Peter is the author of the letter. He was one of the men that Jesus chose. He became a leader in the church* at Jerusalem. He wrote this letter to help Christians that were having problems. Many people did not like these new Christians. They did not want anyone to follow Jesus. These people made trouble for them. So, many of the new Christians left their homes and moved to other places. They felt like strangers in a strange land. They were far away from home. And people were still not kind to them.

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Peter wrote this letter to encourage them.

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He wanted them to remember that God chose them to be his people. And Jesus would return to earth to set up his kingdom*. They may suffer now for a short time. But they would never suffer again when Jesus returned. That was why they could have hope*. Even the prophets* in the Old Testament* talked about this hope*. So the Christians could trust* God to take care of them. He sent Jesus to rescue them. He made Jesus come alive again after he died. He brought him out of the grave. God did this for them. He had great power. Nothing could make him break his promise.

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Now they should live in a way that pleased God. They should be a holy people. They must stop doing evil* things. They must not lie. They must stop wanting what other people had. They must not speak against each other. But they should desire to listen to God’s words and obey them.

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If they did, people would see how they lived. And when they saw how they lived, they would want to know why. When the people asked them questions, they must be ready to answer them. Then they could tell them about Jesus.

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When they suffered, they must remember that Jesus suffered too. He took the punishment for the evil* things that they did. That is how he made them his people. When Jesus suffered, many people shouted at him and said angry words. But Jesus did not shout back at them. He did not say bad things would happen to them. He trusted God. He knew that God always judged fairly. That was the way they should act when they suffered too.

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Peter did not want them to forget who they are. They were priests. [1] They were God’s royal people. Together, they were the place where God lived. They were God’s holy nation. They were the people who trusted* God’s word. God’s word gave them new life. God’s word was true now and for ever. [2]

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So they could follow the kind of life Jesus lived. They could love one another. They could show respect for their husbands or wives. Show proper respect to everyone. Love God’s people. Have respect for God. Honour the king.

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Peter wanted them to live good lives. When they did, people that did not know Jesus would want to know him. The church* leaders were to care for the people who were in the church*. They were to be examples to the people. The young men were to respect the older men. They were to listen to them. They were to learn from them. God wanted everyone to be humble and control themselves. Trust* God for power and strength. He would provide it.

 

[1] 1 Peter 2:5

[2] 1 Peter 1:23