2. Praise God For Our Great Salvation (1 Peter 1:3-5)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3–5

Why have so many of us lost the joy of our salvation? Why have so many of us lost our praise and, instead, walk around sad, depressed, angry, and complaining about the events in our life? How can we again have our joy?

It is wonderful to see a newborn Christian who wants to share his faith with everybody because he is so excited about what God has done in his life. Sadly, as many Christians “mature,” this joy tends to fade away. David said this, “Restore to me the joy of my salvation” (Ps 51:12). Many of us have lost this joy as well.

Peter is writing to Christians that are being persecuted for their faith and have been scattered from their original homes in different parts of the Roman Empire. It would seem like this is not the response you would give to someone who has lost a family member to persecution or lost their friend or home. However, Peter starts off this letter glorifying God. He says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 1:3)!

Peter can do this because he realizes that whatever they had lost on this earth was miniscule to what God had done in their salvation. This is why he calls them to praise God. Similarly, look at what Paul says about our afflictions on the earth:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (emphasis mine).
2 Corinthians 4:16–18

In this text, Peter is calling these Christians, and us through them, to not lose heart but, in fact, to glory as we look at our great salvation. The hope for this lesson is that we will again look at our salvation and have our “joy” restored even in the midst of various trials.

Big Question: What is so great about our salvation according to 1 Peter 1:3–5 that it should cause us to worship God and have joy?”

Believers Praise God Because of God’s Mercy in Our Great Salvation

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth (emphasis mine).
1 Peter 1:3

Here Peter begins to worship God specifically because of God’s great mercy. Mercy focuses on how deplorable the believer’s state was before Christ. This is one of the reasons we often don’t worship God. We have forgotten how bad our situation really was before Christ.

Interpretation Question: What are some Scripture texts that remind us of how far away from God we were and how much mercy God had to give us in salvation?

Listen to what Paul said about us:

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world (emphasis mine).
Ephesians 2:11–12

Paul says remember we were separated from Christ, excluded from the promises made to Abraham and Israel, without hope or God in this world. We were in bad shape. Listen to Ephesians 2:1-3:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

Paul says we were dead in our transgressions. We were not physically dead but spiritually dead. This means we couldn’t commune with God. We would try to read our Bible or worship, and it would mean nothing to us. We were far from God. He says not only were we dead in our transgressions, but we were following this world and even the devil, who is the ruler of this world. We lived to gratify the cravings of our sinful nature and were objects of God’s wrath.

The Christian who has forgotten the bad shape he was in before salvation will often lose his worship. It is the gravity of how bad our situation was that makes our salvation so great. If a person saves you from making a mistake on your taxes, that’s great, but if they save your life, then there will be a greater thankfulness. Many have lost the joy of their salvation because they have forgotten how much God has saved them from.

Consequently, not only are they often lacking joy but are also prone to bitterness and complaining over things that happen in their lives. Sometimes they may even be prone to pride and becoming judgmental over other’s failures. This happens because they forgot how bad their situation previously was and how gracious our Father has been to us (2 Pet 1:9).

It’s good to remember that Paul still saw himself as chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). This means he never lost sight of God’s mercy in his salvation. He saw how far away from God’s standard he really was even as an apostle.

Application Question: Why are Christians so prone to forget or lose sight of their sinful past or their current sinful state?

1. Christians often lose a view of their sinfulness because they start to focus on other people.

When we are looking at others, we start to think we are pretty good, which will affect our worship of God. If we think we are pretty good, then we will tend to honor ourselves instead of worshiping God for saving us from our sin and ugliness. In fact, we saw this in the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18. The Pharisee came before God and exalted himself because he was looking at the tax collector. He said, “Thank you Lord I am not like this tax collector” and began to boast about all his good works (v. 11).

We even saw this with the good son in the parable of the prodigal son. In Luke 15, the good son had lost the joy of being in the father’s house because he was focused on his sinful brother, which made him lose sight of the grace and the mercy he had received. He boasted to the father about how he had never disobeyed his orders (v. 29) even though at the moment he was dishonoring his father and refusing to fellowship with him. He couldn’t see his own sin and failures, and therefore, couldn’t enjoy the grace of the father.

