First Peter
How Shall We Then Live in a Post-Christian Culture
“A Faith that Saves”
1 Peter 1:8-9
Review
First Peter can easily be divided into four sections: (1) the Salvation of Believers (1:1-12), (2) the Sanctification of Believers (1:13-2:12), (3) the Submission of Believers (2:13-3:12), and the Suffering of Believers (3:13-5:14). In 1 Peter 1:1-12, Peter establishes theological truths about the salvation of believers. He wants us to clearly understand what salvation means to believers. We have learned that we were chosen by God (1-2), that we have the promise of a great future (3-5), and that there is a design for our distresses (6-7). This week we will consider a faith that saves (8-9).
I. The Salvation of Believers (1:1-12)
A. Chosen by God (1:1-2)
B. The Promise of a Great Future (1:3-5)
C. A Design for our Distresses (1:6-7)
D. A Faith that Saves (1:8-9)
E. A Much Admired Salvation (1:10-12)
Text
6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ…”And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
Transition
If proven, genuine faith brings glory to God. What does that saving faith look like? To assist us in seeing what that saving faith looks like, let us consider:
· The nature of faith
· The object of faith
· The outcome of faith
The Nature of Faith
First, let us consider the nature of faith. It is easy to see why suffering righteously requires faith on the part of the saint. Our hope is to be completely fixed on the grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13). Yet, our present experience (i.e., our suffering)is often an apparent contradiction to our future hope. Faith is required because our hope must be based upon Scripture and not upon sight. It (faith) must be based upon the promises of God and not upon the painful reality of suffering.[1]
We hear much about faith – faith in God, faith in the Church, faith in the Fathers, faith in the unseen, blind faith, faith in man, etc. But what is the nature of the faith that saves? What is the nature of the faith that Peter is talking about in this epistle? While a detailed theological treatise could be written, let us consider a very simple definition of saving faith.[2]
1. It is a Gift From God
First, saving faith is a gift from God. We read in Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God…” I won’t get into the Greek textual debate whether the “that” refers to faith or the whole act of salvation.[3] Either way, faith is included as being a gift. This explains how you reconcile John 6:44-47. John 6:44 reads: "No one can come to Me," implying in faith, "unless the Father who sent Me draws him." Verse 47 says: "Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes has eternal life." These verses come together to say that the Father draws you by eliciting the faith given to you. Faith is a gift from God.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon did not always believe that faith is a gift from God. Spurgeon recounts his discovery of this truth at the age of 16: “When I was coming to Christ, I thought I was doing it all myself, and though I sought the Lord earnestly, I had no idea the Lord was seeking me...I can recall the very day and hour when first I received those truths in my own soul — the thought struck me, ‘How did you come to be a Christian?’ I sought the Lord. ‘But how did you come to seek the Lord?’ The truth flashed across my mind in a moment — I should not have sought Him unless there had been some previous influence in my mind to make me seek Him. I prayed, thought I, but then I asked myself, How came I to pray? I was induced to pray by reading the Scriptures. How came I to read the Scriptures? I did read them, but what led me to do so? Then, in a moment, I saw that God was at the bottom of it all, and that He was the Author of my faith, and so the whole doctrine of grace opened up to me, and from that doctrine I have not departed to this day, and I desire to make this my constant confession, ‘I ascribe my change wholly to God’”[4]
2. It is to be Received as a Gift
So it's a gift. Another element of saving faith is that it is to be received as a gift. Luke uses the pericope of Jesus calling the children “to Himself” (Luke 18:15-17) as an object lesson to teach us that:[5]
· Membership in the kingdom of God is a gift (the right to membership)
Luke writes: “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them; for to such as these belongs the kingdom of God.” The kingdom of God does not belong to “these” (toutwn) little ones whom He held, but to “such as these” (toioutwn).[6] Jesus is not stating that “these” infants/little children are members of the kingdom of God. Rather, the infants/little children are being used as an object lesson. What is that lesson? It is that the kingdom of God belongs to those who are utterly helpless. An infant, a little child (one who must be carried or escorted by their parents) is powerless. They are dependent, not upon themselves, but upon others. The right of membership in the kingdom of God belongs to those who are incapable of saving themselves. The right of membership is a gift given by a gracious God. The kingdom of God belongs to “such as these.”
