Trust Not in Ourselves, but in God
II Corinthians 1:9,10.
9 but we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
10 who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;
Our fleshly confidence with which we are puffed up, is so stubborn, that it cannot be overthrown in any other way than our being forced into utter despair. The flesh is proud, and doesn't willingly give up. Only the mighty hand of God can bring us down to true submission.
Also, the saints have some remains of this disease clinging to them. For this reason they are often brought into trials and tribulations, that stripped of all self-confidence, they may learn humility at the hand of God.
No man ever is completely free from sin, until God sets death before their eyes. Think how displeasing to God is this confidence in ourselves, when for the purpose of correcting it, it is necessary that we should be condemned to death.
So it is that we must first die, in renouncing confidence in ourselves, conscious of our own weakness and sin. This of itself is not enough but only leads us to put our only hope in God, in order that we may be raised by His power, a confidence that rests upon God. We must realize that God is He Who calls those things that are not, as though they were, and to hope in God Who raiseth the dead.
Paul says that death had been set before his eyes, that he might therefore recognize more clearly the power of God, by which he had been raised up from the dead. He goes on to apply this personally to himself, proclaiming the grace of God, that he had been delivered from death, through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus.
In Whom we have an assured hope. The Lord has accomplished in part what He has promised. He thereupon calls us to expect what He has promised yet to do. He continues in the present to give us so many pledges, or earnests, to continue to confirm His promises.
I Peter 1:3-9.
3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Supernatural life is a gift, because our first birth was as children of wrath. God was not convinced to save us because of any merits we had, but does so only because of His mercy. God is the only author of our salvation, by the resurrection of Christ. This, of course, includes Christ's death, for without it there could have been no raising from the dead. The resurrection is especially mentioned because Peter is speaking of a new life. We are born into a new life by the work of Christ on the Cross consummated by the new life of the resurrection.
Verse 4 and this to an inheritance incorruptible, reserved, or preserved, beyond all danger, in God's hand. Peter adds the certain and comforting words "for you".
At the same time, our inheritance is reserved in heaven, we are kept by the power of God while in the world. Faith keeps us united to God. Our security for now is God's power. This power will bring us unto salvation even unto the resurrection of the dead and the translation of the living saints. God's security for the present guarantees the future. We are reminded that salvation is not put off because it isn't ready yet, but because the time of its full revelation is not yet come. The day of judgment is called the last time because the restitution of all things is not to be expected before this.
This great hope of salvation is supposed to bring forth the fruit of spiritual joy. At the same time, the faithful will experience sorrow from evils. Joy is to overcome sorrow but cannot put an end to it. Faith gives us the peace to calmly bear all evils. As we regard our troubles as necessary trials for our salvation, we will rise above them, and also turn them to an occasion of joy. We should be fully persuaded that God tries His people for a cause, even though we may not see or understand at the time. The temptations will be manifold.
Faith is considered the most valuable thing about us, as compared to gold, that we should not wonder that God should require a trial by fire to make it more valuable, as is done to gold. The dregs of unbelief must be refined in God's furnace, that we may become pure and clean before God. At the same time, a trial will tell if something is gold or fake. So it is with faith. Silver has no value before it is refined, so our faith has no value until it is duly proved by God.
At the appearing - our spiritual lives are now hidden in Christ, and will remain hidden, until Christ shall appear from heaven.
Our whole life leads to the destruction of the external, and all things we suffer can be considered the preludes of death. If we are to behold glory and praise in our afflictions, we must look to Christ.
Verse 8. The cause of love is faith. This is how we love He Whom we have not seen, nor do we now see. The eyes of faith must penetrate into the invisible kingdom of God, and be contented with the Word.
Faith does a work in our hearts, kindling love to Christ, for what He is to us, what He does for us, what He is yet to do for us.
The fruit of faith is mentioned again. Joy unspeakable, exulting in the promise of eternal life. We are to be elevated by this joy above the heavens, content with Christ alone, thus we will not be tied to the world or the flesh, or the devil.
Verse 9. This world is expert at holding all our attention, ensnaring by its allurements our affections. Peter sets before us the future and spiritual life as a subject of deep meditation. The loss of all other things are deemed as nothing.
We are to receive salvation, the end of our faith, no less sure because it is put off for a time. Faith is based on the sole promise of gracious adoption, the Word of God alone, the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus, now at the right hand of the Father and interceding for us, until the moment He comes for us. Maranatha!
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