Wednesday in the Word

Peter writes to believers who feel the weight of rejection, reminding them that “the end of all things is at hand” and that this present life is more like the lobby than the main event. In this episode on 1 Peter 4:7–19, we look at how a clear view of the gospel, eternity, and God’s faithful character reshapes our prayers, our use of gifts, and the way we walk through suffering. 

In this week’s episode, we explore:

• What Peter means when he says “the end of all things is at hand,” and how that perspective helps us stay sober-minded instead of “drunk” on the distractions of daily life
• Why prayer is the place where we come to terms with God—where our real hopes, fears, and loyalties are exposed before Him
• How “above all, keep loving one another earnestly” calls us to a love that covers sins, bears with weakness, and treats fellow believers as those who share an eternal bond in Christ
• What genuine hospitality looks like in a world of full calendars and limited margins, and how grumbling reveals a heart more centered on self than on God’s people
• A fresh way to think about “spiritual gifts” as roles and opportunities to serve, rather than spiritual “superpowers” that make us important
• How Peter’s two big categories—speaking and serving—help us see every act of ministry as stewardship of God’s grace, done with His strength and for His glory rather than our own
• Why fiery trials and insults for the name of Christ should not surprise us, and how sharing in His sufferings points forward to sharing in His glory
• What it means that judgment begins with the household of God, why the righteous are “scarcely saved,” and how believers can entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while continuing to do good

By the end of the episode, you’ll be invited to see your present circumstances in light of eternity: to hold this life more loosely, to love fellow believers more generously, to serve with humility instead of self-importance, and to meet suffering not with shock or shame, but with a settled trust in the God who tests, refines, and faithfully keeps His people. 

Series: 1Peter: Living as aliens and strangers

Be the first to know when it's out: What Jesus Taught by Krisan Marotta 

In my new book, I gather Jesus' teaching from all four Gospels and organize it by theme, so you can see what Jesus taught about God, himself, his followers and the kingdom, and how it all fits together. To follow the Teacher, you need to know what he taught.

Psalm 1 is classified as a "wisdom" psalm. In many ways it functions as an introduction to the book of psalms.

Series: Psalms

Be the first to know when it's out: What Jesus Taught by Krisan Marotta 

In my new book, I gather Jesus' teaching from all four Gospels and organize it by theme, so you can see what Jesus taught about God, himself, his followers and the kingdom, and how it all fits together. To follow the Teacher, you need to know what he taught.

Christ’s suffering, Noah’s ark, baptism, and “spirits in prison” all meet in one of the New Testament’s most challenging passages—and yet Peter’s aim is pastoral, not speculative. This episode walks through 1 Peter 3:18–4:6, showing how God’s patience, Christ’s vindication, and our own unjust suffering all fit into God’s just and merciful purposes. 

In this week’s episode, we explore:

• How the context of 1 Peter—believers maligned and mistreated for doing good—shapes the meaning of 3:18–4:6
• What it means that Christ “suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God,” and how His temporary suffering leads to certain victory
• Why Peter brings Noah and the ark into the discussion, and how the ark functions as a “type” that points to the salvation given in Christ and signified in baptism
• The major interpretive questions around “the spirits in prison,” including who they are, where they are, when Christ preached, and what He proclaimed
• The main historic options for understanding this passage—ranging from Christ preaching through Noah to a post-resurrection proclamation of victory—and why our teacher leans toward the “Christ preaching through Noah” view
• Wise principles for handling difficult texts: letting clear passages interpret obscure ones, building doctrine from the whole of Scripture, and holding conclusions with humility
• How Peter’s call to “arm yourselves with the same way of thinking” as Christ reframes suffering, holiness, and the world’s hostility toward a changed life
• The reassurance that, as in the days of Noah and in the resurrection of Jesus, God will judge evil in His time and vindicate those who trust Him

After listening, you’ll come away with a clearer grasp of 1 Peter 3:18–4:6 and a more thoughtful way to approach hard passages of Scripture. You’ll be encouraged to endure unjust suffering with patience, to pursue God’s will rather than old patterns of sin, and to trust that the God who delayed judgment in Noah’s day and vindicated His Son will also vindicate His people in His perfect time. 

