1 Peter 1:3 Explained

"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," — 1 Peter 1:3 (KJV)

The letter opens with praise, written to scattered Christians about to be told that suffering is normal.

Read it in context: The Book of 1 Peter. Also gathered under verses about hope.

1 Peter 1:3 in context

What does 1 Peter 1:3 mean?

'Lively hope' is living hope, the older sense of the word: hope that is itself alive rather than wishful. It is grounded in a past event, the resurrection, which is why Peter can call it living and not merely optimistic. 'Begotten again' makes the reader passive throughout — the whole sentence has God as the actor and 'us' as what is acted upon.

What is the context of 1 Peter 1:3?

Peter is writing to believers dispersed across Asia Minor as strangers, and the letter is largely about enduring hostility. He begins not with the trouble but with this — a doxology that supplies the ground everything after it stands on.

How do I pray 1 Peter 1:3?

Pray it as praise before you pray anything as request; Peter puts it in that order for people whose circumstances did not warrant it. Note the anchor is an event rather than a feeling, so the prayer works on days you feel nothing, which is what 'living' is doing in that phrase.

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