1st Peter 1:12-25 THE PILGRIM'S WONDERFUL SALVATION There are number of ways in which our salvation is described in 1st Peter that are beyond that which is normal. "Abundant mercy" has to do with God's forgiveness and kindness to us when we were in our sins and needed His salvation. Involved in this description of mercy, is the word "abundant." Mercy is like clemency in a court of law and consideration when one has injured another. Pity, sympathy, leniency and compassion all help us understand the "abundant mercy" God has shown to us.
Another superlative describes the inheritance we have been given by God's grace. An "incorruptible inheritance" is one that is indissoluble. It does not lose its value for any reason nor by any pressure applied to it. We have received this inheritance by legal means so that any charge against it will fail. An inheritance is passed on to others by legal succession or by a will made that states the giver's will. This has come to us from our heavenly Father.
An "imperishable faith" is related to the trials of life a believer goes through. We usually think of gold as something that would never perish because it is impervious to rust and decay, and is hard enough material to not be lost by erosion of any kind. The lesson we learn from this superlative is that our trust is in a Person who permanence is eternal - without beginning or end.
In verses eight and nine reference is made to "inexpressible joy" that defies definition. Our trust is in one we cannot see but we love Him and find our greatest joy in pleasing Him. Our joy comes from within our soul and spirit rather than being limited by our senses. When we know that we are pleasing the eternal God and that is our ambition, our joy is such that it is more than can be described. "Unfathomable grace" was such in its scope that it goes deeper than our deepest need and higher that our most profound expressions of gratitude and imagination. Who can fathom such grace as "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, He became poor, that ye through His poverty might become rich." He suffered the death of the cross which is beyond our conception of infinite suffering, to bring us infinite blessing.