Mario R. Velez, Th.M.
Professor of New Testament Studies
Charis Theological Seminary, Houston, TX 77072
http://www.charisseminary.org/

Introduction

The Apostle Peter wrote this letter to believers who were experiencing persecution in a pagan society. As the Church grew in numbers, they came to be a distinct group within the Roman Empire. The strict allegiance of these Christians to their Lord Jesus Christ moved them to reject any worship to the Emperor or to any of the states gods. Consequently, Christians no longer had the protection given to those following the official religion of the empire. Official persecution arose to the point that some Christians were executed for simply proclaiming their faithfulness in worshiping Jesus Christ. In light of this, Peter writes words to encourage them in God’s hope, to maintain their holiness in their circumstances and submit to governing authorities.

To Those Who Have Responded

Verses 1 2, “1) Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2) Elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”
 

Verse 1

The writer of this letter begins it by identifying himself. He is of course the apostle Peter, who was originally referred to as Simon. The Lord gave Simon the Aramaic name of Cephas, which when translated, is Peter (Jn. 1:42). "Peter" in the Greek is [petros] and means "a detached but large fragment of rock." In the Gospels, Peter was anything but a rock; he was emotional and unsteady. In Acts, he was a pillar of the church. The Lord named him not for what he was but for what, by God's grace, he would eventually become.

After identifying himself, Peter now establishes the authority by which he writes and that is of an "apostle of Jesus Christ." Paul also uses this title in all his letters (except Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians and Philemon) to establish his authority as Christ's messenger.

The word "apostle" is [apostolos] in the Greek, which is made up of [apo] "from," and [stello] "to send," a technical word used of one sent from someone else with credentials on a mission. The New Testament use always signifies a person sent with full authority. Peter was a representative of Jesus Christ with His full authority in the form of miracles, and on a goal of proclaiming the good news of the salvation work of our Lord.

The spiritual gift of apostle was one of the temporary gifts of the early Church, mainly because there was no completed Bible to explain the Christian way of life. This gift was the first and highest of all spiritual gifts ever given (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11). This gift carried the highest authority God has ever delegated in the Church age. The Apostle had authority over all local churches, in contrast to the pastor whose authority is limited to only one local church.

The gift of apostleship was designed for two specific purposes. The first was to complete the writing of the New Testament, which was yet to be written at this time. The second was to provide leadership during the time that the New Testament was being completed.

The duties of an Apostle included the establishing of local churches, the clarification of the mystery doctrine of the Church Age until the New Testament was completed, the accurate systematic teaching of Biblical doctrines, training of pastors, and the establishment of local church policy, as well as sending out missionaries.

One of the requirements for this spiritual gift was that the apostles see the resurrected Christ. Paul, who was the twelfth and last apostle to whom Christ appeared, saw the resurrected Christ on four different occasions. First, Paul saw the Lord on the Damascus Road according to Acts 9:3 6, 22:6 11, 26:13 18. Then He appeared to Paul again in Arabia. Then He appeared to Paul in the temple (Acts 9:26 30, 22:17 21). Finally, He appeared to Paul in prison (Acts 23:11). The absolute authority of apostleship was restricted until 96 A.D. when the Apostle John wrote Revelation and the Bible was completed.

Any claim of apostleship today is heresy and blasphemy, and the fact that some claim to have this gift in our present day is evidence of apostasy. This is the apostasy that the book of Jude warns us about. When these men are accepted as apostles, their very words will be taken as words from God even if they go against the Bible. To these men, Jude writes that they are nothing more that filthy dreamers (Jd. 8) who use their so called "dreams from God" to justify their false doctrine. These men justify themselves through their false "visions" instead of sound doctrine (Col. 2:18; Jer.23:25 32).

After affirming who and what he is, Peter now addresses those to whom he is writing. He addresses them as "strangers" which is from the Greek word [parepidemos]. This Greek word is made up of [para], "alongside of," [epi], "upon," and [demos] which is used in biblical Greek of people of a heathen city. This rare term has the sense of "one who is temporarily a resident alien." This word describes the recipients of this letter as Christians who have settled down alongside of the unsaved. The fact that Peter is writing to all saved believers should tell us that the word "elect" from verse 2 must be read here as "elect strangers."

