“…born again to a living hope through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and
undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,” (1 Peter 1:3–4,
NASB95)
Verse 3 speaks of the first of several blessings we have
from God, with the greatest being that we are born again. And, this being born
again means that we have a future which is our living hope because Jesus
Himself conquered death by His resurrection from the dead. His life means that
our life is an absolute certainty. We are not fools because we have believed in
a foolish dream. We are blessed by God because He has sent for us our certain
Savior and the life which He gives. We have a hope that will not pass, but
prove itself more and more sure every day until it is fully realized in His
presence. This was the first cause for praising God or blessing Him that we
find in verse 3.
As we move into verse 4 we find another cause for praise,
and that is an inheritance that He has set aside for us. My dad spent a lot of
time studying genealogy, and in that study, he came across many fascinating
truths about my ancestors—or those who came before me. He found many good
people who did notable good things. He found others that lived hard and
honorable lives. And, he found some who might be spoken of as that dark one
that we would like to keep in a closet. I think this is true for most of us.
Our history is a mixed bag. But then again, the same is true of every single
one of our lives. From our human perspective, we all have done some measurable
good and some measurable harm. None of us are perfect. And, from God’s
perspective this is absolutely true. The Bible tells us in very straightforward
terms in verses like Romans 3:10, “There
is none righteous, not even one;”
(Romans 3:10, NASB95)
Among the stories (as vague as it is in my mind) is one of a
relative who was married, and rather than getting divorced he left his wife and
married another. When word of his death spread, both wives came forward to lay claim
to his estate. I’m told that the battle with the attorneys was so intense that
by the time a settlement was reached, debts were paid, and his vast holdings
were divided, there was little left for those he left behind. What had seemed
like a nice inheritance was lost. It went right through their fingers, and was
gone before they ever could lay hold of it. Stories of inheritances lost or
squandered are widespread. Bumper stickers on RV’s joke of parents spending
their children’s inheritance while for others the hope for generational
prosperity has dwindled in an ever changing and challenging economy and struggle
to provide for the present. What we have here in the way of possessions is temporal.
Thet may or may not endure our death to be passed on to our children, and I
think we all realize that an earthly inheritance is an unreliable hope.
But God tells us the inheritance that He has for us is not
subject to any of these things. We are told that we have our hope to obtain an
inheritance that “is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, [which
is] reserved in heaven for you [us]….” There are four things we are told here
about this inheritance. First, we read that it is “imperishable.” It is
absolutely incorruptible. It is not subject to decay. It is permanent and will
never become any less than what it is. Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not
store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and
where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in
or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew
6:19–21, NASB95) He compared the things we set aside and treasure here as that
which is subject to decay or theft.
I have many things from my parents. Among them are a couple
of my dad’s Navy uniforms with all of their insignia. These are two uniforms
that my dad wore while he served our country. They signify a time of dedicated
service. But they are sitting in a bin. They will not be worn again, and for
all intent and purpose they have no purpose other than remembrance. As I look
at them now I can see the signs of age. I can see the little holes that came
from moths getting at them. I can see the yellowing of the white fabric as it
has become tarnished over time. And, I wrestle with what to do with them, as I
do with many of their things of memory that hold little value to anyone outside
my family.
Over time I’ve also had things that I treasured that have
been taken away. When our oldest went away to college he went with a new bike
to get around campus and a new guitar as a graduation gift. And, sure enough a
day came when he came home for the weekend and someone broke in and stole them
both along with many other things. Both items we replaced, and wouldn’t you
know it, the bike was stolen again. Things are stolen from us all the time, and
we have come to accept this as part of living in this world. We suffer the cost
and we move on.
But God tells us the inheritance He has for us in
imperishable or incorruptible. It cannot be stolen and it cannot be tarnished.
It is perfectly held for us by Him, and we can trust Him for that which we hope
and are yet to see because we know Him to be perfectly able to do so.
Oops. I just looked at how long this post was already as I
was preparing to move on to the second of the four things in this verse of the
nature of our inheritance. So, let’s wrap it up here with some words from God’s
word reminding us of the great imperishable hope we have.
“So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a
perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it
is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;” (1
Corinthians 15:42–43, NASB95)
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but
only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who
competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to
receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 9:24–25,
NASB95)
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