1 Peter 1:3

Peter called his readers to bless (praise) God for giving us a living hope. This undying hope has its roots in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because He lives, we shall live. Our new birth gave us this life. Consequently our hope is both alive within us and part of our new life in Christ.

"Just as ’faith’ can be subjective (the act or state of believing), or objective (the content of belief), so ’hope’ can refer either to an anticipation (even a certainty) of good things to come or to the content of that anticipation, the good things themselves. The ’living hope’ of which Peter speaks here is better understood in the second, objective, sense. As such, it appropriately parallels, and is further explained by, the ’inheritance’ of 1 Peter 1:4 and the ’salvation’ of 1 Peter 1:5 (cf. Colossians 1:5 . . .)." [Note: Ibid., p. 19.]

Many popular writers have called Paul the apostle of faith, John the apostle of love, and Peter the apostle of hope. They have done so because of the dominant emphasis each of these writers made in the New Testament. Peter had much to say about hope in this epistle. [Note: See Geerhardus Vos, "A Sermon on 1 Peter 1:3-5," Kerux 1:2 (September 1986):4-17.]

"While Peter’s teaching on how salvation is applied gave attention to the beginning and continued process of living as a Christian, the actual words for ’salvation’ have a predominantly future orientation in 1 Peter." [Note: Fanning, p. 447.]

"Born again" (cf. 1 Peter 1:23) describes the Christian who experienced spiritual regeneration (John 3:3). The phrase stresses the great change that takes place at conversion and our resultant participation in the life of God. God has been exceedingly merciful in giving us this blessing (cf. Romans 11:30-32; Romans 15:9; Ephesians 2:1-7; Titus 3:5). One writer considered salvation the major theme of this epistle. [Note: Paul A. Cedar, James , 1, 2 Peter, Jude, p. 120.]