Read: 1 Peter 3:18-22

“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit…” –1 Peter 3:18

The question that I have asked all of my reflection writers is “Where do you find hope in this passage?” I find hope in these words written by the author of 1 Peter to persecuted churches in Asia Minor, an area of modern-day Turkey. I’m a convert, so I appreciate these words to churches full of converts to Christianity.

Unlike some claims of evangelical Christians in the USA, these churches were facing active persecution where they faced loss of family, livelihood, and frequently their lives. The Roman emperor Nero blamed the Great Fire of Rome on Christians, according to the Roman historian Tacitus, and had Christians burned alive for it. These churches were living in scary times, and the reminder that Christ died for them to bring them to God would have given them a measure of hope. They would have known well how violent and horrible crucifixion was, and someone voluntarily suffering it on their behalf would have been a compelling act of love. Almost 2,000 years later, that act of love serves to bring me closer to God.

Thank you Jesus for suffering once for my sins. Amen.
-Jen McCabe