1 Peter is a letter written by one of Jesus Christ’s 12 disciples, Peter, to God’s elect people. 1 Peter 1:1: “To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus,Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood” These people are far away from Jerusalem, around modern day Turkey. 

As for the reason for this letter, in the summer of 64 A.D, a fire broke out in the city of Rome, and burned everything for six days and seven nights. It left seventy percent of the city in ruins, and nobody knew who set the fire, but the citizens of Rome were angry and looking for someone to blame. Rumors arose that accused Emperor Nero of being the Arsonist, but these claims have never been confirmed. He found a scapegoat in the Christians, and had them thrown to the lions, crucified, and burnt to appease the angry masses. So the oppression and persecution of Christians was all over the empire of Rome. Peter wrote his letter to those being persecuted to stand firm and to strengthen their faith. 

At the end of verse 2, he says to them: “Grace and peace be yours in abundance.” as to encourage them and give them peace in midst of suffering. 1 Peter 5:12: “With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.” Peter died some time after writing this letter, crucified upside down on the cross, as ordered by Nero. 

Romans 8:29: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” These are God’s elect people, strangers of the world. Our permanent home is in heaven, as described in Revelations as the new Jerusalem. 1 Peter 1:14-16: “ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”” And it is also written in 1 Peter 2:10: “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” This indicates that God’s elect people were not always God’s people, meaning they are not Jewish, but Gentiles who became God’s people through His grace and mercy. In Acts 1:8, it says: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Around this time, Saul was going around persecuting Christians, and they were scattered. They continued to spread the gospel, until eventually they reached northern Turkey, where there were some Jewish people as well. 

So how does God select his chosen people? He called us because he knew beforehand that we would believe in His words, and we were chosen by God’s power, will and purpose. After we have accepted Him into our hearts, the holy spirit is at work in us every day, which sanctifies us and keeps us holy, and sets us apart from the nonbelievers. Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” And it is God’s will that we are obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled in His blood so that we may receive His salvation. The significance of His blood is written in the old testament, first in Numbers 19:1-9, which writes about cleans. “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke. 3 Give it to Eleazar the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. 4 Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. 5 While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and intestines. 6 The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer. 7 After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water. He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening. 8 The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening. 9 “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin.” Sprinkling of blood has to do with the forgiveness of sin, for there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood. Exodus 24:5-8: “Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.” 8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Sprinkling of blood also marks the beginning of a new covenant with God, which is the basis of forgiveness of sin. Obedience to Jesus Christ is our responsibility as Christians, and his blood is our privilege.

1 Peter 1:3: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” New birth is given to us when we accept Jesus Christ as our savior, as written in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!”  Galatians 6:15: “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.” It does not matter whether you are Jewish or Gentile, the holy spirit is given in abundance to those who are a new creation. 1 Peter 1:4: “and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.” The living hope will bring you a glorious, lasting inheritance. The time that you accept Christ is the beginning of salvation, and then we receive the Holy Spirit to sanctify us. Then, we wait until the next time to see Jesus Christ and receive our inheritance. That is the process of Salvation. In 1 John 3:2 it is written: “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” What is recorded in Colossians 3:4 coincides with the previous verse, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” The process of our salvation is also written in Ephesians 1:13-14: “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” In Romans 8:11, it says: “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” 

1 Peter 1:5: “who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” We are living in times of physical and spiritual war, and Peter encourages us in 5:8-9: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” God’s power will protect us when we are weak and stumbling in spite of our wins, but we must remain faithful in Him and believe that He will do so. Jude 1:24: “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” Jesus Christ will keep us from falling with God’s power to protect us. However, we must always keep in step with the spirit and do our part, so that God will continue to do His part. Jude 1:20-21: “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” While we are waiting for the last times ?? and our inheritance, we must build ourselves up in the Holy Faith and pray by the Holy Spirit (by praying according to the truth). John 15:10 tells of how to keep ourselves in God’s love: “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” John 10:27-28: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” Besides listening and obeying, it is also as written in 1 John 5:15-19: “ And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. 16 If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin,and there is sin that does not lead to death. 18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”

During the last times, those who died will rise from the dead to join our Lord Jesus Christ, and according to 1 thessalonians 4:17 it says: “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” This is the time of the rapture, when we will receive our glorious inheritance. 

1 Peter 1:6-7: “In all this (The last times) you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Trials are necessary for Christians, as written in James 1:3-4: “because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” We must remember that the trials of the present are temporary and nothing compared to the eternal glory of heaven. Earthly treasures may perish, but complete faith, which has been tested and refined by fire, is imperishable. We must stand firm in our faith and not falter in the face of trials and testing. 1 Peter 1:8-9: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” Our goal is to reach the last times ?? for the salvation of our souls, our whole being to receive our inheritance. Peter affirms that the faith of his audience is indeed genuine, and reminds them of this to keep them going during times of suffering. 

1 Peter 1:10-12: “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.”  From verse ten to the middle of 12, it speaks of the prophets from the old testament, Isaiah, Ezekiel, etc. they did not understand how Christ would suffer and be glorified, nor when the Messiah would come and when these prophecies would be fulfilled. But now that the prophecies are a part of history, we know that Jesus Christ came to earth over 2000 years ago and had established His ministry in the world. And Peter is writing this to say that we have already seen the prophecy fulfilled and because we believe in Jesus Christ, our salvation has already begun. He writes to encourage those being persecuted for believing, to strengthen them because we are still in the middle of our salvation. Only by standing firm can we reach the end times and receive our inheritance, and Jesus will take us home. Romans 8:23: “Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit (accepting Jesus as our Lord and savior), groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.” Paul has indicated that after believing in Jesus, we must wait patiently for our adoption in the last times. 

Christians should be able to rejoice during times of trials and suffering, even when we cannot see when they will end. Peter wanted to encourage the Christians of his time to live with the living hope and set themselves apart from nonbelievers. If we suffer in joy, it shows the difference between christians and nonchristians, we can rejoice because we know that we have salvation. During times of trouble, we mustn’t lean on human strength, but on the strength of God and become stronger, not weakened by the trials of fire. Turn your eyes upon our Lord Jesus and know that sufferings on earth are temporary, remember to keep God’s commands and pray according to the Holy Spirit. God will protect you and Jesus Christ will not let you stumble.