Presence Weekly: How the Resurrection Offers Hope in the Midst of Suffering
1 Peter 3:18-22 The Blessing of Difficult Passages (Part 3 of 3)
Welcome to another edition of our weekly and locally-famous: devotional, prayer guide, curated reading and podcast links, events calendar, and of course, the Two Thumbs Up! recommendation of the week.
[First Things]
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[The Devo] How the Resurrection Offers Hope in the Midst of Suffering
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, 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, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. 1 Peter 3:18-22
In her magisterial work, “The Crucifixion,” retired pastor and theologian Fleming Rutledge writes about the difficulty of setting our sights beyond our present circumstances.
One of the most far-reaching developments in the history of the advertising industry, perhaps even in global culture as a whole, was the move from simply pitching products to selling “lifestyles.” In one sense, there is nothing really new about this; human beings have always been enthralled by fashion and novelty. In another sense, however, the consumer society that exists today is like nothing the world has ever seen before. The power of visual images, the lure of celebrity, the instantaneous delivery of services, the immediacy of virtual worlds, the demand for more and more stimuli — among many other factors — hold out false possibilities to young people, undermining their ability to postpone gratification in the service of higher goals. The weakening of family ties, school clubs, community associations, not to mention churches and other strong countervailing influences, has made it very difficult to convey any other set of values to young people. It is jarring to move from the vision of the new Jerusalem to the influence of advertising in today’s culture, but that is the sort of shift that interpreters of the gospel must make in order to teach biblical faith today.
Rutledge, Fleming. The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ (pp. 270-271). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Everything Rutledge says about the advertising industry must include the messaging of political campaigns and most of what is said by Press Secretaries. Campaign language is increasingly eschatological as it seeks to paint a picture of a “New Heavens and New Earth.” This, of course, has a direct impact on Christians serving and leading in the public square. Living differently in a culture that views Christians as irrelevant or extreme often produces responses that wear down our commitment and perseverance for participating in Christ’s mission of making all things new. Our Western world, and the public square more specifically, also undermines the plausibility structures that sustain our beliefs.
In the previous two sections, we have worked through the complexity of this passage of 1 Peter to better understand how Christ provides the hope needed to sustain a posture of faithful presence in the midst of suffering.
First, as the one who “proclaimed to the spirits in prison,” we saw how Christ’s authority over every aspect of the kingdom of darkness includes the demons who work to frustrate the purposes of Christ’s mission and bring suffering to God’s people. Second, we saw how baptism into Christ is a sign and seal of his promise to bring us safely through the judgment of God against sin.
From Complex to Simple
Despite this passage containing two of the most regularly cited “difficult passages” of Scripture, it also provides a profoundly simple presentation of the gospel.
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, …
21b through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
Peter’s pastoral heart to the elect exiles of Asia Minor is unsurprisingly similar to the words of Paul to the church in Colossae,
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. Colossians 1:13–20.
The church at Colossae, being in Asia Minor, was also made up of elect exiles who had been transferred from one kingdom to another in the spiritual sense, but remained physically alive in the Roman Empire. Their questions were the same as Peter’s audience.
Proof of Full Satisfaction
Throughout our study of First Peter, we have emphasized that our place in God’s kingdom is not initially achieved or continually maintained through our earthly efforts, accomplishments, or relationships. The only thing that our actions secure is our alienation from God due to our sin. Servants and leaders in the public square are in a position to offer justice to the wronged, mercy to the widows and orphans, housing to the homeless, fair and virtuous markets, and flourishing to our nation. While all of these are part of participating in Christ’s mission of making all things new, they are not sufficient to atone for the “malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander (2:1)” that is often commingled with our efforts.
What is needed for the elect exiles, the Jews and Gentiles, the governed and the governing, the wives and the husbands, the bondservants and the masters, and the servants and leaders in the public square to have reconciliation with God is an offering of satisfaction for our sin that is once and for all. This is provided by Christ, who “suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.”
How do we know that the price of our sin has been fully satisfied, once and for all, that we are reconciled to God, and have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light? Simple, because he was raised from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of God.
Proof of Full Power and Authority
The immediate question would have been, “If we are transferred into this kingdom of the beloved Son, who is going to protect us, and will they have the power and authority to do so?” Peter, along with Paul, answers this important question by emphatically stating that Jesus, who was betrayed, abandoned, falsely accused, wrongly convicted, publicly humiliated, tortured, and crucified, is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
We live our lives face to face with opposition and pressure to conform to the values of our present culture. These pressure points can feel overwhelming, especially if we fail to remember and believe that Jesus Christ is ruling and defending us at all times and in every situation. Not only that, there is no power over which Christ does not have authority. It is this truth that provides the hope necessary for perseverance to remain engaged in Christ’s mission of making all things new.
In the public square, we are familiar with the reality of having authority but lacking the power to bring about policy initiatives. We also have experience with having power but not the authority to initiate action. While some of this comes from the constitutional separation of powers, servants and leaders working in government are well aware of “institutional obstacles” to accomplishing agenda items. Over time, this clouds how we understand the hope we have in Christ.
How do we know that he has the authority and power to rule and defend us? Because he was raised from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of God.
Application Questions
Question: While Rutledge is speaking of the advertising industry, how well does her point about the net effect of advertising’s approach of shifting our motivation to immediate gratification and lifestyle improvement run counter to the point Peter is making about having hope in the midst of suffering? How do you see her assertion playing out in your workplace?