Series: 1Peter: Living as aliens and strangers

Be the first to know when it's out: What Jesus Taught by Krisan Marotta 

In my new book, I gather Jesus' teaching from all four Gospels and organize it by theme, so you can see what Jesus taught about God, himself, his followers and the kingdom, and how it all fits together. To follow the Teacher, you need to know what he taught.

In this episode, we look at 1 Peter 3:8–17 and consider how a living hope in Christ should shape the way we relate to both fellow believers and a watching, often hostile world. Peter calls us to a distinctive pattern of unity, compassion, humility, and blessing—even toward those who wrong us—because our true security and future blessing are already held safe in God’s hands. 

In this week’s episode, we explore:

• How Peter’s list of virtues in verse 8—unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind—flows directly from the gospel and our shared identity as God’s people
• Why our faith is tested and matured primarily in relationships, as we learn to live together as spiritual “family” and as “aliens and strangers” among those who do not share our hope
• Peter’s call not to repay evil for evil or insult for insult, but to bless others instead, because we are people who have been promised an eternal blessing in Christ
• The connection to Psalm 34 and what it means to “fear the Lord” in daily life: guarding our tongues, turning from evil, pursuing good, and seeking peace
• How the promise of God’s attentive care—His eyes on the righteous and ears open to their prayer—undergirds our ability to endure slander, mistreatment, and loss
• Peter’s question, “Who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?” and how he reframes harm and safety in light of our eternal inheritance
• The reality that we may still “suffer for righteousness’ sake,” and why such suffering is described as a blessing rather than a failure or a sign of God’s absence
• What it means to honor Christ as Lord in our hearts, and how that inward allegiance prepares us to give a reason for the hope within us
• How to “make a defense” with gentleness and respect, so that our conduct and our words together commend the gospel rather than merely winning arguments
• Peter’s final reminder that it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil, and how this perspective frees us to live courageously and graciously in a world that misunderstands us

After listening, you’ll see more clearly how Christian hope is meant to transform not only what you believe but how you respond when you’re misunderstood, maligned, or mistreated. You’ll be encouraged to lean into a posture of humble unity with other believers, to bless rather than retaliate, and to be ready—when your life raises questions—to gently explain the hope that anchors you in Christ, even when following Him leads through suffering. 

Series: 1Peter: Living as aliens and strangers

Be the first to know when it's out: What Jesus Taught by Krisan Marotta 

In my new book, I gather Jesus' teaching from all four Gospels and organize it by theme, so you can see what Jesus taught about God, himself, his followers and the kingdom, and how it all fits together. To follow the Teacher, you need to know what he taught.

In this episode, we walk carefully through 1 Peter 3:1–7, a passage that often stirs controversy and ask what Peter means by “submission”—especially for wives with unbelieving or disobedient husbands, and for husbands who hold cultural power. We place these verses in their larger context of suffering, unjust treatment, and Christian witness, and explore how Peter calls believers to respond in a way that both trusts God and loves those who may be misusing their authority. 

In this week’s episode, we explore:

