1 Peter 1:6-9
KJV: 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 into praise and honour 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.
NCV: This makes you very happy, even though now for a short time different kinds of troubles come to prove that your faith is pure. This purity of faith is worth more than gold, which can be proved to be pure by fire but will ruin. But the purity of your faith will bring you praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is shown to you. You have not seen Christ, but STILL YOU LOVE HIM. You cannot see Him now, but you believe in Him. So you are filled with a joy that cannot be explained, a joy full of glory. And you are receiving the goal of your faith the salvation of your souls.
HAVING NOT SEEN, YE LOVE…
The key to all this is our faith in Christ whom we have not seen physically except in many movies, we have watched Jesus in action that came from the stories in the New Testament Bible. We often sense His nearness and His love through power of Holy Spirit from time to time. We still love Jesus because of our faith in Him. We go through trouble times and our faith is compared to gold. Real gold will become ruin, but our faith will not. The reward of our faith will bring us praise, glory and honor when Jesus comes for us.
According to Jesus, there is a special blessing for those who “have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Peter has been blessed with Christ for 3 years, yet Peter is telling us that we are more blessed when we have faith in God’s Word and when we have not seen Christ and still we love Him. This is the kind of joy that Holy Spirit helps us with our faith without seeing Christ physically like Peter had. So let us rejoice in knowing that some day our faith will finally become reality, “seeing Jesus” will be worth it all.
Song Collection: It Will Be Worth It All
It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race, Till we see Christ.
