Hope for a New Year- 1 Pet. 1:3-16
Jeff Hardin
New Year’s Day, 2017, Geneva Campus Church
Dear friends of Jesus Christ,
Happy New Year! Such as easy, sunny, hopeful greeting. And yet I wonder what each of us is
really thinking as we head into another year. What are you really hoping for this year, and why?
I’ve been thinking a lot about hope lately. It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been at the University of
Wisconsin for 25 years now. I’m often asked what changes I’ve seen in students during this time.
My immediate response has to do with hope. Hope that they will be able to flourish in their
degree programs and after. I’m not alone in noticing this change. A 2015 study at my PhD alma
mater, the University of California Berkeley, found that 47% of graduate students suffer from
traits that could be categorized as depression1. This epidemic of pessimism is giving me cause
for great pastoral concern, so much so that I spent a weekend with IV Grad students this fall to
talk and pray through these things together.
Most of us aren’t in grad or professional school, but I’m guessing many of us resonate with these
feelings. And others are noticing. Sebastian Mallaby, who is British, wrote an op ed piece in the
Washington Post in September with his observations:
I arrived in the United States in 1996 as a foreign correspondent for the Economist. Like many young journalists
from Europe, I was instantly won over by the country’s infectious optimism… It was as though the entire nation
had been subjected to a particularly uplifting course of cognitive behavioral therapy…Two decades later,
Americans are in danger of succumbing to the opposite mentality…[a] supposedly classless society is seized by
its internal divisions.2
Our political mood certainly fans the flames of pessimism. Many will remember the iconic
poster created eight years ago by Shepard Fairey for the Obama campaign, with a single word in
capital letters: HOPE. Yet eight years later it seems safe to say that there is widespread
disillusionment regarding our political system. To make matters worse, the very word
“Christian” has been politicized. Whatever your political stance, it seems clear that politics has
not healed some of the deepest heartaches in our country.
Perhaps you can relate. If you’re like me, all of this begs serious questions for us as Christians. If
the Scriptures provide us with eternal guidance for living, what do they say about hope? What is
it? Where do we find it? What difference should it make? 1 Peter is a letter about these very
things. Its theme is hope in the midst of adversity. We heard vv. 1-2, the greeting from this letter,
at the beginning of the service. Peter is writing to “those who reside as aliens” (NASB) in Asia
Minor. They are out of place, not due to passport or visa issues, but because as Christians the very
basis of their lives runs counter to the culture around them. And they are struggling. Peter wants
them to lean into their identity as God’s chosen people to live in hope.
A Living Hope (1 Pet. 1:1-12)
In 1:3-12 Peter talks about what hope is: it’s a living hope. In 1:13-16 he talks about what hope
does: he talks about living in hope. Let’s tackle that first topic. Now there’s something that we
need to get straight right away. “Hope” in the biblical sense is not wishful thinking of the sort
that we tend to engage in on New Year’s Day when we say, “I hope this year is better than I
1
Jaschik, Scott. The Other Mental Health Crisis, Inside Higher Ed. April 22, 2015:
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/04/22/berkeley-study-finds-high-levels-depression-among-graduatestudents
2
Mallaby, Sebastian. “American has lost its characteristic optimism”. Washington Post, Sept. 16, 2016.
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expect.” Hope in the biblical sense is a much stronger, meatier quality. If, as the writer of the
book of Hebrews says in Heb. 11:1, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the confidence in
things not seen”, then hope is a confident anticipation of a divine future grasped through faith.
It’s an expectation that Jesus will one day be revealed in all of His glory, which energizes what
we do each day in the present.
Why can we bank on this expectation? For Peter the reason is simple: we’re not responsible for
keeping this hope alive. God is. In v. 4 Peter uses the word “inheritance”, and three “un” words.
Our hope is incorruptible – it will never decay. It’s undefiled – absolutely pure. And it’s
unfading – it will never lose its luster. In v. 5 Peter goes on to say that even though it will only be
visible to everyone in the future it is nevertheless a present reality. But it’s being kept safe for us.
Unlike our electronic bank accounts, this inheritance is not susceptible to cyber-attacks! In fact,
the word “protected” in v. 5 (phroureō) is literally used of a military garrison guarding
something. And it is God Himself who does the guarding.
