1 Peter 1:3

1 Pet. 1:3 with the context. The apostle directing his epistle to the Christians in Pontus, etc. takes notice in the foregoing verse, of the hand that each of the persons of the Trinity had in their being so distinguished from the rest of the world, as to be Christians, or saints, "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." And having mentioned the blood of Christ and referred to his death; which is, in itself considered, without what followed, a melancholy subject, as Christ says, Matthew 9:15, "The days come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast; he therefore in this verse leads their thoughts to the resurrection, a more joyful subject. The death of Christ, without a resurrection following, might justly have damped and killed the hope of all his disciples; but his resurrection revives their hearts, and renews and everlastingly establishes their hopes, no more to be thus damped. It is probable that the apostle, when he wrote this, remembered how it was with him and the rest of the apostles when Christ was dead. Before they were full of hope of being advanced with Christ in his kingdom; but when he was dead, their hopes seemed to be quashed, and dead as it were with him; but when Christ was raised to life again, so were their hopes renewed, and abundantly established, and their hearts were filled with joy. Christ, by his resurrection, is said to be begotten, Acts 13:33, "God hath raised up Jesus again, as it is written, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." When the Father raised Christ from the dead, he was, as it were, begotten again of the Father; and so his disciples were with him begotten again to a lively hope, or as it probably might have been better rendered, a living hope. The expression, a living hope, seems to denote three things:

1. That as Christ since his death is alive again, so their hope was alive, and not dead, as the hope of the disciples was, while Christ was dead, though Christians suffered persecution, 1 Peter 1:6; 1 Peter 7:2. That their hope by Christ's resurrection is exceedingly established, and made strong and lively; so that they greatly rejoiced (verse 6) yea, rejoiced with joy unspeakable, and full of glory.

3. Which seems more especially to be intended, their hope that is begotten and established by Christ's resurrection, is an immortal and never dying hope, as the Spirit of grace in the saints is called living water, because it springs up into everlasting life, John 4. And Christ is called the bread of life, because he that eateth thereof shall not die, but live for ever, John 6. The hope that the disciples had before Christ's death, was in a great measure dead when he was dead. But now Christ is risen, and is alive for evermore; Revelation 1:18, so the hope that is begotten and established by the resurrection of Christ, is a living, never dying hope. It is now too much established by that glorious resurrection of Christ, ever to die again, to that degree, that the hope of the disciples died, when Christ died. God the Father raised Christ incorruptible, never to die more, and thereby begot them to an inheritance incorruptible. A rich father begets a child to an inheritance; so God, the Father of their Lord Jesus Christ, and their Father here spoken of, has begotten them to an inheritance, and this inheritance is incorruptible, and that fadeth not away. And as their inheritance that they are begotten to, is immortal and unfading, so is their hope a living and unfading hope, 1 Peter 1:4. The same power of God, that raised Christ immortal, will keep their faith alive, that it shall never die; as verse 5, "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." So that their faith and hope live still, though they be subject to great trials; even as unrefined pure gold will bear the fire, verses 6, 7; and therefore the apostle exhorts them to hope to the end, verse 13, or to hope with a living and never-dying hope.

1 Pet. 1:4