1 Peter
1:3-4 In his great mercy he has given us
new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade… NIV
Three times
in the first chapter of Peter’s first letter, he speaks of things that are
either perishable or imperishable. It would seem that he is trying to make a
point of emphasis to his readers.
In the
above verse, Peter tells us that we have an inheritance that cannot perish. An
inheritance that cannot be spoiled and will not fade. In fact, he says that it
is “kept in heaven” for us.
It makes
sense that it is not something kept on earth. Just by observation, we can see
that earthly things perish. In verse 7, Peter uses gold as an example. Even
though gold, especially after it has been refined by the fire, can last a long
time, eventually it perishes. It is not eternal.
In verse
18, he includes silver as another example of things that perish. Why does he
use these precious metals as an example? I believe it is because we think of them as precious or valuable.
But even though we may consider them as very valuable, they do not last
forever.
I think most of us would agree, that there is something even more valuable than
any precious metal. Life, especially human life is as precious as it gets. But
Peter will point out that life too is perishable. In fact, he says in verse 24 that
men are like grass, their glory is like the flowers of the field. Both will
fade and both will fall.
What is the
point of all this? Why is this important? One word, perspective. Peter wants us to have a proper perspective concerning
the things of this life, perishable things, as compared to eternal things.
We tend to
get caught up in things that seem
important, but ultimately have no value in eternity. We get so concerned about
what clothes we will wear, what car we will drive, what house we will live in,
but those things will only last a short time.
When Peter
wrote this letter, Christians, were going through a great time of persecution
and suffering yet Peter says that in spite of this, they greatly rejoiced in
their eternal inheritance, salvation!
He
encouraged them to continue to live holy lives (vv 13-15) and to set their hope
fully on the grace given by Jesus
Christ. That message is given to us as well. No matter what we are going
through, no matter what our current circumstances are, one thing is certain. We,
who are in Christ, have an eternal inheritance. Our salvation guarantees us
life eternal in the presence of our Lord. It is an
inheritance that will never fade; it
will never perish!
The
question is, are you setting your mind fully on Jesus today? Are you rejoicing
in your eternal, imperishable inheritance or are you getting caught up in the
day to day trials of this life? Jesus said this, Matt 6:31-34 "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will
we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' 32 "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all
these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these
things. 33 "But seek first His
kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34
"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each
day has enough trouble of its own. NASU
In verse 7 of
our chapter, Peter reminds us that the trials we face have a purpose. They test
our faith. They refine us in the same way that gold is refined. They reveal to us whether our faith is genuine or not.
If we have genuine faith, then we can rejoice in the fact that our trials here are
only temporary, they will pass. When we lay hold of that fact and remember that
we have an imperishable inheritance to look forward to, then we, will
experience the same “inexpressible and glorious joy,” that those early
believers did.
God bless
you
Coach
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