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, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (I Peter 1:3–5, KJV).
The Hope of the Resurrection Changes Lives
This setting of Scripture is a strong statement coming from a man who denied Jesus three times prior to His death. Peter went from a man saying, “I don’t know Him,” to saying “Jesus gives a lively hope by the resurrection.”
There was a change that happened in Peter, and it occurred in the rest of us as well. Between three o’clock in the afternoon on Friday until Sunday, Jesus Christ died and then rose from the grave. Saturday looked like a failure to most as well as pain and hopelessness. But, while Peter wondered with the rest, He soon realized His life had been changed forever (Luke 24:11–12).
With the resurrection, everything that’s dark becomes light. The resurrection brings a hope into life we can’t find in this world. We all need to experience the power of the resurrection ourselves—the power and the presence of a holy God that makes us alive.
When Grace Looks Like Hope, it Never Fades
Hope, according to the world’s definition, isn’t the same hope we see in Jesus Christ. Peter noted Jesus brings a hope that doesn’t fade away (I Peter 1:4). God has a peace that passes all understanding, not matter the situation (Philippians 4:7)! We have a tendency to put our hope in things that fade, but we can hope in the fact Jesus’ hope never will.
There’s a danger hoping in things that are lost. When you do, you’ll be left lost, confused, and looking for a real hope. We can’t decide what’s real on our own because we’ll create a self-defined reality that will surely let us down. There’s one thing we can trust in, which is a hope that doesn’t fade in Jesus. No matter how long we live for Him, His hope will be just as powerful! Scripture reminds us God’s grace is new every morning (Lamentations 3:21–24). We have a new hope today in Him.
When Grace Looks Like Hope, We Can Live Alive
Peter notes Jesus’ hope isn’t just a hope, but a lively hope. The word lively means full of life and vigor, constantly alive with hopeful feelings, and a state of being saved from spiritual death. This is a perpetual hope that lives through a lifetime and beyond. Jesus said if we believe in Him, out of our belly will flow rivers of living water (John 7:38). There’s a river starting in our life that takes us from death to a life of everlasting hope. If we get into a relationship with Jesus, will transform our life forever.
If there’s living water, there’s dead water too—and some of us are plagued with this in our life. God is looking for an opportunity to purge out all the old, stinky water from our life and pour in hope. The cross wasn’t just a place of death, but it was a place of life. It was a bridge to life everlasting and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The cross will take us somewhere and make us alive.
Jesus said He was the One that lived, was dead, and now is alive forevermore. He has the keys of death, hell, and the grave (Revelation 1:18). He died to conquer the ultimate problem: death. But, His resurrection gave us hope so we could all walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). We’re new creatures in Christ—old things are passed away (II Corinthians 5:17). And, through Him, there’s now a hope that’s here to stay.
