December 17
1 Peter 1:3-9
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Our Assurance of Faith
by Hunter Walker, Student Body President
The Advent season ushers a time of eager anticipation for the body of Christ, who long to celebrate the birth of our Savior. For myself, the yearning of this Advent season is additionally compelling as I look to the conclusion of my final semester of undergraduate education and for news of acceptance letters that will dictate my future in this next, unknown stage of life. In a season where there has been so much history on which to reflect and such an exciting future to await, I found it challenging to remain joyfully present to the opportunities and tasks in front of me this semester. Ultimately, I learned from this season that by looking to the promises of the future and grounding them in the Lord’s proven faithfulness from the past, we can best grow the present-tense attitudes and dispositions of our hearts to seek the Lord in all circumstances.
Undoubtedly, you may also find yourself anxiously wondering about the future, as you examine the ever-changing world this Advent season. Especially in a post-pandemic society, we are increasingly more anxious. Our discontentment or uncertainty of the near future, however, ought to be overshadowed by our assurance of faith that our omniscient and omnipotent God not only knows the future but holds our future and holds our hand.
Remarkably, 1 Peter 1:3-9 shows evidence that believers thousands of years ago needed these same reassurances. Verse 6 indicates that, as Christ challenged his followers to pick up our cross to follow Jesus daily, “you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” Yet, in celebrating the incarnation of our God, we recognize and rejoice in the truth that in our present weakness, Jesus, the Son of Man, is able to sympathize with us.
Moreover, 1 Peter 1:9 indicates that in our present circumstances, the Lord is refining us to fulfill a future promise: to receive the goal of our faith, which is the salvation of our souls. Certainly there is difficulty in waiting, especially when waiting is accompanied by suffering. Like gold in fire, this passage reveals that our waiting refines us in our faith; however, we see how faith is greater than gold because we are reminded it will not perish! Indeed, God does not waste our pain. Our past testimonies provide the foundation and credibility for trust in the Lord’s future for us, which is why verse 3 prompts us to reflect on our former “new birth into a living hope.”
For modern day Christians, celebration of the Nativity thematically resembles much of this passage. In looking back upon the birth of our Messiah thousands of years ago, we come face to face with God’s mercy and grace which has paved the way for us to be reunited with the Father in a more glorious future day. Therefore, our Advent celebration also prompts us to look to the future in eagerness toward the return of our Messiah.
1 Peter 1:3-9 is clear that our attention to the past and future will greatly dictate our present response, regardless of circumstance. My prayer is that our Advent season would be marked with joyful worship as we prepare our hearts for the praise, glory and honor that is to come when Jesus returns again. Wherever our circumstances find us now, let us respond with joy in the work which Jesus continues to do in and for us. Despite any anxieties of the future, let us also joyfully hold fast to the promise of our future inheritance into the kingdom of Heaven. For although we do not see Jesus now, we know that one day soon, we will. Let us today choose a joy that is inexpressible and glorious as we look to celebrate the former and future arrival of our King Jesus.
Learn More About Our Guest Writer
Hunter Walker, Student Body President
Hunter Walker is a senior from Austin, Texas, majoring in Medical Humanities with a double minor in Biochemistry and Biology on the Pre-Dentistry track. He has been involved in Student Government for the past two years as a Senator on Campus Improvement and Affairs, Operations and Procedures, and Ad Hoc Transparency and Marketing Committees, as well as most recently serving as the Chaplain of Student Senate during the 2021-2022 academic year.
In his time in Student Government, Hunter has worked with his fellow student leaders to plan and implement initiatives such as: allocating money to various campus organizations and events, advocating for legislation pertaining to senate improvements such as ballot randomization and restructuring, and even working to use Student Government resources to help donate PPE equipment to the Waco Community amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic. His main areas of focus for the year include: increasing Student Government's transparency to the greater student body; advocating on behalf of students to faculty and administration, and championing active learning both within the classroom, as it pertains to fair academic policies, and outside of the classroom in conversations about Baylor's history with inclusion efforts.
