Peter Exhorts the Persecuted Believers Volume 3

 Being Born Again to a Living Hope Part 1

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

The Apostle Peter next gives praise and honor and Glory to our Father in Heaven for sending us such a marvelous, magnificent, merciful, and mighty Savior here to sacrifice Himself by taking upon Himself all of the wrath of God do to our sins and being our substitute for sin and making a way for us to be reunited with Him, as it is written, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," (1 Peter 1:3) (KJV). God has been so gracious to man 👨, even the first man Adam who plunged mankind into sin and rebellion, yet we can recall that God the Father slew or killed an animal and clothed Adam with the skin of that animal hiding his discovery of being naked and being ashamed of his nakedness, as it is written, "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, 'Where are you?' So he said, 'I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.' And He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?'" (Genesis 3:7-11) (NKJV) and "Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them." (Genesis 3:21) (NKJV). The sin and disobedience of the first man 👨 Adam caused there eyes to be opened to good and evil 😈, as it is written, "Then the LORD God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever'— therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life." (Genesis 3:22-24)(NKJV). In so doing they passed that sinful nature to every human being that was born from them and this is why every sinner runs from the truth of God or surpresses the truth of God to hide themselves from Him in one way or another (atheism, false spirituality, religion and rituals and other things to hide themselves from the shame and guilt of their own sin covering themselves with those spiritual fig leaves just as Adam and Eve did initially, as it is written by the Apostle Paul with these words, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Romans 1:18-21)(NKJV), but God the Father being rich in mercy, as it is written, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us," (Ephesians 2:4) (NKJV) has made a way for any sinful human being to know Him and to love Him through the sacrificial death, ⚰ burial, and resurrection from the dead of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. God the Father has done so for us by the little English phrase in verse 3 'begotten us again' which is translated by the Greek word anagennaō meaning to beget or (by extension) bear (again): literally to be born again or born from above as our Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus with these words, "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'" (John 3:3) (NKJV). The little English word 'lively' is translated by the Greek word zaō a primary verb meaning to live (literally or figuratively): - life, to quicken, as it is written by the Apostle Paul with these words, "Even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)," (Ephesians 2:5) (NKJV). The little English word 'hope' is translated by the Greek word elpis meaning to anticipate, usually with pleasure); expectation (abstract or concrete) or confidence: - faith, hope. It is Christ resurrection from the dead that gives to each one of us who come to Him in repentance and faith wanting Him to save us from our sins and from hell that we are then given to our dead spirits His resurrection life, that is, the same resurrection power that raised Christ lifeless physical body back from the dead, as it is also written by the Apostle Paul with these words, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." (Romans 8:11)(NKJV).

Here is what John Wesley had to say of 1 Peter 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ - His Father, with respect to His divine nature; His God, with respect to His human. Who hath regenerated us to a living hope - An hope which implies true spiritual life, which revives the heart, and makes the soul lively and vigorous. By the resurrection of Christ - Which is not only a pledge of ours, but a part of the purchase - price. It has also a close connexion with our rising from spiritual death, that as He liveth, so shall we live with Him. He was acknowledged to be the Christ, but usually called Jesus till His resurrection; then He was also called Christ." Here is what Albert Barnes had to say of 1 Peter 1:3, "The idea is, that there was great mercy shown them in the fact that they were renewed. They had no claim to the favor, and the favor was great. People are not begotten to the hope of heaven because they have any claim on God, or because it would not be right for him to withhold the favor. See the notes at Ephesians 2:4.The meaning is, that as God is the Author of our life in a natural sense, so he is the Author of our second life by regeneration. The Saviour said, John 3:3 that 'except a man be born again,' or 'begotten again,' 'he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Peter here affirms that that change had occurred in regard to himself and those whom he was addressing. The word used here as a compound (ἀναγεννάω anagennaō) does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament, though it corresponds entirely with the words used by the Saviour in John 3:3, John 3:5, John 3:7. Perhaps the phrase 'begotten again' would be better in each instance where the word occurs, the sense being rather that of being begotten again, than of being born again. The word lively we now use commonly in the sense of active, animated, quick; the word used here, however, means living, in contradistinction from that which is dead. The hope which they had, had living power. It was not cold, inoperative, dead. It was not a mere form - or a mere speculation - or a mere sentiment; it was that which was vital to their welfare, and which was active and powerful. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is the foundation of our hope. It was a confirmation of what He declared as truth when He lived; it was a proof of the doctrine of the immortality of the soul; it was a pledge that all who are united to Him will be raised up. On this verse we may remark, that the fact that Christians are chosen to salvation should be a subject of gratitude and praise. Every man should rejoice that any of the race may be saved, and the world should be thankful for every new instance of divine favor in granting to anyone a hope of eternal life. Especially should this be a source of joy to true Christians. Well do they know that if God had not chosen them to salvation, they would have remained as thoughtless as others; if He had had no purpose of mercy toward them, they would never have been saved. Assuredly, if there is anything for which a man should be grateful, it is that God has so loved him as to give him the hope of eternal life; and if He has had an eternal purpose to do this, our gratitude should be proportionably increased."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…