1 Peter 1:1-15 theme verse 1 Peter 1:7
The praise and honor and glory be to our heavenly Father who seeks true worshipers who worship Him with the Spirit and truth.
In this twenty third Sunday after the Pentecost, I pray that His grace of the application of all the benefits which Jesus earned for our salvation and also the glorious ministry of the proclamation of His kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit may be full in our life. Last week, through the Epistle to Hebrews, we decided to endure the sufferings of the end era by looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith for the fruits of righteousness and peace. This week after looking at what the grace of God which overflows us is in this end era, we would like to learn few lessons together.
1) The first Epistle of Peter is known as the third letter among general Epistles, i.e., James, Hebrews, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude, and 1, 2, and 3 John. The author of the first Peter is the apostle Peter, as stated in the verse 1. Yet, some people deny the authorship of Peter since an uneducated Galilean fisherman, Peter, could not write this sophisticated Greek letter. But based on the fact that Greek was the common language in Palestine area along with Aramaic and Hebrew and also that Silas could helped Peter for the sophisticated Greek, we believe that the author is Peter, as the Bible testifies. And based on the fact that Peter mentioned the ‘Babylonian church’ at 5:13, it is assumed that he wrote this letter while staying in Rome.
2) And regarding the time when he wrote this letter, when Paul went to Spain, after being released from house arrest in Rome in the spring of AD 64, he left Peter in charge of the believers in the churches in Rome, and leaving Silas and Mark behind. And then in July of that year, a great fire broke out in Rome and Nero blamed it on the Christians and used it as an excuse to begin the severe persecution of Christians from October, AD 64, as Peter mentioned it as ‘fire trial’ in 4:12 so that Peter wrote this letter as he foresaw that this persecution would spread through the entire Roman Empire.
3) And the recipients of this letter, as mentioned in verse 1, were the churches scattered in north-western regions of Asia Minor, namely, Pontus, Galatia, probably northern Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. However among the churches in the above-mentioned area, except Galatia and Asia in which Paul proclaimed the Gospel, the Bible does not say anything on how the gospel was proclaimed in those regions. But, based on the fact that people from Pontus and Cappadocia are mentioned in Acts 2:9-10 and visited Jerusalem at Pentecost, we presume that some of them were converted by the sermon of Peter and returned their hometowns to establish churches. Or according to the early church tradition, we can think that Peter traveled around Pontus, northern Galatia, Cappadocia, Bithynia and Asia to spread the gospel there. Anyhow, most of the proselytes in those regions were the gentiles who changed their life style after being converted as Christians. In other words, they stopped worshiping various gods of the Roman Empire or of their regions so that they were considered unpatriotic and unfaithful and also they stopped participating at the guild, so that they were considered unprofessional. So, because of all these, they were ostracized by their neighbors and even their families so that they had to live a harsh and miserable life. And also since they followed different morality from their fellow citizens. I mean, previously they enjoyed drunken parties and loose sexual immorality, but now they abstained themselves from drinking, eating of the unclean, and sexual immorality, so that they were cut off from their friends, and as a result, they had to live with social ostracism such as insults, abuse, rejection and shame with economic hardship. So Peter wanted to encourage the Christians in such a situation that even if greater trials come in the future, they had to endure the sufferings and live a holy life, since they had an unshakable eternal home and the inheritance in the heaven.
4) To overview whole content of the first Peter, first, after greeting with grace and peace to those who scattered throughout the northwestern regions of Asia Minor, including Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Peter gave thanks to God who regenerated and gave them the living hope so that he said to them that although the saints were going through various trials, they could rejoice even in the midst of trials because of the overflowing grace of God. And then in the body, he said the reason why the saints had to live a holy life was first because God is holy, second because the saints have been born again with the seed of God’s eternal word so that they could love genuinely, and lastly because the spiritual status of the saints is a ‘spiritual house’ built with Christ as the cornerstone, a ‘chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God’, so that a holy life is the identity of the saints. Therefore, the saints, as ‘holy strangers’ living on this earth, had to strive to do good deeds, obey the various systems of human society, and even if they suffer while doing good, they had to endure them as Christ exemplified, and pursue love and good deeds in marital relationships, and among the saints, and in human relationships in society. And then, while dealing with the saints’ attitude for overcoming suffering in more depth, he exhorted them to believe that the suffering of the saints was for righteousness, as Christ showed the example in His suffering, to arm themselves with the same mind, and not to regard the coming fiery trials as strange things, but rather to rejoice in participating in Christ’s suffering for the glory to God. And finally in the epilogue, he exhorted the elders to be humble when they cared people as a community dimension of endurance of suffering. And then finally, after reminding that suffering is a spiritual battle with the devil and that all the saints in the world were suffering the same, so he concluded his epistle by emphasizing that true grace of God would protect them in sufferings so that the believers should stand firm in His grace.
