December 19 - 1 Peter 1:8

December 19, 2025
December 19 - 1 Peter 1:8

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8).

Joy is talked about all the time during the Christmas season, but in this verse, we see a picture of joy that is rooted in something deeper. It is a joy that is not dependent on our earthly circumstances. It is an unchanging reality. It is inexpressible and surpasses all understanding. So where does this type of joy come from?

Peter shows us that it comes from one simple thing: faith in Jesus. Even though we have not seen Jesus with our eyes, we love Him and believe in Him. Faith is choosing to believe in the unseen. Romans 5:1 reminds us, “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” That peace blossoms into a joy rooted not in this world, but in the glory of God Himself. Through belief in the unseen Savior, our hearts are filled with an eternal joy that can coexist with trials and struggles—a joy that radiates the glory of our incredible God to the world around us.

The word joy is thrown around all the time this Christmas season. It's in the movies we watch, the songs that we sing, and it's even on Christmas decor in our home. But as Christians, we get to experience a joy that is rooted in something so much deeper. First, Peter 18 talks about this joy. It says though you have not seen him, you love him. And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. An inexpressible and glorious joy sounds a little bit different than just the holiday cheer type of joy that we talk about. It's not dependent on our earthly circumstances, but it's an unchanging reality. So where does joy like that come from? This verse shows us that it comes from one thing and that thing is faith in Jesus? Even though we have not seen Jesus, we choose to love him and believe in him, and that turns into a joy that radiates in our life. Romans 51 says that since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, so we believe in God, which causes us to be justified to God, and then we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. And living in peace with God means that we can face all trials and all hardships with joy, and have faith that God is with us. And that joy that we have when we face hard times radiates to the world around us and shows them just how good our god is.