Post-Christian Survival Guide

Christians in the west find themselves increasingly marginalized, with more and more similarities to the Christians in the first century. Peter writes his letter to Christians who are experiencing suffering because they follow Christ. He exhorts them to not be surprised when they encounter hostility but instead to rejoice because their suffering as believers shows that they belong to Jesus, whom the world also hated. Concerning the hardship the believers are to expect, Peter comforts them by saying that Christ is refining them as gold refined in fire. Christ uses the suffering to mould us into his image. Lastly, Peter exhorts the hearers to entrust their souls to their faithful creator – daily. He is the creator who does not leave his creation. He is faithful enough to bring this suffering to an end.