1 Peter: Living Hope for Suffering Sojourners

Book Description

A First-Century Letter for the Twenty-First-Century Church

The apostle Peter, inspired by the Spirit, wrote his first letter to Christians scattered throughout modern-day Turkey who were experiencing hardships for the sake of Christ. They lived in a world full of gods and when they confessed Christ as Lord it meant stepping outside of their culture. As God's chosen people, they were living in a world that was not (yet) their home. That's why Peter called them "exiles" and "sojourners" (1:2, 2:11). But he also encouraged them with the reality that, although the experience of exile was difficult, they had been born again "to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1:4). He directed their hearts to the "eternal glory in Christ" (5:10) to which they had been called.

We live in an increasingly post-Christian, secular age that looks ever more like the first-century world, and so we also feel ever more like the exiles we've always been. These expositions of First Peter, therefore, seek to encourage twenty-first-century Christians with the same good news: although we are sojourners called to suffer for the sake of Christ, the resurrection of Christ has secured our glorious future so that we can be characterized by a living hope while we wait for "the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1:7).

The accompanying Bible Study Guide is also available.

Author

William den Hollander is the Professor of New Testament and Dean of Students at the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Before that he served as pastor of the Langley Canadian Reformed Church in British Columbia, Canada. He has previously written Josephus, the Emperors, and the City of Rome (Brill, 2014) and edited, with his predecessor G.H. Visscher, Children and the Church (Lucerna, 2019). He is married to Diane and they have three sons, Gabriel, Silas, and Zion.

Endorsements

"I'm thankful that Dr. Will has made his expositions on 1 Peter available for the broader public. I heard some of these sermons 'live,' and I always appreciated the combination of exegetical depth, pastoral relevance, and contemporary flavour. The theme 'Living Hope for Suffering Sojourners' is well chosen. May this collection of messages find many readers. By God's grace, they will be edified."
--Arjan de Visser, Emeritus professor of Ministry and Mission, CRTS

Additional Information

Cover: Hardcover
Number of Pages: 292
Publisher: Lucerna
Publication Date: 2026