Word of Encouragement (9/7/2021)
Peter’s second prayer is found in 1 Pet. 1:3-5: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Peter blesses the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here we can see both Christ’s humanity (“the God... of our Lord Jesus Christ”) and His divinity (“the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”). Then, he gives the reason for blessing God in the rest of his prayer. So, let us meditate on it.
Peter blesses God for our new birth: “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again....” Our salvation is not some kind of evolution or improvement, an attempt to better ourselves by education or meditation or good works or to realize our full potential through our efforts. Our salvation is a new birth, a new creation—literally, not just metaphorically. It is not something that we can manufacture with our efforts; it is the work of God the Creator and Redeemer.
This new birth, this new creation, originates from “His great mercy.” Mercy is that particular kindness and concern that is expressed for someone in need (BDAG). The first creation, in which all things were created out of nothing, was not prompted by mercy. That which does not exist, that which has no being, cannot have any need. The new creation is prompted by mercy because, by it, sinners who were under the condemnation of the law are rescued and those who were dead in trespasses and sins are made alive. And this mercy of God, which brought about our new birth, is called “His great mercy.” It is called “great mercy” because great indeed was our need as wretched sinners. So great was our need, so undeserving were we, that it required His great mercy to meet it—to sacrifice His only begotten Son. And God was willing to bestow upon us His great mercy. When we think about the great mercy of God toward us, can we not rejoice? His great mercy is greater than all our needs and miseries!
Through this new birth, those who were once not a people have become God’s people; those who once had not received mercy have now received mercy (cf., Hos. 1). Those who were once Gentiles in the flesh, separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (Eph. 2:11, 12), are now addressed as “those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (v. 1). By this new birth, they are made the elect people of God. By this new birth, they have become exiles in their own lands. Although their physical residence did not change, they have become strangers and aliens in their own hometown because of their new birth as heavenly citizens. At the moment of their new birth, their home address has been changed from this world to heaven. And they are called the diasporá, the dispersion of God’s people. This dispersion is not like the Jewish dispersion, which resulted from God’s judgment upon their sin. This Christian dispersion is to proclaim throughout the whole world the excellencies of Him, who has called them out of darkness into His marvelous light (2:9)! When we think about his grace, can we not rejoice?
Brothers and sisters, let us bless the Lord for this new birth God has granted to us and used it to make us citizens of heaven to receive His great mercy!