Indescribable!

1 Peter 1:1-12

Justification by grace through faith is one of the hallmarks of the Reformation and one of Martin Luther’s great contributions to Protestant theology. There is nothing we can do to secure our own salvation, Luther assures us. We are completely dependent on God’s grace and on the faith which itself is a gift from God. The author of 1 Peter helps to make this point. “Although you have not seen [Christ], you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9). We are receiving the outcome of our faith. We are being overwhelmed by salvation through God’s grace. When we recognize what God is doing in our lives there is no other possible response but rejoicing “with an indescribable and glorious joy…."

Of course we are not always joyous. We spend much of our time lost in a sort of spiritual malaise where God seems to be the furthest thing from our minds. Is this God’s doing as well? No! This is what we might call “sinful forgetfulness,” what happens when we allow our worldly concerns to creep into our consciousness and to overwhelm our senses. The best antidote to this condition is to regularly exercise our faith with Bible study, corporate worship, prayer, and care for others. When we flex our muscles and keep ourselves focused on God we are less likely to forget or to fall into what John Bunyan calls the “slough of despond (swamp of despair).”

Today (and all days) remind yourself of God’s grace in your life, of the faith that has been given to you, of the joy that comes from knowing Jesus Christ. Remember and be glad “with an indescribable and glorious joy.”

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to your love and grace and to the faith that you have given us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.