Milo

2 Peter

INTRODUCTION
Peter’s first letter dealt with persecution from outsiders. This second letter concerns dangers within the church itself, from false teachers and those who fail to take the Scriptures seriously.
The great value of 2 Peter is found in the apostle’s call to resist false teaching by growth in godliness, while we await the promised return of Jesus Christ.

CHRISTIAN QUALITIES
2 Peter 1

“If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8).

It is more important to live the faith than to defend it.

Overview
God gives grace and peace through Christ (1:1–2). His gift of the divine nature (vv. 3–4) makes it possible for us to grow—which we must do (vv. 5–11). We remain confident because of the eyewitness testimony of the Apostles (vv. 12–18), and of God’s prophetic Word (vv. 19–21).

Understanding the Text
“Through the righteousness of our God” 2 Peter 1:1. Usually we think of being saved by God’s grace. Peter, like Paul in Romans 1, invites us to think of salvation in light of the righteousness of God.
Saving us was the right thing for God to do, not because He was obligated to us, but because He was true to Himself in expressing saving love. But God had to save us in the right way. There could be no cheap redemption. So God paid the price to set us free and give us new life. We can thank the fact that God is righteous as well as the fact that He is gracious for the salvation we now enjoy.
This is a good thing for us to remember. There are times when we want to do the right thing, but may draw back from paying the price. Remembering what God has done for us may free us to act righteously toward others.

“Grace and peace . . . in abundance” 2 Peter 1:2. When Peter expressed this desire he specified the source: grace and peace come “through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” Peter didn’t mean knowing about God. The Greek word indicates “full knowledge”: a knowledge of God personally, experientially. Staying close to the Lord brings each of us grace and peace.

“Everything we need for life and godliness” 2 Peter 1:3–4. Through believing the promise of the Gospel, God implants His own divine nature in us, and we experience a flood of spiritual power. In knowing Christ, we have everything we need to “escape the corruption in the world” that is caused by “evil desires.”
The one thing a Christian is not is powerless. But we may not realize the nature of God’s power, or why it is given to us. We are not given power to succeed in business, or power to become popular. We are given power to live godly lives.
If you and I concentrate on living godly lives, we will find we have power aplenty.

“Make every effort” 2 Peter 1:5–9. God provides the power that enables us to live a victorious Christian life. But you and I must make every effort.
We have an exercise bicycle in our family room. It’s not for me—I only enjoy competitive exercise, like tennis or basketball. It belongs to Sue. And that exercise bike really helps. It helps her build stamina, and slims her thighs. But it does no good at all unless she puts in her daily effort.
Our relationship with God is something like this. The resource we need is always there for us. But to profit from what God has provided, you and I have to put in the effort.

“Add to your faith” 2 Peter 1:5–8. The word translated “add” means to make abundant provision for. Making every effort to live a Christian life means we begin with faith—but we do not stop there. We go on, and concentrate on developing the following Christian virtues:
Goodness. The Greek word is arete, not one of the more familiar words, rendered “good.” Arete is usually translated excellence. It refers to the full development of our potential; to achievement in a chosen sphere of action. We are called to excel as Christians, not to live “average” lives.
Knowledge. The knowledge that we add to faith is a knowledge of God’s will. The “superior knowledge” claimed by the false teachers Peter was about to discuss was empty and meaningless. What counts is understanding what God wants from us, and doing it.
Self-control. In Scripture this virtue is contrasted to excesses—to greed, to surrender to sexual passions. The Christian who understands the will of God is to discipline himself or herself to do it.
Perseverance. The word in Scripture suggests a distinctive view of time. The Christian takes the long view, and realizes that God does not work by man’s timetable. However discouraging the circumstances, the Christian is able to keep on, faithfully doing the Lord’s will.
Godliness. This Greek word for piety suggests a constant awareness of God and a commitment to doing things that are appropriate to one devoted to Him.
Brotherly kindness and love. The two words denote affection, and self-sacrifice. We learn to care about others and their welfare. And we are willing to help them, even at personal cost.
These qualities “in increasing measure” will keep us from being “ineffective and unproductive.”

