Hello, friend! Welcome to my blog. I hope you’re doing well! Today we are wrapping up our Imperishable Inheritance series. We’ve been in 1 Peter for a while, and while it’s sad to see this series end, it’s also exciting that we’ve made it! Let’s hop into it today.
Imperishable Inheritance Pt. 7 (The Final Part)
Here is the passage for today’s article:
Remember to read it yourself before continuing on in this article!
The Main Point
I think the main point of this final section of 1 Peter is to summarize everything he has said so far. That said, it’s somewhat overwhelming and there’s a lot of instruction coming in. Let’s go through each part and try to understand what it’s saying.
Instructions For Elders And Followers
Verses 1-3 are speaking to the elders of the church. Remember, way back in 1 Peter 1, we talked about how Peter is writing to the persecuted Christians and encouraging them in their faith and journey with God. Here, he gives the elders special instruction to do their job willingly and eagerly, awaiting the time when the head Shepherd (that is, Christ) appears.
Now, being only a teenager, I don’t know much about being elders or pastors of the church and shepherding the flock of God. But those of you who are pastors or take higher roles in the church, take this advice from Peter. Don’t take it from me, but take it from God’s word.
Verse 5 is more for anybody else part of the church. We should be humble and subject to those in charge of us. This goes back to 1 Peter 2, where Peter talks about submission to authority. We should follow authority, but be careful and discerning about that authority’s intentions as well, and make sure we are still following God.
Standing Firm In Your Faith
Verses 6-9 continue to talk about being humble, but also about being watchful. These verses talk about our enemy, Satan, ready to snatch us from God when we are weak. They talk about suffering, which Peter also talked more extensively in 1 Peter 3 and 4.
However, with both of these things, we have Christ by our side. We also have fellow Christians, and in verse 9 it says:
Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
1 Peter 5:9
But even so, what happens after the suffering? After the struggle?
And Our Hope?
Well, this is what we’ve all been waiting for. Let’s read verse 10 together.
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
1 Peter 5:10
After we have struggled, suffered, and stood firm in our faith of our savior Jesus Christ, we will either die or see Jesus come again.
And when that happens, we will be restored into the people we were meant to be from the beginning, we will be confirmed and established in God’s kingdom, and we will have our inheritance.
The inheritance can’t come while we are living, inheritances aren’t often received until after a person’s death. But because of Jesus, we have a living hope, something to look forward to, something to stand firm for.
And that, my friend, is our imperishable inheritance.
Final Thoughts
Thank you for joining me today in the final part of this series! I hope you enjoyed and learned something from it. If you haven’t already, please consider subscribing to my email list to receive updates when I post, three exclusive articles about reading the Bible with a friend, and my monthly newsletter!
A side note, you may have noticed a new page on the blog labeled ‘Sisters In Christ.’ If you haven’t clicked over and viewed it yet, please do so! It basically says what I’m going to tell you, that my friend and I are starting a podcast!
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Have a blessed day,
~Caroline
Live to the Lord 