Hello there, I still have not written about 2 adventures I've had here, hopefully I will get to it soon. But until then, I will stick with this. It's shorter, it is only half of a sentence in the ESV, but to do a good job of the whole thing would take at least a whole book, not an hour.
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, (1 Peter 1:3 ESV)
After giving his introduction, the apostle goes on and blesses the Lord, "Praise God!" is his cry to heaven. Why does he give so enthusiastic praise? Let us look further and see. Peter answers our puzzlement by telling us-people, good people, bad people, and everyone in between-that according to God's great mercy, we are born again to living hope. A strange thing to say if we were-if mankind were-right with God. But in truth, we as a race are not. We have failed. We have sinned. We have turned every one to his own way. We are vile. The very best of us are capable of doing even the most degrading and vile acts and think the most degrading thoughts and desire the most despicable things. How truly wicked must every man find his own heart. How lustful are his wishes for pleasure! God-just in all-is duty bound to punish eternally our eternal sin against an eternal God. Can a judge free a murder into society? Can a jury let a rapist walk free? Can God let vile sinners into heaven with a holy god? It cannot be! But God, in his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope. Such a great mercy! Milton Vincent-author of the Gospel Primer-writes these words,
"The gospel reminds me first that what I actually deserve from God is a full cup churning with the torments of His wrath. This is the cup that would bee mine to drink if I were given what I deserve each day. With this understanding in mind, I see that to be handed a completely empty cup from God would be cause enough for infinite gratitude. If there were merely the tiniest drop of blessing contained in that otherwise empty cup, I should be blown away by the unbelievable kindness of God toward me. That God, in fact has given me a cup that is full of "every spiritual blessing in Christ," and this without the slightest admixture of wrath, leaves me truly dumbfounded with inexpressible joy. As for my specific earthly circumstances of plenty or what, I can see them always as infinite improvements on the hell I deserve."1
We have a living hope. And that living hope is linked to the resurrection of Christ from the dead. We do not have it through some method, but through our Christ crucified for our sins and resurrected for our justification. This hope is fact. It is not based in something we do or did. It is only in Christ. How can we receive mercy from God, despite our sin? Christ's resurrection. How can we have hope before a just God? Christ's resurrection is the only source. Christ is the source of anything you need. Trust Him. Rely on Him. See and Savior your risen Lord.
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1. Vincent, Milton, A Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God's Love. Bemidji, Minnesota: Focus Publishing, 2008, (47-8).
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