Since Christ suffered in the flesh, you should also use this heart as a weapon, because those who suffer in the flesh have been separated from sin. With such a heart, you can spend the rest of your life in the world, not according to human desires, but only according to God's will. Because in the past, it was enough to obey the wishes of foreigners, commit lewdness, lust, drunkenness, famine, heavy drinking and hateful idolatry.
In these things, when they see that you don't run with them in that luxurious way, they will feel very strange and will slander you. They will pay their accounts before the judge of the living and the dead. Therefore, even the dead have the gospel preached to them, so that their bodies will be judged according to people, but their spirits will live by God. Therefore, even the dead have the gospel preached to them, so that their bodies will be judged according to people, but their spirits will live by God.
Writing background:
With the early Christians spreading the virtues of God everywhere, the propaganda work flourished and spread throughout the Roman Empire. However, this group of enthusiastic Christians has caused others to misunderstand them. Because their religion originated in Jerusalem and rose among Jews, some people confuse them with Jewish fanatics who are keen on politics and dissatisfied with Roman rule. The latter often creates a lot of trouble for local officials.
Besides, Christians are different because they refuse to offer sacrifices to the Roman emperor and attend pagan worship ceremonies. They have been greatly criticized for this and have been repeatedly tested in their beliefs. At this appropriate moment, Peter was inspired by God to write his first letter, encouraging Christians to stand firm and teaching them how to act under Caesar and Nero at that time.
Theme function:
The purpose of this book is to encourage believers to keep their faith and stand firm in adversity (5: 1 1- 12). Christians are holy and strangers on earth, so the hope of believers is not on earth, but in heaven, so we should underestimate the suffering on earth. There are no fewer than sixteen references to "suffering" in the book, seven of which describe the suffering of Christ, so as to remind readers that suffering is inevitable, and believers should imitate the Lord, endure grievances and look to God.
Another theme in the book is "Hope", knowing that when the Lord comes again, he can share eternal glory with Christ (4: 13). Because this hope does not come from the believers themselves, this book emphasizes the "true grace" of God (5: 12) to describe the characteristics of Christian faith. The book is full of the author's instructions, encouraging readers to have the fear of God, to have good conduct, and to do good wholeheartedly.