Unspoilable Faith

Reflecting upon 1 Peter 1:3-9 for Horizon Worship Service April 19, 2020

Unprecedented times have led to changes in our lifestyle. Whether we are willing to admit it or not, we were not ready for the changes that have happened in our lives over the last month. So much of the world we had thought was secure, so many of the institutions in which we placed our faith have let us down, and we are left grasping the air.

Peter found himself thinking the same way after Christ was taken away. All that he thought was secure was nailed to the cross, and his sworn allegiance to Jesus was shaken because when pushed, Peter denied. With this lapse in faith and judgement Peter found himself in a situation where he needed a Savior, he needed a fresh faith.

We don’t need to give up on our faith because the fabric of life seems to be breaking apart at the seams. Through bitterness about our circumstance, we may be willing to give everything up and walk away from obedience to Christ. However, we have a lot to learn about ourselves, and about how Christ meets us in this temporary time. This same Christ met Peter after the resurrection, and even when Peter had denied Christ, God’s grace removed the disgrace, and reinstated Peter as the rock of foundation for the Church. It was in this grace-filled circumstance that Peter writes the following:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 1:3-9 NIV

No failure of faith keeps us away from the salvation that Christ offers to us through His death and resurrection. No matter the things that we end up putting in front of God, we are not beyond redemption. No matter how hard we try to make things work for ourselves, we are reminded that none of the things we do for ourselves lead us toward salvation, not our job, our bank account, or even our government. Christ is our only Hope, He saves us from our own stubbornness, and our sin.

Salvation is God’s work and not our work, this is the Hope that comforts us in this current situation. The hope is not something that we do to cause an effect, like wearing a mask or washing our hands to keep from getting sick, but rather a knowledge that God has already done the work that leads to salvation. Our actions give us a better chance, but God’s actions are assured to be efficacious.

It was this Hope that led the Israelites out of Egypt, and into the promised land. God promised Israel a land that was flowing with milk and honey, which was their inheritance. Peter reminds us that our inheritance is the Hope in Christ Jesus, and our faith in God cannot be removed, does not expire, and will not spoil.

When we start walking in this faith is where we are able to begin our life with Christ. When we are obedient to God, we can more easily be identified as Christ’s disciples. Even in our struggles: like missing our friends, our jobs, sports, and our church, God provides us with the Holy Spirit to walk near us and lift us up when we need support. We need to lean into this support, as it is the same God that raised Jesus from the dead, can certainly support us in our limited darkness.

Our circumstances are temporary, these times will come to an end, and we need to allow our faith to instruct us at this time. Peter reminds us that at times of darkness and despair help refine our faith, like fire refines gold, and to God our faith is far more valuable than the most pure gold. When we lean into this faith, all things are put into their proper perspective, and joy is produced deep within our soul.

This joy is not a result of achievement, but a gift from the Almighty God, as it disconnects us from our dependence on good circumstances. We can have joy in our grief, we can grieve the pain so many are experiencing, we can grieve those that are dying, we can grieve in the midst of pain; but in grief God reminds us about that which is true – God loves us and saves us from death. In this, we have Hope that doesn’t fail, Faith that doesn’t spoil, because God loves us and grants us a beautiful and wonderful joy.