Participation in the right religion, being a member of the correct cult, was a key ingredient in the first century's recipe for success. Well-timed sacrifices to the proper deity ensured benevolence and blessing for the believer.

Secret Gnostic sects relied on special "gnosis" ("knowledge") to give them a boost up in life. Conversely, displeasing the gods, disregarding their whims, disobeying their directives, invited disaster and destruction into one's life. Even within Judaism the hardships endured by the Israelites were overwhelmingly understood as the direct result of their disobedience to God.

In the last quarter of the first century, when the text of 1 Peter was being written, Christians were being subjected to terrible atrocities. After the fires that consumed much of Rome in 54 CE…