The first Christians were fiercely persecuted and that is why the apostle Peter reminds them of all the things that are promised to them. All of these things were more than enough reason to have a hope that remains like a burning fire. Did you know that you too have been promised all of these things that were promised to the first Christians?
Peter says to the persecuted Christians:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1 Peter 1:3-4
Dear reader, here is something extremely interesting, which may revive you if you are fiercely struggling with sin or if you are being persecuted for the sake of the Gospel. First, Christ gave us birth again when He died on the cross for us and not only died, but in dying, He also gave us a living hope and this because one day we will be resurrected. How glorious is this, to know that our life does not end here, but that one day we will be reunited with our Savior for all eternity.
Then we find that we have an inheritance (all the promises that God has made to us in the Scriptures), which does not decay, which means that it is impossible for it to suffer any kind of deterioration. It also cannot be contaminated, which reflects that it can never be stained by evil. Finally: “Unfading.” That is, it is not like the flowers that wither, in short, our inheritance does not deteriorate, it cannot be touched by evil and it does not fade.
Beloved believer in Christ, I want you to know that your struggle is not in vain. Have faith, continue to persist in the Scriptures, remembering each of the things that have been promised to us and that this light affliction only works for us a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).
