Your Salvation

8 You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that would come to you searched and carefully investigated. 11 They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when He testified in advance to the messianic sufferings and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Angels desire to look into these things.

The good news of salvation was proclaimed to you (vv10-12). 

• The good news is a message of suffering, glory and grace. That is, it is a message of the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross, the glory of His resurrection and ascension, and the grace that is offered to people through Jesus.
• The good news is a message proclaimed by the Scriptures. Throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament, the gospel of Jesus is proclaimed. For example, in Isaiah 52:13-53:12, we read of the Suffering Servant, a portrait written about Jesus some 700 years before He was born. Even hundreds of years before that, in Genesis we see that Jesus is foreshadowed in these and other ways:
  • the seed of the woman
  • animal skins to cover Adam & Eve
  • Abel’s blood sacrifice
  • the door of the ark
  • Melchizedek
  • Abraham’s promise of a son to bless the nations
  • the sacrifice of Isaac
  • Joseph rescuing his people in Egypt
• The good news is a message proclaimed by God’s servants. In verses 10-12, we see that both prophets and “those who preached to you” are mentioned as proclaimers of God’s message. They are servants of God, representing all of the people of God. It is the job of every follower of Jesus to proclaim the good news of salvation to all who will hear.
• The good news is a message proclaimed by the Holy Spirit. These verses in 1 Peter make it clear that we are not relying on our own strength to proclaim the message, but rather the Holy Spirit works through us both to strengthen us as we share the good news and even giving us the words to say!

Your salvation impacts you (vv8-9). How is your life different now that you have trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

• You love Jesus. You love Him even though you have never physically seen Him. You love Him and want to obey His commands.
• You believe in Him. You trust in Him, believe in Him, and follow His ways.
• You experience incredible joy.
• You are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your soul.  

Your salvation impacts heaven (v12). 

• all of heaven rejoices, when even one sinner repents! (Luke 15)
• the angels lean in, to see the amazing thing that has happened to you (v12)