Welcome to the next book on our journey. Today, we read 1 Peter chapters 1 and 2.
I imagine that most of you began this journey already identifying as Christians—or at least as Gentiles curious about faith. After walking through the Old Testament together, however, I sometimes feel like a Messianic Jew. I understand the weight of the Law, the long history of God working among His people, and the steady drumbeat of prophecy pointing toward a coming Messiah.
Along the way, we kept hearing about Jesus through Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms. Then we met Him. He loved us, died for us, rose again, and changed everything. I once lived as an atheist; now I live to serve my Lord. My guess is many of you have experienced a similar transformation. You may have already believed, but as we’ve read Scripture in full context, your relationship with Christ has deepened and matured.
That brings us naturally to Peter.
Impulsive, Broken, Restored
Peter was always impulsive. He often spoke before thinking, challenged Jesus openly, and famously reached for a sword in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18:10). Reacting came easily to him; reflection took time.
Then came the night everything collapsed.
While Jesus stood on trial before Caiaphas, Peter stood in a courtyard denying—three times—that he even knew Him (Luke 22:54–62). Luke records that after the rooster crowed, “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter” (Luke 22:61). That look broke him. Peter went out and wept bitterly.
But failure was not the end of Peter’s story.
After the resurrection, Jesus met Peter on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. As they walked along the beach, Jesus restored him, calling him again to care for His people: “Feed my sheep” (John 21:15–17). Jesus forgave, recommissioned, and reshaped Peter.
A Familiar Journey
We see Peter take that calling seriously throughout Acts. We witness him as he matures. He develops into a leader. Then, he defends Gentile believers and stands firm in the gospel (Acts 10–11; Acts 15). He even accepts correction when necessary (Galatians 2:11–14). His journey is not perfect—but it is faithful.
And that process is not so different from our own.
Peter is also unique among the three writers we’ve recently read—Peter, Paul, and James. Peter alone walked with Jesus throughout His earthly ministry. While Paul was still a Pharisee and James initially doubted his own brother (John 7:5), Peter was distributing loaves, gathering leftover fish, witnessing the transfiguration, and praying beside Jesus in Gethsemane (Matthew 17:1–8).
Writing as a Shepherd to the Suffering
By the time Peter writes this letter, he is likely in Rome, which he refers to symbolically as Babylon (1 Peter 5:13). His concern is for believers scattered throughout Asia Minor—Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia—who are facing increasing persecution (1 Peter 1:1).
This persecution may have been intensifying under Nero, but even apart from imperial decrees, Peter understands suffering deeply. He knows how easy it is to choose fear over faith. He once denied Christ rather than suffer alongside Him.
That is why his words carry such weight.
Peter joins Paul and James in encouraging these believers not to lose heart. As Jesus fully entered our human experience, Peter, who failed, was forgiven, and learned to endure, speaks. He wants them to know that suffering for Christ is not meaningless—it glorifies God and refines faith (1 Peter 1:6–7).
Why Suffering Matters
This is one of the hardest truths for new believers to grasp.
Suffering purifies us (1 Peter 1:7). By nature, we resist it. That resistance flows from our sin nature. Therefore, some preaching focuses only on comfort and affirmation. But Scripture consistently shows us that love and suffering are not opposites.
It was love that led Christ to suffer for us (1 Peter 2:21–24).
“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21, NIV)
Through suffering, we die to sin and live for righteousness (1 Peter 2:24). Without it, something essential in us remains unformed. Suffering, then, is not merely tolerable—it is often necessary. When endured faithfully, it becomes a powerful witness.
When the world sees believers strengthened rather than crushed by hardship, they take notice (1 Peter 2:12).
Sharing the Hope We’ve Been Given
This is how we offer others a taste of God’s grace. When they see our endurance, they glimpse His glory. When they taste His kindness, Christ draws them (1 Peter 2:3).
That is why we are here.
As Paul wrote, “To live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). There is nothing more glorious than leading someone else into the Kingdom of God. Christ lives in us so that we may live for Him—and the deeper our union with Him, the more willing we become to share in His sufferings (1 Peter 4:13).
What We Are Saved For
James and Paul both remind us we are saved for a purpose, not by our works. (James 2:17; Ephesians 2:10)
I sometimes think of salvation as being handed a stack of tickets. Some people sit down and wait quietly for the bus to heaven. But if that were the plan, we’d only need one ticket.
Instead, we should give the rest away.
The promise of the gospel is that when we do, God supplies more. The bus is still coming—Peter himself writes about the salvation yet to be revealed (1 Peter 1:5). We cannot change its arrival time because we are not the driver. But we can decide how useful we are while we wait.
That is what we will give an account of.
I hope you will find encouragement to endure suffering faithfully and observe those who suffer without knowing the reason. Offer them a ticket. Invite them on the journey.
Tomorrow, we will read 1 Peter 3–5.