Armed and Dangerous

So much of 1 Peter deals with submission and suffering, which can feel depressing and demoralizing. But the letter as a whole strikes a different tone: one of hope and triumph. How can this be? As Peter reaches his Christological crescendo, the answer comes in verse 18: “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” At the cross, Christ conquered the powers of darkness and dealt with our deepest problem, the enmity with God created by sin. In a great exchange, God lays our sins on Christ and punishes them in him, the righteous for the unrighteous.

But notice that Christ also suffered. He did so not to spare us from suffering, but so that as we suffer with him and for him, we would become like him. Using military language, Peter calls his readers to arm themselves with the same mindset, fully prepared for the slander of an unbelieving world. Noah was a righteous minority, mocked and ridiculed in his day, yet ultimately vindicated through judgment. So it will be for Christians when history closes.

That coming end is not meant to produce fear and trepidation but an intensification of love and service. The former life of verse 3 was a counterfeit; the new life of verses 7-11 is the genuine article. This is victorious Christianity, even when it ends in temporal defeat. If Jesus suffered and then triumphed by rising from the dead, then the worst thing is never the last thing. The Savior who suffered for you now rules over every power that threatens you.