³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead …

How can we possibly bless God, who owns everything (Ps. 50:10–11, 2 Cor. 8:9)? By comparison, billionaires of our day are like poor beggars on the street. However, the word “blessed” conveys the concept of speaking well of someone, as in praising the individual. Peter calls us to praise God; that is what God desires from us. We are invited to join the chorus of saints (Gen. 9:26, 14:20) and even now to anticipate the praise of heaven (Rev. 4:8, 5:9–13).

Peter, being enamored with the Lord, includes both Father and Son in his praise. Monotheism would be completely undercut, and Peter would be condemned as a blasphemer, if Jesus were not divine, on the same level as God the Father. Peter promotes praising Jesus equally with God, not just as another deity, but as God Himself. Apostolic writing assumes and reflects the divine incarnation and deity of Jesus.

While we may wish to delve further into the fascinating subject of the Trinity, namely one God who acts or exists in three persons, Peter does not afford us that luxury at this point. He uses the reality of the co-equal entities who exist as one God as the foundation for what he wants to teach the scattered Christians. The God he embraces and teaches about is to be distinguished from the Jewish notion of God. The Jews did not go far enough in embracing the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Peter draws attention to the fact that everything flows from the relationship of God as the Father of Jesus Christ. It is not enough to merely believe in the existence of God (see James 2:9), nor to limit one’s understanding of God to being the sovereign of the universe and the divine Lawgiver. He is the God who is centered in the life, teaching, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who, as Paul writes, “was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead . . .” (Rom. 1:4).

It is this God, correctly understood, who shows great mercy to us, undeserved and unmerited. The focus is on what He has done for us. All religions of the world focus on what we do for God. But that is not Peter’s perspective. It begins with God’s mercy. And at the core of what He has done is the new life and hope He has given us. What a refreshing reminder to his readers, those who were being persecuted and driven out of their homes and homeland because of their faith.

Lord, no matter the oppression I face because of being a follower of Jesus Christ, I can walk in the miraculously, refreshing newness of life and hope.