Lesson 3

Precious!

1 Peter 1:7-12

Peter wrote his first epistle to some people for whom salvation had brought great difficulty. Identifying themselves with Jesus Christ, as Christians, as believers, had caused them problems and pain. They had been mocked and rejected and hated and persecuted. The question had probably crossed their mind, "Is it really worth it to be a Christian?"

Peter's letter was written to encourage them, to instruct them about suffering, how to do it graciously and why God permits it. He starts off the letter reminding them of the greatness of our salvation. He calls upon his reader to praise God for salvation. He reminds us that no matter what trials God may use to test and strengthen our faith, we can "rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." Peter wants us to love the Savior and to appreciate our salvation.

We are in chapter 1 of Peter's first epistle (I Peter). The subject of this section is salvation. Verse 10 uses the word, but the idea is expressed with other words throughout this text. Twice Peter speaks of "your faith" (vs. 7,9). Verse 9 speaks of "the salvation of your souls."

In verses 10-12, Peter describes the greatness of salvation in an unusual way. He presents it from the perspectives of the Old Testament prophets and from the perspective of the angels. Peter says that that prophets studied it and the angels long to understand it.

The Prophet's Study, 1:10-12d.

According to Peter, the prophets (the Old Testament writers from Moses to Malachi) studied their own writings and/or the writings of each other to learn all that they could about the salvation God was proclaiming through them.

Peter says that they "prophesied of the grace that would come to you" but beyond their predicting and proclaiming ministry they "inquired (to investigate, to crave, to seek after carefully and diligently) and searched diligently (explore)." The prophets were passionate to understand salvation.

The Spirit revealed to them a coming Messiah, v. 11. (Here is another instance in which the Bible claims inspiration). Before it ever happened the Spirit "signified" and "testified" about Christ, His "sufferings" and His triumph ("glory"). The gospel is in the Old Testament. The Old Testament isn't all law and the New Testament all grace. The Old Testament isn't all works and the New Testament all faith. No. There has always been only one way of salvation. It has always been "by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone." This is the message of both the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament spoke of a coming Savior. Isaiah 9:6 says "unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace." Read Psalm 22 and you will discover the details of Christ's crucifixion, written a thousand years before it happened. Read Isaiah 53 and you will read a description of the suffering of Christ, written 700 years before it happened.

Read Psalm 16:10 and you will read about Christ's resurrection, 1000 years before it happened. Read Psalm 2, and you will read about Christ's future glorious kingdom, predicted and prophesied long before it will ever happen.

The prophets foresaw and foretold "the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow." They knew that Messiah was coming, that He would suffer for our sins and die and that would be resurrected and reign His kingdom. But specifically, according to verse 11, they wanted to know two other things. They wanted to know "what (person by implication) and what ... time." They wanted to know who the Messiah would be and when He would come.

According to verse 12, the ministry of the Old Testament prophets was more to us than it was to themselves. They never learned what person would be the Messiah or exactly when He would come. But those things which they did see and record, enable us to know exactly who the Messiah is. The apostles, like Peter, acting under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit, used the words of the Prophets to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Messiah!

Peter's point is that salvation is so wonderful that the Old Testament prophets spent their lives seeking to understand how God would do it. And we are the beneficiaries of all their diligent study.

The Angel's Interest, 1:12e.

Just as a little footnote, at the end of verse 12, before moving on to another subject, Peter says "which things the angels desire to look into."

When I was a child, I use to think about how great it would be to be an angel - to be able to fly around, to constantly be doing good things to help people, to be able to perceive the spiritual dimension and to perhaps to see God. Such things are mysterious to us, yet our salvation is as much a mystery to the angels as their activities are to us.

According to Peter, the angels have an intense interest in salvation. The word for "desire" means a strong, overpowering impulse. In fact, this same word is sometimes used in a negative, sinful sense and translated "lust." Although the holy angels have no need of salvation, perhaps they are interested in it because of their role in it and their desire to glorify God for it.

The truth of salvation was precious to the Old Testament prophets and is precious to the angels. The question is - "It is precious to you?" Or have you allowed sin and circumstances to rob you of your first love? When that happened to the Ephesian church, the Lord said, "Remember ... from where you have fallen, and repent and the first works" (Rev. 2:5).

If you have lost sight of the preciousness and joy of your salvation, the solution is to repent and begin to live the way you did when you were first saved - when you had an exhilarating love for Christ and a zealous testimony for Him, a deep hunger for His Word and a sincere desire for Christian fellowship and prayer. Those are reliable indicators that we love our Savior and appreciate our great salvation.