Understanding what God did for the believer is key to knowing his identity and God’s expectations.
You may ask, what is the entirety of God’s divine plan for men. 1 Peter 1:3-4 gives us a breakdown of what this entails.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,”
1 Peter 1:3-4 KJV
This verse gives us a snapshot of what mankind needed and how God stepped in.
‘Blessed be the God and FATHER of our lord Jesus Christ.
Who is God to a believer? God is FATHER to all believers. Jesus says in John 20:17 (b) “But go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God and your God.” As a father, he has responsibilities toward his own, which includes communication. When we are in Christ, the Lord is obliged to share communion with us.1 John 1:3. The believer seeking how to hear from God is an identity problem, it shows a lack of revelation of who God is. Hearing from God has become problematized in the church today. There have been so many self-help books written on how to fix this ‘Problem’ of not hearing from God. Meanwhile, an understanding of a believer’s identity in Christ will make him see that God is more willing to speak than he is to hear. Knowledge is the deliverance many believers seek.
‘Which according to his Abundant mercy’
God is ABUNDANT IN MERCY. What then is MERCY, mercy in this context means not giving men what we deserve. So why did mankind need mercy?
Romans 5:12
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
Romans 5:12 KJV
By yielding to the false message of the serpent in Eden, man became a servant of sin which led to death. For the wages of SIN is DEATH (separation from God). The mercy of God saves man from his imminent reward when he believes in the finished work of Christ. Romans 10:10
Hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away,
Our inheritance in Christ after salvation is a LIVELY HOPE. This incorruptible inheritance is ETERNAL LIFE made available in us by the indwelling of the HOLY SPIRIT Ephesians 1:11-14. It is the very life of God that has made a believer’s spirit perfect before the Father. The more we know of this life, the more we act as ambassadors.
This life sets us apart as unto the lord, the seal on us that shows that we have believed. Ephesians 4:30.
Reserved in heaven for you,”
When an average Christian is asked what his hope is, many will quickly say to get to heaven. Yes, we will all be transformed and caught up with the lord at rapture, but this is not the entirety of his plan. God’s ultimate plan is to replicate heaven on earth through believers. HEAVEN is where the PRESENCE OF GOD is, and we now have this present in our spirit, hallelujah! because we have the Holy Spirit, we have heaven in us. Our assignment then is to go forth spreading heaven on earth, making known who God is and all that he has done for man. This should be the priority of every believer.
