1 Peter 1:3-9
3 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, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
The third main idea in this passage is Peter's encouragement to his readers for their behavior this far in their trial. Remember the structure of this section—the big idea is prescribing blessing or exaltation to God for causing them to be born again. Everything in this paragraph is governed by that idea. They have been born again into a living hope and inheritance. Because of their being born again they can rejoice in spite of suffering. Now he applauds them for loving Jesus and believing in him and rejoicing in him despite not seeing him themselves.
He first says that they love him despite not seeing him. He simply means that they hadn't been among the original disciples of Jesus who had seen him and traveled with him in his incarnate ministry, yet that hasn't diminished their love for him. They don't see him now yet their faith and joy in him is strong. Despite their present suffering these qualities are strong in their spiritual lives. This Peter applauds them for and, in doing so, encourages them to continue.
It is so amazing that they can have joy in this time of suffering that Peter calls it inexpressible and filled with glory. Joy in the midst of suffering is completely counterintuitive. Yet, because of their new life in Christ they have it. This joy leaves one without words to explain it. It is nothing short of demonstrating the glory of God.
On Sunday I focused on verse 9 for application. He again encourages them by indicating the reality that they are obtaining, the salvation of their souls. "Obtaining" is a present participle, indicating this salvation is something they have currently. As I said yesterday salvation is used in the past, present and future sense depending on the context. In verse 5 we see Peter using it in the past and future sense (see the last paragraph of yesterday's devotional). So this salvation is a present reality that the believer lives in now.
The word "salvation" soteria carries broader connotations than we often think of it today. It is most often used in the transcendent sense, as it is here since it is in reference to the soul. It can however simply mean "deliverance from" in a physical sense. (see Lk 1:71; Ac 27:34; Hb. 11:7) For example in Acts 27:34 Paul tells the sailors to eat some food because it will "save them", meaning they will have the strength to swim to shore. So again, context is critical for understanding the meaning of the word. Here, again, it is used in the transcendent sense since it is used in reference to the soul.
Soul is also a word in which we often take the meaning for granted. If I ask you, "What is the soul?", you likely have a vague concept of what it is but will struggle to put it into words. The biblical concept of the soul is diverse as well. Without going into a lengthy discussion, the soul is generally used to describe the immaterial part of you that lives into eternity. It is an essential part of you, meaning you cannot be you without it. It is the seat of your inner life. It can have more meanings than that depending on the context but this is how it is used here. Dallas Willard describes it's function is to "integrate all the parts of you (mind, body, will) into a single, whole life." (John Ortberg, Soul Keeping p. 42)
What does Peter mean by this when he says that they are presently obtaining the salvation of their souls? I would posit that this is referring to living a life in which all the aspects of the person (body, mind, will) are existing in harmony with themselves and with God. This harmony is only achieved through the salvation of Jesus. This is what allows them to endure the present suffering well and give praise and blessing to God in doing so.
The list below, which I went through on Sunday, gives some examples of what this harmony looks like in a time of crisis.
Psalm 42 is on point with this topic. If time allows please read it. I think it will be a great encouragement to you in this time.
<aside> 🏋 How healthy is your soul in this time of crisis? Is it integrated? Are all the parts of you living in harmony with one another? Are you living in harmony with God? Take some time today to reflect on this. Read the list below to get some ideas. This list is by no means exhaustive, just exemplary.
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