1 Peter 1:21 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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1 Peter 1:21

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Peter’s sentences are complicated because he seems determined to condense so many thoughts into so few words. God’s enemies know him from a distance and quake at the thought of him, but his children trust in him in a way that brings them into intimate communion with him. They love him and trust in him so that they lose all fear of him and are assured that his intentions towards us are good.But the obstacles to all this are immense. When our limited minds try to grasp God, they are soon lost in the darkness of ignorance for they cannot grasp his infinite being. By nature what we know of God is a result of our once being made in the image of God and capable of rational thought; it is a result of his revelation of himself to us in nature where he puts on display that which no other creature on earth apart from man is capable of appreciating. But we also face the problem of our sinfulness which makes us afraid to approach God at all, for our hearts condemn us and we are therefore sure that God will condemn us. How can we come to a being concerning whom we only have feelings of terror? We cannot come to him in trust until we believe that he loves us and has intentions of kindness and goodness towards us, but all our natural instincts tell us that he is angry with us and this is an insuperable obstacle to our approach. Both of these obstacles are removed in Christ, who perfectly brings us to the infinitely holy God without fear. The atonement of Christ is the only solution to this problem. ‘He was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him’ (2 Corinthians 5:21). By faith we are convinced that God’s offer of mercy is genuine and that he has put away his anger. The apostle Peter is absolutely certain, under inspiration, that the resurrection has its place in our understanding even when we first come to Christ: You see this in his preaching in Acts 2:23. He preaches the atoning death of Christ and his resurrection. He proves it to his Jewish hearers by referring back to David and the psalms and this is what really moved them. Then we see the apostle Paul doing exactly the same thing when he preaches the gospel at Athens. He preaches Christ to them, based upon the notion of the unknown God, and then he says this: ‘Because [God] hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead.’ Why did he say this? Was it because of ‘the wow factor’ of the resurrection, as if this would prove to people that Christ was God? No, he says it in the context of Calvary and the atonement. The resurrection is the assurance of God to illuminated sinners that Christ has the power to forgive and to give life. The resurrection proves that every ounce of guilt that Christ bore, and receive the punishment for, was purged away successfully. The work of salvation is complete, and God the Father has accepted it, and he may rise from the dead. It's an accomplished work. How was Christ given glory? By the resurrection appearances. The disciples were astonished that the one who was clearly crucified, appeared to them, spoke with them, and could be touched by them. No one else has ever come back from the dead like that. He was glorified in his ascension. No one else has ever been visibly raised in the presence of witnesses to the skies. He was glorified on the Day of Pentecost in the pouring out of the Spirit. Previously, they had been fearful; and had fled, but Peter was able to get up on the Day of Pentecost and preach that mighty sermon, full of light and knowledge. He is glorified in all the power he pours out from heaven upon his church, and upon individual believers in answer to prayer, and sustaining and blessing and saving souls. We are drawn to the glory that Christ has been given by the Father which makes us long to be with our Saviour. His glory is the mark of how much the Father loves him and approves of all that he has done. We too desire to be glorified. The Christian who has stood for Christ in this world of darkness and unbelief will be rewarded glory in the world to come. The glory given to Christ allows us to have a strong hope, an uninhibited hope.

Application

‘That your faith and hope might be in God.’ It is a great snub to Christ and to the Father for us to lapse into a condition where our trust is in earthly things, and our anticipation is all in earthly pleasures. Of course, some will be. We are human; we are on earth. We look forward to wholesome and pleasurable things, and aspects of family life and many other things, but our chief anticipation is in spiritual things. That is our definition as Christians.

In raising Christ God gives an assurance of what he will one day do for all the church and therefore we should not allow pessimistic fears to suspect the worst and to convince us that God is secretly against us. The opposite is true: God wants our faith and hope to be very strong and to have a clear view of what is held in store for us. When you come in repentance to Christ and the devil whispers in your ear, ‘How do you know that your sins are taken away?’, the resurrection proves it. When you say, ‘How do I know that Christ has the power to remake me, and give me a new heart and a new character, a new life, and one day to raise me up into eternal glory?’ Well, the resurrection says, ‘Look, look: he is the Lord of life. He has power over death. He rises from the dead.’ Its primary intention is a mighty assurance to us, as seeking sinners and as believers, that the work of redemption is complete and Christ has the renewing power of life.

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1 Peter 1:21 Commentary and Bible Study