “During the time of your stay on earth.” This is talking about a temporary stay, similar in idea to visiting a foreign land on a trip or vacation. We are sojourners; we are not to settle down, but are merely passing through this world as non-permanent residents (1 Peter 1:1; 2:11).

  • Earth is not our permanent home. We should have a mentality that we are on “temporary missionary visa.” We are not of this world (John 15:18-19).

  • What can we do to encourage one another to keep our focus on eternity?

    • Don’t stumble others by overly focusing or praising on the temporal pleasures of this world.

    • Encourage one another with the reality of Christ’s imminent coming.

    • Comfort one another with the hope of our resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4).

    • Remind each other that this world and all it contains is passing away; nothing in this world will last forever.

    • Confess our sins to one another. We will all be judged by God, so encourage one another to “be holy, for God is holy.”

  • What is the conduct of someone who perceives eternity?

    • Evaluates every facet of life, because God sees everything.

    • Is busy about the Lord’s work.

    • Lives to worship God and praise Him.

    • Fights sin.

    • Demonstrates holiness, being set apart from this world for God.

    • Makes disciples of others unto God.

    • Utilizes skills and time for God’s glory.

1 Peter 1:18-19

We are redeemed from a futile way of life.

  • Redemption speaks of being freed from bondage to something with a payment. We should have been judged by God for our sins, but we have been redeemed through the precious blood of Christ.

  • A futile life (literally, “conduct” a. la. v. 17) is not merely pointless, but more than that, in God’s eyes it is sinful and unfruitful. Ephesians 4:17-19 paints a picture of such a futile and sinful life.

  • Examples of futile and godless philosophies of life that we can “inherit from our forefathers”:

    • “Get a good job and make a lot of money.”

    • “Make a great name for yourself and earn the respect from others.”

    • “Church is important, but don’t get too into it - these other priorities in life are more important for you at this time”

    • “Take care of yourself and your family, and don’t get too involved in others’ business.”

    • “Health is the most important thing.”

God’s Righteous Character Is Never Compromised

HYMN

#368 – “Speak, O Lord”

REVIEW

We recited 1 Peter 1:1-16 in sections, reviewing key propositions for each section.

  • Verses 1-5

  • Verses 6-9

  • Verses 10-13

  • Verses 14-16

STUDY & PROPOSITIONS

1 Peter 1:17

God’s judgment is impartial.

  • In verse 16, Peter describes that we are children of God; as His children, we are to be like Him (“You shall be holy, for I am holy”).

  • In His judgment, God is objective, does not have any bias, and does not exercise favoritism.

  • The world may expect God to exercise favoritism toward people who have been perceived to have done great good in the world. On the flip side, the world expects God to exercise special judgment reserved for vicious and evil people. Also, culturally acceptable norms are not an excuse or exception to sin before an impartial and holy God.

  • Instead of judging with partiality, God judges based on “each one’s work” (Scripture shows that God judges according to “work”/”works,” and there is no need to stress the difference). There is nothing we can do in this life or any status we can achieve of our own that will allow us to escape God’s fair judgment for our sins.

  • Peter tells us to conduct ourselves in fear during our time on earth; however, merely doing so doesn’t address God’s judgment for sins, because He is still impartial. So then, the reason why we can and should live their lives in the fear of God is because our sins have been paid for in Christ. Because our sins have been dealt with through Christ, God’s character as an impartial judge remains intact and uncompromising. So, since our forgiveness having been accomplished through Christ, we ought to live the rest of their lives in the fear of God, fully acknowledging the righteous character of God.

  • God’s children have a duty to live their lives in a manner that does not contradict His righteous character. We must not betray His righteousness with ungodly and sinful conduct.

  • Has God dealt with His children in the same impartial manner as those who are not His children? Yes - God has dealt with all sin. However, the children of God have been redeemed in Christ, who bore the judgment for those who believe in Him.

Fear God.

  • Our God is a fearful God. This is a truth clearly communicated in the Old Testament, but is communicated in the New Testament as well, for God’s nature is unchanging. Some examples:

    • Matthew 10:28 - God not only has the authority to judge, but also to send people to eternity in hell.

    • Philippians 2:12 - We are to work out our salvation in fear and trembling.

    • 2 Corinthians 7:1 - We are commanded to perfect holiness in the fear of God.

Do Not Be Conformed To Former Lusts, But Imitate God In His Holiness

HYMN

#307 – “Christ Arose!”