Since the Christian is suppose to look forward to living in eternity future, he should consider himself a temporary resident (alien) of this world and not be conform to it (Rom. 12:2). This word is to teach us that we are on this earth for a short period of time. We are sojourning through this life and this means that we have never made our residents here, but are slowly traveling through the land of life until we get to our real home which is in heaven.

It is a sad testimony that so many Christians today are so involved in trying to make this a better world through crusading and activism. The world will always be in a degenerate state until the Lord returns. Instead, every Christian is commanded to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, we are also to strive to reach spiritual maturity (Heb. 6:1) through the renewing of their mind (Rom. 12:2) so that they will have the same mentality of Christ (1Cor. 2:16). This will in turn prepare us for our new home in eternity to be righteous co-rulers with our Lord (1Cor. 6:2 3; Rev. 2:26 29).

Peter now writes that the "elect strangers" are "scattered." The word "scattered" is [diaspora] in the Greek and means, "a dispersion, scattered abroad." This word is the noun form of [diaspeiro], which verb is made up of [dia], "through" and [speiro], "to sow, to scatter seed." The latter word is the derivative from [sperma], the Greek word for "seed." This scattering of these Jews referred to in 1 Peter took place previous to the world wide dispersion of Israel in A.D. 70. God's fifth cycle of discipline (Lev. 26:14 35) came upon Israel due to it's apostasy. The "scattered elect strangers" that Peter was writing to were throughout "Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." These provinces were located in Asia Minor or present day Turkey. The Apostle Paul had preached and taught in some of these areas (Acts 16:6; 18:23; 19:10, 26).

Today, the same can apply to every born again believer who is "scattered" throughout this world. We are not only away from our true homeland in heaven, but are temporarily "scattered" throughout Satan's territory known as earth. If Peter would have been writing to the Church today, instead of "Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia," he might have written to the "elect strangers scattered throughout Europe, Mexico, United States, China, etc."

Christians should realize that we are only temporary residents on this earth and that our spiritual nationality is alien to this world. We are to train ourselves in God's Word looking forward to being in our real home and on the way there, get those that will hear to join us in that journey.

Verse 2

Peter continues in his salutation by referring to all of the recipients of this letter as "elect."

The Greek word for "elect" is [eklektos], a plural adjective from the verb [eklego] which means "to pick out" or "to select out of a number." The verb is used in Ephesians 1:4 where it is translated "chosen," referring to the act of God in sovereign grace choosing out certain from among mankind for Himself. The verb in Ephesians is in the middle voice, which is the voice that indicates that the subject (God) is benefited by the action of the verb (choosing). Therefore, all to whom Peter is writing to are, "selected out ones."

These "selected out ones" are all who have believed in the salvation work of our Lord on the cross. God "elected" all Church age believers on the basis that we would first elect Him by accepting His free gift of salvation (Eph. 2:8). This "election" occurred before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), since God has always known "the end from the beginning" (Isa. 46:10; 42:9; Acts 2:23; 15:18). God did not interfere with our free will to choose for or against Him when He elected us, He just simply determined who would accept or reject His invitation of salvation. This is not to say that those "elected" were chosen because they were less sinlful than the unelected, because Scripture states, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:22 24). The privilege of election was extended to all (1 Tim. 2:4), much like a groom who invites all to come to his wedding, some will accept his invitation (elected) and some will reject it by not coming (un-elected) (Matt. 22:1 14). In eternity past, God simply "elected" those who, by their own free will, would accept His invitation "according to His foreknowledge."

Peter now indicates the part each member of the Godhead plays in the salvation of an individual. The first part of this "election" is "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father." The words "according to" are translated from the Greek preposition [kata], here it governs the Accusative case which denotes horizontal motion, along which the action proceeds, literally means "the destination to be reach." Therefore, the action (election) has the horizontal motion of reaching its destination, which is the "foreknowledge of God the Father." Some translations of these words might be "elected for the purpose of reaching foreknowledge," or "elected along with the foreknowledge," and lastly "elected by reason of foreknowledge." We can then see that this preposition ties "election" to the "foreknowledge" of God. "Election" is not tied to us being something special, but to the "foreknowledge" of God who foresaw, in eternity past, those who would accept His invitation to His wedding feast (salvation) and those who would turn down that same invitation.

