Active Theology

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5, ESV)

When I attended Kansas State University, I stumbled my way into a ministry called Christian Challenge. I use the word “stumble” because I had no idea these ministries existed and therefore had no intention of attending. But my path was being guided by the One that has better plans. 

I quickly got involved with the worship team, which was also a small group, which eventually led to 1-on-1 discipleship with one of the staff members. I vividly remember having a particular conversation while sitting on the bottom floor of the K-State Union. I don’t know the context of the conversation, but we talked about the eternal versus the temporal and it was a “light bulb” moment for me. The staff member, Nate, described the day of Jesus’ return, temporal things burning up in a fire and the eternal things (God, His Word, and people) going on forever.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” (Rev. 21:1, ESV)

This biblical wisdom began to change how I viewed earthly possessions and invested my time and energy. 1 Peter 1:3-5 is a passage I memorized years ago to help me remember the eternal versus temporal.  

First, we can’t move past the fact that everything 1 Peter 1:3-5 talks about is a result of God’s mercy. The quick definition of mercy is “not getting what you deserve”. Merriam-Webster also says, “a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion”. So what exactly do we deserve? The Bible tells us that we all have sinned (Rom. 3:23) and that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Therefore, because of our rebellion, we deserve death. But we have been given divine favor and compassion…

God’s mercy leads us to be born again, the exact opposite of what we deserve! And what have we been born into? An inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. I’ve always contended and will continue to do so – nothing can be described with all three of those three adjectives and be true. 

Think about things you love, cherish, or put hope in. Outside of God, nothing can be described as imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. None of it will save you, give you everlasting life, or even provide the same level of joy that comes from the Lord. 

God gives us good gifts to enjoy on this earth, but we can’t let them take the place of God in our lives. 

What do you need to take away? What routines need to shift? How can you redirect your attention to God to be reminded that He has mercifully given us the gift of eternity?

God has provided an eternal inheritance that will always be much better than anything this world will give us. 

“Between temporal and eternal things there is this difference: a temporal thing is loved more before we have it, and it begins to grow worthless when we gain it, for it does not satisfy the soul, whose true and certain rest is eternity; but the eternal is more ardently loved when it is acquired then when it is merely desired.”

Augustine of Hippo

Pray: God, thank you for your incredible mercy. It is a gift that I do not deserve. Thank you for your compassion and how you’ve shown it through Jesus. Help to keep my attention on eternity and the destination that awaits me at the end of my pilgrimage. 

Song: “Pilgrim” by John Mark McMillan

Craig is a worship pastor at Wallula Christian Church and the creator of Active Theology. He loves coffee dates with his wife, reading, and riding his bike. A few of his favorite things are third wave coffee, vanilla ice cream, and plain t-shirts.