REVIEW

  • Recited 1 Peter 1:1-13

STUDY & PROPOSITIONS

1 Peter 1:14

Christians obey the Lord.

  • True believers are children of obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

    • John 14:15 - “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.”

    • Romans 1:5 - the work of the apostles

    • 1 John 1:6-7 - we are conforming to God and walking in His light, implying obedience to the Lord

    • 1 John 2:4 - “whoever does not keep Christ’s commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

    • Matthew 7 - one who listens to Jesus’s words and act on them is like a wise man who builds on a firm foundation that can resist great tempests

    • Matthew 28 - disciples of Christ are taught to observe all that Jesus has commanded

Do not be conformed to former lusts.

  • It is entirely conceivable for a Christian to relapse into conformity to former lusts. None of us should assume that we are totally beyond their tempting allure.

  • Lusts are anything that produce a strong desire in us. We must guard against all of our former lusts that may have been present in our life before salvation.

    • Pride, achievements, accolades

    • Fear of man, reputation, respect, honor

    • Various desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21)

  • When we find ourselves being tempted by former lusts, we must run to the Lord in prayer and pour out our hearts before Him. If we don’t, we may find ourselves in bondage or addiction to those lusts.

  • How is it that former lusts are manifestations of ignorance?

    • Former lusts promote and advertise promises that are ultimately grounded in things that are perishing. We can ignorantly focus so much on things and distractions that will ultimately fade away that we don’t realize we can’t take these things with us into eternity. Such a one will find that they are unprepared and unequipped for eternity.

  • Acknowledging that succumbing to former lusts is a result of ignorance to reality, to actually do so would be foolishness.

1 Peter 1:15-16

Imitate God in His holiness.

  • We are to fashion ourselves to God, not after our former lusts. More than just ridding ourselves of former lusts, we are to refill ourselves in every area of life with God and His commandments.

  • The basis for why we should be holy as God is holy? Because it is written in Scripture. This is what God wants, and it is recorded in His word. Simply put: God told us to be holy, so we must obey and be holy!

  • To be holy is to be “set apart” from the world around us. God is set apart, because He is perfectly righteous and pure. We ought to be like God, and be holy.

  • Christ is the perfect model of holiness.

Be Sober Minded, and Fix Your Hope on Future Grace

HYMN

#377 – May the Mind of Christ My Savior

STUDY & PROPOSITIONS

1 Peter 1:13

  • We must be prepared to do work without hindrance. Our minds are prone to being loose and entangled, and require tightening up before work is to be done.

  • In addition to preparing for work, we must also continually keep sober in spirit. We can do this by keeping God’s truth in our minds, meditating on it, growing in understanding of it, and practicing them in life by faith.

Believers ought to have a ready mind.

  • If we compromise our mind, we lose our most important tool in life.

  • How can we continually keep sober in spirit and ready in mind?

    • Remain in the Word of God - read it in worship and in faith, listen to preaching, meditate on it, practice it.

    • Remain in prayer - genuinely seek the Lord; don’t merely fall into a habit of meaningless repetition or routine. Pray biblical prayers!

    • Maintain proper eschatology. Remembering that Christ will return at any time can keep us alert and ready to live with alertness.

    • Fellowship with other believers.

      • If we find ourselves being carried away by other things, we must return back to reality by recalling biblical truths that can wake us up from stupor or distraction. We don’t have to do this all by ourselves! We can call on each other as brothers and sisters for encouragement and reminders from the Word.

Fix your hope on future grace.

  • We often anticipate things that end up framing our lives and actions, such as various worries, financial milestones, material purchases, iterations of entertainment, or goals we’ve set for ourselves.

  • Subjugate all anticipation in our lives under the anticipation of future grace. This is not to say that we are not thankful for what God gives us in this life, but we ought to place our great hope and anticipation on what God has promised for us in the future. Things in this life are perishable and fading, but the promise of future grace in eternity is permanent and lasting.

  • As believers, we will receive a great amount of favor when Christ is revealed - glorification!

    • Revelation 7:9

    • Romans 8:18-25

Salvation Entails Duty, and Mature Believers Have A Ready Mind

HYMN

#310 - "Resurrection Hymn"

REVIEW

We then recited, in unison, 1 Peter 1:1-12.

STUDY & PROPOSITIONS

1 Peter 1:12

Salvation has an angelic audience.

  • Our culture generally believes in a naturalistic universe, but angels are all around us.

  • Angel = messenger - they are deliverers of God's word, as well as executors of God's will

  • Angels really desire to understand the salvation that we have in Christ

    • Ephesians 3:8-10, "…wisdom of God might now be made known…in the heavenly places."

