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First Peter, part 3

Having reminded them of their inheritance being reserved for them in heaven where it is protected for them, 1 Peter 3:6, 7 adds,

⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, ⁷ so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation [apokalypsei, “unveiling, disclosure, revelation”] of Jesus Christ,

Divine protection of the believers’ inheritance (the glorified body, which is their “land” inheritance) is assured by the promise of God, secured by the pledge of the Holy Spirit, even though it has been delayed until the return of the Prime Inheritor, Jesus Christ.

Meanwhile, the believers must undergo “various trials” in order to test and their faith and refine them as gold. Gold itself represents the glory of divine nature. Natural gold, however, is “perishable.” True gold is imperishable. As soulish creatures, begotten by earthly parents, God is refining us so that we may be qualified to wear the garments of glory which we are inheriting. The refining process takes us through three main phases, described in the three main feast days.

Gold is tested by fire to remove dross. Faith is tested by suffering to remove mixture. Hence, trials are not random. They are purposeful and divinely permitted. Just as judgment precedes cleansing, so also discipline precedes inheritance (Deuteronomy 8:2–5). Malachi’s refiner imagery (Malachi 3:2–3) shows how purification prepares a priesthood. Peter later calls believers a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9).

The “result” is “praise and glory and honor at the unveiling of Jesus Christ.”

Peter’s emphasis on tested faith is reflected also in James 1:2, 3, and 12,

² Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance… ¹² Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Both Peter and James were writing to ex-Israelites in the dispersion. Both imply that, giving their history, they should accept the judgment of God on account of their fathers’ sins, knowing that this judgment was ultimately designed to refine their faith through the New Covenant.

Believing Without Seeing

1 Peter 1:8, 9 continues,

⁸ and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ obtaining as the outcome [telos, “goal, end, outcome”] of your faith the salvation of your souls.

Peter had seen Christ (including the Transfiguration), but his readers had not. Yet they believe. This recalls John 20:29 — “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Paul too writes in 2 Corinthians 5:7 — “We walk by faith, not by sight.”

Faith operates beyond sensory confirmation. This is especially meaningful in exile, where outward circumstances contradict visible triumph. One must have the (refined) ability to believe what is yet veiled. Faith and hope share this characteristic, for we read in Romans 8:24, “hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?”

Faith does not wander aimlessly, nor does hope imply chance. It leads to a goal, an “outcome.” The outcome, Peter tells us, is “the salvation of your souls” at the time when Jesus Christ is unveiled (becomes visible). No doubt Peter was remembering how Christ’s hidden glory was revealed and unveiled on the Mount of Transfiguration. So also, the return of Christ will be a greater unveiling—not merely to three chosen disciples, but ultimately to the whole world. Peter again refers to this in 1 Peter 4:13,

¹³ but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation [apokalypsei] of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

The Soul’s Salvation

The soul is one’s seat of consciousness and our identity as human beings. Some call it “the real you.” It is, indeed, “the real you” unless you have changed your identity to the new creation man that has been begotten by Father-God. Paul distinguishes the two “I’s” most clearly in Romans 7, showing how these two identities war against each other, each being under a different master.

The salvation of our soul, then, is not a matter of saving the “old man,” for he must be put to death. When we are crucified with God, we are raised in newness of life as new creations. This new creation man has a different soul, a new seat of consciousness. Hence, salvation is not about reforming the old man to make him acceptable to God; it is about becoming something else. Our seat of consciousness migrates from the old man to the new. This is what it means to walk according to the spirit (Romans 8:12-14).

1 Peter 1:10-12 says,

¹⁰ As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, ¹¹ seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.

Israel’s prophets were greatly concerned with the restoration of the House of Israel after it was exiled to Assyria. They were alarmed at the loss of the birthright, which had been given to the tribes of Joseph (1 Chronicles 5:1, 2). The birthright was the inheritance. Hence, when the ten tribes were cast out of the land, many wondered if the promises of God had failed.

Isaiah, in particular, prophesied of the death of Christ in Isaiah 53 and how the Messiah would bear the sins of the people through His suffering. The last half of Isaiah (chapters 40-66) prophesy “comfort” and grace to those lost Israelites, foretelling how they would “return” to God through repentance. Unfortunately, many of these prophecies have been misunderstood and attributed them to the Jews and to the Zionist state that took upon itself the name Israel.

Peter, however, wrote his letter to ex-Israelites of the dispersion, telling them, in effect, that they were among the first to fulfill the words of the prophets on account of their faith in Christ. These were not Jews; the Jewish dispersion occurred after 70 A.D. when Jerusalem was destroyed.

Peter appealed to these dispersed ex-Israelites by showing to them the prophecies of restoration through Christ. They were to rejoice in their present trials, knowing that prophecy had not failed. God had made a way of salvation through His Son Yeshua, whose very name means “salvation.” By their faith in Him, their souls were saved, and they became co-heirs with Christ.

These cast-off descendants of the Israelites had believe “the gospel” that was preached to them through others, including Peter himself. The Hebrew word for “gospel/good news” is basar. (See Isaiah 61:1.) Yet it has a double meaning. It also means “flesh.” (See Genesis 2:23, 24.) Hence, to believe Christ’s gospel is to eat His flesh (John 6:53-56).

Jesus said plainly that no one has “life” apart from eating His flesh—believing His gospel. There is salvation in no one else, because no one else was willing to die to pay the sin-debt of the world; and even if a good man tried to do so, he failed to rise from the dead.

The Call to Holiness

Because these things are true, certain conduct follows. 1 Peter 1:13-16 says,

¹³ Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, ¹⁵ but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior, ¹⁶ because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

First, “keep sober.” Be clear-minded, self-controlled, and spiritually alert. Next, “fix your hope.” Hope perfectly and fully, the Greek text reads—not partial hope, not divided allegiance. Be “obedient children,” or (literally) be “children of obedience.” Israel was called to be God’s son (Exodus 4:22; Hosea 11:1). True sons are those who reflect the nature of their father.

Identity precedes behavior, because faith precedes works. So “do not be conformed” to the habits and patterns of your prior life as children of the flesh. The Greek word literally means, “to be shaped according to a pattern.” It implies outward conformity to some environment.

So Peter contrasts former ignorance with present revelation. Ignorance belongs to the old man of the past. Revelation belongs to the new man of the present and future. Be holy—that is, separated for divine service. Be different. Be an example of righteousness as a manifestation of living revelation.

Leviticus 11:45 says, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” Leviticus 19:2 says, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” Leviticus 20:7 says, “You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.” The children of God are those who exhibit the traits of their heavenly Father.

Peter applies Israel’s covenant holiness command directly to the scattered believers. They were to be participants in the holiness of God. Such holiness, of course, would not be instantaneous. They were to be tried and purified as gold in the fire. Yet holiness was more than a mere command; it was also a prophecy: “You shall be holy.” The Old Covenant gave commandments; the New Covenant gives promises.

Therefore, the command to be holy should not terrorize us but should comfort us, knowing that God’s Spirit works within us to bring us fully into the image of Christ. And in the day of Christ’s unveiling at the feast of Tabernacles, we will all be changed fully into His image (1 Corinthians 15:51; 2 Corinthians 3:18), transformed and transfigured with the same glory that Peter saw on the Mount.