Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!This phrase begins with a doxology, a form of praise to God, which is common in Jewish and early Christian writings. The title "God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" emphasizes the unique relationship between God the Father and Jesus, affirming the deity and sonship of Christ. This echoes the Jewish Shema's monotheism while introducing the Christian understanding of the Trinity. The phrase also reflects the intimate relationship Jesus had with God, as seen in passages like
John 20:17, where Jesus refers to God as "My Father and your Father."
By His great mercy
Mercy is a central theme in both the Old and New Testaments, often associated with God's covenantal love and compassion. In the Old Testament, God's mercy is frequently highlighted in His dealings with Israel, such as inExodus 34:6-7. In the New Testament, mercy is exemplified in the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This phrase underscores that salvation is not earned by human effort but is a gift from God, rooted in His merciful nature.
He has given us new birth
The concept of new birth, or being "born again," is foundational to Christian theology. It signifies a spiritual rebirth and transformation, as Jesus explained to Nicodemus inJohn 3:3-7. This new birth is a work of the Holy Spirit, marking the beginning of a believer's new life in Christ. It reflects the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, such asEzekiel 36:26-27, where God promises to give His people a new heart and spirit.
into a living hope
The term "living hope" contrasts with dead or false hopes, emphasizing the dynamic and enduring nature of the hope believers have in Christ. This hope is not merely wishful thinking but is grounded in the reality of Jesus' resurrection. It is a hope that sustains believers through trials and is a recurring theme in Peter's epistle, as seen in1 Peter 1:13 and1 Peter 3:15.
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
The resurrection is the cornerstone of Christian faith, as it validates Jesus' claims and His victory over sin and death. It fulfills Old Testament prophecies, such asPsalm 16:10 andIsaiah 53:10-12, which speak of the Messiah's suffering and subsequent exaltation. The resurrection assures believers of their future resurrection and eternal life, as Paul elaborates in1 Corinthians 15. It is the basis for the living hope mentioned earlier, providing assurance and motivation for holy living.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
God the FatherThe source of mercy and the one who initiates the new birth.
2.
Jesus ChristThe Son of God, whose resurrection is central to the living hope believers have.
3.
PeterThe apostle and author of the letter, writing to encourage believers.
4.
Recipients of the LetterEarly Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor, facing trials and persecution.
5.
Resurrection of Jesus ChristThe pivotal event that provides believers with a living hope and assurance of eternal life.
Teaching Points
The Source of Our HopeOur hope is not based on circumstances but on the unchanging nature of God and the historical fact of Christ's resurrection.
The Role of MercyGod's mercy is the foundation of our salvation. It is not earned but given freely, prompting us to live lives of gratitude and humility.
The New BirthBeing "born again" is a transformative experience that changes our identity and purpose. It calls us to live in a way that reflects our new life in Christ.
Living HopeThis hope is active and dynamic, sustaining us through trials and encouraging us to persevere in faith.
The Power of the ResurrectionThe resurrection is not just a past event but a present reality that empowers us to live victoriously over sin and death.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of 1 Peter 1:3?
2.How does 1 Peter 1:3 inspire hope in your daily life?
3.What does "new birth into a living hope" mean for believers today?
4.How does 1 Peter 1:3 connect to John 3:3 about being born again?
5.In what ways can you praise God for His "great mercy" this week?
6.How can the resurrection of Jesus strengthen your faith during trials?
7.How does 1 Peter 1:3 define the concept of "living hope" in Christianity?
8.What is the significance of "new birth" mentioned in 1 Peter 1:3?
9.How does 1 Peter 1:3 relate to the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from 1 Peter 1?
11.What is Living Hope?
12.What are the devil's deceptive strategies?
13.What is Living Hope?
14.What does it mean to rejoice in hope?What Does 1 Peter 1:3 Mean
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!Peter opens with exuberant praise. The very first word—“Blessed”—invites us to lift our eyes from ourselves to the One who authored salvation.
• Praise is always the right starting point;Psalm 103:1–2 calls, “Bless the LORD, O my soul… and forget not all His benefits.”
• He is both “God” and “Father,” reminding us of His sovereign power (Isaiah 40:28) and tender care (Matthew 6:9).
• Because He is “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” every blessing flows to us through Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Worship anchors us in that reality before any discussion of what He gives.
