Our Living Hope | The Fisherman’s Quill

1 Peter 1:3

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Blessed be God

Peter was writing to Christians who were facing persecution or impending persecution. He exhorts them, “Blessed be God…” The word ‘blessed’ here is different from the word used in the beatitudes. Here the word is ‘eulogetos,’ the root from which we get the word ‘eulogy.’ It means ‘worthy of praise.’  Praising God is a remedy for trials. In the midst of difficulties, this is the greatest thing a person can do (see Psalm 34:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:18). David sang about God’s faithfulness when we walk through valleys (Psalm 23:4, 138:7). Like David, we can turn our sorrow, anxiety, fear and disappointment into a song of praise.

The devil would want us to be entangled in our burdens. When this happens, we take our eyes off Christ and begin to sink like Peter did when he walked on the sea. But when we bless the Lord in difficult circumstances, our eyes are fixed on Him instead. Make it a habit to praise God before you even begin your day every morning.

The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

This verse has been used by some groups of people to deny the deity of Christ. We cannot fully comprehend the concept of trinity, but the Bible makes it clear that there is one God in three persons (Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19).

Here Peter is reiterating the claim Jesus had made about Himself – that He is the Son of God (John 9:35-37).

‘Lord’ here means Master, the One who is in control and is supreme in authority. Everything we have, even our breath, is God-given and belongs to Him. When Thomas saw the resurrected Christ, he declared, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Jesus is our Master and Lord.

Begotten

Peter goes on to say that we have a living hope, not because of our effort, but because we have been “begotten” into it. This word is a translation from ‘ana gennao’ – to give birth again. The Christian life is compared to being born again (John 3:3). For the Jews, the fact that they were born into Abraham’s line of descendants was a matter of great pride and was their guarantee for being blessed. But Jesus told the unbelieving Jews that their father was not Abraham, but the devil (John 8:33-45). The Bible emphasizes the need for a new start. We were dead in sins, and need a new life from above. We need to be regenerated. 1 John 5:1 tells us that whoever believes (present tense) in Jesus is born of God. When we do that, we are saved, but will fully realise salvation when Christ comes back to take us with Him.

A living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ

Peter says we are begotten into “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” The hope we have is a living hope because our God is alive.

Years earlier, when Jesus had told Peter that He would suffer and be killed, Peter declared that that couldn’t be. Peter’s worst nightmare came true when He saw Jesus being crucified. On the 3rd day, when the women found Jesus’ body missing from the tomb and reported it to him, Peter ran to see it for himself (Luke 24:12). Peter was devastated, thinking it was all over, and decided to go back to fishing along with some other disciples. Jesus showed up the next morning right where they were. Imagine the revival of hope Peter experienced when he realised that Jesus was alive and with them (John 21:1-7).

In his epistle, Peter is writing about this hope – the hope that comes from knowing that our Lord is not dead, but risen. The living hope the Bible talks about is not mere optimism, but rather a confession of faith in the living God.

When we are faced with sure defeat and feel like all is lost, may we, like Peter, see the resurrected Christ. May we hold on to this living hope in our God who is alive and there for us. If we belong to Christ, though we die, we shall yet live. The hope of the righteous will be gladness (Proverbs 10:28). Our hope in the living God can never leave us disappointed.