Living Hope Day 1

Read

1 Peter 1:1-2

Ponder

While some scholars disagree on the date and authorship of 1 Peter, it has been traditionally believed to have been written by Peter, an apostle of Christ. The letter seems to have been written during a time when Christians were suffering and facing persecution for their faith, but this persecution seems localized, rather than stretching across the entire Roman empire. Discrimination and mistreatment were prevalent, but following Christ does not seem to be illegal at the time the letter was written. 

Verse 1 explains that Peter was writing to believers who are “living as foreigners” in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, Roman provinces located in present-day Turkey. The letter isn’t addressed to just one church in one of these locations, but to all of them, meaning it was designed to be shared with all the churches, with the locations listed in the order a courier might have followed when delivering the missive to the churches. 

This brief introduction to the letter details a few specific truths about God and about the Christians to whom it is written.

1. God is the author of salvation. “God the Father knew you and chose you,” Peter wrote in verse 2, meaning that God is the one who does the work of salvation, drawing us to himself before we knew or understood his plan of salvation through Christ. Salvation, therefore, is not about us being good people, doing good deeds or anything that we can do in our own strength or power. It is trusting in the merciful and gracious plan God has already provided through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. 

2. The Holy Spirit works to make us more like Christ. As believers, there are rhythms and practices we can employ that help us to better understand the life God has called us to, but the work of becoming more like Christ is the Holy Spirit’s work. Our role is to submit to the Spirit and allow God to do the work of making us a “holy nation” and a “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9). 

3. These believers are marked by two characteristics: living in obedience and being cleansed by Jesus’ sacrifice. These early Christians had responded to God’s redemptive work in their lives by living in ongoing obedience to the Lord and trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross to cleanse them and allow them to enjoy a right relationship with God the Father. 

Journal

Mull over these verses, allowing these questions to guide you: 

• Does my life show that I believe that God is the author of salvation? Are there ways that I’m trying to earn salvation or prove I’m good enough to be saved on my own? 

• How can I see the Holy Spirit working in my life to make me more like Christ? 

• Consider the qualities, beliefs or attitudes that seem to characterize your life right now. Are there any areas where you need to allow the Holy Spirit to do the work of making you more like Christ? 

• Is your life marked by obedience to Christ? Why or why not? 

• Are you trusting more in your own ability to be good than Christ’s finished work? Why or why not?