28 February 2022

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

From 1 Peter 1:3-9, NRSV

Peter’s first epistle was written to the Christians who had been forced out of Jerusalem as a result of persecution as well as to the new Gentile Christians. To these “scattered” communities, Peter offers words of great hope and promise. He wants them to be sure of the inheritance that is theirs because of Christ’s resurrection of the dead. He does not gloss over the trials that they have had to face and will continue to face but assures them that, just as gold is tested in a fire, so their faith is only tested to make it stronger.

• • Why does Peter promise an “inheritance” to the Christians he is writing to?
  • Is it true that faith is only faith when it is tested?

Pray for Christians who have to endure persecution because of their faith.