1 Peter 1:7 to 1:9 - Zac Poonen - Verse By Verse Study

 

A Study on 1 Peter 1:7–9

(Full, unabridged transcription and exposition as delivered)

Chapter 1: The Fire That Proves the Gold

(1 Peter 1:7)

We turn now to 1 Peter 1 and verse 7. We were considering last week that it is in trial and temptation that our faith is tested. And like it says in the Living Bible in 1 Peter 1:7:

“These trials are only to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure.”

Every trial and every temptation that comes our way is God’s voice speaking to us—either assuring us, “Your faith is the real thing,” or correcting us, saying, “What you have is not the genuine thing, and I advise you to come and buy from Me that faith which is genuine gold refined in the fire.”

But if our faith is genuine, then we overcome in trials, because through faith we receive God’s power (verse 5), and that power is sufficient to help us overcome every trial, because God will not allow us (1 Corinthians 10:13) to be tested above or beyond our ability.

Chapter 2: The Only Reason We Ever Fail

Why is it, then, that we fail in trial or temptation? Not because the trial or testing itself is beyond our ability to bear—no, that would be accusing God of unfaithfulness. It can never be. God is faithful. Let us not be like Adam, putting the blame on God. He blamed God for his sin by saying, “This woman whom You created and gave as my wife—she was the cause of all the trouble.”

No, it is not because the trial was too much, dear friend. It is not because the temptation was too strong. There is only one reason: your faith was not the genuine thing.

We must be humble enough to take the blame ourselves instead of trying to blame God. Many people never experience salvation because they are always blaming God, saying, “The trial is too much,” even though God’s Word says very clearly in 1 Corinthians 10:13: He will never—repeat, never—allow us to be tested or tried or tempted beyond our ability.

Is the power of God greater than the power of the devil? Yes. Then why should we fall under the devil’s power? Is the power of God greater than the power of our flesh and its lusts? Yes. Then why should we fall when we are tempted by any lust? Is the power of God sufficient to keep us free from anxiety, free from grumbling, free from losing our temper, free from bitterness, free from an unforgiving spirit? Then why is it that you lose your temper? Because your faith is not genuine. Why is it you get anxious? Because your faith is counterfeit.

There, dear friends, is where we have to humble ourselves and partake of God’s power.

Chapter 3: Praise, Glory, and Honor at His Coming

(1 Peter 1:7 continued)

Then we read in verse 7: If our faith is genuine, it will be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ—when Jesus comes in glory on the day of His return. This proving of your faith will result in praise and glory and honor:

• to God first,
• to the Lord Jesus, and
• also to you,

for you will see how much God was glorified by your faithfulness in the day of testing.

How do we honor God? We all have a desire to honor God, I’m sure, but how do we honor Him? By being faithful in the day of our testing.

Immediately we don’t hear the clapping of hands, but I am sure the angels are clapping their hands in heaven when we overcome. But one day, when Jesus comes back in glory, we will be able to hear that clapping of hands. We will be able to hear that applause which we cannot hear today.

There is tremendous glory to God every time a child of His overcomes a temptation. Remember that—in the moment of temptation, God and the angels are watching you to see that you stand on His side and do not give in and compromise and yield to the devil.

Chapter 4: Loving the Unseen Christ

(1 Peter 1:8)

And though now, it says in 1 Peter 1:8, you have not seen Him—no, we have not seen Jesus with our physical eyes—yet you love Him. And the proof of our love is also in the fact that we stand true to Him in the moment of temptation.

And though you do not see Him now—we don’t see Him because we live by faith, not by sight—yet believing, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.

This is the birthright of every Christian. Remember this, dear friends: your birthright is to have a joy which is so great that you cannot even express it—it is inexpressible. That is one reason why God gives the gift of speaking in other tongues: so that we can express our joy in language which is beyond human language—a joy which is inexpressible and full of glory.

Do you know this joy which is unspeakable, which is inexpressible and full of the divine glory? It can only come if you are faithful in the moment of temptation. Thereby you express your love for Him, and you praise Him that His power has kept you from falling. You praise Him that there is absolutely nothing in this world that can defeat you. You praise Him that in the greatest trial His power is sufficient—His grace, as He has said, is sufficient for all our needs. And so we rejoice.

Chapter 5: Rejoice Always—Even in the Storm

When the Word of God says that we have to rejoice always, that is true. We are to rejoice always, every moment—with what sort of joy? A joy that is inexpressible. That is God’s will for us all the time.

We may go through external pressure. It says there you are distressed externally—the pressure is on you (verse 6)—but in spite of that external pressure, you rejoice inwardly with great joy.

The Bible does not teach that once we become children of God and followers of Jesus, external pressure is removed. On the contrary:

• “Many are the afflictions of the righteous” (Psalm 34:19).
• “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).

So the more we follow Jesus, the more storms we are going to face. The waves are going to be contrary to our boat, just like the disciples found when they obeyed Jesus in Matthew 14. But in the midst of all that we find Jesus triumphantly walking on the water, and like Peter we can walk on the water too, and He can still the storm.

And so it is in our life’s experience too—by faith we can overcome, and therefore we rejoice with joy that is inexpressible.

But our joy is not going to be inexpressible—in fact, it is going to wither up—if we do not overcome in our trials. It is no use sinning and then praising God in any language, whether known or unknown. Our praise to God becomes meaningful only when we have overcome sin, when we have overcome in our trial.

Chapter 6: The True Grace of God

(1 Peter 5:12)

And this is the message of the gospel. As we saw earlier in 1 Peter 5:12, Peter says, “This is the true grace of God: stand firm in it”—a grace that is sufficient to keep us triumphant.

Chapter 7: The Salvation of Our Souls

(1 Peter 1:9)

And as we overcome, Peter says in verse 9, we obtain the outcome of our faith—the salvation of our souls.

What is the purpose of these trials? It is so that our souls might be saved. And like it says in the J.B. Phillips Modern English translation: “All the time you are receiving the result of your faith in Him.” It is not something in the future—we receive it right now: the salvation of our soul.

Salvation from what? From all that we have inherited that is corruptible from Adam. Our souls—our very personality—have been tainted by selfishness, evil, hardness, pride, bitterness. But through testing we are purified, and we experience right now the salvation of our souls—our personalities being saved from selfishness, saved from pride, and partaking of the humility of Christ, partaking of the love of Christ, of His gentleness and of His goodness.

So we experience the result of our faith right now. It is completed when Jesus comes, but we begin to experience it right now.

This is why we rejoice—not in money, not in honor in this world—but that we are partaking of the divine nature, being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ.