This letter was written because of the great oppression and persecution from friends, family, and community members, which these believers lived under. It was a letter of encouragement, HOPE, and exhortation that despite the horrors they were enduring, they had chosen not just the better path, but the best path. They followed the one–Jesus–who is incomparable and greater than all. Therefore the thought of returning to religion, to a system that was dead and dying, in an attempt to end the pain was beyond foolish despite its physical and practical benefits. There is so much HOPE in knowing that many had walked this same path through the valley of the shadow of death, and had decided that it was worth it to know Jesus and the fellowship of His suffering so they might live in the power of His resurrection.