This periscope is also used as an object lesson to teach us that:
· Membership in the kingdom of God is to be received as a child receives a gift (the manner in which membership is to be received)
The second part of the object lesson found in this passage relates to the manner in which membership in the kingdom of God is to be received. Jesus stated: “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child shall never enter it.” What is the manner in which membership is to be received? It is to be received as a gift. It is not something that is earned, merited, or warranted. Membership is not obtained by completing works that must be performed to earn membership. It is to be received as a gift. The infants/little children are used as an object lesson to demonstrate to the disciples the manner in which membership in the kingdom of God is to be received – it is to be received as a child receives a gift.
3. It is Obedient
Thirdly, saving faith is obedient. The faith that God gives begets obedience. You see, the faith that God gives includes both the will and the ability to conform to His Word. That's right. "For it is God," Philippians 2:13, "who works in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure." W. E. Vine says when a man obeys God, he gives the only possible evidence that in his heart he believes God. Did you get that? When a man obeys God, he gives the only possible evidence that in his heart he believes God. I mean, what good is it for you to stand there and say, "I believe God but I just don't care what He says?"
But Mark, what about the struggle with the flesh? Saving faith longs to obey but it doesn't perfectly obey, does it? In Romans 7, Paul says I don't do what I want to do and I do what I don't want to do. The believer must still battle with the flesh. But the difference between true, saving faith and false faith is that the wishing to obey is present with saving faith. It wants to obey, it longs to obey, it hungers to obey, even if it struggles to obey. Simply put, saving faith obeys.
4. So it’s a gift. It’s to be received as a gift. It’s obedient. And finally it is permanent. As a divine gift it is neither transient or impotent. It is not something God gives and takes away. It is not something man conjures up and then loses. True faith cannot die. Do you remember Philippians 1:6? "I am confident of this very thing that He who began a good work in you will...what?...perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ." Saving faith is permanent.
Let’s pause for a couple of minutes and use this simple definition of saving faith to evaluate a couple of common life situations.
· My brother made a profession of faith at the age of 18 at a youth revival but has not walked in the faith for the past 20 years. Is this an example of true, saving faith? Not likely. True, saving faith is permanent (see Mark 4:3-20).
· My co-worker believes in God. She even reads the Bible occasionally and sends out Christmas cards with Scriptural references. Yet, she lives with a man who is not her husband, cheats on her taxes, and spread false rumors about the boss behind his back. Is this an example of true, saving faith? Not likely. True, saving faith is obedient (see 1 John 2:3-6; 5:3).
· My neighbor regularly attends church. Yet, he is convinced that the basis of membership in the kingdom of God is “good works.” Is this an example of true, saving faith? Not likely. True, saving faith receives faith as a gift. It is not earned.
The Object of Faith
We have considered the nature of faith. Now let us consider the object of faith. Is the object of our faith God? Is the object of our faith what the Church teaches? Is the object of our faith the unseen? In verse 8, Peter does not attempt to minimize dealing with the unseen. But his emphasis is on who is unseen and how our faith enables us to relate to Him. That is, the object of our faith is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the preeminent One in this verse.[7] Notice how Peter gives us in verse 8 three specific ways that true, saving faith focuses itself on the object of our faith -- Jesus:[8]
· In our love for Christ (“Though you[9] have not seen Him, you love Him”)
That is, loving Christ means experiencing Christ as precious for all His character and virtue.[10]
· In our trust in Him (“Though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him”)
That is, trusting Christ means experiencing Christ as reliable in all His promises and all His counsel. In other words, love is attracted to the Beloved for who He is. Faith is confident in the Trusted for what He will do.[11]
· In our rejoicing, because of Him (“You greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory”)
That is enjoying Christ is the deep good feeling of being attracted to Him for who He is and the deep good feeling of being confident in Him for what He will do. So joy is part of love and part of faith. Because it would be a contradiction (wouldn't it?) to say, "I am attracted to the preciousness of what Christ is, but I have no good feelings in this attraction." What is attraction without good feelings for something? It is the same with faith: it would be a contradiction to say, "I am confidently trusting in what Christ will do for me, but I have no good feelings in this confidence." What is confidence without good feelings of hope and assurance in the one you trust? Attraction to the ultimate preciousness of Christ (which we call love), and confidence in the ultimate reliability of Christ (which we call faith) are not less than a deep good feeling, called joy.[12]
The Outcome of Faith
We have considered the nature of faith and its object. Now let us consider the outcome of faith – the salvation of our souls. Peter writes: “…the outcome of your faith (is) the salvation of your souls.” Interestingly, what is conspicuously missing in this passage? There is no conditional language. There is no mention that our salvation is dependant upon our faith. There is no requirement for us to hang on in order to be saved. Why? It is because true, saving faith is permanent. And because it is permanent, it will obtain as the outcome, the salvation of our souls.
