Thru the Bible in a Year
As we continue our year-long journey through Scripture, today’s reading draws us into the pastoral heart of First Epistle of Peter, written by the Apostle Peter to believers who were living as strangers and exiles in a world that did not fully understand their faith. Peter writes not as a distant theologian, but as a shepherd who knows suffering firsthand. He addresses ordinary Christians facing uncertainty, pressure, and hardship, and he anchors them in a salvation that is secure, living, and active. Reading 1 Peter near the close of the church year, just before Christmas, reminds us that the coming of Christ was never meant to insulate believers from hardship, but to give them unshakable hope within it.
Peter begins with salvation, and he does so by framing it as God’s initiative from beginning to end. Election, mercy, the work of Christ, resurrection, and faith are not presented as abstract doctrines, but as lived realities shaping daily endurance. Salvation, Peter says, brings an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. Unlike earthly rewards that decay or disappoint, this inheritance is guarded by God Himself. What stands out is Peter’s insistence that joy and suffering are not opposites in the Christian life. Believers can rejoice even while grieved by trials, because faith refined by fire results in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. This joy is not rooted in circumstances but in the certainty that God is at work, fulfilling promises long foretold by the prophets and now revealed in Christ.
Peter moves naturally from salvation into conduct. Being saved reshapes how believers live before God and with one another. Holiness is not moral isolation but wholehearted devotion to the God who called us. Love for one another flows from having been born again through the living and abiding word of God. Peter uses the image of living stones being built into a spiritual house, with Christ as the cornerstone. Salvation creates a people, not merely individuals. The church exists to declare the praises of the One who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Identity precedes behavior; we live differently because we belong to God.
The theme of submission in the next section often challenges modern readers, yet Peter frames it within the larger context of witness. Submission is not weakness, nor is it blind approval of injustice. Rather, it is a conscious decision to entrust oneself to God while living honorably within imperfect structures. Citizens are called to respect governing authorities, workers to endure unjust treatment with integrity, and spouses to reflect Christlike humility and consideration. Peter’s concern is not preserving social order for its own sake, but displaying the transforming power of Christ in ordinary relationships. Submission, when rooted in trust in God, becomes a testimony that points beyond self-interest to divine faithfulness.
The final major section addresses suffering directly, and here Peter’s pastoral voice becomes especially clear. Suffering, he insists, should not surprise believers. It is part of following Christ, who Himself suffered unjustly and yet triumphed gloriously. Peter urges preparation for suffering through inward devotion, outward witness, and upright conduct. Sanctifying Christ as Lord in the heart prepares believers to give a reasoned defense for their hope, marked by gentleness and respect. Suffering loses its power to destroy when it is understood as participation in Christ’s own path.
Christ stands as both the pattern and the promise in suffering. Peter draws on vivid imagery, including Noah and the ark, to show that God saves through judgment and brings life through what appears to be loss. Christ’s resurrection and exaltation affirm that suffering does not have the final word. The same Jesus who endured the cross now reigns at the right hand of God, with all powers subject to Him. This perspective reshapes how believers endure hardship. Suffering is common, not strange; it is accompanied by joy when endured for Christ; and it is entrusted to a faithful Creator who never abandons His people.
Peter concludes by calling believers to faithful performance even amid hardship. Life does not stop when suffering comes. Elders are to shepherd willingly and humbly. Believers are to clothe themselves with humility, resist the adversary, and stand firm in grace. The Christian life, Peter reminds us, is sustained by God’s promise to restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish His people after they have suffered a little while. As commentator William Barclay observed, Peter’s letter teaches that “the Christian’s hope does not remove suffering, but it transforms it.”
As we read 1 Peter today, we are reminded that God’s Word addresses real lives in real tension. Salvation gives us identity, submission shapes our witness, and suffering refines our faith. Thank you for your commitment to walking through the whole counsel of God this year. Scripture read faithfully never returns empty; it always accomplishes God’s purpose in shaping hearts, strengthening resolve, and renewing hope.
For additional insight on the message and context of 1 Peter, you may find this article from The Gospel Coalition helpful:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/1-peter-letter-hope/
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