Welcome to the second part of our series, "Blessed Assurance."

Imagine for a moment that you received a letter from one of Jesus' best friends while on Earth. This guy walked with Jesus, saw the miracles, and had a front row seat to everything we read in the Gospels. This guy was also right there at the birth of the church in Acts 2. That's what we have in 1 Peter. Let's get some background and then move into the first section of Scripture.

1 Peter: Background.

Who:

It is almost universally accepted that Peter wrote 1 and 2 Peter. There is some pushback to 2 Peter, but we will get to that in time. The few objections to his authorship are unfounded. Also, the early church fathers give him the credit for this book. Some of these fathers include Iranaeus, Clement of Rome, Tertullian, and Origen.

When:

Nailing down the exact date is a little tricky because of the time it was written. 1 Peter was likely written between 62 and 65AD. When Rome burned in 64AD, Nero all but declared war on Christians because he blamed them for the disaster. Therefore, the timelines likely follow something like this:

62AD- Paul is released from prison. (Acts 28)
63AD- 1 Peter was possibly written as persecution mounted.
64AD- Rome burns. Nero blames Christians. Persecutions multiply.
65AD- Paul is killed. (Another possible moment when it may have been written to encourage the people, as Silvanius would have been delivering the bad news to the churches.)
66AD- 2 Peter is written. Peter is crucified upside down.

Where and to Whom:

Many historians place Peter in Rome for the last part of his life, some as long as 20 years. I do not see sufficient evidence for that long, but definitely the last while. Peter was likely not imprisoned yet, but right in the middle of the persecution. He is writing this letter to the churches throughout the provinces of Asia Minor, which is modern-day Turkey. Some historians think he could have been writing this as an encouragement because the news would also have been given that Paul had been beheaded.

Why Was it Written:

This is a letter of hope. They are to take the hope they have and not be afraid to live their faith out loud. The people were experiencing mounting persecution and possibly dealing with discouragement. Following Jesus during this time came with many issues in their culture. Peter is encouraging them to keep their eyes on eternity and to stand firm.

Why Should I Read it:

For all the reasons mentioned above. Jesus is our living hope. He is worth following, and He has given us an eternal inheritance. This letter reminds us to stand firm in the face of persecution and discouragement. Throughout the world, many are experiencing the same threat of persecution as they did in the early church. In the West, the persecution is not as front-facing, but there is intellectual and cultural pressure. God's Word has a message for us all. Stand firm in our living hope.

Here is today's text:

(1 Peter 1:13-25) So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. 21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. 22 You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. 23 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 24 As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. 25 But the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And that word is the Good News that was preached to you..

We can stand firm because we have a blessed assurance that nothing on Earth can touch.

Overall Commentary: 🌎

The second half of the first chapter of 1 Peter is powerful and pointed. Peter has spent the first half of the chapter encouraging the churches and reminding them of the blessed hope that we have through Jesus. The second half is what we do with our lives after we stand firmly on the truths that have come before. This passage is about focusing our actions because of our hope. Peter makes no illusions about what Christ is asking from us. Peter helps us realize that being a Christian is not a "day at the spa." It is hard work and requires focus because Jesus is interested in nothing else than our complete freedom.

Commentary.

Verse 12. Fold Up Our Sleeves and Get To IT.

Verse 12.

"Therefore," The NLT uses the word "so," but the most literal translation is "therefore." This word works best because Peter is making a summation of all that has come before. In light of what we know, he tells us to get moving. We are to think clearly, get holy, and put all our hope in God.

Verse 14-16.

Verse 14: "God's children"- We are to think of God as our Heavenly Father, and the goal of children is to be like their parents. Peter is saying we should be like Him and then explains what this means. We are to walk away from our old sinful patterns and embrace the ways of God.
Verse 15-16: There has been a lot of confusion about what it means to be holy as God is holy. The primary meaning of holy in this passage is to be different. When God tells the nation of Israel to be holy in Leviticus, He is telling them to do all He commands so they will be different than the other nations. Being different means we are also working toward complete wholeness, but it first means being different.

Verse 17-22.

Verse 17: "temporary residents"- Peter reminds the churches that their primary citizenship is Heaven. Therefore, it is okay if we never feel completely at home here. There is something in all of us that longs to be fully "home" with the Lord.
Verse 18: "ransom"- We often overlook the fact that this word originates from the slave trade. This is where someone had to pay for the freedom of a slave. This was not given away. There was a price for freedom, which was not possible. Jesus paid a high price for our salvation.
Verse 20-22: The plan of God- God had a plan in place to rescue us all the way back to the beginning.

Verse 23-25.

Peter ends this section with reminding us that we can completely trust all these promises because they come from God. He made the Heavens and the Earth. He sustains it all by His will. Therefore, He is strong enough to keep His Word to us.

God's Promise:

(1 Cor 6:11) Some of you were once like that. But you were CLEANSED; you were made HOLY; you were made RIGHT with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.