The word "foreknowledge" is translated from the Greek noun [prognosis] meaning "forethought." The noun form of this word is only found twice in the New Testament (Acts 2:23; 1Pet 1:2). The verb form of this word is [proginosko] meaning "to know in advance" and is found five times in the New Testament (1Pet. 1:20; Rom. 11:2, 8:29; Acts 26:5; 2Pet. 3:17). Therefore, the word "foreknowledge" refers to the council of God, in which He saw in eternity past, those who would say yes to His gift of salvation. After determining those who would say yes to His gift, He predestine them to be "elect" members of His family based on them having accepted His invitation of salvation (Rom. 8:29). This does not mean that the un-elected are predestine to go to hell during their life here on earth, this will occur at their death. We must remember that as long as the un-elected are alive, God wants them to also accept His invitation of salvation, since the Lord is long suffering, not wanting anyone to perish (2Pet. 3:9).

Now we see the second step in the salvation of a sinner in the words "through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience." The word "through" is translated from the Greek preposition [en] which governs the Dative case, it denotes being or remaining within, with the primary idea of rest and continuance. Therefore, the word "through" would literally mean "in" or "within." This sphere that is being talked about is that of "sanctification." The word "sanctification" is from the Greek noun [hagiasmos] meaning "separation, a setting apart." The fact that [hagiasmos] is a noun would denote that it is a state of holiness that the Holy Spirit applies to us when we believe in the saving work of our Lord on the cross.

The state of holiness that the Holy Spirit provides is to be "unto obedience." In the Greek, the word "unto" is the preposition [eis], which governs only the Accusative case. [Eis] denotes motion to or unto an object, with the purpose of reaching or touching it. Therefore, when we were elected by God after we responded to salvation, we were set apart by the Holy Spirit, and this was all done so that God could reach us, this resulting in our obedience to His will. This is the first step of man, from his own free will, to choose the will of God as oppose to choosing his own will. This is not just obedience to faith for salvation, but to also grow in the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). This is the "obedience" that the work of the Father (election) and the work of the Spirit (sanctification) are suppose to produce in us when we first respond to the Gospel of salvation. After God the Father elected us, the Holy Spirit made us holy, we obeyed it and because of that we were sprinkled by the blood of Christ.

We now see to the third step that God the Son produces in the words "sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." The Greek noun for "sprinkling" is [rhantismos] meaning just that, "sprinkling." This word comes from the Greek verb [rhantizo] meaning, "to sprinkle something with something." Therefore, we see that [rhantizo] is the act of sprinkling and [rhantismos] is the result or completion of that act.

The noun [rhantismos] is only found in one other place besides here. In Hebrews 12:24 we see this noun in the words "And to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel." This "sprinkling" speaks a better word than that of Abel's because the sprinkling of Abel was that of the blood of animals, unlike the precious blood of our Lord which is much more valuable than that of animals. Abel looked toward the future work of the Lord on the cross, whereas we look back at the past work of the Lord. Whether it was in the Old Testament or the New Testament we see that salvation has always been by faith and not by works that anyone should boast (Eph. 2:8 9).

We can now see the parts that each member of the Godhead plays in the salvation of the sinner. The first part being the election of God the Father, the sanctification of the Spirit, and this was so that we might be obedient and benefit from the sprinkling of the Blood of Christ the moment we believe.

After writing about the works of the members of the Godhead, Peter concludes this verse with the words "Grace unto you and peace, be multiplied." The word "Grace" is [charis] in the Greek and the reference is to that of living grace as oppose to saving grace, because those to whom Peter is writing to are already saved. This "grace" is not only that of the logistical blessings of having food on the table and a place to live, but the blessings that come by accurately learning God's Word and, thus having the mind of Christ (1Cor. 2:16). Having the mind of God will result in us producing the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22 23).

