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 next section of this passage is the second of the two aspects we have been born again into. The first is a living hope; the second is an inheritance. (see how the diagram illustrates this)

Inheritance in the OT was largely linked to the promised land given to the people of Israel (Ex. 32:13) and the people of Israel being an inheritance to God (Ex. 34:9). Both are likely in view here to some degree.

In the first two verses of the book, he has identified his readers with the covenant people of God. An inheritance is a key aspect of being a believer because it not only signifies something we obtain but it says something of our identity and status as well. Only children of the father would receive an inheritance from him. Saying the believers are born again into an inheritance implies then that Gentiles, who were formerly not apart of the people of God, have been born again into a new status in the family of the people of God. Whereas they were formerly not privy to the rights of heirs, now they are. Now, as adopted children, they will receive an inheritance in the people of God.

The inheritance of the land and the people are likely in view with the qualifications he gives for this new life: imperishable, undefiled and unfading. Imperishable generally refers to freedom from death and decay, undefiled from uncleanness or moral impurity, and unfading from the natural ravages of time. So as Beare says "the inheritance is untouched by death, unstained by evil, unimpaired by time." (Beare, F.W. The First Epistle of Peter. 3rd ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 1970. p. 83-84)

The land the Israelites received produced a harvest that would eventually perish and the people themselves would eventually die; the "fruit" of the inheritance given us in this new life will never perish and they now experience eternal life. The land became defiled (unclean) when the Israelites didn't give it its sabbath rest or when they practiced idolatry and covenant violations (Num 35:34; Jer 2:7; 3:2); the inheritance given through Jesus can never be defiled and unclean. The glory of Moses' face after speaking with God would eventually fade; the glory of the new life in Christ will never fade away. The land was not kept for them. It was taken away by the Babylonian and the Assyrian invasions and the Roman occupation; the inheritance given through this new life in Jesus is kept in heaven and therefore, cannot be taken. So the inheritance given the believer in Jesus is far greater than the inheritance of the old covenant.

In their current circumstances the readers of Peter's letter have likely been displaced from their homes where their inheritance was held. Their land was their source of wealth and prosperity. Without it they had next to nothing and would have difficulty starting over. So here he encourages them to look to the inheritance given through Jesus' resurrection which can never be taken from them as their source of hope.

In v. 5 he goes on to say that his readers are being guarded through faith for the fullness of their salvation to come in the last time. This simple statement demonstrates the paradoxical nature of salvation and the resistance of biblical authors to clarify the precise nature of how we are saved. We are guarded by God's power through faith. Both our faith and God's power are at work in preserving our salvation, and Peter seems to be ok with the tension.

This salvation is ready to be revealed in the last days. This phrase is most likely referring to the second coming of Jesus. Salvation is a very flexible concept in the minds of the biblical authors. It is used in a past, present and future sense depending on the context. Here Peter is using it in both the past and future sense. It has been prepared, it has been made ready, in the past at Jesus death and resurrection. It will be fully revealed then in the last time when Jesus returns. So it is assured but will not be fully attained till Jesus returns. When Jesus returns to establish his kingdom in full the salvation of the believer will be fully realized. Salvation has been achieved by Jesus but not yet fully revealed. Tomorrow we will see salvation used in the present to describe the current state of the believer's soul.

Wow! That was a long devotional. I told you I love this text.