Incompatible Realities | 1 Peter 1:3-12

Have you ever had an experience that seemed incompatible with your expectations? This often happens in Christianity. Many people often decide to follow Jesus hoping that this decision will improve our circumstances. We find ourselves expecting to experience Heaven while we are still living in a fallen world. Eventually, the realities of a world filled with sin, brokenness, and death begin to rattle those who simply wanted a life with joy that was found in Jesus. Peter writes this letter of encouragement to a group of believers who have been scattered across Asia. They have been displaced from their homes in the midst of severe persecution. However, Peter writes them this letter to not only acknowledge the realities they are facing, but to also remind them of what is true for them in Christ. The realities of 1 Peter 1 tell us that the healthy believer is compelled to live a life filled with complexities that seem almost contradictory. They are elect exiles. They are to live lives marked by joy and grief. Their citizenship is in Heaven, but they are living in a fallen world.