Welcome to the first 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 1:1-12) This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And 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. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.

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

Overall Commentary: 🌎

Peter begins his letter in a prevalent and Roman way. He states who he is, who it is for, and thanks God for the opportunity to send the letter. He jumps right into the reason for the hope they have. It's all because of Jesus. These first verses will serve as a foundation for the rest of the book. He answers the apologetic question of why we have hope.

Commentary.
(Why do we have hope?)

Verse 1-3. God establishes our hope in Christ.

Verse One.

Peter- calls himself an apostle of Jesus Christ. He announces his writing authority. As an old man, he is comfortable with his status as a "sent one" for the Gospel.
"Living as foreigners-" Peter is likely not only writing to the Jewish people who have been dispersed throughout the Roman world, but he is writing to all who call themselves Christians. As he states later, he sees Christians as having true citizenship in Heaven.

Verse Two.

All three of the Trinity are present in salvation:
- Father- Chose to save.
- Holy Spirit drew us to Himself (holiness).
- Jesus made it possible.
Grace and Peace- Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Peace is the settled state of the soul after receiving grace.

Verse Three.

We are saved by God's great mercy, not our own effort.
Because of the salvation that comes through the finished work of Jesus Christ, we now have a living hope. This means a hope that is flexible, breathes, and has life. It is not rigid and is unable to fit within our lives. It stretches and moves. It can accompany us, survive storms, and guide us through any valley.

Verse 4-5. God guards our hope as an inheritance.

Verse Four.

Priceless inheritance - Peter may be reflecting on the inheritance and promise God gave to the nation of Israel in the form of Canaan. This promise could be taken away or fall into disrepair. He is saying the hope of salvation cannot be taken, stolen, lost, and never grows stale. Our inheritance is eternal life with God.

Verse Five.

Protecting- The Greek word is a military term. The mental picture is an army outpost being guarded and protected. Peter is saying God's power protects what He has given us. There is nothing that can overwhelm God; therefore, there is nothing that can remove our promise of eternal life.

Verse 6-9. God matures our hope through trials.

Verse Six.

What we know about trials from the following verse:
- They have the capacity to bring gladness.
- They end in wonderful joy for those who have their trust in the Lord.
- They will come.
- They do not last into eternity. They are only in this life.
A little while- Peter is saying they are nothing when considering the length of eternity.

Verse Seven.

Trials show the genuineness of our faith- Trials show us how valuable faith (confidence) in God can be. Trials show us how powerful God is and how solid our faith can stand in adversity. An untried faith is an untrustworthy faith.
Tested like gold- It was common to heat gold or other precious metals to draw out all that was impure. The purpose was to make the gold as pure as possible. This made it more valuable.
Revealed to the whole world- Possibly two-fold. (1) As more and more people come to know the Lord. (2) The second coming of Christ.

Verse Eight.

You love Him even though you have never seen Him- Possibly Peter is thinking back to when Jesus told Thomas that it is more blessed for those who believe without seeing Jesus in person.

Verse Nine.

Trust = salvation.

Verse 10-12. God establishes our hope in Christ.

Verse Ten - Eleven.

The prophets saw only the pieces of God's plan. It would be like seeing an unfinished jigsaw puzzle. You see the pieces, but you don't know how they all fit together. We are blessed to see how it all worked out to fulfill the plan of Jesus. This gives us hope that the rest will happen too.

Verse Twelve.

Even the angels were excited to see how God would redeem His creation. If they are excited, how much more should we be when we see God moving in our lives?