By His great mercyThe engine that drives salvation is not our effort but God’s mercy—mercy that is “great,” abundant, overflowing.
•Titus 3:5 echoes, “He saved us… according to His mercy.”
•Ephesians 2:4–5 speaks of God being “rich in mercy,” making us alive while we were dead in sin.
•Lamentations 3:22–23 reminds us that His mercies “are new every morning.”
Our failures never exhaust His compassion; our standing rests on His character, not ours.
He has given us new birthSalvation is more than a clean slate; it is a new life.
• Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again” (John 3:3–7).
•2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”
•James 1:18 says God “gave us birth by the word of truth.”
This “new birth” is a gift, not a human achievement. We step into an entirely new realm of existence, adopted into God’s family (John 1:12–13).
into a living hopeThe new birth ushers us into a hope that is alive—vibrant, growing, and future-oriented.
•Romans 5:5 assures that “hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts.”
•Hebrews 6:19 pictures hope as “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”
•Colossians 1:27 speaks of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Unlike human optimism, this hope pulses with resurrection life, sustaining us in every trial (1 Peter 1:6–7).
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the deadOur living hope rests on a living Savior.
•1 Corinthians 15:17–20 argues that without the resurrection our faith is futile, “but Christ has indeed been raised.”
•Romans 6:4 teaches that, just as Christ was raised, we too walk “in newness of life.”
•Acts 2:24 proclaims that God raised Jesus, “releasing Him from the agony of death.”
Because the tomb is empty, our hope is certain, our future secure, and our present empowered.
summary• Praise sets the tone: God deserves blessing.
• Mercy is the motive: salvation flows from His compassionate heart.
• New birth is the miracle: we are transformed, not merely improved.
• Living hope is the result: a vibrant expectancy anchors us.
• Resurrection is the foundation: Christ’s victory guarantees ours.
(3-12) PANEGYRIC OF THE GOSPEL FROM A HEBREW POINT OF VIEW.--The Apostle thanks God for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That fact is a regeneration of us, and a pledge of future glory, in view of which such afflictions as beset the Asiatic Hebrews were seen to serve a purpose, and that purpose the very "salvation" which had formed the theme of the Old Testament.
(3)Blessed.--A form consecrated to God alone (e.g.,Mark 14:61;Romans 9:5;2Corinthians 11:31), a completely different word from the "blessed," orhappy,of the Beatitudes; and differing from the "blessed" of the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:28;Luke 1:42) in thatthis form implies that blessing is alwaysdue on account of something inherent in the person, whilethat only implies that a blessing has beenreceived. The idea of blessing God (literally,speaking Him well,Psalm 100:3) is, of course, wholly Hebrew. . . .
Verse 3. -
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Greek word rendered "blessed" (
εὐλογητός) is used by the New Testament writers only of God; the participle
εὐλογημένος is said of men. St. Peter adopts the doxology used by St. Paul in writing to the Churches at Corinth and Ephesus (
2 Corinthians 1:3;
Ephesians 1:3), the last being one of those to which this Epistle is addressed. It is a question whether the genitive, "of our Lord Jesus Christ," depends on both substantives or only on the last. The Greek will admit either view, and there are high authorities on both sides. On the whole, the first seems the most natural interpretation. The Lord himself had said, "I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God" (
John 20:17). He could not say, "our God," for the relations are widely different; he could say, "my God," as he had said upon the cross; for, in the well-known words of Theophylact, "he is both the God and the Father of one and the same Christ; his God, as of Christ manifest in the flesh; his Father, as of God the Word." So St. Paul, after using this same form of salutation in
Ephesians 1:3, speaks of God in the seventeenth verse as "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory" (comp. also
Romans 15:6;
2 Corinthians 11:31;
Colossians 1:3). Which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; rather,
begat, as in the Revised Version. St. Peter refers our regeneration back to the great fact of the resurrection of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is "the First-begotten of the dead" (
Revelation 1:5); we are "buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead" (
Colossians 2:12). The Church, "which is his body" (
Ephesians 1:23), died with him in his death, rose with him in his resurrection. Christians individually are baptized into his death, "that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (
Romans 6:4). The resurrection of Christ was in a real sense the birth of the Church. Therefore St. Peter, who in
1 Peter 3:21 speaks so strongly of the effect of holy baptism, here refers oar regeneration to that without which baptism would be an empty ceremony, the resurrection of our Lord. God's great mercy (comp.
