Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:8-9 NIV
Peter wrote to people who had not encountered Jesus during his earthly ministry. They had never seen him, touched him, or heard him speak. They had not seen him walk on water, feed a multitude, heal the sick, or cast out demons. Yet they loved and believed in him. And they were filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.
Why? Peter said it was because they were receiving the end result of their faith, the salvation of their souls. This salvation was mentioned in 1 Peter 1:5 as a coming salvation that would be revealed in the last time. But even now, they were receiving it.
We often think of the soul as the immaterial part of a person. But for the biblical writers, the soul was the whole person, both physical and spiritual. The salvation we are receiving is of the entire person.
That salvation will be fully revealed at the end. But the transformation that will be complete then is happening now. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18, we are being transformed into the image of Christ with ever-increasing glory.
And it is because of the ongoing work of salvation in the lives of these believers that they were filled with inexpressible and glorious joy. Despite the suffering they were going through, they could see, and rejoice in, what the Holy Spirit was producing in them.
And what was true of them should be true of us today. As we surrender to the work of the Spirit, we will be transformed ever nearer to the image of Christ and will be filled with joy. A joy that nothing in this world can diminish.
Amen Praise Jesus Christ