“If anyone does not have them” 2 Peter 1:9. My daughter, Joy, now 28, was brain damaged at birth. She has developed into a tall, attractive girl, physically. But mentally she’ll never grow beyond a first or second-grade level. All her life she will have to be cared for in a community like the one she now lives in, in Arizona.
Some Christians are like Joy. They remain “ineffective and unproductive.” The placental separation that left my daughter without oxygen near the moment of birth, and damaged her irreparably, was a tragedy that only eternity will undo. But how much greater a tragedy it is when Christians, who have the potential to become mature, continue in spiritual babyhood.
You and I don’t need to remain in spiritual infancy. All we need to do is to “make every effort” to live the quality Christian life Peter described.

“Make your calling and election sure” 2 Peter 1:10–11. The Emperor Trajan instructed governor Pliny to give Christians a chance to repent. If they denied Christ, and burned incense to statues of the ancient Roman gods, they were to go free.
In the early centuries of Christianity some did associate with the new faith only for a time, and then wandered away. Others denied the faith under persecution. Just associating with Christians, and even calling oneself a Christian, was no guarantee a person was one of the elect.
Even though the whole notion of election remains a mystery, there is a way you and I can make sure we are numbered among God’s chosen people. That is to “do these things” that Peter has described. As we grow in grace, and in effectiveness as Christians, we “will never fall,” and will “receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom” of Jesus.

DEVOTIONAL
Make Sure
(2 Peter 1:12–21)
Before you toss an anchor overboard, you’d better make sure of two things. Is the rope secured to the anchor? And is the other end of the line secured to your boat?
Peter’s first chapter is something like this. His first 11 verses encourage us to make sure that our own lives are tightly entwined with Christian faith. And then verses 12 through 21 remind us how trustworthy the faith itself is.
Peter himself had no doubts at all. He spent years with Jesus. He was one of the “eyewitnesses of His majesty” when that was displayed on the Mount of Transfiguration (vv. 16–18). Even more, the words of the ancient prophets of Israel are in harmony with the vision of Jesus glorified (v. 19). Together the ancient words, given by God Himself, and the Transformation event, are irrefutable proof that a new day will dawn. Jesus will return for us, and all our hopes and dreams will surely be fulfilled.

Personal Application
There is more reason to doubt that dawn will come tomorrow than to question Jesus’ return.

Quotable
People: Lamb of God, holy Lord God, hear our prayer of need; have mercy on us.
Leader: From the sin of not believing in you,
From all sins of flesh and spirit,
From all self-righteousness,
From all lukewarmness and drunkenness,
From all indifference to your wounds and death.
People: Defend us, dear Lord God. There is nothing in us but poverty. By your blood, death, and suffering give us a warm, completely submissive heart.
Leader: O Immanuel, Savior of the World
People: Make yourself known to us!
Leader: By your holy incarnation and birth
People: Make us love our humanity!
Leader: By your poverty and servanthood,
People: Teach us to be lowly in this world!
Leader: By your correct understanding of the Scripture
People: Make firm the word of truth in us.
-Nickolaus von Zinzendorf

LIFE IN GOD’S WILL
1 Peter 4–5

“Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ” (1 Peter 4:12–13).

There is meaning in the suffering of the Christian.

Overview
Live for the will of God (4:1–6). Love and serve each other (vv. 7–11), and find joy in suffering as a Christian (vv. 12–19). Elders are to shepherd God’s flock (5:1–4). All are to be humble and self-controlled (vv. 5–9), and look confidently to God (vv. 10–14).

Understanding the Text
“They think it strange that you do not plunge into the same flood of dissipation” 1 Peter 4:1–6. “But what do you do for fun?” is something we Christians hear quite often. At school teens ridicule Christian young people for not being involved in drinking and premarital sex. Coworkers can’t understand why we don’t stop off at the local bar after work to get drunk on Friday night. Manufacturers shout “censorship!” when Christians band together and pledge not to purchase products advertised on TV programs that exploit sex and violence. Just the other day I heard a radio ad for a TV daytime soap, which promised to provide “all of the sin, and none of the guilt” that listeners desire!
And yet so many non-Christians quite sincerely ask, “What do you do for fun?” They think it strange that we don’t plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation. And, as Peter warned, they do more. They “heap abuse on you.”
When that happens, remember that the world remains the same. But you are different. Adopt Christ’s attitude and determine to be done with sin. No matter what the cost.

“They will have to give account” 1 Peter 4:5–6. Peter described Christ preaching through the Spirit to the “spirits in prison” who “disobeyed long ago” in the days of Noah (3:19–20). Genesis tells us that it took Noah 120 years to build the ark. All during that time the curious gathered, and Christ, speaking through Noah, preached to them. They paid no attention, however, and when the great Flood came, only Noah and his family entered the ark and were carried to safety.
Today too the Gospel is being preached “to those who are now [spiritually] dead.” Their very failure to hear and respond demonstrates that God is right to judge and to condemn them.
The heart that is open to God will respond to the Gospel. Failure to trust in Jesus is evidence of a hardened heart, and of divine judgment to come.

“Above all, love each other deeply” 1 Peter 4:7–10. The more hostile the world is to us, the greater our need for support and encouragement. The antagonism of outsiders has the effect of bringing us closer and closer to others who think and feel as we do.
Peter pictured the Christian community as a close, warm, and supportive fellowship, where we can find encouragement and strength to get on with life in the grim outside world. While we may not appreciate the importance of Christian fellowship until persecution or suffering comes, support from other believers is important at all times. We need each other’s love to reassure us of our worth and of God’s forgiveness. We need each other’s gifts to help us grow. And we need to exercise our gifts in ministry to others.
If you are missing the warmth of fellowship with other Christians, you lack something essential to your growth and well-being.

“Do it with the strength God provides” 1 Peter 4:11. It’s not easy, this living by “the will of God” (v. 2). When Pete’s mother called Marti, and asked her to come over, Marti hesitated. At the Bible study that week Pete’s mom had stayed behind and talked to her, pouring out the pain caused by her husband, who said he wanted to stay married but insisted on keeping a mistress too. The talk had helped. But now Pete’s mom was feeling desperate again, and wanted Marti to come over to talk and pray with her.
Marti put down the phone. She wanted to help. But she was afraid to go too. She had always been like that: honestly wanting to help, but fearful of taking any initiative. Like the time she’d taught the women’s Bible study. Afterward she was asked to teach again and again. But she never would do it. She wanted to. But the thought of taking responsibility made her anxious and upset.
We may feel fearful when opportunities to minister come. But we can’t make Marti’s choice, and draw back. We have to “do it with the strength God provides.”
That verse is not only a challenge, but also a promise. When you and I do step out to minister, God will provide the strength we need.
Don’t expect the strength while you’re standing there, struggling to decide. Decide to do God’s will, and expect the strength to be provided when you need it.

“Not lording it over those entrusted to you” 1 Peter 5:1–4. Leaders are servants, not masters. This New Testament theme is reaffirmed here, with a word about leaders’ motives. Leaders must want to serve; indeed, they must be willing, and even “eager to serve.” People have many different motives for wanting to be leaders. But a passionate desire to serve others is a basic qualification for Christian leadership.

“Humble yourselves” 1 Peter 5:5–6. Here as earlier in this letter submission is viewed as a virtue. But never mistake either submission or humility as a weakness. Only the truly strong can control their natural desire to dominate rather than to submit; to appear powerful rather than pliant.

“Cast all your anxiety on Him” 1 Peter 5:7. Old and New Testaments both have much to say about anxiety. But this brief verse effectively sums it all up. Let God worry about you, because after all, He does care for you.
If you and I know that God is watching out for us, we have nothing left to worry about, and can get on with the business of living by the will of God.

“After you have suffered a little while” 1 Peter 5:10–11. It’s hard not to be anxious when we’re suffering. Leaving everything to God then seems difficult indeed. But Peter has a promise that will help. Suffering lasts only for a little while. God will restore you, and make you strong. And in His time will call you up to heaven to share in His own eternal glory. Whatever today’s pain, we have the promise of strength, and the prospect of glory—forever.

