Chasing the Right Dream

Text: 1 Peter 1:1-12

We just can't escape it; nor should we want to. Here again we have a piece of the New Testament which will base its argument on the resurrection of Jesus (v.3). It seems that this most unbelievable event is necessary to make sense of faith, if not of life itself. The remainder of the epistle will be concerned with the difference this event is to make for how we conduct ourselves in the world.

Today is the beginning of a short series in the first epistle of Peter. The theme is familiar but not old, as Christians are encouraged to persevere in all kinds of difficult trials and circumstances, having confidence that this world is not the final end of life. What will be advised, however, is a way of living in this world, not a way of escaping it. Unlike mystical or gnostic cults, believers in Christ are not told to ignore the trials and tribulations they encounter, but to live in and through them in a transformed way. The faithful are not advised to engage in secret rituals, ascetic practices, or mystical chants; they are told instead to endure in such a way as to convince the watching world that their way of living is to be preferred for all people.

The letter begins by pointing out that the salvation we have in Christ has ben assured and is our highest treasure. It closes by telling us that this salvation is something God has been working toward from the very beginning, not as an afterthought. He even used people in the past to point us in the right direction, even when they did not understand the things they were writing and did not see them come to pass. They had a purpose beyond themselves.

It is that example of faithfulness which we are all the more encouraged to follow. Yes, we have the record of what God has done in Christ, and the Holy Spirit's guidance. But we also share in a certain ignorance of just how God may use our lives and witness, our sufferings and our losses for a greater purpose. We have the resurrection of Christ as the evidence we need to trust that God does bring life from death, joy from sorrow, food for the soul from the barrenness of the world. As a week and a series begin, let us build our confidence so that we can face life with hope that is infectious.