    • Angels did know about God's wisdom (Rev 5:11-12, Rev 7:9-12), but they look at us, longing to understand the wisdom of God specifically in salvation

  • Angels are watching our lives (1 Cor 11:10, Heb 13:2)

  • Angelic beings are real - when we approach our world view with a purely naturalistic standpoint, we are approaching the world with foggy lenses

  • QUESTION: When were angels created?

    • Angels are not eternal, as they were created (Col 1:15, invisible things), but they were there before the foundation of the world

1 Peter 1:13

Salvation entails duty.

  • The first 2 phrases are preparatory participles for the 3rd phrase ("…fix your hope…")

  • We have all these blessings, and with these blessings comes duty and responsibility

  • We’re not to be smug, thinking to ourselves "we're so blessed!" and stop there - He's got actions for us!

Mature believers have a ready mind.

  • “prepare your minds for action”

    • It is vital to get this right in our minds

    • Aorist participle

    • In the Greek, there is a sense of girding up the loins of your mind

    • A Christian doesn't just let their mind go

    • We have to recognize that our life is God's, not our own

  • “keep sober in spirit”

    • Don't be sleepy or drunk, but have full control

    • We don't live in a neutral world - there is evil from our flesh, evil from the world, evil from Satan and his minions that want to conquer us (Eph. 5:16)

Rejoice in the Gospel of Christ, Revealed to Us by the Holy Spirit

HYMN

#363 – Every Promise of Your Word

REVIEW

  • 1 Peter 1:1-2

    • Peter reminds us that his letter comes with the authority of Christ.

    • This is not our home. We reside as aliens.

    • Our stay on earth is short.

    • We are chosen by the Triune God

      • God the Father is the Planner.

        • “According to the foreknowledge of God”

      • God the Spirit is the sanctifier

        • “By the sanctifying work of the Spirit”

      • God the Son is the Master and Cleanser.

        • “To obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood.”

  • 1 Peter 1:3-5

    • This is a doxology.

    • Peter is giving thanks to God and blessing God for initiating our salvation.

    • God had mercy on us and regenerated us.

    • It is through the Father’s work by which we are saved.

    • Peter reminds us that our future glorified life in heaven is better than this life. The good life is in the future, not here.

    • God powerfully preserves us through our faith.

    • We have the persisting security of God’s power that preserves us to the very end.

STUDY & PROPOSITIONS

1 Peter 1:6

Trials are necessary in the sight of God.

  • “If necessary”

Christ is hidden, but He will be revealed at His second coming.

  • “At the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 1:7

Nothing in this life, not even the most precious asset, can transact with eternity.

  • “Being more precious than gold”

  • This points to the genuineness of faith.

  • Genuine faith endures trials. Trials allow us to gain subjective assurance that our faith is real.

  • Truly genuine faith that results in salvation is one that is able to go through trials and not buckle under the pressure of trials.

  • Genuine faith is valuable because it means eternal life.

  • The proof of your faith is actually more precious than gold even though tested. Even the most fine gold is going to perish, but genuine faith will not perish.

Genuine faith results in glorification.

  • Genuine faith results in “praise, glory, and honor” for believers.

1 Peter 1:8

We love the unseen Christ.

  • We do not see Christ. We have not seen Christ. This is true of believers even in the first century world. Yet these believers love Christ.

Believers have an otherworldly joy.

  • Even though we don’t see him, there is great love for him.

  • In Christ, believers have a joy that the world cannot understand.

1 Peter 1:9

We are saved by faith.

  • This is a pervasive point observed throughout Scripture.

1 Peter 1:10-11

Christ’s coming was not haphazard, but was prophesied.

  • Christ came after a long period of foretelling about His coming. Christ’s sufferings and the glories that came afterward did not come about by chance, but by the plan and prediction of God. This plan extends as far back as Genesis 3.

“The sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.”

  • Isaiah 53 points to the sufferings of Christ.

  • Psalm 2 points to the glories of Christ ruling over all the nations.

  • Isaiah 9 points to the truth that Christ’s domain extends to the end of the world.

  • Daniel speaks of His kingdom as an everlasting kingdom, the final kingdom, unlike any other kingdom.

  • NT authors describe Christ’s suffering and glorification as having been predicted in the OT.

    • Acts 2:32-36 - Peter sees the glorification as being predicted.

    • Acts 3:13-18 - Peter understood that the OT predicted Christ’s suffering.

