At the conclusion of his first epistle, the Apostle Peter says that he has “written briefly,” “exhorting and declaring that his is the true grace of God” (1 Pet. 5:12). He then concludes with this brief exhortation: “Stand firm in it!”

All of us regularly encounter countless obstacles and opposition and temptations and excuses and seemingly reasonable grounds for compromise or that would appear to justify backing off from the grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Peter knew this. But his words are pointed, and we need to hear and heed them. Don’t give in. Stand firm in these truths.

It’s as if Peter is saying, “What I have written to you will not be popular in the prevailing culture. You will be portrayed as out of step with the times or as naïve or as a person who simply lacks the discernment to know how society has changed. You will be tempted to soft-pedal some of these truths lest your church attendance dwindles or your unyielding stance on difficult issues drives away those who would otherwise donate large sums of money. But you must stand firm in it!”

The pressure to keep pace with the mega-church will be intense. But never forget: this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!

Public opinion polls and the latest Barna research statistics may portray you as out of touch with recent trends and insensitive to the felt needs of your community. But remember this: as much as culture and taste and social fashion may change and morph and reverse course, this that I have written to you is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!

What is the true grace of God?

The marvelous truth of God’s “great mercy” (1:3) which accounts for our having been born again to a living hope. Stand firm in your belief and defense and proclamation of it!

The glorious truth that God is keeping us safe in our salvation through faith (1:5). Stand firm in it!

The majestic truth that trials and hardship are not signs of God’s displeasure or his rejection of us but his loving and gracious determination to purify and refine our faith (1:6-7). Stand firm in it!

The breathtaking truth that you have been called to be holy as God is holy (1:16), as much as that may expose you to ridicule and mockery. Stand firm in it!

The unfathomable truth that you have been ransomed by the precious blood of Christ (1:18-20). Stand firm in it!

The stunning truth that it is through the preaching of the Word of God that you have been born again (1:23-25). Stand firm in it!

The remarkable truth that you, the people of God, are the true temple in which God dwells, that you, the church, are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession (2:4-10). Stand firm in it!

The counter-cultural, counter-intuitive truth that Christ “bore our sins” in his body on the cross (2:24) and suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous (3:18), that is to say, the controversial but unshakeable truth that in his death Jesus Christ suffered and satisfied the wrath of God in your place, serving as a penal substitutionary sacrifice for sins. Stand firm in it!

This is the true, genuine, authentic, eternal, unchanging, immutable, incomprehensible, soul-saving, Christ-exalting, sin-killing grace of God. These truths never change. Cultures come and go. But these truths never change. Nations rise and nations fall. But this is the true grace of God and it never changes.

Stand firm in it!