Harry Ironside stated that salvation was like Noah inviting a pagan in his day to place his trust in God's Word and come in to the ark. Some view salvation like Noah offering to put a peg on the outside of the ark. "If you just hang on through the storm, you'll be saved." Salvation is not dependent on our holding on to God, but on our being securely held by and in Christ. And that is why the outcome of true, saving faith is the salvation of our souls.
Practical Application[13]
In closing, I want to try and explain what this concept of “inexpressible joy that is full of glory” means. What gives joy its quality? I don't mean merely its intensity, but its moral character? What makes joy ugly or beautiful? depraved or noble? Dirty or clean? The answer is that the thing enjoyed gives joy its character. If you enjoy dirty jokes and bathroom language and lewd pictures, then your heart is dirty and your joy is dirty. If you enjoy cruelty and arrogance and revenge then your heart and your joy have that character. Or the more you get your joy simply from material things the more your heart and your joy shrivel up like a mere material thing. You become like what you crave. Peter says (in v.8) that Christian joy is inexpressible and glorified. So how does it become that like that? It becomes like that because Christian joy is the joy of craving the preciousness of Jesus and the reliability of Jesus. You become like what you crave. True Christians crave Christ. Therefore they become like Christ. Christ's preciousness and reliability are inexpressibly great, and so our joy is "inexpressible and glorified" because it is joy in loving Christ and trusting Christ who is inexpressibly glorious.
[1] Robert Deffinbaugh, “The Glory of Suffering: A Study of 1 Peter”.
[2] Three of the four points have been borrowed from John MacArthur, “The Nature of Saving Faith”: www.gracetoyou.org
[3] “We recognize that some feel that you can't assume that the gift is faith in the Greek because what you have here is a neuter and a feminine. For example, "For by grace you have been saved through faith," faith is feminine in gender, "and that" is neuter. And so some would feel more comfortable with saying "that" must embrace the whole act of salvation. That is fine. If you want to take it to be all encompassing, the grace, the faith, the salvation, the whole thing is a gift from God, I am comfortable with that view. Either way faith is included as being a gift.” – John MacArthur, “The Nature of Saving Faith”
[4] Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “Autobiography”, pp. 164-5.
[5] Mark Stone, “Membership in the Kingdom of Heaven: An Exegetical Study of Luke 18:15-17”
[6] Joseph Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke (X-XXIV). (Doubleday: New York, NY, 1985), Page 1195.
[7] The pronoun “he” has Jesus Christ as its antecedent in the last words of verse 7.
[8] Robert Deffinbaugh, “The Glory of Suffering: A Study of 1 Peter”.
[9] Peter says “you” here, rather than “we” because he has seen Him, both before and after His resurrection.
[10] John Piper, “True Christianity: Inexpressible Joy in the Invisible Christ”, By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
[11] John Piper, “True Christianity: Inexpressible Joy in the Invisible Christ”, By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
[12] John Piper, “True Christianity: Inexpressible Joy in the Invisible Christ”, By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
[13] John Piper, “True Christianity: Inexpressible Joy in the Invisible Christ”, By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
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