Because God has this inheritance in His safekeeping, Peter says we should “rejoice” in v. 6. That
word is not the usual one for “rejoice”. It’s a special one that might be better translated “celebrate”.
Peter says we should throw a party because this hope is secure!
This all sounds really wonderful, doesn’t it? And yet you might be tempted to think that Peter is
advocating “being so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good”. I think this is exactly
backwards. It’s those who are clearest about their hope who are most effective in the present.
The 20th century professor and writer C.S. Lewis, who we affectionately refer to as “St. Clive”
in our household, famously said it this way:
…[A] continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism
or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the
present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world
were just those who thought most of the next… It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other
world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth “thrown in”: aim at
earth and you will get neither….3
What Lewis is getting at here is insightful. A living hope is not pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking.
Those who have dynamically experienced in their own lives what will eventually be present for
all to see in Heaven and on Earth – the reign of God – will naturally look to extend that reign
here and now. That “leaking” of the eternal into the present will happen with intense integrity in
their unique, individual spheres of life.
I think Peter would affirm Lewis here. Notice that Peter quickly moves on to say that a living hope
has to be a gritty, realistic hope. Look how quickly Peter turns from glory to anguish in v. 6. The
word the NRSV translates “suffer” (lupeo) has to do with the emotional state of being distressed or
experiencing grief. I think this is a key concept in our modern context. Peter doesn’t provide
assurances of a pain-free, “safe” existence. Far from it! Peter is assuming that his audience may be
struggling to live out their faith. For Peter living hope flourishes in the midst of struggle.
What helps us when we find ourselves in the middle of struggle? Peter tells us in v. 7. First, Peter
says we need to keep the long view. Adversity is temporary; it’s not ultimate. In contrast, our
hope is eternal. Second, Peter says that adversity itself actually purifies our faith. I’m no
metallurgist, but I do know that heating precious metals to extremely high temperature allows the
molten metal to be physically separated from impurities. That sort of refining leads to a purer,
more valuable metal. We sing a praise song that asks for this very thing: “Purify my heart/ let me
3
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, Harper edition, 2001), pp. 134-135.
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be as gold, or precious silver/Purify my heart/ let me be as gold, pure gold/Refiner’s fire…”
Peter says that this needs to move beyond a catchy phrase from a praise song; it’s how our lives
become more closely aligned with the living hope of the Gospel.
Peter goes on in v. 8 to say that not only is a living hope refined and purified through faith; it’s
fueled by love. Peter had seen Jesus, but for his readers, that vision involved “eyes” of faith. By
keeping our love for the Lord Jesus in the center of our field of view, Peter says we can continue
to rejoice in the midst of struggle. In fact, he uses that same “party” word from v. 6 here.
Keeping whom we love in the center of view can be powerful. Psychologist Viktor Frankl, who
survived interment in a Nazi concentration camp in World War 2, wrote about a transformative
experience of loving vision while on a forced labor march in the cold of night:
Hiding his mouth behind his upturned collar, the man marching next to me whispered suddenly: "If our wives
could see us now!..." That brought thoughts of my own wife to mind. And as we stumbled on for miles… my
mind clung to my wife's image… I heard her answering me, saw her smile, her frank and encouraging look…
For the first time in my life I was able to understand the meaning of the words, "The angels are lost in perpetual
contemplation of an infinite glory.”4
Interior vision fueled by love kept Frankl going. Peter says that our hope is similarly fueled by
keeping our loving spiritual vision focused on the One we love: the glorious Lord Jesus.
In the end, Peter says that this sort of living hope is going to have an amazing effect on us: it is
going to help complete our salvation. We are saved by grace (past tense), when we put our trust
in Jesus Christ and His saving power. But we are sanctified (present tense) – purified and made
more like Him – when we cling to a living hope in the midst of life. Ultimately, we will be
glorified (future tense), as we see the Lord Jesus in His full splendor. That, my friends, is
something that even the angels long to understand!
Living in Hope (1 Pet. 1:13-16)
That is the remarkable vision Peter sets out for us in vv. 1-12, the vision of a living hope. Most
of the rest of the letter is about living in hope. The indicative - what God has done in vv. 1-12 leads to the imperative - what we are called to do for Him5 - in the rest of the letter.