Ephesians 2:4, 5, "God, who is rich in mercy.... hath
quickened us together with Christ") is the first cause of our new birth, Christ's resurrection is the means through which it was accomplished. St. Peter alone of the New Testament writers uses the word here rendered "hath begotten again" (
ἀναγεννήσας); it occurs also in ver. 23. But our Lord himself, and his apostles St. James and St. Paul, teach the same truth to similar words (see
John 3:5;
James 1:18;
Titus 3:5). Some commentators, as Luther, Bengel, etc., connect the words, "by the resurrection," etc., not with "hath begotten us again," but with the word "
lively" or "living" - a hope that liveth through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This connection is grammatically possible, and gives a good and true meaning; it is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ which makes the Christian's hope living and strong; but the other explanation seems more natural, and is supported by such passages as
Romans 4:25, and
1 Peter 3:21 of this Epistle. The heavenly inheritance is the ultimate end of our regeneration; the hope of that inheritance is the present joy of the Christian life. St. Paul reminds the Ephesian Christians that when they were without Christ they had no hope (
Ephesians 2:12); but God according to his great mercy begat us again into a new life, and one important aspect of that new life is hope, the hope of ever-deepening fellowship with God now, of everlasting life with God in heaven. That hope is living; it is "pervaded with life, carrying with it in undying power the certainty of fulfillment (
Romans 5:5), and making the heart joyful and happy." (Huther); "it has life in itself, and gives life, and has life as its object" (De Wette). And it liveth, it doth not perish like the hopes of this world, but it lives on in ever fuller joy till it reaches its consummation in heaven; even there "hope
abideth,"
forever in heaven there will be, it seems, a continual progress from glory to glory, nearer and nearer to the throne. St. Peter is the apostle of hope. "
He loves,"
says Bengel, "the epithet living, and the mention of hope."
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
Blessed [be]Εὐλογητὸς(Eulogētos)Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2128:(used only of God), blessed (as entitled to receive blessing from man), worthy of praise. From eulogeo; adorable.theὁ(ho)Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.GodΘεὸς(Theos)Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316:A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.andκαὶ(kai)Conjunction
Strong's 2532:And, even, also, namely.FatherΠατὴρ(Patēr)Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3962:Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.of ourἡμῶν(hēmōn)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473:I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.LordΚυρίου(Kyriou)Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2962:Lord, master, sir; the Lord. From kuros; supreme in authority, i.e. controller; by implication, Master.JesusἸησοῦ(Iēsou)Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2424:Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord and two other Israelites.Christ!Χριστοῦ(Christou)Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 5547:Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.Byκατὰ(kata)Preposition
Strong's 2596:A primary particle; down, in varied relations (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined).Hisαὐτοῦ(autou)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846:He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.greatπολὺ(poly)Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4183:Much, many; often.mercyἔλεος(eleos)Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 1656:Pity, mercy, compassion. Of uncertain affinity; compassion.[He]ὁ(ho)Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.has given us new birthἀναγεννήσας(anagennēsas)Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 313:To beget again, beget into a new life. From ana and gennao; to beget or bear.intoεἰς(eis)Preposition
Strong's 1519:A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.a livingζῶσαν(zōsan)Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2198:To live, be alive. A primary verb; to live.hopeἐλπίδα(elpida)Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1680:Hope, expectation, trust, confidence. From a primary elpo; expectation or confidence.throughδι’(di’)Preposition
Strong's 1223:A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.[the] resurrectionἀναστάσεως(anastaseōs)Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 386:A rising again, resurrection. From anistemi; a standing up again, i.e. a resurrection from death (its author), or a recovery.of JesusἸησοῦ(Iēsou)Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2424:Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord and two other Israelites.ChristΧριστοῦ(Christou)Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 5547:Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.fromἐκ(ek)Preposition
Strong's 1537:From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.[the] dead,νεκρῶν(nekrōn)Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 3498:(a) adj: dead, lifeless, subject to death, mortal, (b) noun: a dead body, a corpse. From an apparently primary nekus; dead.
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NT Letters: 1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father (1 Pet. 1P iP i Pet) 