5) In this way, Peter wrote this letter to the saints of the suffering churches in northwestern Asia Minor, urging them even in joy to endure the present sufferings and also the sufferings that will come in the future. In today’s text, 1 Peter 1:3-12, Peter says, “When you encounter suffering, rejoice,” because Christians are trained through suffering so that their faith became more solid, and through this unshakable faith, they could ultimately receive praise, glory, and honor when the Lord return. And also he continued to say that in God’s great mercy, the resurrection of Jesus Christ has regenerated believers, so they had to hold on to this living hope in which all believers will have the bodily resurrection too on the last day.
6) And then Peter introduced three foundations for a living hope through verse 3. First, Peter says that the living hope comes from God. God, in His great mercy, who raised Jesus, not only regenerated the believers in His grace, but also on the last day, will resurrect the believers’ body, so that we Christians can have the living hope. And secondly, Peter says that we can have a living hope because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I mean, as Jesus who took on human body with the weakness, was raised with the spiritual and immortal body through the resurrection, we can be sure that we believers not only were regenerated but also will have the bodily resurrection, restoring pristine strength and receiving eternal life, as Jesus did. And finally, the reason why we can have hope is because of the Word of God.
7) As such, Peter says to Christians in the first century that they could live the holy life while they endured the suffering in joy with a living hope since through sufferings, their faith would be purified and strengthened, as gold or silver can be transformed pure gold or silver in the furnace. Yet I think here we can find Christian identity. I mean, as fake gold or fake silver or fake iron cannot become pure gold or pure silver or high-grade iron even through the furnace, the existence of suffering in the Christian life is the proof of their authenticity as Christian. Since this hope comes from God, proven through the resurrection of Jesus and also testified in the Bible, in addition, since we also became true people of God through the regeneration in His grace, this hope becomes living hope to us through which we can endure the sufferings enough.
8) One more thing, we would like to look at together. I mean v5 says that “through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.” Here the Greek φρουρέω (phroureo) which is translated as “to protect”, has the meaning that military garrison protects someone from danger of enemy, or contrary, military garrison keeps someone from escape. So, this Bible verse means that in one way God protects us from danger of enemy and also in other perspective, God keeps us from being slept from our faith by our weakness and persevere our faith to the end. Therefore, in combining the fact that φρουρέω (phroureo) was written in present tense, which means continuous action, this verse can mean that God continue to protect and persevere us from the beginning when we were given the faith, until to the end when we were finally redeemed with bodily resurrection. So, we clearly can know that we can live the rest of our lives in this flesh having a living hope in God’s protection and perseverance.
9) Therefore I pray that as Peter said in 2 Pt 2:7-8 that Lot of Sodom, was tormented his righteous soul over their lawless deeds and was greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked, to us who live with great anxiety in this time of super uncertainty and also with great torments by the rampant lawlessness of this end era, God surely gives a living hope in His mercy and grace so that we can all endure and overcome all these trials to finally receive praise, glory and honor at His return.
Key Questions as Small Group Activity
Q1 According to today’s text, we can know that the living hope which makes us endure sufferings comes form God, founded on the resurrection of Christ and testified in the Bible. So after reflecting if there is such a hope in me, I hope we could share our thought and experience with our team members together to learn from each other.
Q2 And also in today’s text, it is said that God’s grace of protection and perseverance makes us endure and overcome sufferings enough. So after reviewing our life whether we have those grace, I hope we could share our thought and experience with each other to learn from each other.
Love you. Thank you. God bless you.
Prayer Note
Dear ( God’s attribute which you found Today ) God!
Thanks for ( something you received through the sermon or even during the week )
Praise, gratitude and glory be to You, Lord!
Today, I realized my sin (pains) that ( the sin God reminded through the sermon ),
please forgive (or heal) me and help me not to repeat ( the sins you recognized ).
I learned that ( something you learned through the sermon )
Please help me to live in that ( learned way of life )
I pray in ( Jesus’ attribute you find ) Jesus’ name. Amen.
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