We must be careful of focusing on others because it will skew a proper view of ourselves and our view of God as well. Listen to Paul:

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.
2 Corinthians 10:12

2. Christians often lose a view of their sinfulness because they don’t spend enough time with God.

When Isaiah was in the presence of God, he lamented about how much of a sinner he was. Look at what he said: “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty” (Isa 6:5).

Looking at God gave him a proper view not only of his own sins but also of his nation’s sins. We must continue to look at Christ by living in his Word and worship. This will help us have a proper view of ourselves, and therefore, have the appropriate joy and worship in our lives over our great salvation.

Believers Should Praise God for the New Birth in Our Great Salvation

In his great mercy he has given us new birth.
1 Peter 1:3

Interpretation Question: Peter worships God for giving believers the new birth. A literal reading of verse 3 says he has “caused us to be born again.” What can we learn from the rendering “caused us to be born again” about our salvation?

The next wonderful truth about the believer’s salvation that should cause worship is God’s gift of the new birth. A more literal rendering of verse 3 is translated “he has caused us to be born again” (ESV).

What is Peter referring to by the phrase “caused us to be born again?”

First of all, this reminds us of John 3, where Christ tells Nicodemus no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born again. One must first be born of water and the Holy Spirit (v. 5). Water seems to refer to the necessity of the Word of God in the new birth. Water is a common metaphor for Scripture. Paul uses it in Ephesians 5:25 for Christ washing the church with the water of the Word of God.

When a believer hears the Word of God and the Holy Spirit moves upon him, there is a birth. A person is made a new creation. Now certainly, this happens when a believer responds by putting his faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior, but in another way this is a work totally of God.

The reason that Peter says God caused us to be born again seems to be because he is referring the readers back to what he talked about in verse 1 and 2. He talked about the believer’s election, which speaks of how God chose them before time. Yes, there is a sense in which the believer must choose to respond to the gospel but just as human birth has nothing to do with the child, neither does the second birth.

When a child is born, does he have anything to do with the process of birth? It is something that begins in the minds of the parents and consummated through their bodies. The child has nothing to do with it. In the same way, spiritual birth is an act of God. It has nothing to do with the one who is born again. Yes, Scripture everywhere calls us to believe and repent, but the means to repent and believe does not come from man. Look at what Paul says in Ephesians 2:8–9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (emphasis mine).

When Paul says we are saved through faith and not from ourselves, he is saying that even the faith we demonstrate in order to be saved is a gift of God. Man himself cannot choose God. Sin has so fractured the will of man in such a way that man cannot in himself respond to God apart from grace. Look at what Paul said about this: “The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God” (Rom 8:7–8).

Paul says the natural mind is hostile to God. It cannot submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. People often talk about free will, but before a person is born again, they are not free at all. Their will is in bondage to sin. They may know God law’s, they may know his gospel, but it is impossible for them to respond because they are slaves of sin.

It is grace that comes in and shatters this bondage and allows a person to respond to Christ so that they may be born again. One of the wonderful things about our salvation is that it is totally a gift of God’s grace. It is an act that began in the counsel of God even before creation. God has caused us to be born again.

I think many times people have lost the joy of their salvation because they have lost or never come to an understanding of true grace. Saving grace means I could do nothing for my salvation. It is all a gift of God. He gave me birth. This is something that we can’t fully understand or comprehend, but it is something that we must affirm because Scripture teaches it and worship because of it. Look again at how Paul responds to the doctrine of election (cf. Rom 11:28) that leads to salvation.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:33–36

Look at Christ’s worship over this truth:

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.”
Luke 10:21

Christ worships God because he has hidden it from some and revealed it to others. This is essentially election. “I don’t understand it, Lord, but I thank you for the grace you have given me, and I declare your paths are past tracing out. You are good, oh Lord! Your salvation is great!” This should be the proper response to the God who has “caused us” to be born again. Thank you Lord for this new birth!

Application Question: Why is election and the reality that the new birth is a work totally of God so controversial and difficult for many to accept?

