Peter wrote this letter to Christians who felt that the world was turning against them, and he wanted to help them think more clearly about how Christians can live in a world whose values are antithetical to theirs. So we’re taking several Sundays to walk through this important letter together.
In the first two verses Peter introduces a theme that he’ll return to repeatedly: Christians live as exiles in a strange land. Yet, the apostle suggests, God will help us live in ways that make a difference.
We’ll look at the first main section on Sunday . . . here Peter acknowledges the persecution that Christians sometimes experience, yet he wants us to remember that we have a “living hope” that leads to an “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.”
Consequently, our emotions are not bound by the ups and downs of each day. We know that we weren’t created for this world as it is, and we look forward to the day when God makes everything right again. Peter wants us to know that we’ve been given an incredible gift that ought to change the way we think about life’s difficulties. Instead of being devastated by trials, we endure them with a spirit of hope and optimism. On the other extreme, instead of being overly excited about life’s temporary successes, we know that we’re living for something more.
We can’t wait to “obtain the outcome of [our] faith, the salvation of [our] souls.” This salvation is so incredible that even the prophets were curious to learn about what exactly God had in store for his people.
And now we know. As we look around us, we see a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to our faith. We don’t enjoy it, but neither are we devastated by it. Nothing this world does to us can take away the hope that is our foundation.
0 Comments