We are going to talk about our salvation. What does salvation mean to you? Are you obtaining all that you should obtain in your salvation? What should you be expecting in your salvation? What are the limits to your salvation?
These are some questions we’re going to consider as we look at this. Many Christians feel that their salvation has to do with the forgiveness of their sins. For a lot of Christians, that’s as far as they go in their salvation. Others tend to go a little further and to appropriate more of the Lord in their lives. It all has to do with how hungry are you? But then I wonder if we really understand the unlimited provisions in our salvation, so we are going to look at a few verses from the first chapter of I Peter.
I Peter 1:3 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.
I am reading from King James and it says, According to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again. A more accurate translation of the Greek there would be His abundant mercy has “regenerated” us again. To generate is to bring something into existence. To regenerate brings it into a new generation or an expansion of the thing. So, a lot of us have been generated by the Lord, brought into existence, but what Peter is talking about here is a regeneration. King James says, “He has begotten us again.”
In other words, you say, “Well, I’ve been born again.” Do it again. Don’t just be born unto God one time but let that expand. That is the way our salvation should be – regeneration after regeneration after regeneration through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Don’t just look at this as a historical event that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead, but that He is resurrected within us. That lifts our salvation into a far greater experience than what most have received.
Then, Peter goes on to describe the extent of our salvation.
I Peter 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible…
An incorruptible inheritance: Do you know what your inheritance is in your salvation? Nobody can tell you. You have to experience it. That’s one thing about this walk with God. You only know things by experience. What you know because you learn with your mind does not lead to further regeneration. It has to be experienced, so it is necessary that we experience that incorruptible inheritance.
I Peter 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.
Now, don’t take that “heaven” there and cast it off into outer space. It is reserved in the Spirit realm, and it is reserved for us. It is what John the Baptist preached, and Jesus preached, and His disciples preached, The Kingdom of heaven is at hand. That is what “reserved in heaven for you” means. It is available now.
I Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Here is one of those little King James mistakes. The King James Version reads, Unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. The actual translation from the Greek says, Into salvation…. In other words, we are not brought to salvation; we are brought INTO salvation. There is a difference.
To be revealed in the last time. The Greek word for “last time” is kairos, an appointed time. An appointed time is not speaking of a time on a timeline. It is speaking of an appointed place in the realm of Spirit; it is often translated as a season.
I Peter 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.
If you are experiencing this salvation, you are greatly rejoicing. But salvation does not expand, doesn’t deepen, nor increase without the temptations.
I Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith…
“You mean my faith is going to be tried?” Yes, and that is more precious than gold.
I Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire…
I don’t know if you have given that much thought or not – the trial of your faith ... being tried with fire. When your faith is being tried in this way, something is being consumed by the fire. Fire is a consuming agent. So, when you are being tried in your faith, it is more precious than gold, because when things of your self nature are being consumed there is “great rejoicing?” That’s why Peter says, “You greatly rejoice though now for a season.”
I Peter 1:7 …though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
At the appearing of Jesus Christ. The Greek reads, In the revelation of Jesus Christ. As we progress in our salvation, it should lead to a revelation of Jesus Christ. You can read the Gospels and understand all that they say about Jesus Christ, but that doesn’t mean you have a revelation of Him. You can agree with your pastor on everything he says about Jesus Christ, but it doesn’t mean you have a revelation.
These are the steps we are talking about here: 1) entering into the inheritance that is laid up for you, the one that is incorruptible and undefiled, reserved in the realm of Spirit for you, ready to be revealed; 2) a time of great rejoicing, though only for a season; 3) manifold temptations; and 4) then trials of your faith. All of these lead up to the revelation of Jesus Christ, that it might be found unto praise and honor and glory in the revelation of Jesus Christ.
I Peter 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love…
Jesus Christ hasn’t been revealed to you according to your natural senses. You didn’t see Him, you didn’t feel Him, you didn’t smell Him or hear Him, nothing on a natural plane, having not seen or been aware of Him in the natural, yet you love Him.
I Peter 1:8 …in whom; though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory…
Though we do not have that kind of awareness of Him, yet we believe, because of the revelation that has come.
I Peter 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
The Greek word for “end” is telos. That doesn’t mean that you received the end of the faith, the very last point of it, but a fulfillment; the fulfillment of your faith. The trial of your faith, which is more precious than gold, as you progress in it unto the revelation of Jesus Christ and you are receiving the fulfillment or the completions of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
I Peter 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you…
The prophets Peter is talking about here are all the prophets of the Old Testament – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, all the minor prophets, Elijah, Elisha – all the prophets of the Bible, all of these prophets spoke of this salvation. Of this salvation, the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come to us.
I Peter 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
It was the Spirit of Christ in those prophets that prophesied and testified. Christ did not just come on the scene at the time Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Christ was in the Old Testament. Christ was in them! And it was Christ speaking in them of this time, of this day, of this salvation. It testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
I Peter 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
These prophets prophesied of the grace that was to come to us. It was Christ in them speaking. And it was revealed to them that they were ministering to us. If we want to know the fullness of our salvation, it is very important for us to have an understanding of the writings of the prophets who came before, for it was Christ in them ministering to us concerning our salvation. They prophesied of these things.
I Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind…
“Ooh, my mind is going crazy with all these things! I just don’t get those Old Testament scriptures.” Gird up the loins of your mind.
I Peter 1:13 …be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you in the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Everything that Peter is saying here can be brought down to this one thing: Your salvation is important. It is important that you know what your salvation consists of. It’s important that you take advantage of your salvation for it is an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, laid up for you. You do not want to miss it. Do not be negligent.
“Well, I got my sins forgiven. I’m okay.”
No, you’re not okay. You have no idea of the extent of what your salvation is for and to reject any portion of your salvation is the same as to reject the Christ that laid up that portion of your salvation for you. You cannot reject salvation without rejecting Christ. We need to know what our salvation is. What does it consist of? Are we getting the most out of it? Are we doing what we’re supposed to be doing? Are we hungering and thirsting after the Lord? Are we moving forward from faith to faith in our salvation? Are we looking at these trials by faith while things of self are being consumed within us and rejoicing knowing that we are on our way to the fullness of our salvation, everything that the Lord has promised us?
All of this takes place because Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross at Calvary. His sacrifice provides all this. We cannot afford to reject any of it and say, “Well, all I need is a little forgiveness.” We need a lot more. We need a change of nature. We need to know, what does our salvation consist of? What is our responsibility because of what Christ has done for us? What is our responsibility because of what Christ in those prophets prophesied of the grace that was to follow? It is important!
Copyright © 2010 by Henry DuBose