Peter's prayer is that this "grace" be "unto" us. The word "unto" is once again the Greek preposition [eis], which once again, denotes motion to or unto an object, with the purpose of reaching or touching it. Peter is praying that God's grace may fully reach and bless our lives so that we may have "peace." The word "peace" is [eirene] in the Greek and means "peace, unity, concord." There is a peace that comes from knowing that you have a harmonious relationship with God and this only occurs as you grow in the knowledge and understanding of Him through His words (2Pet. 1:2). As we grow in this knowledge this grace and peace will be "multiplied." The Greek word for "multiplied" is [plethuno] and means "to multiply, to increase." We must remember that the multiplying factor of the "grace" and "peace" that Peter writes about is the knowledge of God's Word. The more we learn, the more these virtues will be manifested in our lives.

*Corrective Translation*

Verse 1 2, “1) Peter, an ambassador that is sent by the full authority of Jesus Christ, to those believers who are temporary residents in this unbelieving world, scattered as seed through Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2) chosen out ones, this choice having been determined by God's omniscience seeing in eternity past that you would first accept Him, those chosen out to be recipients of the setting apart work of the Spirit which makes you holy, for the purpose of bringing you to an obedience to the Gospel and receiving the life of Christ by means of sprinkling of His blood. Grace be to you and peace be ever increasing as you grow in the knowledge of God's Word.”

Our Secured and Eternal Inheritance

Verses 3 5, “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, 4) To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5) Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Verse 3

In verse 1, Peter addressed God's elect and in verse 2 he explained the process of that election. Now, Peter praises the gracious and merciful God that has provided all that He requires the sinner to do for salvation, that simply being to respond to God's gift of salvation. The faith of accepting God's invitation of salvation results in us being born into the family of God, a spiritual birth of eternal life in Christ (Jn. 3:16). The fact that we, as children of God, will live in eternity with our loving Father in perfect community is a great comfort. It's certainly a great joy to know that our position in Christ is secure and nothing will ever change that fact (Rom. 8:38 39). All of these marvelous things have been made available to all who will respond to a gracious, merciful and loving God. Is it any wonder that Peter now praises Him with such delight as he begins this verse with the words "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

The word "blessed" is from the Greek word [eulogetos] from which we get our words "eulogize" and "eulogy." The Greek word means "to praise, to celebrate with praises." The word is a compound of [eu] which means "well" and is used in such expressions as "well done" or "to do well," and [logeo] which has the same root as [logos], "a word," and is associated with [lego], "to speak." Thus, the word means "to bless" someone in the sense of speaking well of them. Peter uses the Greek word [eulogetos] in the sense that he eulogizes God, speaks well of or praises Him. The word [eulogetos] is found in the New Testament eight times and is used only of God (Mk. 14:61; Lk. 1:68; Rom. 1:25, 9:5; 2Cor. 1:3, 11:31; Eph. 1:3; 1Pet. 1:3). God has reserve this word only for Himself because He is perfect righteousness and is the only One worthy of praise. We with our sin natures will always come short of God's righteousness (Rom. 7:18) and must therefore depend on God's Word and Spirit. As we learn God's Word and obey it, the Holy Spirit gives us understanding of what is truly good and acceptable to God by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2).

Another Greek word for "blessed" is [makarios] meaning "happy." We can see [makarios] being used in Matthew 5:3 11 when Our Lord says that "Blessed (happy) are the poor in spirit, who hunger for righteousness etc." This happiness comes when we understand that this life is temporary and the adversity we go through in it simply gives us a chance to trust God's Word; thus, resulting in spiritual growth and rewards in eternity (Matt. 5:12).

Peter, a Jew with an Old Testament Jewish background, writing to Christian Jews of the same background, speaks of the God of Israel as the "God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," thus recognizing the latter in His human relationship to God the Father, for our Lord in His incarnate humanity worshipped God and recognized Him as His Father. Yet he also takes into account His deity in the name "Jesus" which means "Jehovah Saviour," and also in the name "Christ" meaning, "the Anointed One."

Peter continues by sharing with us what the God and Father of our Lord has done for us in the words, "Which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again."

The word "which" is from the masculine Greek article [ho], and should therefore be rendered "who," referring as it does to God who is a person. Now, we see the words "according to," which are once again translated from the Greek preposition [kata], as we have already examined in verse 2. This word governs the Accusative case, which denotes horizontal motion, along which the action proceeds, literally "the destination to be reach." Therefore, it is God's compelling constraint in His merciful heart that became the motion that has reached and made inevitable the atonement for sinners.

