What is the meaning of 1 Peter 1:18? For you know • Peter appeals to an informed faith: this is truth believers “know,” not guess (Romans 6:6; 1 Corinthians 6:19). • Knowing brings responsibility; with understanding comes the call to live accordingly (James 4:17). • The assurance rests on God’s revealed Word, not shifting opinion (2 Timothy 3:16‐17). that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold • Earth’s most prized metals eventually fade (Matthew 6:19-20). • God contrasts the temporary with the eternal, as earlier in the chapter: “your faith… more precious than gold that perishes” (1 Peter 1:7). • No material wealth can purchase a soul (Psalm 49:6-8; Matthew 16:26). • By stressing what did not redeem us, Peter magnifies what did—the priceless blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:19). that you were redeemed • “Redeemed” means purchased out of bondage. Israel’s Passover prefigured this deliverance (Exodus 6:6). • The cost: “the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:19), echoed throughout Scripture (Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12; Titus 2:14). • Redemption sets believers free for God’s service, no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:17-18; Galatians 5:1). • It is complete and final, secured by the Redeemer’s once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10). from the empty way of life • “Empty” points to futility—lives chasing meaning yet never finding it (Ecclesiastes 1:2; Ephesians 4:17-19). • Religious activity without Christ is hollow (Acts 17:22-23). • Sin’s promises are vain; only in Christ is fullness of life (John 10:10; 1 John 5:12). • Redemption rescues us from purposeless existence and grants a living hope (1 Peter 1:3). you inherited from your forefathers • Tradition alone cannot save (Mark 7:8-9). • National or family heritage—even Israel’s rich legacy—cannot substitute for personal faith (John 1:12-13; Philippians 3:4-8). • Each generation needs its own redemption; the gospel transcends cultural lineage (Acts 10:34-35). • Christ breaks destructive chains passed down through sin’s history (1 Corinthians 15:22; 1 Peter 2:9-10). summary 1 Peter 1:18 reminds believers that salvation is anchored in a priceless, imperishable ransom—the blood of Christ—not in fading wealth or human tradition. This redemption frees us from an empty, inherited way of life and calls us into purposeful, obedient living grounded in the certainty of God’s enduring Word. |
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