DEVOTIONAL
We Share
(1 Peter 4:12–19)
Remember the story of the little red hen? She wanted to bake bread, but none of the barnyard animals would help. So she did it herself. Of course, when the bread was baked, they all gathered around wanting a piece. But the little red hen ate it all herself.
The children’s story is a commentary on human rather than animal nature. We’re not enthusiastic about the work. But we sure like to reap the benefits!
In a way, this is true of Christians. We tend to look foward to heaven, and plan to enjoy eternity there. But we’re not too wild about experiencing any suffering down here. Yet Peter reminds us that suffering and glory are bound together inseparably. It was Jesus’ total dedication to doing the will of God, even though that will led Him to Calvary, that vaulted Him to glory. The Resurrection was made possible by the Cross.
So Peter tells us not to be surprised if we too suffer painful things. Suffering isn’t strange. It’s natural for the person who participates in Christ’s suffering. Jesus’ commitment to do God’s will brought Him into conflict with this world. If we share that commitment, we will come into conflict with the world and suffer too.
You and I aren’t to go out of our way to find suffering. We are simply to commit ourselves fully to God, and continue to do good. Then, if suffering comes, we can praise God indeed! Suffering as Christians, and for Christ, will mean glory for us when His glory is fully revealed.

Personal Application
Bearing Christ’s name may mean carrying His cross.

Quotable
“The worst part of martyrdom is not the last agonizing moment; it is the wearing, daily steadfastness. Men who can make up their minds to hold out against the torture of an hour have sunk under the weariness and the harassment of small prolonged vexations. There are many a Christian bereaved and stricken in the best hopes of life. For such a one to say quietly, ‘Father, not as I will, but as Thou wilt,’ is to be a martyr.”—F.W. Robertson

GOD LIVES
1 Peter 2–3

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us” (1 Peter 2:12).
Christ is our model, who suffered for doing good.

Overview
Peter encouraged growth (2:1–3) in view of the believers’ calling as God’s chosen and holy people (vv. 4–10). Believers are to live good lives (vv. 11–12), and to submit to civil authorities (vv. 13–17), and masters (vv. 18–19), even when this involves suffering as Christ suffered (vv. 20–25).
Submission is appropriate in the home (3:1–7), and in the church (vv. 8–9). If a person should suffer for doing good, he should remember Christ’s suffering (vv. 10–18) which led to our salvation (vv. 19–22).

Understanding the Text
“Crave pure spiritual milk” 1 Peter 2:1–3. In chapter 1 Peter reminded us that we have been born again and given God’s own heredity. That first taste of grace should inspire us to grow! Our religious experience does not end when we are saved. It begins.

“Rejected by men but chosen by God and precious” 1 Peter 2:4–8. The values of God and of sinful man are in constant conflict. Pagan writers of the first centuries of our era, when they did mention Christ, scoffed at Him and His followers. Modern pagans have a similar attitude, though the name of Jesus is at least familiar. But to those of us who believe, the name of Jesus is precious.
These opposite reactions to Jesus have implications for what Peter was about to say concerning submission and suffering. The pagan, who disobeys the message of Jesus, will never sense the wisdom of submission, or the praiseworthiness of suffering. Only our faith in Jesus, with complete acceptance of the values affirmed by God, enables us to choose the path that Jesus Himself trod.

In ancient times the cornerstone was the anchor of a building’s foundation. Psalm 118:22 and Isaiah 28:16 which refer to cornerstones were understood by Israel’s rabbis to have messianic implications, and are applied to Jesus in the Gospels (Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17), by Paul (Rom. 9:33; Eph. 2:20) and by Peter. Jesus is the foundation of our faith, and also of the church in which believers are living stones (1 Peter 2:4–7).

“A chosen people, a royal priesthood” 1 Peter 2:9–10. It is only right that we choose to live by God’s values, for He has chosen us. In the Old Testament, priests officiated at sacrifices and led the worship of God. In first-century Roman culture, pagan priests also led worshipers in offering sacrifices and praises to the gods. In both contexts, it was considered a high honor to serve as a priest. So the imagery of a Christian royal priesthood was clear, and powerful. We who because of sin were not even a people of God have been called out of darkness, and given the highest position of all!
It is only appropriate then that we serve as priests, and “declare the praises” of Him who called us from darkness to light.

