We have been saved to obedience. In Christ, we have grace, peace, mercy, a living hope, an inheritance, and protection. Because of these truths we can rejoice through trials. Through trials we have opportunities for our faith to be proven. We have a faith more precious than gold, a faith which will result in glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. In 1 Peter 1:8, we will see that this understanding and knowledge of our faith produces joy.
“May grace (the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude) and peace (prosperity and quietness) be yours in the fullest measure” 1 Peter 1:2b.
Because –
Joy is found in faith (v.8)
1Peter 1:8 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,
You have not seen Him
You love Him
You believe in Him
You greatly rejoice
What is faith?
John 20:29 Jesus *said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed [are] they who did not see, and [yet] believed."
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of [things] hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Faith is commanded. 1 John 3:23
Faith is believing in something or someone without seeing. Believing is more than hoping or thinking. It is confident expectation. Read the beginning of 1 Peter 1:8 again, “and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him”, these words define faith in Christ. Peter was writing to those who had not seen Christ in the flesh. Yet, they “loved Him as strongly as any of His disciples could, to whom He was personally known”, (quote from Adam Clarke’s Commentary).
Read of the faith of Abraham in Romans 4:18-21.
As a true believer, the faith you have in Jesus is the same faith exercised by those thousands of years ago. It is the same faith as those who had walked and talked with Him. Saving faith places full trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ. There is room for no one else and nothing else. It is not the compilation of trusting and believing in many entities and hoping one of them is right; it is the single conviction of Jesus as Lord and Savior. This faith is directly a work of God on the heart, it is unexplained and only given by the power and choice of God. Those who have it rejoice in its truth.
1 John 4:19 We love, because He first loved us.
What does it mean to love God?
Matthew 10:37; Matthew 25:35-40; John 8:42; John 14:15,21; 1 Corinthians 16:22
John 15:16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.
Adam Clarke’s Commentary gives this insight – “Faith is the subsistence of things hoped for … the demonstration of things not seen … substance becomes a foundation for another thing to stand on … such are the effects of justifying faith: on it subsists the peace of God which passeth all understanding”,
2Corinthians 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight—
What does it mean to hope for something?
According to WordWeb, hope is the general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled. Hope for the future is certain when placed at the cross of Christ. “Things hoped for are the peace and approbation of God, and those blessings by which the soul is prepared for the kingdom of heaven. A penitent hopes for the pardon of his sins and the favour of his God; faith in Christ puts him in possession of this pardon, and thus the thing that was hoped for is enjoyed by faith. When this is received, a man has the fullest conviction of the truth and reality of all these blessings though unseen by the eye, they are felt by the heart, and the man has no more doubt of God’s approbation and his own free pardon, than he has of his being”, Adam Clarke’s Commentary.
We have an absolute hope, a certain hope – this is what it means to believe. Like you and I, the Christians to whom Peter was writing had never seen Jesus. Yet by faith they were able to believe. The foundation of our faith is the same, Christ is unchanging, His work on the cross is for all who believe. Verse 8 says “though you have not seen Him, you love Him”. Consider the ability to love what we have not seen with our eyes. The first thing that comes to my mind is loving a child you have not seen. We experience a heartfelt love for the children we carry. When I found out my grown children were expecting babies, there was an immediate love in my heart for my grandchildren though yet unseen. Barnes’ Notes says these scattered Christians “had heard of His character, His preaching, His sacrifice for sin, and His resurrection and ascension, and they had learned to love Him”.
We have a true, historical, and clear account of our Savior’s birth, life, death, and resurrection, in God’s word. By faith we love who He is, what He has done. We rejoice in the truths we know. The love we have for God is incomparable to any love we might experience in our human relationships. It is perfect and secure. Consider what God has done for you!
He sent His only Son to redeem your soul from eternal damnation.
He is preparing heaven for His children whom He will one day gather to Himself.
He provides protection, guidance, strength, encouragement, hope, and purpose on earth.
He constantly pours blessings upon His children, even though they are undeserving, and even amidst their failures.
What is the result of grace which leads to faith in Christ?
You greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.
To greatly rejoice literally means to jump for joy! It means to be exceedingly glad, to be exultant. It is joy based upon the triumph of Christ’s resurrection and power over sin and death. This joy is so much more than happiness. It is rejoicing in the knowledge of who Christ is and the future that awaits those who believe. The result of true saving faith is joy; a joy that will manifest itself even in the most difficult and trying times.
Psalm 5:11
Has your faith led you to grow in your love for God and His commandments?
Does your faith lead you to obedience and service?
Have you placed your soul trust in Christ alone, fully dependent on Him for your salvation?
Thomas Scott’s Commentary says this of ‘joy inexpressible’, “they derived a joy which was so excellent, holy, substantial, and satisfactory, that it could not be expressed by words … and they shared this joy in proportion to the degree of their living faith and obedient love; whilst they delighted in the salvation which was wrought by Him, and in their enrapturing discoveries of the glory of God, harmoniously anticipating the everlasting felicity of all believers in Christ … This faith, love, and joy, … formed the distinguishing character, of real Christians … amidst their trials and conflicts”.
Matthew 5:12 "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Read Mary’s words upon believing and trusting in God’s plan, “And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior”, Luke 1:47
Is it your practice to rejoice in God?
Are you resolved to place your confidence in His promises?
It is possible to find joy no matter the circumstances. Joy, when is based on the truths of what we know, does not fluctuate. The conditions of our lives might seem to change frequently and feel a bit unstable. However, the promises of God’s word are unchanging.
Habakkuk 3:17-18 Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, [Though] the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. (when Judah was about to be invaded by the Chaldeans and injustice reigned upon the Jews)
1 Peter 4:12-13; Acts 16:23-25
Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
Does the reflection of God’s grace in your life manifest itself in joy?
Does your joy bring honor to God’s name, does it magnify His glory?
Joy is found in what we know to be true yet cannot see. It comes from the heart rather than only being a reaction to outside circumstances. Read 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. True faith will produce action. It is different than just believing a pool will hold water or an airplane will fly. It is believing in the one true God who is able to do all things, even that which seems impossible in our eyes. It is believing in the majesty and power of God, trusting in His word and His plan. May God’s influence in your heart and the reflection of His love in your life abound. May quietness and joy surround your soul as you rest secure in His truths.
We love God, we believe in God, and we rejoice in His plan – all because of Him.
Ephesians 1:13-14
