1 PETER
2 letters in the NT bear Peter’s name. Let me briefly cover some of their social-historical background. Conservative scholars hold that the Apostle Peter wrote these letters, thus dating them to the mid—late sixties AD. Mainstream scholarship maintains that they’re pseudonymous (i.e.., written in the name of Peter by 1 of his followers/disciples), in which case, these letters are often dated much later: late 80s—mid 90s. The audience for 1 Peter was probably Gentile congregations in northwest Asia Minor near the Black Sea. The reason he wrote was to encourage these believers b/c they were beginning to experience intensified persecution by Roman officials. At this point in time Christians were not “officially” persecuted by the Empire, but it was happening more often in different locales.
1 way to outline 1 Peter is: introduction (1:1-12), call to holiness (1:13-2:10), relating to social institutions (2:11-4:11), Christian suffering (4:12-5:11), and concluding remarks (5:12-14).
To suffering Christians, Peter’s introduction must have greatly uplifted the deflated heart. He speaks of them as being chosen—elected, predestined, foreordained—by God to serve Christ (1 Pet 1:1-2). They are not suffering b/c they are bottom-feeders, or b/c God’s forgotten about them—quite the opposite: they are God’s chosen ones! Peter speaks of salvation in terms of being “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus” (1 Pet 1:3); in other words, while death might be nearby for some, Christianity is all about life: “born again”, “living hope”, and “resurrection.” Even though they suffer, God has actually been protecting them spiritually b/c through their trials their faith is being strengthened, and Christ is being honoured in/through their witness (1 Pet 1:5-9). Question: Can you think of a time when a trial strengthened your faith in God?
A proper understanding of our salvation leads to diligent moral action rather than inaction (1:13-2:12). In other words, we must strive to live holy lives b/c the God who chose us is holy (1 Pet 1:15), b/c Christ who saved us lived a holy life (1:19-20), and b/c our spirits have been born again upon the living word of God (1:22-25). The nitty-gritty of holy living for these Christians concerns several things (2:1-10). It involves holy attitudes—not walking in malice or deception—and holy speech: avoiding slander. It involves craving God’s word for personal/spiritual nourishment, and also coming together with other brothers/sisters to worship, and so, grow into the spiritual house of praise God desires.
How we live impacts the kind of witness we will have with unbelievers, particularly those in civic authority over us. Therefore, Christians need to live holy lives not just for the sake of other believers but for the sake of unbelievers (1 Pet 2:11-12; cf. Matt 5:16). God has called us to honour those in authority, and in doing so, we silence our critics, so to speak (1 Pet 2:13-17). God wants his servants to submit to their earthly masters, even when they are being unreasonable (2:18-20). Since some Christians had harsh taskmasters, such a command might seem unreasonable to obey. Questions: How would you apply this command to today’s workplace? The greatest example of submission is Jesus (1 Pet 2:21-23): he lived a perfectly holy life, yet was still persecuted (unto death!). Just as he didn’t try to retaliate against evil, so suffering Christians must never try to take the law into their own hands. Similarly, Peter tells the Christian wife to submit to her non-Christian husband b/c her holy behaviour will eventually make a deep, spiritual impact on him (3:1-7).
To prepare the way for his comments on Christian suffering, Peter returns to the example of Jesus. He says that b/c Jesus suffered in the flesh (1 Pet 4:1), i.e., in his Incarnation he suffered and died in order to bring us back to God (1 Pet 3:18), Christians must likewise arm themselves with the attitude to suffer in the flesh, but with a different goal: we suffer in flesh in order to conquer our illicit bodily lusts (4:2-4). Perhaps you could call this “sanctificational suffering.” How is this suffering? Think of it like working out: “no pain no gain.” Denying bodily desires demands immense willpower; in other words, “Just saying no” can be hard!
As Peter closes out his letter he focuses on the other type of Christian suffering: persecution (4:12-5:10). He says suffering is an integral part of Christianity: so don’t be surprised and don’t be ashamed (1 Pet 4:12-14). He also says to the sufferer that b/c God is faithful, you can keep on trusting him and keep on doing good deeds (1 Pet 4:19).
Peter tells the leaders to shepherd their suffering flock responsibly knowing that they will have to give an account to the Chief Shepherd (5:1-4). He says that believers should humble themselves in the midst of difficult circumstances, expecting God to exalt them at the proper time (5:5-6). He counsels them to be on the lookout for the devil, who uses suffering to separate members from the flock/herd (5:8). But 1 of the reasons Christians can resist the devil is b/c of the fellowship and the goal of suffering: whatever you’re going thru, someone else has already gone thru it successfully (1 Pet 5:9); and God’s ultimate goal in suffering is to “perfect” us (1 Pet 5:10): to make us more like Jesus!
Up next: Peter’s shorter letter . . .