Title: Living Hope / 1 Peter 1:3-9
It is said that a painting hung in the middle of Carnegie's office wall for the rest of his life. The content of the picture was a very pitiful scene of a large ferry and rowing oars being pushed down by the low tide and thrown on the sandy beach. However, underneath the picture was written the following text: "The time of high tide must come." This was Carnegie's lifelong tenet. He said that he was able to overcome this by thinking about the high tide even in today's desperate times. As theologian Emile Bruner said, "As the lungs need oxygen, so the meaning of life needs hope." Just as a person cannot live without breathing, so one can only live with hope. In that sense, man can be said to be a being who lives on hope, not bread.
If we were to give 1 Peter a nickname, it could be called “the epistle of hope.” This epistle was written to give courage, comfort, and hope to the saints who were living in the midst of hardship and persecution at that time. In writing the epistle, the author begins with a greeting, followed immediately by the anthem section, “Blessed be you.” The situation the author was in at the time was not a praiseworthy situation. Christians were suffering because of severe persecution. What could have made them sing praise in the midst of suffering? It was because of "living hope." I hope it will be a time to possess the living hope that is kept in heaven through the text.
1. The basis of living soma (verse 3)
1) by the resurrection
The resurrection of Jesus becomes the basis of living and the basis of hope. The foundation of Christian hope is the resurrection. The joint translation reads, "He has given us a living hope by raising Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Corinthians 15 explains in many ways what would have happened had it not been for the resurrection of Christ. Our preaching is in vain, our faith is also in vain, we are false witnesses, we are still in our sins, Christians who have died are ruined, and we are the most pitiful people in the world. But Christ rose from the dead and became the firstfruits of them that slept. “(1 Corinthians 15:20) But now Christ has risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of them that slept.” He has become a living hope for those who sleep. The writer of Ecclesiastes also said, “(Ecclesiastes 9:4) A living dog is better than a dead lion, that there is hope for those who participate among the living.” For that reason, there is hope for the living. Put another way, this living hope is guaranteed through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead.
2) By being born again
If the aforementioned resurrection of Christ is the objective ground, it can be said that being born again is the subjective ground. By being born again through Christ, we have a living, incorruptible hope.
(1) Conditions for being born again
(2) The means of being born again
2. Contents of Living Hope
There are three contents of living hope.
1) Acquire an enterprise (verse 4).
A corporation is the property received by the heirs. In other Bibles, this is translated as inheritance or portion. The Old Testament meaning of the original inheritance is the Canaan promised to Abraham. But in the New Testament, it came to be used in the sense of the kingdom of heaven or salvation. We have become heirs who will inherit eternal inheritance in the kingdom of heaven. It is Christians who live with this hope.
The nature of a company is described in two ways.
One is that it does not decay, it does not become defiled, it does not fade. It is in contrast to the human enterprise. The corporations of the world are destined to rot, become dirty and wither over time. However, God's inheritance is being renewed day by day regardless of time (2 Corinthians 4:16).
The other is something you have kept in heaven. Here, “heaven” can be seen as meaning “the dwelling place of God.” It is protected by God today, and is safely preserved under God's control. So Jesus taught us to lay up treasures in heaven. Because there is no moth or rust, and there is no fear that thieves will break through (Matthew 6:20). Moreover, the surprising fact is that it is 'retained' in heaven. 'Keeping' means 'reserved' in addition to 'protection'. We who live on this earth today are those who have already reserved the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven through Christ. How strong is this?
2) Eternal salvation (5, 9)
In Romans 8:24, it says, "For by hope we have been saved." Second, the content of hope is salvation. In general, salvation has several meanings in its meaning. For example, salvation from danger (Matthew 8:15, John 12:27), salvation from disease (Matthew 9:21, John 11:12), salvation from God's wrath (Matthew 1:21, 24:13) etc. It also has a threefold meaning in terms of time. Past salvation (John 5:24), present salvation (Philippians 2:12), and future salvation (2 Corinthians 1:10). Already the moment we believe in Jesus, we are saved. Even now, as a person who has been saved, we are going toward the completion of salvation. Eschatological salvation will be consummated with the Second Coming of Jesus (Romans 8:20-23). The emphasis in the text is "the last days" (verse 5) in terms of time, and "the salvation of souls" (verse 9) in nature. Therefore, the Apostle Paul also exhorted the Thessalonians to “put on the helmet of hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8).
3) Praise, glory, honor (verse 7)
Praise on this earth is not praise. Glory on earth is not glory (Romans 8:18). Honor on this earth is no longer honor. True praise, glory, and honor are given when Jesus Christ is revealed. We are toiling on this earth to be recognized by the Lord as “good and faithful servants” in the last days. Our hope is right in the presence of the Lord.
3. The Power of Living Hope
1) Rather, a life of joy (verse 6)
The reason for living a paradoxical life is in hope. Even in the midst of worries and trials, you will rather live a life of joy. Perhaps a Christian's joy has nothing to do with his circumstances or circumstances. Even though Paul was holding a thorn in his body, he still thanked and rejoiced in God, and even while he was in prison, he was able to sing and pray. In addition, he emphasizes joy through the book of Philippians written in prison. This is all because of 'living hope'.
2) Changes in values (Section 7)
The power of living hope is truly great. It makes the trials of faith more precious than gold. The ordeal originally refers to the process of putting gold into a fire and taking it away. In the meantime, impurities are removed and the purity of gold is improved. The process can be truly ordeal. But the result is to be recognized as pure gold. Here, the trial of faith can be called persecution. We value persecution It is because of its consequences that we can value persecution. because of hope. It is also because of our living hope that we were able to keep our faith until the end without disturbing our thoughts or attitudes even in the midst of the difficulties of reality.
3) Living a life of love (verse 8)
There is one clue here. What they have in common is "can't see". Nor did the readers see Jesus with the naked eye. Knowing this, either through word of mouth or through correspondence, I came to believe in Jesus, to love, and to live a life of joy beyond words. Isn't this surprising indeed, it can also be said to be the power that hope brings. Jesus also said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and believe (John 20:29). Also, we will be thankful that we stand in the blessed class.
Do you have this hope now? It is a 'living hope' that does not decay, does not wither, and is not defiled. It is a living hope that is protected by the power of God. If we are sure of the hope that lives in our hearts, we can overcome any number of trials and it is a world worth living as much as we can. The Hebrew word for hope is 'kiben', which means 'to weave like a spider's web'. A spider's web is weak, but when woven with hope, it becomes a strong castle. Those who have a living hope are those who are strong.