1Peter 1:21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
We believe because of God, our faith is built upon the cross of Christ, and our hope lies solely on God’s promises.
Matthew 11:27 "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal [Him]”.
In Christ alone we can have a relationship with God as our heavenly Father. True faith can only be realized through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, not in man’s sacrifices or traditions, works or words, or position or wealth. Our faith and hope rests in what God has done.
God enables a heart to believe.
He is the one who opens a heart to His truths. This should invoke a heart of gratitude that He has chosen you.
Faith is the moral conviction that God is God. Saving faith is built upon the work of Christ. We rely upon the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection for all mankind.
Because of Christ we have hope, a certain expectation of our future in heaven.
John 14:6 Jesus *said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.
1Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
“Who through his gospel believe in God, who raised him up from the dead, and gave him the glory of sitting at this own right hand, as Saviour and King, that your faith in him and hope of eternal life might be founded in the power and veracity of God”, Macknight on the Epistles.
Have you placed your complete trust and faith in Christ? Do your words and actions prove your answer?
What does complete mean? What does it look like in your personal life and circumstance? (every component, the whole, without qualification)
John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
Psalm 146:3-5 Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God;
Can you explain your hope?
How does your attitude reflect your faith?
Do you live like you have been redeemed? What is the evidence?
1 Peter 1:21 uses the term believers. This refers to those who have faith in Christ. It comes from pisteuo meaning to entrust – especially one’s spiritual well-being to Christ.
The fulfilment of our hope is in God. It is not in other individuals here on earth, how many friends we have or do not have, our children or any other relationships. It is not in a title we may claim, the importance of a role we have, or where we live. Neither is our hope in physical possessions or accomplishments. Material things offer only temporary satisfaction. Our hope is not in circumstances. Rarely do our plans end up as we thought they should. Certain hope rests upon what God, not man, has done. Hope is the foundation of our confidence in Christ and the reason we can have joy in all circumstances. Our eternal destiny is protected by God.
God is our hope “who is unchangeable in His counsels, and infinite in His mercies”, (Adam Clarke’s Commentary).
Jeremiah 17:7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD. "For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.
1Peter 1:13 Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober [in spirit,] fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Like Peter to the dispersed Christians, the prophet Isaiah offered comforting words to the nation of Israel, encouraging them to place their hope in God. God’s strength would see then through captivity. They were reminded to keep their focus on the hope of God’s promises for their future deliverance.
“Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up [with] wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary”, Isaiah 40:31.
The NIV translation reads, “those who hope in the Lord”. It means to look, to be patient. In 1 Peter 1:21, the word ‘hope’ means to anticipate, usually with pleasure. It is an expectation, a confidence. This is the root of our joy even amidst trouble. This hope gives endurance. It changes how we think and act. It determines our purpose. Imagine how encouraging Peter’s words must have been to those who were struggling. Peter’s words also hold a great deal of encouragement for us today.
God’s plan was put in place before the creation of the world. He sent Jesus to be our hope. Through the power of His grace we can exercise faith in Him.
