They are not confident because of any personal perfection. So the confident hope of Christians is grounded in Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ alone. We should also note that this opening chapter of 1 Peter has quite a bit to say about hope. And in v 21 Peter reminds his readers that their faith and hope are set on God. Christian hope is focused on Christ s second coming, and it is a confident hope because grounded on His resurrection.
Human life is grim without mercy and hope.
A person who is not transformed by mercy will resort to almost anything to soften the pain of guilt and shame. Persons who do not know real mercy often struggle to control their anger and despair. In addition, many will desperately seek some powerful good within themselves, something that will generate enough self -admiration to quiet the inner voices that indict and condemn. But the real answer is new birth new birth wrought by God, new birth that forgives every sin through the sacrifice of Jesus, new birth that gives new life here and now and an eternal life in the life to come. Without hope life is drudgery, a painful process of getting from one day to the next.