• The two main reasons Scripture gives for submission: recognizing limited, rightful authority, and choosing to “turn the other cheek” for the sake of mercy and witness
• How 1 Peter 3 fits with the examples of citizens under pagan governments and slaves under unjust masters, and why Peter is addressing believers who are “stuck” in binding, difficult relationships
• The situation of a Christian wife in the first-century Roman world: few legal rights, a husband who controls the household’s religion, and the challenge of following Christ without turning her home into a battleground
• What Peter means when he says disobedient husbands “may be won without a word” by respectful and pure conduct—and how behavior can speak when conversation is shut down
• The contrast between outward adornment and the “hidden person of the heart,” and why a gentle and quiet spirit rooted in trust in God is described as imperishable beauty
• Sarah as an example of a woman who hoped in God amid real vulnerability—not as a model of ideal marriage, but as someone who trusted God even when Abraham failed her
• Peter’s encouragement not to “fear anything that is frightening,” and what it looks like to live out faith in genuinely scary, unjust situations
• How Peter’s word to husbands corrects cultural abuse of power: calling them to live with their wives in an understanding way, honor them in their vulnerability, and remember they are co-heirs of the grace of life
• What it means that a husband’s treatment of his wife is so spiritually significant that it raises questions about his faith and his prayers
• How this passage, rightly understood, shapes Christian leadership and submission today—not as a tool for control, but as one way of loving our neighbor and commending the gospel in hard places

After listening, you’ll have a clearer, more nuanced understanding of what 1 Peter 3:1–7 is—and is not—teaching about marriage, authority, and submission. You’ll be better equipped to discern how to live faithfully in situations where power is uneven and treatment is unjust, how to honor God without enabling sin, and how both wives and husbands can reflect the character of Christ in the most intimate and vulnerable relationship of the home.

Series: 1Peter: Living as aliens and strangers

Be the first to know when it's out: What Jesus Taught by Krisan Marotta 

In my new book, I gather Jesus' teaching from all four Gospels and organize it by theme, so you can see what Jesus taught about God, himself, his followers and the kingdom, and how it all fits together. To follow the Teacher, you need to know what he taught.

In this episode, we turn to 1 Peter 2:11–25 to wrestle with a hard and very human question: how should believers respond when they are treated unfairly? Peter writes to men and women who are “sojourners and exiles,” calling them to resist selfish desires, live honorably before a watching world, and even submit in unjust situations—for the Lord’s sake and for the good of those who wrong them—following the pattern of Christ Himself. 

In this week’s episode, we explore:

• Peter’s core principle in verses 11–12: abstaining from desires that wage war against the soul while keeping conduct honorable among unbelievers so that our lives point them toward God
• What it means to live as “sojourners and exiles” whose true home and security lie in God’s kingdom rather than in present comfort or social approval
• The idea of the “day of visitation” and how God may use our faithful endurance in trials as a window of opportunity for others to see and respond to His grace
• Peter’s call to submit to every human institution—for the Lord’s sake—not because earthly rulers are always just, but because our conduct should silence false accusations and show that Christians care about justice and public good
• How to hold together Peter’s four commands in 2:17: honoring everyone, loving the brotherhood, fearing God, and honoring the emperor without confusing who finally deserves our deepest loyalty
• The situation of servants under unjust masters and why enduring unjust treatment “mindful of God” is described as commendable in His sight
• How Christ’s sufferings fulfill Isaiah 53: the innocent Servant who committed no sin, did not retaliate, and bore our sins in His body on the tree so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness
• Why Peter presents Jesus not only as our substitute but also as our example, calling us to a pattern of costly love that may become God’s means to rescue those who mistreat us
• The difference between passive resignation and active, trusting submission that seeks the eternal good of others while entrusting justice to “him who judges justly”
• How fixing our hope on the coming inheritance frees us to accept present losses, misunderstandings, and injustices without losing sight of God’s purposes

After listening, you’ll come away with a richer understanding of how the gospel shapes your response to unfair bosses, hostile authorities, and painful relationships. You’ll be invited to see your trials not only through the lens of personal hurt, but also as opportunities to reflect Christ, to love even your enemies, and to entrust your story to the Shepherd and Overseer of your soul, who will one day set all things right.

Series: 1Peter: Living as aliens and strangers

Be the first to know when it's out: What Jesus Taught by Krisan Marotta 

In my new book, I gather Jesus' teaching from all four Gospels and organize it by theme, so you can see what Jesus taught about God, himself, his followers and the kingdom, and how it all fits together. To follow the Teacher, you need to know what he taught.