Believers Should Praise God Because of Our Living Hope in Our Great Salvation

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3

Interpretation Question: What does Paul mean by the “living hope” the believer has in salvation?

Another reason the believer should praise God is because God has brought us into a living hope. Scripture would declare everywhere that the lost are without hope in the world. Listen to what Solomon said about the wicked: “The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing” (Prov 10:28). If your hope is built on the economy, your career, your family, or your investments, all these hopes will come to nothing. The economy is shaky at best; one could lose his career or retirement at any time. Life as we know it will eventually come to an end. These are dead hopes because one day they will come to nothing. Yet these are the only hopes that the world can really have.

But, those who believe in Christ have a hope that will last forever. Listen to what John said about this world and specifically the man who obeys God: “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17). Because of the resurrection of Christ, the man who does the will of God abides forever. Death is just a passage way into eternity, and therefore, his hope is living and will never pass away. Look at what Paul said about his death: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21).

To live is Christ, but to die is gain. For the believer, his hopes should be eternal. In the next passages, Peter talks about why our hope is living. It’s living because of Christ’s resurrection. He says a living hope “through the resurrection of Christ” (1 Pet 1:3). It is living because we have an inheritance in heaven that will never be taken away; it’s living because God is saving us for it, as we will one day be resurrected.

It’s because of this reality that the believer must set their eyes on things above and not on the earth. If the believer’s hope is on the earth, he will be up and down like the waves of the sea, as the economy changes, health changes, etc. But our hope in heaven is eternal, and therefore, is stable and living. Look at what Paul said:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:1–4

Application Question: Why is it important to have a living hope? How should having a living hope encourage you in your daily life and specifically in persecution and trials?

Believers Should Praise God for the Inheritance We Have in Our Great Salvation

And into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you.
1 Peter 1:4

Interpretation Questions: What is Peter referring to as our inheritance? What are the adjectives referring to this inheritance and what do they mean?

The next thing Peter says is that a believer should praise God because of his inheritance in heaven. He uses three adjectives to describe this inheritance. What are they and what do they mean? He says our inheritance is

• imperishable, which means “not able to be destroyed”
• undefiled, which means “not polluted”; and
• unfading, which means “not subject to decay.”¹

But what is this inheritance that he is talking about? Because Peter’s audience was primarily Jewish, as he was the apostle to the Jews, they would have immediately thought about the inheritance the Jews were promised in Canaan. Look at what the book of Joshua said: “So Joshua took the entire land, just as the LORD had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel (emphasis mine) according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war” (Josh 11:23).

We see here in this passage that Israel went into the promise land and conquered the nations in Canaan. There they took the inheritance that God had given them—the land of Israel. However, the Jews whom Peter was speaking to knew that the promised inheritance was at times taken by other nations. It was taken as they were exiled from it by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. In fact, at the time of Peter’s writing the land was under Roman rule.

The inheritance in the Old Covenant was perishable. The temple was destroyed along with the buildings and the walls. It was polluted with sin and the idolatry of the nation. It was prone to decay because it was temporal and not eternal. However, the inheritance of the believer in the New Covenant is much greater than that of the Old Covenant. It is imperishable, undefiled, unfading and it is being reserved in heaven by God. God is keeping the inheritance of the believer in heaven. This is something to praise God for because in this life our inheritance is temporal at best. The money we save fluctuates in value with the economy; it’s prone to be lost, but not our inheritance in heaven. Look at what Christ says:

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 moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Matthew 6:19–20

He says don’t store up on the earth because it is temporary but store up in heaven because it is eternal. But what exactly is the inheritance of the believer?

It is essentially everything that comes with Christ. Scripture calls Christians co-heirs with Christ. Everything that is Christ’s is ours. Look at what Romans says: “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co–heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Rom 8:17).

Everything that is Christ’s is ours. This includes ruling the earth in the millennial kingdom and the eternal state (Rev 20). It includes the beauties and riches of the new Jerusalem (Rev 21). It includes the crowns and riches we will receive for faithfulness on the earth (Rev 4:4) and much, much more.

