THIS SALVATION. 1st Peter 1:10-11. (fifth superlative: unfathomable grace) Some Old Testament prophets suffered persecution even though the full plan of salvation was a mystery. They looked through the shadows and saw outlines of truth. The Holy Spirit moved them to write things of holy worth. They knew the Messiah was coming in a general sense. They longed for clearer light on the extent of God’s grace. Though they knew it would be seen by men, that was about all they could grasp or reveal when they called men to repentance and faith, seeking to turn men to God. The Holy Spirit moved them to write down His Word.
The prophets had been searching for the time and circumstances that the Holy Spirit was pointing to when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the coming glory. They knew of the gracious salvation we would receive and studied it carefully. The many Old Testament prophecies that we read about in the New Testament witness that the prophets were looking for the coming of Christ.
Their messages were closely tied to the coming Messiah, whom the Holy Spirit, through “holy men of old,” wrote about and who is called “the Spirit of Christ.” Divine inspiration is not omniscience, so they did not fully grasp the meaning and significance of what they wrote and spoke. Their souls were saved by grace through faith when Christ was revealed to them “through a glass darkly.” By faith, they were already experiencing the blessings they wrote about.
The Holy Spirit had taught and guided the prophets about the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would come in the future. The sufferings of Christ and the glories that will follow are among the major themes of the whole Bible. Those in Old Testament times wanted to know who the Messiah was, how those prophecies would be fulfilled, and when they would be fulfilled.
By contrast, Jewish Christians who read this letter had seen Jesus and knew why He came. They based their assurance on His death and resurrection. Their faith could be stronger than that of even the Old Testament prophets. The Lord Jesus Himself came onto the world’s stage, and the things that were hidden were revealed to help those found in darkness and the bondage of sin. It was the revelation of grace that could now be known by the searchers who waited to see how God’s grace would be known and experienced by man’s fallen race. Amazing as it is, the One who was rich became poor so that we would know grace’s riches now and forever more.
They wrote about “the grace that should come unto you,” and we have experienced that grace. Now the faith of believers can be both greater and stronger. Knowing of Christ’s death and resurrection no longer keeps us in darkness. So now we experience God’s grace in its fully revealed form and deliverance from sin through the Holy Spirit’s witness. It is well known that we can experience grace by faith, resting our souls in Him because He took our place, and His salvation, purchased at Calvary, can bless us and keep us.
By faith in the word of God, even from the beginning of human sin, there was a prophetic message about the sufferings of Christ. It was told right in the Garden of Eden itself. His heel would be bruised by His foe. Offerings and sacrifices innumerable were made so that they might know of God’s provision, that there is a way of acceptance, not of man’s making, that sinful men could avail themselves of, and that the sinless substitutes they could bring would assure them of the fact of God’s love.
The Holy Spirit would often convict them of sin and bring to their minds the way back to God was an act of grace on God’s part. He would accept them when they brought the right offering. And God’s Word would make their forgiveness a fact. If a man were honest and faced his problem squarely, God prescribed the kind of offering He would accept. He would come to the altar, and there, confessing his sins, with his hand on the sacrifice, God would accept it.
Those who, in faith, did what God said would be enlightened by the Spirit – looking beyond. He would reveal that this was a type of Christ who would come. For Christ alone would be God’s perfect Lamb. Those who saw this were, by the Spirit, reborn, for He guided them into the truth of redemption. And when they heard of Christ’s sufferings for them, they would experience the joy of salvation.
The Holy Spirit described to the pilgrims on their journey through the world the wonderful salvation they had. Some of the Jewish Christians may have seen Jesus and known why He came, suffered, died, and rose again. The suffering prophets of Old Testament times knew vaguely what was coming and who was coming, but the significance of what the Holy Spirit moved them to write was not clear to them. They knew the Messiah was coming, but the New Testament writers could describe the whole event of Christ being here on earth. The Holy Spirit guided them to tell in detail the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of our Lord. The Spirit made plain to the apostles the glory that would follow the resurrection and ascension of Christ. The Old Testament prophets could write of the coming kingdom, but did not even know of the church of God being the bride of Christ.
In summary: the prophets predicted coming grace [v.10], salvation as an undeserved favor. They desired to understand and carefully searched the scriptures, seeking to know His identity. They wanted to understand His sufferings and glory. The Spirit inspired them to write [v.11] what was revealed to Peter and to us. The Spirit predicted the sufferings of Christ and the coming glories of the resurrection, ascension, and revelation. They never knew when He would come [v.11] into the world, but we know the Gospel message clearly; we have the complete Bible [v.12]. We are better able to understand salvation than the prophets and angels. The Holy Spirit used people like us to understand prophecies and believe the Gospel.