God was bound by His "abundant mercy" to provide the sinner a way to be saved through the only way, and that being by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 3:18). The word "abundant" is from the Greek word [polus] meaning "many, much" and the word "mercy" is from the word [eleos] meaning "kindness, generosity." We as children of God have become part of his family through the new birth. This salvation comes from the mercy of God, a mercy that is immeasurable in its abundance. The word "mercy" is used in the New Testament to describe the kindness of God in bringing the outsider to salvation as Peter communicates in the words "hath begotten us again."

The words "hath begotten us again" is [anagennao] in the Greek and is made up of the preposition [ana] and the particle [gennao]. The preposition [Ana] means "again, or from above" and [gennao] means "to beget" (father) or "to bear" (mother). Therefore, [anagennao] would mean "to be born from above." The reference in this verse is to the act of regeneration (to make new) whereby the believer experiences a spiritual birth and becomes a recipient of new life, eternal life in Jesus Christ the moment he believes (Jn. 3:15; 10:28; 20:31; 1Jn. 5:11, 12). This was the birth that the Lord was explaining in His conversation with Nicodemus, recorded in John 3:1 21. God beget us through His Word, for it was by His Word that we heard about the Gospel and were able to respond to it. This new birth makes us partakers of God's divine nature and thus children of God (Gal. 3:26), begotten from His very own seed (1Pet. 1:23).

The new birth brings a new hope into the life of the believer as our writer now explains in the words "unto a lively hope." The word "unto" is from [eis], a preposition speaking of result in this context, and that being "a lively hope." The Greek word for "lively" is [zao] meaning "to live" and the word "hope" is [elpis] meaning "to anticipate, usually with pleasure, expectation or confidence."

This lively hope is actively alive in the believer who is completely yielded to God's Word and the indwelling Holy Spirit within him. As we learn and apply God's Word in our lives, it proves itself right in our experiences. As the Lord continues to prove Himself faithful, our faith begins to strengthen. This divine strength begins to radiate an attitude of expectancy as we look forward to the rich welcome into the kingdom of our Lord (2Pet. 1:11). The anticipation of the glory and rewards awaiting us in heaven will make our lives here on earth insignificant. We can take comfort in knowing that there is much more to come and that the problems of this world simply prepare us for eternity. We can be thankful that this "lively hope" is made possible "by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

The word "resurrection" is from the Greek word [anastasis] means "a standing up again, i.e. (literally) a resurrection from the dead." Now we see the word "from" which is [ek] in the Greek and means "out from within." Our Lord was raised out from among the rest of the dead. He, as the Man Christ Jesus, went to the part of Hades reserved for the righteous dead, and His body laid in Joseph's tomb. But when He was raised from the dead, the rest of those in Hades stayed there, and their bodies remained in the earth. But He left that place, and reunited with His body glorified and appeared alive again after three days. That is what the expression "out from among the dead" means.

The Lord Jesus Christ lives forever, having been resurrected from the dead. The resurrection was God's final affirmation of Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ had not actually come from God, and if He had not accomplished man's redemption on the cross, He would never have been raised from the dead. Paul makes this point very clear when he writes that Jesus Christ "was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (Rom. 4:25). We as believers, have a living hope because our hope is based in a living Saviour! Our living Saviour died and was resurrected through the omnipotence of God. The resurrection of our Lord is our assurance that we will also be resurrected with a new resurrected body that will be minus the sin nature. This resurrected body will be the home where our soul and spirit will dwell and will not be subject to death again. Our Lord's resurrection allowed us to be "begotten again" because He arose to be the giver of resurrection life (Jn. 10:10 11; 11:25 26; Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:1 4; 1Jn. 5:11 12) as well as the source of resurrection power (Matt. 28:18; Eph. 1:19 21; Phil. 4:13). After having been "begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of our Lord," we can look forward to the glorious resurrected body that we will inherit as Peter writes about in the next verse.

Verse 4

In addition to receiving a new, living hope through the new birth, the Christian is born into the family of God, and becomes an heir to the glorious inheritance of God. Peter continues to tell us this fact in the words "To an inheritance."

