1 Peter 1 Discussion

You can’t cause your own birth, and Peter says you can’t cause your new birth either. We dig into 1 Peter chapter 1 and follow its strongest claims about salvation: God’s great mercy gives new life, Jesus’ resurrection anchors a living hope, and God’s power guards what He starts. That single thread brings real comfort to anyone wrestling with doubt, shame, or the fear that faith won’t hold up under pressure.

From there we zoom out to the Trinitarian shape of the Christian life: the foreknowledge of God the Father, the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, and obedience to Jesus Christ through the cleansing of His blood. We also explore one of the most intriguing lines in the chapter, that angels “long to look” into the gospel, and what that says about the scale of redemption and the value God places on ordinary believers.

Peter calls us “elect exiles,” so we talk about what exile means right now: living in the world without being owned by it, seeking the welfare of our city, and letting holiness shape our conduct when it is hard. We spend time on suffering and trials, not with platitudes, but with Peter’s promise that tested faith is more precious than gold. Finally, we land on the enduring hope of the imperishable seed, the living and abiding word of God, the good news that does not wither like grass. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review if this helped you keep hope and stay steady under fire.

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Transcript

Welcome And Chapter Overview

Pastor Plek 0:10

And welcome back to a chapter day. Keeps the devil away. I'm Pastor Pleck. That's Pastor Holland. We're talking First Peter chapter one. We're gonna outline, observe it, interpret, and apply it so you can be equipped with the light of Jesus Christ in your life, wherever you live, work, and play to push back darkness for the glory of Christ.

Mapping 1 Peter Chapter One

Pastor Plek 0:28

All right, so 1 Peter chapter 1, verses 1 through 5, we have the greeting and the living hope of salvation. Then verses 6 through 9, you have joy and refinement through trials. And verses 10 and 12, the greatness of salvation revealed in Christ. And then this call to holy living in verses 13 through 21, believers should be called to prepare their minds for action. And then verses 22 through 25, love and new birth through God's word, where Christians are called to love one another sincerely and deeply, and the enduring gospel is the foundation of a new life in Christ. All right, what observations are you seeing here, Holland?

God Causes The New Birth

Pastor Holland 1:03

All right. First thing for me, I think in verse um three, you have one of the strongest statements about God being sovereign over salvation. Oh, good. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope. He has caused us, not he has allowed those who want to be born again.

Pastor Plek 1:26

Or he has received you as born again.

Pastor Holland 1:28

Yeah, exactly. He has caused, he is the cause of our born-againness, our resurrection, or something.

Pastor Plek 1:35

You can't be born apart from somebody else's will. You can't cause yourself to be born. Yeah. And I think that's why being born again is why that phrase is used over and over and over again.

Pastor Holland 1:45

God causes it, He's sovereign over it, He chooses, He saves, and that's good news for us.

Pastor Plek 1:50

Okay.

Father Spirit Son In Salvation

Pastor Plek 1:51

Did you see the Trinitarian uh aspect of verse dos, verse two? According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, the sanctification of the Spirit, and the obedience to Jesus Christ for this with and for the sprinkling with his blood, which I I guess that means like that's reminding that your continued sanctification is coming through the re the the power of Christ's blood. Yeah. Um okay, so what else do you see here observation-wise?

Pastor Holland 2:16

Um you you have uh

Why Angels Study The Gospel

Pastor Holland 2:20

this statement here, where is it, verse 12? I think is really cool. Um it says that it's talking about the prophets and how they preach the good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. Yeah, what do you think it says angels long to look? So you have, you know, this it's we read in Ephesians chapter three that you know God's great plan is that his manifold wisdom would be displayed to the rulers of heavenly places. And so God is like, you know, working on earth, um, redeeming sinners, um, reconciling us to him, bringing us into personal relationship with him. And this whole thing is kind of like a drama, like a theater as that angels are watching and going, what is he doing with these lesser beings? Right, you know, these foolish, sinful human beings who rebelled against God. And what is God up to um with the mystery of the gospel in saving humans and transforming us and giving us the inheritance of everything? Like angels are fascinated by this.

