25th September 2023

We suffer as Christ suffered

This study is the twenty-second in a series of studies on the books of the New Testament
(1 Peter – read in 9 minutes)

…to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed. 1 Peter 4:13 (NASB)

The writer is the fisherman who briefly walked on water; who watched Jesus’ final suffering, knowing he had denied knowing him; who ran to the empty tomb on the first day of the week after the crucifixion; who preached Christ powerfully on that first Pentecost that marked the beginning of the church’s mission to the world. He had been close enough to Christ to take him aside and criticise him for mentioning His own impending suffering (Matthew 16:22). And in this epistle, having once avoided his own suffering, Peter is now proclaiming that suffering is a part of a Christian life – and is to be endured. Beyond being endured, he claims it has a greater purpose. A lot had changed in Peter’s life.

That Christians were blamed for the fire that destroyed much of Rome in AD64 before the letter was written, indicates that they were already marginalised. Persecution greatly intensified after this event. People were already suspicious of them and their message of a coming king who was God’s son. The letter addresses both Jewish and Gentile Christians, scattered following persecution throughout provinces ruled by Rome, in modern-day Türkiye. 

Peter includes over forty separate commands – things to do and things to avoid: ‘be holy’ (1 Peter 1:16); ‘love one another’, ‘be of one mind’ (1 Peter 3:8); ‘resist the devil’, ‘be sober’ (1 Peter 5:8-9); ‘do not be ashamed’ (1 Peter 4:16). They could be read as some sort of rule book, a manual for Christians for all time, something to measure ourselves by. To see them in the light of his overall intention is to give them greater meaning and purpose, drawing them together under that purpose of showcasing their new life in the risen Christ, even when living surrounded by a hostile society. Peter describes them as ‘pilgrims’ and ‘aliens’ saying, ‘…I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires…’ (1 Peter 2:11 NIV). They have a citizenship that is not in the present world, but in heaven. This is to be the real source of their hope – and ours as we travel to our new home. Their way of life was to make them stand out and be separate from the society they lived in. They were to be known for doing good, even in the face of persecution. In doing all of this they would be following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

The redemption story is one with a long history. Peter draws parallels with Old Testament scriptures to show God’s eternal purpose and the people’s part in that purpose. Instructions on marriage reference Abraham and Sarah (1 Peter 3:6). Noah and the flood are linked to the importance of baptism (vv.18–22). The sacrificial system is behind the description of Christ as ‘a lamb without blemish or spot’ (1 Peter 1:19). Believers are referred to as a ‘holy priesthood’ (1 Peter 2:5). There is the quoting of Leviticus 19 where God commands: “Be holy because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15). Christ is seen as the culmination of this human history. Peter underlines the privilege it is to have revealed to them the knowledge of their salvation – by grace (vv.10-12). Christian conduct should reflect our knowledge of the way things will be – not the way of the world around us. 

Prayer
With Peter we pray, “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…” In his name,  Amen.

Study by Maggie Mitchell

About the writer:
Maggie Mitchell attends the Northampton congregation of Grace Communion International and is Chair of the Pastoral Council

Local congregation:
GCI Northampton
Ecton Village Hall
78A High Street
Ecton
Northampton
NN6 0QB

Local congregational contact:
Maggie Mitchell
Email:  maggie.mitchell@btinternet.com

Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church