Peter begins this verse with "To" which in the Greek is once again [eis]. As we have seen in verse 2 and 3, [eis] denotes motion to or unto an object, with the purpose of reaching or touching it. We can then see that God has not only "begotten us again" to a "lively hope," but "To an inheritance" as well. The word "inheritance" is [kleronomia] in the Greek and means "heirship, i.e. a (concretely) patrimony or (genitive case) a possession." This inheritance is the prospective condition and possessions of the believer in the new order of things to be ushered in at the return of Christ.

Every believer in Christ can look forward to receiving a resurrected body just like our Lord's (Phil. 3:21). Our resurrected body will be sustained by the eternal life of God (Jn. 3:15; 10:28; 20:31; 1Jn. 5:11, 12). When we first believed, we received the Holy Spirit, Who is our sealed promise of our inheritance until the Lord come for us at the time of the rapture of Church (Eph. 1:13 14). In addition to what all believers inherit the moment they believe, those that strive for spiritual maturity will receive additional rewards (Rev. 2:7, 10 11, 17, 26 28). The Holy Spirit's ministry in the life of each Christian is a little taste of what will ultimately be the possession of the Christian. When we focus on the glorious inheritance that is to come, the adversities of this life certainly seem insignificant, especially when we realize that this inheritance is "incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away."

Now, Peter tells us that this inheritance is "incorruptible." The Greek word for "incorruptible" is [aphthartos] and means "not liable to corruption or decay, imperishable." In 1 Corinthians 15:52 Paul uses [aphthartos] to described the raised dead who will be resurrected without a sin nature unto a body that is without sin and not subject to death again. Paul also uses [aphthartos] in 1 Corinthians 9:25 to describe the rewards given to those mature believers who have run a successful Christian race, metaphorically described as a "crown."

After we have been born into the family of God through the new birth, we are guaranteed an incorruptible body like that of our Lord's. Our incorruptible body that we will receive is not the only inheritance that our Father wants to give us. God wants to also give us additional rewards for maturing in His knowledge and understanding of His Word (Col. 1:9 10). As we mature to have the mind of Christ, we will then have the ability to make right decision in this life as well as the life to come. The divine wisdom that we obtain in this life will certainly be beneficial if we earn the reward of judging angel or having authority over nations (1Cor. 6:2 3; Rev. 2:26).

Our inheritance is not only incorruptible, but is also "undefiled, and that fadeth not away." The word "undefiled" is [amiantos] and means "unsoiled, i.e. (figuratively) pure, free from contamination." The word [amiantos] is used to described our Lord as one who is holy, blameless, pure and set apart from sinner in Hebrews 7:26. This same word is also used to describe the marriage bed as requiring it to be free from unlawful sexual intercourse in Hebrews 13:4. Likewise, Peter also describes our inheritance as not being subject to corruption and being pure as God Himself.

Our inheritance is not only incorruptible and undefiled, but like the Word of God, it will not fade away (1Pet. 1:23).

We can take assurance that this inheritance is reserved in heaven for us as Peter expounded in the last part of this verse. The word "reserved" is from the Greek word [tereo] and means "to watch, to observe, to guard, protect, to reserve, set aside." Heaven is the safe deposit box where God is guarding our inheritance for us under constant surveillance. The participle is in the perfect tense, speaking of a past completed action having present results. Therefore, Peter is assuring all believers that their inheritance has been laid up in heaven and is now in a state of continually being guarded. We can take delight in knowing that our inheritance is safe until the coming of our Lord in His Glory.

Verse 5

Although the believer has a new hope and a glorious inheritance awaiting him in heaven, he does not yet possess all that is his. In this life, the Christian has one who guards him until that moment when he will enter into his inheritance. The One who protects the Christian is God Himself since believers are "kept by the power of God."