    • Luke 24:25-27; 45-46 - Jesus saw that the OT Scriptures spoke of His suffering.

We received the prophetic blessings.

  • Peter says that the prophets knew they were not serving themselves, but a different generation. The prophets knew the coming of the Messiah was still in the future, and they prophesied of the grace that would come to us. In reality, the prophets of old were serving us! Therefore, we are a privileged people. God prepared these blessings in Christ for future generations. We are the recipients of the blessings of the Messiah.

    • Isaiah knew that he would not be a part of the future remnant. He prophesied knowing his nation would have to go into exile, and he died before they go into exile.

    • Judah never went into exile in his lifetime, yet he predicted it.

    • Jeremiah knew that there would be 70 years in exile. He begins prophesying at the beginning of the exile. He knew this would last for 70 years, and that afterward God would judge Babylon.

    • Daniel knew there would come kingdoms after the Babylonian kingdom. He expected to die before seeing the fulfillment of his prophecies

We are Christ’s sheep.

  • We are God’s blessed people.

  • We are former sinners called to repentance.

  • We are born again people.

  • We are true worshipers.

  • We are people who have promise of eternal security.

  • We are people who cannot be snatched from Christ’s hand.  

  • We are people who have received the blessing of the Messiah.

1 Peter 1:12

The gospel contains the fullness of salvation.

  • We need to give people the fullness of the gospel. We were given the fullness in order that we understand things like salvation, and we have a privilege and position to clearlyi communicate these truths to others.

“By the Holy Spirit sent from heaven”

  • The preaching of the gospel came by the Holy Spirit. Preachers preached by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Preaching does not come from flattery or selfish motives; it comes from people who yield their lives to the Spirit of God.

    • 1 Thessalonians 2:3-4

  • People who preach the gospel must themselves be living the holy life. To be effectively used by God, we need to be yielded to the Holy Spirit. A holy and pure life is part and parcel of being useful to the Master as a preacher of the gospel.

    • 2 Timothy 2:19-22

Believers Have An Otherworldly Joy, and We Are Saved By Faith

HYMN

#198 – Across the Lands

We started by reciting and reviewing propositions for 1 Peter 1:1-8a.

  • This is not our home (v1)

  • We are chosen by the triune God (v2)

  • God regenerated us (v3)

  • We will all live forever in heaven (v3-4)

  • God powerfully preserves us (v5)

  • Trials don't ruin us (v6)

  • We rejoice in trials (v6)

  • We have a genuine and enduring faith (v7)

  • Believers have an otherworldly joy (v8)

Afterward, we continued studying through 1 Peter 1, concentrating on verses 8b-11.

PROPOSITIONS & EXPLANATORY NOTES

Believers have an otherworldly joy.

  • This joy does not belong to this world; it belongs to a different world.

  • Our joy is not simply happiness.

  • Consider the following joys:

    • Partaking in communion

    • Worship

    • God's truth

    • Bright future ahead

    • Meeting the Lord

    • Forgiveness of sins

    • A changed life

    • Fellowship in God's church

    • Answered prayer

    • God's love

    • Giving

    • Sharing the Gospel with others

    • God's acceptance

    • Hope, even in the midst of death and the grave

    • God's creation

We are saved by faith.

  • In verse 9, "outcome" speaks more to something being given to us or being received, rather than us earning or obtaining.

  • Salvation is by faith, not by our works, our deeds, our endurance, any of our doing. It is the outcome of our faith. Our trust in God and His Word results in good works and endurance, etc.

  • Salvation is not merely physical, but also applies to our souls.

  • If God did not choose us, regenerate us, preserve us, or protect us, we would live fruitless lives and receive judgment for our souls.

Christ’s coming was not haphazard.

  • Christ’s coming was planned and predicted. The salvation that we have is not random or haphazard, but has been purposed by God and recorded in history. God had a plan for salvation, and the prophets prophesied of it.

  • The prophets made careful searches and inquiries. For example, Daniel sees a vision in Daniel 8 and seeks to understand its meeting (8:15). (See also Daniel 9:3, Daniel 9:20-23.) These searches and inquiries pertain to the coming Messiah.

  • In verse 11, “the Spirit of Christ” refers to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is sent in the name of Christ (John 14:26, 16:13-15). The Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are united and operate in purpose and desire.

  • Prophecies concerning Christ’s suffering and glorification were also pointed out by Jesus Himself (see Luke 24:25-26, 45-46).

  • This plan of salvation was purposed for us.