Resilience in 1 Peter: Faithfulness and Hope in the Face of Adversity

This chapter examines resilience in 1 Peter, a New Testament letter. It focuses on 1 Peter 1:1–2:10. First it establishes the meaning of resilience as a heuristic framework. Then it takes an exegetical approach to reveal the key elements of resilience – risk/adversity, good outcomes, and resources – in 1 Peter. It shows that, for 1 Peter, the believers are undergoing threat from hostile neighbours because of their Christian identity, producing the risk of defecting from the faith. Instead of social esteem or absence of physical harm, the author promotes growing into their salvation as the key goal. Such salvation is dependent on God’s action in Christ and, consequently, is inextricably linked to faithfulness to and hope in God. Lastly, the essay examines the resources available to the believers to help them achieve this end. It unpacks both communal/sociological aspects and those of an individual nature. The letter highlights the believers’ new identity and places them within a corporate narrative and a secure relational network. It also encourages positive emotions towards God, Christ, and other believers. These resources allow the audience to interpret its current situation and status positively, thus fostering hope and faithfulness in the face of adversity – that is, resilience.