Let me add this before considering 1st Peter 1:2.
You said: "
Your theology teaches regeneration transpires previous to someone being in Christ" I have never said that, that's your take. All of God's elect were chosen IN CHRIST from before the foundation of the world. Regeneration is a time event. A time event secured by Jesus Christ's obedience and righteousness. Moving on to 1st Peter 1:3.
3 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,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
To bless God is to praise and worship Him for His attributes and give thanks for His mercies. God’s mercies should elicit such blessing from our lips giving Him praise (
Ps 103:1-5).
Almighty God is both the God and the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ in His single Person. If God is Father of Jesus, and we are joint-heirs with Christ, then God is also our Father. God is the God of all men as Creator and Sovereign divine Ruler, but Father only to few. God is the God of Jesus Christ, but He is also His Father as begetting His only begotten.
Which according to his abundant mercy.
According to. In a manner agreeing with, consistent with, or answering to; agreeably to. Election, justification, and regeneration (the phase of salvation here) is by God’s great mercy. Grace is not unmerited favor, but rather demerited favor; and only this grace is rightly mercy.
Paul, by the same Author’s inspiration, declared regeneration to be by God’s mercy (
Tit 3:5). God shows mercy only to some condemned sinners, and only by His will (
Romans 9:15-16). Being born again is by God’s sovereign mercy without human cooperation (
John 1:13), for man prior to regeneration as the same dead nature as the children of wrath (
Ephesians 2:1-10).
The question should not be why God shows mercy only to some, but why He shows it to any. We set ourselves against our Creator in Eden, choosing the devil as our father instead, and God should leave us there, if He were only fair, just, holy, and righteous. Rather than bark against God for hating Esau, ask instead why He would ever love Jacob.
.
Hath begotten us again.
In this place, God the Father is identified as Cause and Source of the vital phase of salvation. It may be assigned to the Spirit, thus showing Trinitarian participation (
John 3:8;
Tit 3:5). It may be assigned to the Son, showing Trinitarian participation (
Jn 5:25-29;
I Pet 1:23).
Our first birth was our total undoing, and it was
totally without our approval or participation. God in sovereign dominion over your life and soul gave you birth to condemned parents.
In relationship to Adam, you are fully, legally guilty and condemned for his sin in Eden. In relationship to Adam, you are totally depraved – a hateful rebel of God, a lover of sin. In this condition by nature only, a child of wrath (
Eph 2:1-3).
Being born again saves us from a state of total depravity in which our first nature thrives.
Here is the doctrine of a second birth, which Jesus declared for the first time to Nicodemus. It is this second birth of a new nature in us that makes us a new creation (
John 1:12).
Peter passed from our birth as sons of God to receiving His inheritance as His own sons. Only sons get the inheritance; bastards have no part or lot with legitimate, rightful sons.
This act is called quickening, regeneration, born again, resurrection,
John 1:13, the deathbed text of one John Bunyan, clearly enough deals with four means of it.
- It is not of blood, for God does not care about family or ancestors (Matthew 3:9; Romans 9:6-13).
- It is not the will of the flesh, for before regeneration man cannot and will not please God.
- It is not the will of man, for no other person like parents or godparents can assist you.
- It is of God, and He regenerates when and whom He will (John 3:8; 5:21; Romans 9:15-16).
Unto a lively hope.
Peter connects the preparatory work of God with the practical result in man, thus 1:2-5 may be compared to 1:20-21 … with predestination, glory after resurrection, and faith and hope.
It is a travesty that a false teacher like Joel Osteen can write book, Your Best Life Now, which is a total lie except for reprobates and have it read by millions of carnal Christians.
Regeneration is not the lively hope, but it prepares and brings men to obtain hope in Christ.
The gospel includes the wonderful message of future events for a believer’s great benefit. Much more could be said, but enough on this for now.
By the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is the guarantee, illustration, and object of our hope. Jesus told His disciples, “Because I live, ye shall live also” (
John 14:19). He is our Life. Jesus Christ is very much alive, which is the basis of our hope being lively (
Revelation 1:18).
The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most important facts of the true gospel. Without His resurrection, we are still damned in our sins (
Romans 4:25;
Ist Corinthians 15:12-18). Without His resurrection, there is no evidence for our own resurrection (
Ist Corinthians 15:20-26). Without His resurrection, self-denial and suffering turn our faith into misery (
Ist Corinthians 15:19).
The most important truth concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ is this: Legally when the Lord died, we died with him; when he arose, legally we arose with him, where ne now sits, legally so do each one of God's elect, past, present and future as far as God views them.
Ephesians 2:4-7~"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
So many spiritual blessings secured
by Jesus Christ for us in the new Covenant, including our new birth, which should be a given to those with understanding.