However, the greatest part of our inheritance is God. He is our portion, he is our joy, and in heaven we will have unhindered fellowship with him. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps 73:26). Listen to Psalms 16:5: “The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot” (KJV).

The saint should rejoice because of this inheritance that is waiting for him in heaven and the chief part of that inheritance is God. He is our inheritance and our portion. We enjoy him here on earth, but in heaven, it will be in an unhindered manner. Thank you Lord!

Application Question: What excites you most about the believer’s future heavenly inheritance? What questions do you have about heaven and its rewards?

Believers Should Praise God for the Future Aspects of Our Great Salvation

Who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time (emphasis mine).
1 Peter 1:5

The final aspect mentioned in this passage that should make the believer rejoice even in suffering, is one’s coming salvation. This may sound strange to some because we are already saved. However, Scripture talks about salvation in at least three ways. We were saved when we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior. This is called justification, as God canceled our sin debt and gave us Christ’s righteousness. He now sees us as his Son in perfect righteousness. Scripture speaks of this salvation in the past tense as in Ephesians 2:8: “For it is by grace you have been saved (emphasis mine), through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

The second way is that we are being saved; this is called sanctification. Every day, we are being saved from sin as we become more holy and look more like Christ. This is a progressive process that will happen until we reach heaven. We see this in Philippians 2:12-13:

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (emphasis mine).

Finally, there is a future aspect of our salvation called “the coming of salvation.” It is often called glorification, which happens when we see Christ. We will have resurrected bodies and will no longer sin or have a sin nature in our bodies. We will be completely saved from sin and temptation. This will happen when we see Christ.

Look at what 1 John 3:2 says: “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him (emphasis mine), for we shall see him as he is.” Scripture constantly talks about this as a future salvation. “And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now (emphasis mine) than when we first believed” (Rom 13:11).

These are three aspects of our salvation: (1) justification in the past, (2) sanctification in the present, and (3) glorification when we see Christ and have our resurrected bodies. This is something we should get excited about. There is a coming day where we will no longer wrestle with pride, fight against lust or temptation. One day, we will be completely like Christ and until that time, we fight and “work out my salvation” so we can look more and more like our Lord.

Believers Should Praise God for His Protection over Our Great Salvation

Who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time (emphasis mine).
1 Peter 1:5

However, not only do we praise God about this future aspect of salvation, but we praise him that we are being protected for it. Look again at what Peter says: “Who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet 1:5).

The word shielded is a military word. It can also be translated “guarded.” Another exciting aspect about this salvation and future inheritance is that God is guarding us for it. As you could imagine, there were many of these persecuted Christians that were kept from their earthly inheritance because of the scattering (1 Pet 1:1) or because it was taken by the Romans. Some had even died for the faith, and therefore, could not receive the inheritance of their fathers or grandfathers. However, the believer’s inheritance is different. God is guarding us for it.

This teaches the doctrine of the eternal security of the believer. If they are truly born again, they will not lose their salvation. They will not lose it because God shields and protects the faith of every true believer. They will never ultimately fall away from God because God keeps them. We see many promises about this in the Scripture. Look at what Jesus said to his disciples:

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
John 10:27–29

Christ puts the believers in his hand and also in the Father’s hand, and says no one will snatch them out. They will have eternal life. In fact, Christ taught that this was one of the reasons that God sent him. He was sent to not only save people but to keep them from stumbling away from him. Look at what he says in John 6:37–39:

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day (emphasis mine).

Interpretation Question: How does Christ keep the saints from losing their salvation?

How does Christ keep the salvation of those God has given him?

Christ’s job is to lose none of the saints—he keeps their faith. He does this in several ways:

1. Christ shields the faith of believers through prayer. We saw this with Peter when he was sifted by Satan in his denial. Look at what Christ said to him: “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail (emphasis mine). And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32).

Christ kept the faith of Peter when he stumbled in sin by praying for him. Christ kept Peter from falling totally away from Christ and apostatizing. The writer of Hebrews says this is a ministry Christ does for every believer in order to keep their faith. Look at what he says: “Therefore he is able to save completely (emphasis mine) those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Heb 7:25).

