Compiled By: Lisa K Gonzales
Source: The Life Application Study Bible
3 “All honor to the GOD and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by His boundless mercy that GOD has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. 4 For GOD has reserved a priceless inheritance for HIS children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And GOD, in HIS mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting HIM. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see.” ~ 1 Peter 1:3-5
The term “born again” refers to spiritual birth – regeneration – the Holy Spirit’s act of bringing believers into GOD’s family. Jesus used this concept of new birth when He explained salvation to Nicodemus. – 5 “Jesus replied, ‘The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of GOD without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven.’” – John 3:5-6 – “Of water and the Spirit” could refer to (1) the contract between physical birth (water) and spiritual birth (Spirit), or (2) being regenerated by the Spirit and signifying the rebirth by Christian baptism. The water may also represent the cleansing action of GOD’s Holy Spirit. – “He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit.” – Titus 3:5 – Jesus was explaining the importance of a spiritual rebirth, saying that people do not enter the Kingdom by living a better life, but by being spiritually reborn.
The Jews looked forward to an inheritance in the Promised Land of Canaan. – “ But we do not want any of the land on the other side of the Jordan. We would rather live here on the east side where we have received our inheritance.” – Numbers 32:19 – Christians now look forward to a family inheritance in the eternal city of GOD. GOD has reserved the inheritance; it will never fade or decay; it will be unstained by sin. The best part is that we have an inheritance if we have trusted Christ as our Savior. Peter’s words offer joy and hope in times of trouble, and he bases his confidence on what GOD has done for us in Christ Jesus. We live with the wonderful expectation of eternal life. Our hope is not only for the future; eternal life begins when we trust Christ and join GOD’s family. No matter what pain or trial we face in this life, we know that it is not our final experience. Eventually we will live with Christ forever. GOD will help us remain true to our faith through whatever difficult times we must face.
The “last day” is the judgment day of Christ: – “So why do you condemn another Christian? Why do you look down on another Christian? Remember, each of us will stand personally before the judgment seat of GOD.” – Romans 14:10 – Each person is accountable to Christ, not to others. Many times Christians base their moral judgments on opinion, personal dislikes, or cultural bias rather than on the Word of GOD. When they do this, they show that their own faith is weak; they do not think that GOD is powerful enough to guide HIS children. When we stand before GOD and give a personal account of our life, we will not be worried about what our Christian neighbor has – or has not – done. – 11 “And I saw a great white throne, and I saw the One who was sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from His presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before GOD’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to the things written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 The sea gave up the dead in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead in them. They were all judged according to their deeds. 14 And death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death – the lake of fire. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:11-15 – At the judgment, the books are opened. They represent GOD’s judgment, and in them are recorded the deeds of everyone, good or evil. We are not saved by deeds, but deeds are seen as clear evidence of a person’s actual relationship with GOD. The Book of Life contains the names of those who have put their trust in Christ to save them. John’s vision does not permit any gray areas in GOD’s judgment. If by faith we have not identified with Christ, confessing Him as Lord, there will be no hope, no second chance, no other appeal.
We may have to endure trials, persecution, or even violent death, but our souls cannot be harmed if we have accepted Christ’s gift of salvation. We know we will receive the promised rewards.
Father GOD, YOUR Word is powerful and strong. YOU are very specific in what YOU expect of and from us as believers. We give all honor to the GOD and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by His boundless mercy that YOU, Father GOD have given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead and YOU, LORD have reserved a priceless inheritance for us – YOUR children. We know that our inheritance is kept in heaven for us, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay, and that YOU, Father, in YOUR mighty power, will protect us until we receive this salvation. Because we are trusting YOU, and because we have asked for and have accepted Christ’s gift of salvation, we know we will receive the promised rewards. – Thank You JESUS!
Photo: Kootenai Falls (Montana)
Photographer: Lisa K Gonzales
Click on the photo to enlarge
