On this day, in the year 64, the Great Fire of Rome broke out, for which Emperor Nero would blame a new religious sect, the Christians. The first Epistle of the Apostle Peter was written to those who experienced the persecution unleashed by Nero.

I Peter is best summarized as “the Book of Hope,” but the hope he described is counter cultural. It does not anticipate a “good outcome,” at least not in the here and now. Instead, Peter understands true hope as rooted in the certainty of something that has already happened: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which defines all of history.

Christ, the risen, sovereign ruler of the world, promises to make all things new (Revelation 21:5), and He is working in every time and place through His people. He has placed us in this cultural moment according to His redemptive plan.

So, as Peter encouraged the first Christians who faced cultural hostility, take hope in the risen Lord Jesus.

For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

Nero’s Accusations and Hope in this Cultural Moment