What does 1 Peter 1:21 reveal about the relationship between God and Jesus? Verse “Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” — 1 Peter 1:21 Immediate Literary Context Peter has just described Christ as the spotless, foreordained Lamb whose precious blood redeems (1 Peter 1:18-20). Verse 21 follows as the climactic explanation of how that redemption draws believers into a God-centered faith and hope. Christ as Mediator: “Through Him you believe in God” Jesus is presented as the singular conduit by which people come to true belief. This echoes John 14:6 (“No one comes to the Father except through Me”) and Acts 4:12. The relationship is not one of mere example but of essential mediation: Christ’s person and work constitute the very access point to the Father (Hebrews 10:19-22). Divine Agency in the Resurrection: “God raised Him from the dead” The Father’s act of raising Jesus affirms two truths simultaneously: 1. Jesus truly died in the flesh, underscoring His authentic humanity (1 Peter 3:18). 2. The Father vindicated the Son, proving His deity and messianic identity (Romans 1:4; Acts 2:32-36). The resurrection therefore reveals cooperative yet distinct persons in the Godhead—one raising, one being raised—while maintaining the unity of divine purpose. Glorification: “and glorified Him” Glorification refers to exaltation to the Father’s right hand (Acts 5:31). John 17:5 records Jesus anticipating this glory shared “before the world existed,” affirming pre-incarnate divinity. The Father’s act of glorifying the Son fulfills Psalm 110:1 and Isaiah 52:13, demonstrating continuity between Old Testament prophecy and New Testament fulfillment. Trinitarian Cooperation The verse encapsulates intra-Trinitarian work: • The Father initiates (raises, glorifies). • The Son mediates belief. • Elsewhere Peter attributes sanctifying agency to the Spirit (1 Peter 1:2). Thus 1 Peter 1:21 harmonizes with Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14, where distinct persons share one divine essence and mission. Equality with Functional Distinction While the Father acts upon the Son in resurrection and glorification, other passages show the Son exercising divine prerogatives (Mark 2:5-12; John 10:30). Functional subordination in redemption does not imply ontological inferiority; rather, it displays ordered relations within the Trinity (Philippians 2:6-11). Faith and Hope Anchored in the Triune God The verse ties subjective experience (faith, hope) to objective divine action. Because God raised and glorified Jesus, believers can entrust both present faith and future hope to Him (Hebrews 6:19-20). Canonical Corroboration • Resurrection and glorification—Acts 2:33; Ephesians 1:20-22. • Mediation—1 Tim 2:5; Hebrews 8:6. • Unity and distinction—John 5:23; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28. Historical and Apologetic Corroboration Early creedal material (1 Corinthians 15:3-7) predates 1 Peter and affirms the same resurrection-centered gospel. Manuscript evidence (e.g., P72, circa A.D. 300, containing 1 Peter) shows remarkable textual stability, reinforcing the authenticity of this teaching. First-century proclamations of the empty tomb in Jerusalem, attested by multiple independent sources, ground Peter’s statement in verifiable history. |
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