In vv. 13-16 Peter says that living in hope begins with three things. First, what we think. The
main verb in v. 13 is “set your hope”. While the hope itself is safe and sound, and something
God Himself achieves, this is something we do: decisively focusing our minds, and in turn our
lives, on what is ultimate, what is eternal. And Peter says that as a precondition we need to
“prepare our minds for action”. The original is really colorful: Peter says we need to “gird up the
loins of our minds”. The image is of a first century adult male, who gathers up his long, flowing
robes and tucks them into his belt so that he can run, or fight in battle. Peter says that our brains
should be battle ready. And that means that we should “stay sober”. Being sober means being
realistic – not intoxicated into a stupor by our surroundings.
The second thing Peter says we need to do to live in hope is found in v. 14. It has to do with what
we desire. We need to avoid “being conformed” - squeezed – by the world around us. It’s the
same word used by Paul in Rom. 12:2 when he says, “And do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. What is getting squeezed here in 1 Peter? Our
desires are the mental and emotional equivalent of Play-Doh, susceptible to being shaped by
4
Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning. Touchstone edition, 1984 reprint, pp. 48–49
5
For this same idea, see Clowney, Edmund P., The Message of 1 Peter (Bible Speaks Today). InterVarsity Press,
1989.
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forces around us. Peter says that living in hope involves reorienting our desires in a way that
keeps them from being squeezed into the world’s mold.
The final thing Peter says characterizes a life of hope is found in vv. 15-16: what we do. Peter
says “Be holy”. He’s quoting a refrain found several times in the Old Testament (especially in
the book of Leviticus) as God called the nation of Israel to be His special people. Holiness is a
big topic, but essentially, as applied to God, holiness has to do with absolute moral purity and
separation from sin. When applied to God’s people, it has to do with being set apart from sin and
for God’s purposes. John Calvin, in his commentary on this passage said it in a way I love:
“There is then no part of our life which is not to be redolent with this good odor of holiness.”
(Commentary on 1 Peter) We’re to have the “odor of holiness” in every area of our lives, interior
and exterior!
Leaving in Hope
We’ve talked about a living hope, and then living in hope. I’d like to end by thinking out loud
about how we can leave here as people of hope with that “odor of holiness” Calvin talks about.
First, admit struggle, but recognize it is never ultimate. Yes, living in hope involves gritty
realities, but don’t let the grit become an obsession. Victorious, resurrection power in the midst
of real life is available to each of us now through faith, energized by the Holy Spirit - not “after I
finish school” or “after I get into professional school” or “after I establish my career” or “after
the kids are grown”, but in the middle of daily life.
Second, analyze your thinking. What is your hope really in? I mean really? Ask the Lord to show
you this year. Is it in a political solution? Your physical health? Financial security? Social
popularity? Professional reputation? The best way to assess your own personal “inventory of
hope” is by allowing your mind to marinate in the Scriptures. As you experience the living
Christ, your hope will begin to reorient towards Him.
Third, avoid the “deformative effect” of your environment6 What are you reading? Watching?
Who is around you, and what do they value? If you’re like me, your environment tends to shape
your desires almost imperceptibly. But as you encounter the living Christ and you reorient your
thinking, you’ll be able to take a step back to see how your environment is shaping your heart,
rather than His truth. This year ask the Holy Spirit to show you how your desires have been
squeezed by prevailing values surrounding you. I’m looking forward to the opportunity we’ll
have to think more deeply about this point this spring when we welcome Bill Cavanaugh through
our Vocation | Formation program.
Finally, access the power of Christian community. The imperatives in 1 Peter, including 1:13-16,
are all in the second person plural. My wife Susie would say “y’all”. On our own, we are much
more liable to succumb to the deformative effects of environment. If you’re not embedded in a
community of believers who can help you live in the second person plural, I encourage you to
seek one. I know the household Susie and I are in has been used by God in powerful ways to
help us to be re-formed in hope.
What are you hoping for this year? Friends, real hope is available in this New Year. We have
been born again to a living hope that allows us to live in hope. As we leave today, let’s leave ask
God’s help to be His people of hope.
6
The phrase is from Kreider, Tim. The Busy Trap. NYT Opinionator blog, June 30, 2012. Online at
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/the-busy-trap/
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