Anchored: The Life and Letters of the Apostle PeterУзор

In many ways, Peter’s letters serve as a travel guide for the Christian journey. He, too, provides tips, imparts wisdom, and points us to our ultimate destination.

Paul affirmed that when we trust in Jesus as our Savior, we are adopted into God’s family. As children of God, we are now “heirs” of God, and as heirs, we receive the beautiful, eternal inheritance Peter described!

Of all the descriptions Peter used to explain our inheritance, I find the word imperishable the most graphic (v. 4 ESV). If you’ve ever smelled expired milk, then you have experienced something rotting and perishing. Likewise, this world is spoiled by sin. But our imperishable inheritance will never spoil.

Friend, we’ve all felt the hammer blow in our lives. Perhaps you’ve suffered through an illness, the pain of an unmet desire, or the bitterness of grief. Peter wants us to have great expectations about our inheritance, which will be undefiled by Satan’s schemes.

Finally, our inheritance is unfading, which means it will not diminish in brightness, vitality, or strength. To understand this term, imagine the joy of buying a new car. Over time, your enjoyment of the car fades. The paint gets scratched. A stale fast-food odor replaces that new car smell. And, unfortunately, the engine now knocks more than purrs. On top of all that, the value of the vehicle plummeted the day you drove it off the lot. Treasures in this life simply fade, diminishing in value and importance.

In contrast to the perishable, destructible, and fading treasures of this world is the incorruptible, eternal inheritance we have in Christ. In Paul’s effort to find words to adequately describe our inheritance, he said in 1 Corinthians 2:9:

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

For exiles who had lost so much because of their faith, this truth was a healing balm. Peter lifted their eyes from temporary loss and fixed their eyes on eternal treasures.

He then applied the glorious truth of our eternal inheritance to the trials Christians face. Notice the phrase “in this” (I Peter 1:6 ESV) points back to all he’d taught about our living hope and eternal inheritance.

Peter stated that, just like fire reveals the authenticity of gold, trials reveal the authenticity of our faith. The suffering we experience is not for naught. It strengthens our faith for the journey and results in “praise, glory, and honor” bestowed on us at the return of Christ. Peter does two things in this passage. First, he reminds us of the redemptive purpose in pain, and second, he encourages us to fix our gaze on the glory to come.

As elect exiles, we can experience joy amid sorrow because we know the glorious inheritance awaiting us far outshines the momentary troubles we encounter on Earth. Peter wrote to encourage us that even when the winds and waves bear down upon us, we can remain steadfast, anchored to our living hope.

The original recipients of this letter experienced the same kind of relationship with Jesus Christ as we do. These men and women heard of Christ from the apostles’ teaching and placed their faith in Him. Even though they were not eyewitnesses like Peter, they still passionately loved Jesus and anchored their lives to Him.

Today, 1 Peter served as our guidebook to navigate the fires of suffering. When facing trials, we are to keep our eyes fixed on the salvation to come. He didn’t teach us how to avoid suffering but showed us that our darkest days are used for good (Rom. 8:28). Through the fire, our faith is refined and our hearts purified so we can know and love Jesus more.

Anchor Your Life to This Truth:

Our best day in this life is but a shadow of the glory that awaits us in our eternal inheritance. Friend, I don’t relish reminding us that persecution and suffering are a reality in this fallen world. However, I delight in the news that our eternal home and glory surpass anything we can conceive or experience—good or bad. In these epistles, Peter anchors our faith in the eternal hope we have in Christ, a hope that can never spoil, fade, diminish, or be destroyed, and that brings us comfort and strength.

Read 1 Peter 1:3b-4. Think of a time in which you felt the struggle and uncertainty that come from living in a fallen world. Thank Jesus for the sacrifice He made so that we can have a hope and future in Christ.