In the Apostle Peter’s first letter, he addressed God’s elect, “…who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood….” (1 Peter 1:1-2). Peter then praised God for the great mercy He showed to us when He gave us new birth through Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and with this new birth, an inheritance in Heaven “which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away”. Peter continued saying: “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7).
Through whatever trials God has ordained for us during the course of our lives, we will ultimately be made to stand by God’s power, and not our own. Our preservation in the faith will not come about through our own determination or our own perceived personal loyalty and dedication to the cause of Christ. Even if we fail during some time of great trial in our life, as happened in the life of Peter, Jesus is coming back for us, just as He did for Peter. What we fail to do in our own power, God will bring about in our lives by His power at work in us.
This preservation in our faith, or what is sometimes referred to as the “perseverance of the saints”, is something that we will begin to discuss here, and we will discuss this subject in much greater detail later in this book. As Peter said, we have received an inheritance that is imperishable and undefiled; it will not fade away. Those of us who have come to faith in Christ will all be kept safe and made to persevere in our faith by the power of God, and this perseverance will demonstrate and prove that the faith we profess to have is genuine.