«　WEEK 7　DAY 6　»

　　1 Pet. 1:5 Who are being guarded by the power of God through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed at the last time.

　　Rom. 8:19 For the anxious watching of the creation eagerly awaits the revelation of the sons of God.

　　23 …We…, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan in ourselves, eagerly awaiting sonship, the redemption of our body.

　　If we would enjoy our heavenly inheritance today and participate in it, we need to be guarded… In the past we all have experienced, at least to some extent,… that when we are carried away from the Lord by something, we lose the enjoyment of the inheritance of eternal life. Therefore, we need to be guarded, protected. The power of God is the means by which we are being guarded. Faith is the secondary means through which the power of God becomes effective in guarding us. Thus, the power of God is on God’s side, and the faith is on our side… If we cooperate [with the power of God] in this way, we shall be kept in the right position to enjoy our heavenly inheritance.

　　[In 1 Peter 1:5] three prepositions are used concerning our coming salvation… By refers to cause, through to the means, and unto to the result. (Life-study of 1 Peter, pp. 39-40)

　　[“Salvation” in 1 Peter 1:5 is] not salvation from eternal perdition but the salvation of our souls from the dispensational punishment of the Lord’s governmental dealing (v. 9 and footnote 2). The full salvation of the Triune God is in three stages and comprises many items:

　　(1) The initial stage, the stage of regeneration, which is composed of redemption, sanctification (positional—v. 2; 1 Cor. 6:11), justification, reconciliation, and regeneration… This initial salvation has saved us from God’s condemnation and from eternal perdition (John 3:18, 16).

　　(2) The progressing stage, the stage of transformation, which is composed of freedom from sin, sanctification (mainly dispositional—Rom. 6:19, 22), growth in life, transformation, building up, and maturing. In this stage God is freeing us from the dominion of indwelling sin—the law of sin and of death—by the law of the Spirit of life, through the subjective working of the effectiveness of the death of Christ in us (Rom. 6:6-7; 7:16-20; 8:2); sanctifying us by His Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:16), with His holy nature, through His discipline (Heb. 12:10) and His judgment in His own house (1 Pet. 4:17); causing us to grow in His life (1 Cor. 3:6-7); transforming us by renewing the inward parts of our soul by the life-giving Spirit (2 Cor. 3:6,17-18; Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23) through the working of all things (Rom. 8:28); building us together into a spiritual house for His dwelling (1 Pet. 2:5; Eph. 2:22); and maturing us in His life (Rev. 14:15 and footnotes) for the completion of His full salvation.

　　(3) The completing stage, the stage of glorification, which is composed of the redemption (transfiguration) of our body, conformity to the Lord, glorification, the inheritance of God’s kingdom, participation in Christ’s kingship, and the topmost enjoyment of the Lord… Our body will be freed from the slavery of corruption of the old creation into the freedom of the glory of God’s new creation (Rom. 8:21), and our soul will be delivered out of the realm of trials and sufferings (1 Pet. 1:6; 4:12; 3:14; 5:9) into a new realm, one that is full of glory (4:13; 5:10), and will share in and enjoy all that the Triune God is, has, and has accomplished, attained, and obtained. This is the salvation of our souls, the salvation that is ready to be revealed to us at the last time, the grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Christ in glory (1:13; Matt. 16:27; 25:31). This is the end of our faith. The power of God is able to guard us unto this that we may obtain it (1 Pet. 1:9). We should eagerly expect such a marvelous salvation (Rom. 8:23) and prepare ourselves for its splendid revelation (Rom. 8:19). (1 Pet. 1:5, footnote 5)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Peter, msg. 5