The word "kept" is from the Greek word [phroureo] meaning, "to be a watcher in advance, i.e. to mount guard as a sentinel (post spies at gates); figuratively, to hem in, protect." [Phroureo] is found in three other places, first by Paul when he speaks of the governor under King Aretas having guarded the city of Damascenes in order to arrest him (2Cor. 11:32). Secondly, Paul uses [phroureo] to describe us being kept prisoners by the law (Gal. 3:23). Lastly, this word is seen when Paul writes about the peace of God guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7). Therefore, the word is in the present tense and denotes a continual action. Peter is using this word as implying action constantly going on, it is a type of guard that is going on every hour of the day, year in and year out until we reach our destiny safely in heaven. The protection that is spoken of here is "by the power of God" that guards us from the things of the world.

The word "by" is the Greek preposition [en] which denotes being or remaining within, with the primary idea of rest and continuance. [En] would signify that we are within the sphere of protection of the power of God, much like being within the protection of our home during a raging storm outside. The word "power" is [dunamis] in the Greek and means, "force (literally or figuratively); specially, miraculous power (usually by implication, a miracle itself), inherent power; the power of reproducing itself: from which we have Eng. dynamics, dynamo." We are guarded by nothing less than the unlimited divine power of God, in order that we may safely reach our ultimate goal when it will be fully manifested.

Peter now tells us that this continual guard of God's power is "through faith." The word "through" is from the Greek preposition [dia] and here it has the general sense of through, as though dividing a surface into two by an intersecting line. It includes the idea of proceeding from and passing out. [Dia] is also translated "through" in Mark 11:16 were Jesus is said not to have allowed anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. The word "faith" is [pistis] in the Greek and means, "primarily, firm persuasion, a conviction based upon hearing (akin to [peitho], to persuade), is used in the N.T. always of faith in God or Christ, or things spiritual." We thus experience continual protection, and shall enter into complete salvation only "through faith."

Once we are born into the family of God through faith in Christ, nothing can ever separate us from our Father (Rom. 8:38 39). While we are alive in this world, we can take comfort that our Heavenly Father guards us continually. Our guarantee of our salvation is the Holy Spirit who seals us as belonging to our Father (Eph. 1:13 14). We can stand in faith in knowing that God has given us His guarantee of our inheritance in the future. This inheritance will be our resurrected bodies which are not subject to death again, and will complete our "salvation" at the time we receive them. Peter tells us that this fact will be "revealed in the last time."

The Greek word for "salvation" is [soteria] and denotes "deliverance, preservation (physically or morally)." This "salvation" is the future deliverance of believers at the rapture of the Church when we will meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:16 17). The rapture will occur before the seven years of trails and tribulations in which the Antichrist will manifest himself (Dan. 9:27). These seven years are what believers will be saved from as we see in what Paul writes in telling us that the Lord will "deliver us from the wrath to come" (1 Thess. 1:10).

The deliverance of the Lord at the time of the rapture is what Peter was referring to as he writes that this "salvation is ready to be revealed in the last time."

The word "revealed" is [apokalupto] in the Greek and means "to unveil so as to be visible to the eye." The fact that when we receive our resurrected bodies after our Lord comes for His Church, will certainly be a confirmation that will been seen with our eyes. This event will mark the conclusion of the Church age or "the last time" as mentioned in this verse.

The words "the last time" or "the last days" are found throughout the Bible (Gen. 49:1; Num. 24:14; Deut. 4:30; 31:29; Isa. 2:2; Jer. 23:20; 30:24; 48:47; 49:39; Ezek. 38:16; Dan. 2:28; 10:14; Hos. 3:5; Mic. 4:1). A study of these verses will show that the prophecies extend to, and embrace the days of the Lord as the Messiah, and His first and second advents. In this verse, it is referring to the conclusion of the church age when all believers will come unto their full glory when they receive their resurrected bodies like that of our Lord's (Phil. 3:21). This is certainly a great hope to have during our lifetime here on earth and is a good reason to rejoice, as Peter shares with us in the next verse.

*Corrective Translation*

Verses 3 5, “3) Let the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be eulogized, Who in His endless kindness has given us a new birth into His family so that we have a lively hope, this hope having been made actual through the intermediate instrumentality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ out from among those who are dead, 4) and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade away, which inheritance has been laid up and is now being kept protected in safe deposit in heaven for you, 5) who are continuously being kept guarded in the sphere of the unlimited power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed at the conclusion of the church age.”