What is the meaning of 1 Peter 1:21? Through Him • “Through Him” points directly to Jesus Christ, the One Peter has just called “a spotless lamb” (1 Peter 1:19). • Scripture insists that Jesus is the sole mediator between God and humanity—“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’ ” (John 14:6). • By His shed blood and ongoing intercession (Hebrews 7:25), Jesus opens the door of access to the Father: “For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit” (Ephesians 2:18). • Every blessing that follows in this verse—faith, resurrection hope, assurance—flows only because we are linked to God “through” the Son. You believe in God • Faith is not self-generated; it is birthed in us as we come through Christ. • The apostles echoed this message: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Believing in Jesus automatically centers our trust in the Father who sent Him. • John wrote, “But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). • Genuine belief is personal reliance, not mere acknowledgment; Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Jesus makes such God-pleasing faith possible. Who raised Him from the dead • The Father’s resurrection of the Son is a historical, bodily event and the linchpin of the gospel. • Peter preached, “But God raised Him from the dead” (Acts 2:24). Paul added, “By His power God raised the Lord from the dead, and He will raise us also” (1 Corinthians 6:14). • The resurrection verifies that Christ’s atoning work is accepted and guarantees our own future resurrection (Romans 8:11). • Because God raised Jesus, our faith rests on a living Savior, not a fallen martyr. And glorified Him • Resurrection was followed by exaltation: “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place” (Philippians 2:9-11). • Peter again: “Exalted, therefore, to the right hand of God…” (Acts 2:33). • Jesus now reigns in glory, “sitting at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3). • The Father’s glorifying of the Son affirms His divine identity and assures believers that Christ’s authority is absolute and eternal. And so your faith and hope are in God • Because the Father raised and glorified the Son, believers can anchor both present faith and future hope in God Himself. • Earlier Peter celebrated “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). • Hope is not wishful thinking; it is confident expectation: “Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts” (Romans 5:5). • Faith lays hold of God now; hope anticipates all He has promised. Both are secure because they rest on the finished, triumphant work of Christ. summary 1 Peter 1:21 traces a beautiful chain: through Jesus we are enabled to believe; the Father validated Jesus by raising and glorifying Him; therefore our faith and hope rest firmly in God. Every element of Christian confidence—access, belief, resurrection assurance, present joy, future expectation—flows from the Father’s mighty work in His Son and is received only “through Him.” |
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