Page 41 - General Epistles (James through Jude) Textbook

salvation, namely; God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. “Peter wants us to know
that the whole of the triune Godhead is involved in our God-ordained plight” even though it was
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downgraded by the then society. How can one lose such salvation were all the members of the triune
God are involved?

Praise be to God! (1 Pet. 1:3-5).
Why? Because of such salvation that in God’s mind was planned before the
creation of anything, Peter praised God and the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Peter would continue to shed more light on some details that could
have been exercised before his audience would be saved elected/chosen).
First, praise to God the Father was a suitable response in light of God’s great
mercy. God’s great mercy was (is) important because it caused new birth.
Somewhere in the Bible (see John 3:7), this new birth was misunderstood by one of the respected
leaders (Nicodemus) as meaning biological birth from one’s mother’s womb. But here (and also in John
3:1-15), the new birth is a state by which one surrenders his/her life to Jesus Christ as Lord and personal
Savior.

Peter says that it does not end on new birth. Initially, new birth produces great expectation (living hope)
sealed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What does this mean? This means that if Jesus Christ died and
resurrected, the promise of our inheritance, that is, the hope of living eternally after the end our lifetime
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is “secured by God.” Second, new birth produces inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
“Peter used those three words . . . to describe in a cumulative fashion this inheritance’s permanence.”
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How possible is that? Because this inheritance is not kept by finite beings nor kept in destructible places
(e.g., fallen world), but where God is. Now “kept” is in present continuance tense. In that way, it means
that God’s power continues to keep their inheritance. Through faith, those who have such inheritance
(Peter’s audience and every born-again person) are shielded by God’s power until the coming salvation.
Whose faith? Since according to Peter, his audience cannot guard themselves, “it cannot be that their
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faith keeps them saved; it is by God’s faithfulness.”

Even though their future of their lifetime seemed bleak and out of their control because of their intense
suffering, Peter’s audiences’ future after their lifetime was cheerful and within their control because
through God’s faithfulness, their inheritance is shielded by God’s power until it would be revealed to
them at the second coming of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Equally, even though our lifetime’s
future seemed bleak and out of our control because of the devastating effects of cancer, HIV, corona
virus, injustices, etc., our (Christians’) future (after the end of our lifetime) is cheerful and within our
control because through God’s faithfulness, our inheritance is shielded by God’s power until it is
revealed to us at the second coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Based on Peter’s
encouragement to his audience on the security of their (our) salvation, I am comfortable to conclude
that no person can lose salvation. Why? Because no person cannot lose something that he/she cannot
keep. Not only are we not keeping our salvation (inheritance), but it is beyond our reach, we do not fully
comprehend it and know what mechanism God is using to keep it. Mind blowing!

Suffering should not Surprise Christians (1 Pet. 1:6-9).
Peter encourages his audience to continue to rejoice greatly because of what new birth was able to
produce in them. However, while rejoicing they would experience intense suffering in all kinds of trials
but for a little while. “Little while” stresses “the temporary nature of our afflictions.” Kinds of trials
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here possibly includes “sickness, accidents, war, or any other negative experience, along with
persecutions and tribulations.” The purpose for experiencing all kinds of trials was for their
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