Currently I am teaching the saints from one of my favorite men in the early church: Peter. Peter’s two New Testament letters are short epistles that are dense with wisdom. Why are Peter’s letters so important for us? For at least three reasons, they are crucial:

• They speak to the reality of suffering as a Christian
• They speak to the issue of maintaining an eternal perspective amidst temporal trials
• They speak to the issue of the meaning/purpose of trials

This week, we are focusing on verses 3-5 from chapter 1. Those three verses read as follows:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pt 1:3-5).

Context, Context, Context: You remember the historical context out of which Peter’s writing, don’t you? It is A.D. 62-63 and Peter’s writing from Rome, Italy (called “Babylon” in Peter’s letters because of its moral rottenness and corruption). As just one example, “She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son” (1 Pt 5:13).

In the immediate context, Peter writes to “elect exiles” (1 Pt 1:1) who are scattered across what is modern-day Turkey. In the larger context, Peter writes to believers of each generation who are likewise elect exiles in a hostile culture. His purpose is straightforward: to encourage the saints to endure because God’s mission will triumph, but that mission entails suffering.

That’s where verses 3-5 of chapter one are so foundational. Peter reminds Christians/elect exiles of important doctrines that undergird the gospel’s triumph:

• God is the first cause. That is, God “caused us to be born again to a living hope” (1 Pt 1:3). This is not some man-made decision; it’s God monergistic work.
• The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the proof of Jesus’ identity and the ultimate reason for the hope Christians have (1 Pt 1:3-4).
• God does not lose any of those who are truly Christians (1 Pt 1:5). We are safe because “by God’s power” we “are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pt 1:5).

Encouragement: In church history, Peter is known as the apostle of hope. I hope that you find encouragement in the truths Peter unfolds in his two New Testament epistles. I hope you will find encouragement in this and the following installments. And I hope you’ll experience the transforming gospel for which Peter laid down his life.