Remembering Our Great Salvation (1 Peter 1:10-12) Series

Remembering Our Great Salvation

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

1 Peter 1:10–12

Application Question: What things bring you the greatest joy in life?

Peter writes to believers who are being persecuted in Asia Minor, which is current-day Turkey. They were being persecuted for their faith. Some wives were married to husbands who would not respond to the gospel, and they needed to be encouraged.

Peter starts off his letter encouraging these suffering saints with praise to God for their salvation (1 Pet 1:3). He then goes on and talks about what makes it so great. We have a living hope and the new birth. We are being protected for this salvation by God. We have an inheritance that will not fade (1 Pet 1:3–6). Peter writes to them about the greatness of their salvation in order to encourage them and bring them joy in the midst of suffering.

Most people find their joy from family, friends, career, or hobbies, but when family is sick or when there are problems at work, they lose their joy. No doubt, many among these congregations had lost their joy as well since the world around them was falling apart. The greatest joy in our life should be Christ, and the salvation we have received from him. It is from this relationship and the benefits of salvation that we can have enduring joy.

In this passage, Peter wants the Christians to refocus on how great their salvation is so they can have joy and persevere. He starts off with “concerning this salvation,” calling them to remember things they already knew so they can again stand in awe.

Similarly, there are some truths that we already know about our salvation that can help us restore our joy even in midst of trials. In this lesson we will see eight truths about the greatness of our salvation.

Big Question: What does Peter teach us about the greatness of our salvation that should help us have joy in our salvation and encourage us in the midst of our trials?

Remember the Greatness of Salvation in that It Is a Work of God’s Grace

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you.

1 Peter 1:10

The first thing that makes salvation great is the fact that it is a work of God’s sovereign grace.

Interpretation Question: What is saving grace?

1. Grace is “unmerited favor.”

Salvation is not something we deserve because of our good works but is something given as a work of unmerited favor from God. We see this 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).

2. Grace is given regardless of our sins, or in spite of our sins.

Romans 5:8 reads: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (emphasis mine). This truth makes our salvation even more wonderful. It’s in spite of us and based on God’s grace that we have received salvation.

Interpretation Question: Peter said this “grace” was spoken of by prophets about how it would eventually come to us. Does this mean that people in the Old Testament did not experience grace (v. 10)?

The Old Testament saints did experience God’s grace, but they did not fully understand it as we do today. Scripture says the benefits of Christ’s cross were applied to their sins as well. But they did not fully understand the unmerited favor they were receiving from God. God dealt with them in forbearance on the basis of the sacrifice that would come for their sins. They were looking forward to Christ as pictured through the sacrifices. Listen to Romans 3:25–26,

God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

This shows the application of Christ’s blood. It applies to those who by faith have followed God since the beginning of the world. We see God accrediting righteousness to Abraham because of his faith as mentioned in James 2:23: “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend.”