Question: How does the desire and pressure for immediate gratification and lifestyle improvement affect policy suggestions, drafting, and support of legislation, and the Executive branch implementation? How can this passage help you navigate that reality in your current role?
Question: How does this passage encourage your work, as elect-exiles, in the government sphere? How does this passage encourage you in the face of difficult situations and choices that may not only lead to your suffering, but will likely not include a vindication?
[Faithful Prayer]
Cabinet Agency: Servants and leaders at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as they regulate and oversee the fireworks industry in the United States, and their work to make the Fourth of July successful and safe for everyone.
Think Tank, Lobby group, NGO: The National Fireworks Association (and its over 1200 members) represents the interests of the fireworks manufacturers, importers, and sellers within a 2.7 billion dollar industry, on a national level before Federal lawmakers and regulators.
Weekly delegation: For the servants and leaders representing the national interests of the 500,000 citizens living in Washington, D.C.
Agency News: The servants and leaders at the Consumer Product Safety Commission are hard at work ensuring safely made, safely distributed, and safely used, fireworks.
Personal requests: Praise for a couple who had a wonderful weekend picking berries. Prayer for an advocacy staffer looking for a new position. Prayer for a senior official’s beloved and sick pet. For a senior administration official with two major deadlines this week. Praise for the many new connections made by Faithful Presence at the conference last week, and prayer for a healthy end of the second fiscal quarter.
[The Page, The Pod & The Stack]
READ this first → The Gospel Coalition has a culturally relevant article reviewing last week’s decisions in the UK to decriminalize late-term abortions and to legalize euthanasia, UK Chooses Death from Beginning to End.
LISTEN to this first → The National Association of Evangelicals recently released an insightful podcast, Today’s Conversation: A Global Vision for Human Flourishing: What data tells us about living well, exploring “What does it really mean to flourish — not just as individuals, but as communities, cultures, and societies?”
The Rabbit Room has a delightful and insightful piece on friendship, isolation, and purpose in, Resisting Main Character Energy: Friendship and Community in Only Murders in the Building.
UnHerd has an external perspective on fractures within the MAGA coalition in Washington stemming from the Iranian conflict and the U.S. response: MAGA split over Iran strikes could be permanent.
Christianity Today has a beautiful essay by Justin Giboney reflecting on how his grandfather has inspired his pastoral efforts, My Grandfather’s Greatest Legacy.
[What’s Happening]
This Week
Monday, June 23, 10:30 am EDT - 12:00 pm EDT, The Brookings Institution presents a hybrid event, A road map for growth: How a quarter century of African development can prepare us for the future. The event will assess the state of Africa’s political, economic, and social development in 2025, reflecting on lessons learned with an eye to future development and growth.
Wednesday, June 25, 9:00 am - 10:00 am EDT, The Aspen Institute presents an online forum, How to Tell Governments What You Think. This program will teach you broad principles for communicating to policymakers, as well as specific tips for sharing your opinions with Congress, executive branch officials, and even the courts.
Wednesday, June 25, 7:00 pm EDT, The National Press Club presents the 2025 Press & Politicians Spelling Bee, for a fun and friendly competition as lawmakers and reporters compete in the uproariously entertaining annual event.
Thursday, June 26, The Cato Institute, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm EDT, hosts an in-person event, Hill Briefing: US Immigration Policy in 2025, to discuss the most active immigration policy in American history, issuing unprecedented executive orders, attempting to deport one million people a year, and imposing new restrictions on legal immigration.
Next Week
Monday, June 30, 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM ET, the American Enterprise Institute presents a hybrid event, Seeking Truth in the Age of Feeling: A Book Event, with Robert Doar | Robert P. George.
Tuesday, July 1, 4:00 - 5:00 pm EDT, The Heritage Foundation presents a hybrid event, Yoram Hazony and Kevin Roberts on Conservatism’s Next Chapter: The Virtue of Nationalism and the Permanent Things, to discuss the path forward for the conservative movement.
Wednesday, July 2, 9:00 - 10:00 am EDT, CSIS hosts a virtual event, Can Multinationals Win in China? Lessons from Apple’s Experience, with Patrick McGee and expert panelists to discuss his new book, "Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company."
July 2-7, The Smithsonian Folklife Festival returns! The free festival salutes different international cultures every year on the National Mall with craft exhibits, live music, and cooking demos. The 2025 edition focuses on "Youth and the Future of Culture."
Friday, July 4, the nation's capital is an exciting place to be on Independence Day! Join the many patriotic festivities taking place in honor of America's birthday.
[Two Thumbs Up] For the Life of the World: Theology That Makes a Difference, Miroslav Volf and Matthew Crausman
There is a reason that For the Life of the World won the Christianity Today 2020 Book Award (Award of Merit, Theology/Ethics) and the Outreach 2020 Recommended Resource of the Year (Theology and Biblical Studies).
Not to be confused with the excellent video series of the same name produced by the Acton Institute that many churches worked through 10 years ago, Volf and Crausman’s 200-page, accessible and applicable, work presents a thickly theological missional paradigm that is sprinkled throughout Faithful Presence content.
Ministry leaders, pastors, and those concerned that too much time is spent on explaining what is true, while essentially ignoring what to do, will find encouragement and direction here that can be applied to the local church, but also to the individual lives of servants and leaders in the public square.
[Last Things]
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