Scripture of the Month
March, 2004
“Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God.”
I Peter 1:21
Last month, we studied that holy living starts with a determination of the mind. We are called by the holy God; therefore, we are called to a lifestyle that is different from that of the world. This is not without reason. Since we call this holy God as Father, therefore, as His obedient children, we do not conform to the evil desires that used to flood our minds (v.14).
God is Judge as well as Father, and those who call God as Father must also remember that His judgment is impartial (v.17). Simply proclaiming as Christians does not mean that all will be well on Judgment Day. Justified persons are those who stand before God in grace, and they must walk in good works as evidence of the grace received. Though condemnation is no longer a fear, yet judgment is certain. Therefore, Christians should live in reverential awe of God.
Peter reminded us that we are not redeemed with perishable things like silver and gold (v.18). We are redeemed from the “empty” lifestyle to a fuller lifestyle only by the blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish, who was chosen to complete this mission before the creation of the world.
Do you realize that our redemption wasn’t an afterthought? Everything was planned to its detail and was made complete by the work of Christ. Peter told us all is done “for your sake.” Therefore, we must live a life of response to God. This paragraph (vv. 17-21) closes with a statement of believer’s faith in God. Our faith in God comes through the work of Jesus Christ because He is the one who reveals the invisible Father to us and He is also the one who reconciled us with the Father. We have faith in God because He raised Christ from the dead and glorified Him through the Ascension. Peter, who was an eyewitness to the awesome revelation of God’s power in Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension, urged us to put our faith and hope in God. To sum it up, Jesus’ Resurrection is the foundation of our faith, and His Glorification is the pledge of the hope of our new future. There is nothing worth our while to hang on to except the promises of God.
