Posted on 07/22/2017 5:18:16 AM PDT by metmom
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:3).
God has blessed you richly and is worthy of your praise.
The source of your eternal inheritance is God, whom Peter described in several ways. First, He is our blessed God (1 Pet. 1:3). The Greek word translated "blessed" in that verse speaks of that which is worthy of blessing, adoration, praise, or worship. Peter's praise for God is an example for us to follow. Our God is especially worthy of our praise in light of the glorious inheritance He has granted us in His Son (v. 4).
"Father" to the Jewish people of Peter's day was one designation for God. The most common Jewish blessings emphasized God as Creator of all things and Redeemer of His people from Egypt, but not as Father (e.g., Gen. 14:20; 24:27; Ex. 18:10). Yet now through Christ, we "have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! [Daddy!] Father!'" (Rom. 8:16).
As wonderful a reality as the fatherhood of God is, Peter's reference was not primarily to God as our Father, but as Christ's Father. Their unique relationship affirms Christ's deity (cf. John 10:30-33). God is the Father of believers in a secondary sense because He has redeemed us through Christ and adopted us into His family (Gal. 4:4-6).
In referring to Christ as "our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:3), Peter amplifies His redemptive work. "Lord" speaks of His sovereign rulership; "Jesus" is His name as God in human flesh; and "Christ" identifies Him as the Messiah, the anointed King.
Peter's final description of God is seen in the pronoun "our." He is "our Lord Jesus Christ," a personal Lord and Savior—not some distant, impersonal deity. He created and redeemed you because He loves you and wants to be intimately involved in every aspect of your life.
What a glorious God we serve! Worship Him today as He deserves to be worshiped.
Suggestions for Prayer
Bless God, who is your Father, your Redeemer, your constant companion, and the source of your eternal inheritance.
For Further Study
Read John 4:1-26. What did Jesus say about the fatherhood of God?
Studying God’s Word ping
The concept of Father is not absent in the OT. There are more than this. Why is Father capitalized in one verse and not the other?
Mal 1:6 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for My name! “But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for Your name?’
(Mal 2:10) Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God? Then why do we betray each other, violating the covenant of our ancestors?
A friend gave me a John MacArthur study bible about 4-5 years back. Sadly, he passed on a year ago in April. He was a 65 West Point grad and was always interested in Bible study. I can never repay him for his gift.
MacArthur must not know he passed away, or anyone else.
Why? I can state the man is most likely in Heaven as he was closer to the Lord then any man I knew.
His site and Wikipedia both have him still alive.
HE WAS A WEST POINT CLASS OF 65 GRAD.
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