Pastor Plek 3:29

Yeah, and because if you remember from uh Genesis 1, let us make man in our own image. That was a kind of some people go that's a reference to the Trinity, but I think it's more of a reference to the heavenly host. Let's make humans in our image, as you know, God is the ruler of all things, saying, like, let's them have a conscience in some direction, have character and and principles. But the reality that some like they they left the throne room of heaven and rebelled against God and have been trying to take God's prize creation down with them, and he's gonna say, What? You may have taken some, but you're not gonna take all. In fact, I'm gonna redeem them, even though they're all wicked now. They all, in a sense, serve you. You've uh rebelled and taken them with you uh to the depths of hell, but I'm gonna redeem them. Yeah, and that to me blows my mind. I think that's the the great story of like why the good angels are probably looking at going, like, why redeem them? They're already part of the darkness. He said, No, because I didn't make them with the intention of a hell for them. I made them for to share my love with.

Pastor Holland 4:34

Yeah, yeah. And I believe in um Second Peter and Jude, you get these references to elect angels, yeah. Um, meaning like these are the angels that did not rebel. These are God's good angels. He's the Lord of hosts, the Lord of angel warriors, and um these beings, but they are fascinated with the um with what's going on with human beings on earth and what's happening in

Holy Living And Real Obedience

Pastor Holland 4:56

the church.

Pastor Plek 4:57

Yeah. Um, how about uh I love like the you shall be holy for I am holy. I think uh Jesus says that Leviticus says that uh there's this constant like you are to be set apart from what? And I think this is getting back to the angels, right? Like you are to be set apart from the darkness that the angels, the the demons, took humanity down to. You are not like that. That is not who you are. You are set apart for my purposes, not theirs.

Pastor Holland 5:28

Yeah, there you go.

Pastor Plek 5:30

Um, and look at this having purified your souls by the obedience of the truth for a sincere brotherly love. So, like the who is the actor here in having purified your souls by your obedience. So I think there's a dual aspect of a tension between God's sovereignty of purifying your soul, but then also your obedience also purifies your soul.

Pastor Holland 5:54

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Again, God uses human agency and works through the means of human actions to do his work in many ways. And so our purifying, we purify our souls in the way that we faithfully obey God by the power of his Holy Spirit.

The Imperishable Seed Of The Word

Pastor Plek 6:13

Right. So look on that, the one thing I've just sort of not completely confused by, but if you could explain this, and this word is the good news that was preached to you, and it points back to uh this uh verse, I think, from uh Isaiah 40. You know, all flesh is like grass and its glory like the flower of grass, the grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord uh remains forever. Yeah. Um that that's the word that's the good news that was preached to you. That's the part that I um yeah struck.

Pastor Holland 6:45

Yeah, this is cool because you know he says you've been born again. Remember in the beginning, God has caused you to be born again. Yeah. Then verse 23 here, since you've been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable. So not of like a grass seed that produces grass that then dies. Right. You've been born again with an imperishable seed. He says, through the living and abiding word of God. Yes, the word of the Lord remains forever. This word is the good news, meaning the gospel message is essentially um what all of God's word imperishable seed. Yeah. Uh so the the old testament contains the gospel message. Yes, it contains the law, but it also contains the gospel message. Um which is why you can't unhitch from the old testament.

Pastor Plek 7:28

There you go.

Exiles In The World With Purpose

Pastor Plek 7:30

Um, okay. How about this this thematic piece where he keeps calling exiles, uh, you know, um sojourners? Like what do what is that motif going on here?

Pastor Holland 7:43

Um, where are you at? Verse like 17.

Pastor Plek 7:45

Yeah, and then again at the very beginning, uh, to elect exiles of the dispersion. Yeah. He's constantly saying you're exile, exile, or traveling or sojourner.

Pastor Holland 7:55

He's taking these um uh this kind of language that was used of old testament believers in um that they were ransomed um and that they were uh out of, you know, you were rescued out of slavery. He's he's talking about like Egypt themes as well as the exile in Babylon themes. So when they were exiles, they were living in Babylon, um, which is not the promised land.

Pastor Plek 8:21

Longing to go home.

