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1 Peter 1:8–9
“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Frequently in the New Testament, the Apostles begin their epistles with a focus on what God has done for us in Christ and who we are through our faith in Jesus. We call this the indicative of salvation, and in biblical terms, the indicative of salvation comes before and grounds the imperatives of salvation. In other words, God does His redemptive work for and in us, and only then does He command us to live up to what He has already made us in Christ. We see this clearly in the book of Romans, where Paul spends the first eleven chapters emphasizing the benefits of Christ before shifting focus in chapters 12–16 to our duties as believers.
Peter’s first epistle follows a similar pattern, for the Apostle begins his letter by describing the blessings we already have in the Lord Jesus. We have already seen that the Father has caused us to be born again to a living hope, is preserving us through faith until we receive the fullness of our inheritance, and is making us rejoice as our trust in Jesus is refined (1 Peter 1:1–7). In today’s passage, Peter continues to stress the benefits and fruit that we already have in Jesus, considering the love, trust, and joy that we have in and for the Savior even though we have not yet seen Him.
The disciples of Jesus who followed Him during His earthly ministry had a distinct advantage in that they saw our Lord face-to-face as He walked the earth. That made it easier for them to love Him, so to speak; after all, we feel the greatest affection for those whom we encounter in the flesh. Peter’s original gentile audience did not have such an advantage, for they came to know Jesus only after His ascension. Nevertheless, they loved Him with an affection that was no less real or deep than Peter’s (v. 8). The same is true of us. In fact, our deep love for Jesus is one evidence of the authenticity of our faith. Matthew Henry comments, “True faith is never alone, but produces a strong love to Jesus Christ.”
This love for Christ that Peter describes is a continuing reality for all true believers, as is the belief and rejoicing that the Apostle describes (v. 8). Our joy, Peter says, is “filled with glory.” It takes on a heavenly quality, participating in the glory that is to be revealed at the return of Jesus (see 4:13; 5:1). Thus, we find at times that our joy is “inexpressible” (1:8). At times, we are overcome by such gladness and cannot find the words for it, because our eyes, ears, and hearts cannot fathom what is in store for us (see 1 Cor. 2:9).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Peter concludes today’s passage by saying that we are in the process of obtaining the salvation of our souls. He refers here to salvation in a broad sense, including our growth in holiness through our sanctification. Our love and our rejoicing in Christ do not set us right with God—only faith can do that—but through our love and joy, our Creator is conforming us to the image of Jesus.
For further study
- Deuteronomy 6:5
- Psalm 70
- John 20:24–29
- Philippians 4:4
The bible in a year
- Judges 20–21
- Luke 11:37–12:3