Living Hope

Remember Peter? An ordinary fisherman turned disciple and apostle of Jesus. He was hot and cold, passionate and impulsive, occasionally fickle and yet still nicknamed the “Rock” by Jesus Himself.

Peter walked with Jesus, ate with Jesus, traveled with Jesus, learned from Jesus, and experienced miracles because of Jesus.

He was gently corrected by Jesus, was lovingly empowered by Jesus, and was an eyewitness to Jesus’ life—both before and after Jesus was raised from the dead.

Peter was in Jesus’ inner circle. And it was that Peter, writing to persecuted believers throughout the ancient world, who said:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This wasn’t hearsay gossip from some random person off the streets of Jerusalem, but a friend and a witness of Jesus who’d experienced the truth. Peter knew what he had seen: his friend, teacher, mentor, and Lord was executed … yet raised from the dead.

Peter knew that if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, Christianity was fake … definitely not something you would give your life for. Like Paul mentioned in his first letter to the Corinthians, if Christ hasn’t been raised, our faith is useless and we should be pitied for believing a lie.

But if Christ has, in fact, been raised from the dead, then our hope is great and our hope is alive. It’s better than the best news imaginable! It’s more urgent, timeless, and valuable than anything else in this world. And Peter believed this with every breath he had.

Yes, Jesus was the first to rise from the dead. But, if we also believe what Jesus preached, then we know … we’re next.

If you’re not convinced by the evidence yet, keep searching. Keep praying. Keep seeking. Ask Jesus to reveal His power and glory to you in a fresh way, and get to know the believers across the world who are eagerly awaiting His return.