Christ can save completely those who come to him because he prays for them. Christ is always praying for his saints, and he keeps their faith as he did with Peter.

2. Christ shields the faith of believers by limiting the trials they go through. Look at what happened to the disciples right before Christ went to the cross:

Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” “I told you that I am he,” Jesus answered. “If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me (emphasis mine).”
John 18:7–9

When the soldiers came to take Jesus, he protected his disciples from being taken and crucified. Why? John says so that he would lose none of whom God gave him. Christ knew this trial was too big for them. If they would have faced crucifixion for their faith, at that point, they would have totally turned away from Christ. Their faith was not strong enough. He was keeping the faith of his elect; he was shielding them.

Christ does that for every believer. He holds the temperature gauge on the trial. He only lets you go through what you can handle. We see this clearly in 1 Corinthians 10:13:

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it (emphasis mine).

When we see those in the church who go through a trial, fall away, and never come back, that means they were never truly saved. Christ will not lose any of those God has given him. This is how Christ handles those who claim to be his followers but do not have true saving faith. Look at what he says in Matthew 7:21–23:

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers” (emphasis mine)!

Christ doesn’t say they lost their salvation. He essentially says they never had it. He “never knew” them. Of those who are truly saved, Christ will lose none. He protects their faith and keeps them out of trials that would ultimately cause them to turn away as he did with Peter and the disciples. Our God guards the faith of the saints. This is something we should worship God for in our salvation.

I think some do not have a proper worship towards God for their salvation because to them, their salvation is not sure. It is not sure because of wrong doctrine about the security of their salvation. For some it may not be sure because they lack assurance of salvation. Each believer is called to make their election sure by growing in their faith so they no longer will be tossed to and fro at every temptation or failure (cf. 2 Pet 1:10, 5–9)

One of the reasons we praise God for our salvation is because it is eternal. It cannot be lost because Christ is active, and God is active in guarding it like a soldier. Listen, there is nobody better to guard your salvation than God. You can have ultimate confidence that Christ will lose none.

This is something we can worship God about!

Application Question: Why do so many people lack assurance of salvation? How can they develop assurance and trust in God as the guardian of their faith and therefore salvation?

Conclusion

Restore to me the joy of my salvation. Many of us have lost it. We don’t worship God anymore about it, and maybe part of it is because we have lost our gaze on the benefits of this great salvation. Peter writes to believers who are suffering to help them again have the joy they are meant to have even in the midst of their tribulations.

1. Believers should praise God for his mercy in our great salvation. Many have forgotten how rotten they were and how numerous their sins were. God had mercy on us and did not give us what we deserve. He had mercy on us and delivered us from his eternal wrath.
2. Believers should praise God for the new birth in our great salvation. God has caused us to be born again and given us a new life.
3. Believers should praise God for the living hope in our great salvation. The world does not have a living hope but only hopes that pass away. They pass away at the grave, their degrees, their finances and their dreams. But this is not true about the believer’s hope. The believer’s hopes are eternal because of their resurrection in Christ. This should bring us joy.
4. Believers should praise God for the inheritance in our great salvation. Our inheritance is being reserved in heaven by God. In this world all inheritances will ultimately be lost but not the believers’.
5. Believers should praise God for the future aspects of our great salvation. Thank you, Lord, that we have not received all the benefits of our salvation yet. One day, there will be no more sin, no more sickness, and no more mourning. We will reign as co-heirs with Christ in the new heaven and new earth. Thank you, Lord, that you are protecting this for us.
6. Believers should praise God for his protection over our great salvation. The believer’s salvation is secure. This should make us sing praises to God as Peter did.

Application Question: How can we keep the joy we are supposed to have in our great salvation especially when going through trials?

Chapter Notes

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Copyright 2014 Gregory Brown

Unless otherwise noted, the primary Scriptures used are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

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¹ Helm, D. R. (2008). 1 & 2 Peter and Jude: Sharing Christ’s sufferings. Preaching the Word (32). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.