Pastor Holland 8:22

Yes, but saying, until you get there, you know, Jeremiah says, hey, um, build families, um, plant gardens, have something to pray for the good, seek the welfare of the city, for in its welfare you'll find your welfare. And so um Peter is saying, is it taking those same, that same kind of language and saying, this is true for you now, um, as you are scattered throughout the the wider world, not just um Babylon, but among all the nations of the world, um, live in that same kind of way. Right. And seek the welfare of wherever you are by living in a holy way, um, and that your holiness would be contagious, essentially, um, that you would see the transformation of everywhere you go. And the same way that, like, while they were in exile in Babylon, you had like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and Daniel, these guys influencing pagan kings like Darius and Nebuchadnezzar to realize the reality of God and even worship God. Right. Um, in the same way, Christians, hey, live in a holy way and seek to influence the city and its rulers to know and worship God.

Pastor Plek 9:30

What was interesting to me, uh, this is Paul writing to the churches of Turkey. Uh I mean modern-day Turkey, but Galatia would be the Peter. Uh sorry, Peter. Yeah, Peter is writing to the churches that were all in the Galatia. It's like like in the same way that Paul wrote to Galatians, it kind of was like encapsuling a huge place. But it's all of modern day Turkey, Asia, Bithynia, Cappadocia, Pontus, Galatia. That's all that one chunk, which I thought was interesting. When I first read this, I was like, oh, is this going to the entire Mediterranean seaboard? No, he's he's actually just writing, and and I'm not sure when this was written, uh, but probably it's out of Jerusalem to the newest Christians in the area that it was expanding outside of Jerusalem, where it had gained a foothold where people were not um uh really Jewish first, perhaps. What do you think?

Pastor Holland 10:24

Yeah, there's there's some debate about that whether he's writing to a primarily Jewish audience, and that's why he's using these um like words like elect exiles and

Trials Refine Faith And Joy

Pastor Holland 10:35

stuff. My interpretation, my take, um, I think the the majority take historically has been that he's writing to the Jews, no, Gentile and Jewish Christian, not not just Jewish Christians, um, but Jewish and Gentile Christians. Um, but he's using this language showing that um really that the Gentiles are truly included in the covenantal people of God. Yeah, there's not like two different peoples, but there is one people. That's good. Um and they they are together the elect people of God.

Pastor Plek 11:08

Yeah, it's good. All right, and he's kind of saying, like, don't be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.

Pastor Holland 11:14

So like that would be that would lead to Gentiles being included in this audience.

Pastor Plek 11:18

Um Or could that have been the also the Jews here because of their their former ignorance was they didn't understand that uh Isaiah did point to Jesus, or is that just the passions aspect is saying the lust of the flesh that the uh Roman world was known for?

Pastor Holland 11:33

Yeah, yeah. Um ignorance, I I think ignorance referring to um lack of knowledge about righteousness, uh, of God and um you know, feudal ways inherited from your forefathers, verse 18. Yeah um just talking about pagan worldliness. So that's my take on it. But okay. Well, let's get into some nature of man here. What do you see? Uh similar to what James brought up in you know the previous book that we looked at, this verse in uh verse 24, all flesh is like grass. Grass withers, the flower falls, reminds you of the brevity um of human life, but then also um uh that the word of the Lord remains forever. So our need for the eternal, but that we don't have, you know, we're just gonna die. Yeah. Um, and so we need to um know and understand that which is eternal.

Pastor Plek 12:26

Yeah. How about this one? Uh, people are going to have a little bit of trial. Uh, that's just part of the Christian life. And this you rejoice now for a little while. If necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold, that perished, though tested by fire, may be found. So I I thought that was sort of a wild thing of like you are going to have trials and you can and you can rejoice in those. Be happy with your trials. Yay!

Pastor Holland 12:50

That's the only way for you to grow.

Pastor Plek 12:52

No pain, no gain. No pain, no gain. All right. What else you got for Nature Man?

Pastor Holland 12:59

Um the uh hold on, where is it? Um the the verse I was talking about earlier, 18, there it is. Ransom from the feudal ways inherited from your forefathers. Um, just the reality that like all of our kind of striving after stuff in this world outside of God is futile. It's vain, it it amounts to nothing essentially. Um, and so there

God’s Mercy And Eternal Security

Pastor Holland 13:27

are a thousand million ways, you know, to live your life apart from God, and all of them end up with nothing. They're futile.

