The Result of Faith

Text: 1 Peter 1:3-9

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Alleluia! Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

That right there is a result of faith! Faith, which is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” None of us were there at the empty tomb when Jesus was raised from the dead. None of us were among the 500+ people who were eyewitnesses to the resurrected Christ before He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of His Father. And yet we still confidently proclaim, “He is risen indeed, Alleluia!”

As Peter addresses the scattered believers in Asia Minor, he also addresses us. With confidence that “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him.” This confidence comes from the faith that Peter has from having walked with the Lord from the beginning of His earthly ministry, and to the very end where Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried. But not only that, Peter was an eyewitness to the resurrection, seeing the Lord multiple times with His own eyes from Easter evening, over the course of 40 days, through the Ascension. And this bolstered the faith he’d been given. And this is the faith Peter wants to assure these believers that they too have been given by God, even in the midst of their struggles and doubts. Because,

BY FAITH, GOD EMPOWERS US TO CONFESS WITH OUR MOUTHS

WHAT WE BELIEVE IN OUR HEARTS,

EVEN WHEN WE CAN’T SEE IT WITH OUR OWN EYES.

          Some have suggested that this first epistle of Peter was originally presented as a sermon to newly baptized members of a congregation. It’s not possible to prove this, but what a wonderful thought for today when we’ve just welcomed Bailee into the family of God. It’s all about faith, and where does faith come from? Not from our own work, but from the work of God in Christ Jesus for our salvation and by the Holy Spirit who “calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith” Bailee wasn’t able to answer those questions about her faith, so you answered them for her. Which is a testament to the grace of God who gives His abundant gifts, not based on our worthiness, but instead because of His unending love for us. And in that water, combined with God’s Word of hope and promise, Bailee received the gift of faith. We can’t see it. The only outward sign that anything happened is perhaps a head with wet hair, but we know that God is working in and through that faith so that one day she will be able to confess with great joy what God has done for her and that through that faith instilled in her she has received everlasting life.

It can’t be expressed strongly enough that we inherit, not earn, “the kingdom prepared for [us] from the foundation of the world.” The heavenly inheritance is ours because we are members of the Father’s family. Brought into that family by the work of the Holy Spirit and the washing and renewal of our own baptism. And just like that rebirth in the Spirit through baptism, Pater encourages all of us that “God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy…has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”

And being “born again to a living hope” isn’t something that happened in our past. Peter is stressing that this new birth is part of our ongoing reality in the present. And through Christ’s resurrection, our new birth has results which connect our current reality with the future that God has planned for us. The first result of this faith we’ve been given, and re-born into through baptism, is this “living hope.” Not wishful thinking that our circumstances might change for the better someday, but a hope that lives and breathes Christ’s resurrection and God’s promises of eternal life. Our faith breeds a hope that looks beyond the struggles of today and sees the promises of eternal life. And there are struggles. The hope we have is accompanied by suffering and trials. This doesn’t mean that your faith is deficient if you’re not always joyful and strong. These struggles are meant to purify, or refine, our faith.

The text says that “though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire.” Gold is refined at 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s hot, and if that were us, it would be terribly uncomfortable. But only then can it be useful, having gotten rid of all the impurities. Similarly, faith which endures trials does not perish, but is refined and purified. And we endure trials because we live in a sinful world where we dwell with sinful hearts and sinful minds. We’re constantly falling short of what God has called us to. Sometimes our trials are the result of our own sin, and other times they’re simply the reality of living in a fallen world. But when Christians suffer, God makes our painful experiences serve us by toughening our faith and removing the harmful distractions to reveal the result that He’s looking for.

And that result of our faith is indicated by Peter when he goes on to describe the faith that has been tested for genuineness, and when it has been refined “may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” So, another result of our faith is that we can give abundant praise. We can confidently proclaim, even though we weren’t there as eyewitnesses, that Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia! And because our Lord cares so deeply for each of us, He’ll seek us out in order to make sure that we know with absolute certainty that He is by our side. Which is exactly what He did for Thomas. He didn’t leave Him to wallow in his doubt. He didn’t simply lean on the other 10 disciples to share their story of seeing Him alive in the upper room. He waited for Thomas to be present and came to Him. Offering His hands and His side as proof that He had risen.

You might say, “Well, I wasn’t there. How do I know for sure?” You know because the Holy Spirit has worked in you that faith which “is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” And in addition to that He has offered to you His body and blood which sits on this altar, waiting for you to come and see, and touch, and taste. And as you do so, may your response be as bold and confident as that of Thomas when you recognize the Savior who bled and died for you. “My Lord and my God.” And in that moment when that’s your confession, you’re one of the ones who Jesus speaks of when He says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

And that blessing isn’t just for this life. You may or may not feel incredibly blessed at times in this life. But the ultimate result of your faith, which believes in the work of Christ for you, is that you have the promise of salvation and everlasting life. This is why Peter speaks of rejoicing multiple times in this passage. He says, “in this you rejoice” and “rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” Why? Because in believing; in having faith; “you have obtained the outcome [or result] of your faith, the salvation of your soul.” That’s the blessing that comes from believing in our hearts, even when we can’t see with our eyes. And our good and right response then is to confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord. To proclaim the faith that we’ve been given. To speak the creeds. To profess the truth of the Gospel. And to celebrate the resurrection that makes this gift of salvation possible by boldly proclaiming that Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia! Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.