Pastor Plek 13:33

Awesome. How about let's get into some character of God. Uh, I love what you said earlier, but like he caused us to be born again. Yeah. Uh that he is active in our salvation and it's all his.

Pastor Holland 13:45

Yeah, not only causing it, but then keeping it. Right. It says, um kept in heaven for you. Yeah. Um by God's power are being guarded. Verse five.

Pastor Plek 13:55

Yep.

Pastor Holland 13:56

So it's like, man, he causes it, he keeps it. Um, that's that's your eternal security right there.

Pastor Plek 14:02

Okay. Uh, what about uh yeah, that he hit the let's look at the word. I I just thought this was really powerful about the comparison between a normal seed uh and then the seed that is the word of God. Which which ultimately that Jesus talked about, and I love that obviously this Peter kind of probably referring back to you know, the sower goes and spreads seed, the seed is the word of God. Well, when this the word of God lands in you, it's an eternal seed that's imperishable, it will not die. That's why it's good news that all flesh is like grass and its glory is like the flowers of grass, glass withers and flowers fail, but the word of the Lord remains forever. Meaning, once you have the word of Lord grown in you, you will remain for forever. Yeah, that is amazing.

Pastor Holland 14:46

Yeah, yeah. Um, it's awesome. And I love that uh that God also, you know, he speaks through prophets. Like how how'd you hear the word of God? Well, he also talks about how God sent sent prophets in verse 10 um concerning the salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully. Um, and so just talking about the fact that God again works through human um agents to accomplish his

Practical Commands For Daily Life

Pastor Holland 15:17

purposes.

Pastor Plek 15:17

All right, let's get into some applications. So we got sin to avoid, promise to claim, example follow, command obey, and knowledge to believe. What do you say?

Pastor Holland 15:23

Rejoice in your trials. Yeah, I love that.

Pastor Plek 15:27

How about sin to avoid losing hope during those trials or neglecting holiness when things go bad? I think sometimes we can get to well, things are going so bad, I deserve to let loose a little bit and just do my own thing.

Pastor Holland 15:40

Yeah. Yeah, prepare your minds for action. Verse 13. Oh man. Being sober-minded. Um, like there is an intentionality required in terms of your thought life, what you think about, what you focus on that will lead to success in the Christian life.

Pastor Plek 15:56

Yeah. Okay. How about um, yeah, I think this gets back to being holy in all your conduct, even when it's hard. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.

Pastor Holland 16:09

Amen. Um, knowledge to believe. Um I think just this reality, according to his great mercy, he's caused us to be born again. Just knowing that God is a God of mercy. And sometimes we can get so overwhelmed by I've screwed up so much, and you know, I how could God forgive me for this? Or um, you know, just feeling the the weight of our sin. And Peter opens up with, This is a God of mercy. He's a God who saves, he's a God who sanctifies, he's a God who has sprinkled blood to cleanse us through the cross of Christ. Like God is merciful.

Pastor Plek 16:53

How about um this is a kind of going a different trajectory, but he's invisible, but not imaginary. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that it's inexpressible and filled with glory, obtain the outcome of your faith and the salvation of your souls. Like even though he is invisible, he is not imaginary, and he's doing something so huge, it's the greatest joy you could ever experience. And the invisibility of it is what the the lost or those who don't know Jesus, who don't they have no idea what you're talking about because they can't see it, but you experience it.

Pastor Holland 17:31

Yeah. Uh what about this one? Conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile. What does he mean by that?

Pastor Plek 17:40

Oh man. Uh he's saying, like, hey, know that this exile time is short, that one day you're gonna be face to face with God. So live in understanding that the fear of the Lord, there you go. Not in the remember, perfect love casts out fear because fear comes with judgment. You're not gonna be judged, but you want to live a holy life that's representative of the exile that you are.

Pastor Holland 18:01

Yeah.

Pastor Plek 18:02

Um yeah, how about anything else before we land this plane? I think that's good. Yeah, I think we we about nailed it. I just the the word, this word is the good news. You can believe the word of God is good

Final Encouragement And Closing

Pastor Plek 18:16

news that will save your soul and you can rejoice in it. Amen. Hey, thanks so much for joining us. We'll see you next time on a chapter a day.