“Abstain from sinful desires” 1 Peter 2:11. Peter devoted the rest of this chapter and the beginning of the next to explaining how you and I “declare the praises” of God. Essentially, we declare God’s praises more by the way we live than by what we say.
The first declaration of praise Peter mentioned was to “abstain from sinful desires.” A better rendering suggests the Christian is to make a clean break with the “natural impulses” which dominated us in the past. The adjective sarkikon found in this Greek phrase suggests that the impulses Peter had in mind are not impulses to gross sin so much as every person’s natural inclination to preserve self and his material well-being. Peter warned that concern for the things of this world “war against your soul.” The more we care about the material universe, the less we will care about the spiritual. The things of this life are to be of slight value to the Christian, whose hopes are fixed on Christ’s return.

“Live such good lives among the pagans” 1 Peter 2:12. Freedom from care about those things which quite naturally concern pagans does not mean withdrawal from the world. Instead it means freedom to live good lives here and now. We can understand why. If you are primarily concerned about making your commission on a sale, you won’t consider whether or not you treat your customer fairly. But if you are freed from “sinful desires,” you will make your decisions solely on the basis of what is right and good.
Freed by our concern to please God only, we will be able to live such good lives that even those who slander us will be forced to acknowledge God’s work in our lives, and thus glorify God when Jesus returns. “Every man has his price.” Peter said that integrity is priceless—and Christians are to have it!

“Submit . . . to every authority instituted among men” 1 Peter 2:13–17. Early Christians were at times criticized as misfits who hated society, because they did not take part in worship at social events honoring the Emperor or state deities. Yet even pagan writers who mention early Christians confess that they were not rabble-rousers or political revolutionaries. In fact, the earliest description of Christians by Roman authorities reports an investigation which found that in Christian meetings they bound themselves by oath to live good lives, to pray for the Emperor, and to obey the authorities.
A life of submission to authorities will not prevent you from being slandered as a lawbreaker. But using your freedom to live as God’s servant in human society will win you, and God, praise forevermore.

“Not only to those who are good and considerate” 1 Peter 2:18–21. It’s easy to submit in a nation where laws are basically fair and rulers are honest men. Submission becomes difficult, however, when you are treated unfairly.
Yet Christians are called to submit even when treated unfairly. This is one of those areas of direct conflict: our “natural tendency” to shout out against submitting.
Peter remained adamant. The believer is to submit and bear “up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.” Jesus walked the way of submission, and we are to follow in His steps.
Being a Christian is more challenging than it might seem. We discard the values of our society to adopt values that conflict with those things that come most naturally to us.

“He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly” 1 Peter 2:22–25. Unfair treatment is most frustrating when we can’t do anything about it. If we can take it to court—even “The People’s Court” on TV—we may not win, but at least we will have done something. We will have tried to strike back.
But Peter called for submission even when we are treated unfairly. The slave with a harsh master isn’t to run away, or land an uppercut to the master’s jaw. He or she is simply to endure, and keep on doing what is good and right. It’s fine to say this “is commendable before God” (v. 20). But that doesn’t relieve the frustration of our helplessness.
Yet there is one thing we can do. And Peter tells us what. We can do what Jesus did when He suffered unjustly. Jesus didn’t retaliate, or hurl insults back at those who insulted Him. What Jesus did was to entrust “Himself to Him who judges justly.”
What a release this is. To simply trust ourselves to God, to remember that He judges justly, and leave our case in His hands.
Was Jesus wise to do so? Yes, for out of the innocent suffering of the Saviour God worked our salvation. The suffering of Jesus was not meaningless; it was permitted that through it good might come. If we but commit ourselves into God’s hands, we can be sure that not only justice will be done for us, but also that our suffering will serve the cause of grace.

“Your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit” 1 Peter 3:1–6. The principle of submission, as a willingness to respond to others, applies in marriage as well as social and public life. Peter’s call for wives to submit is not demeaning. He had uttered the same call to all believers, and shown that submission was the road chosen by Jesus. What Peter asked, and what the wise man will value, is the beautiful attitude of a woman willing to be responsive to her husband. Outward appearance fades. Inner beauty increases with the years.

“So that nothing will hinder your prayers” 1 Peter 3:7. A man with a responsive wife is greatly blessed—and responsible! Failure to be considerate and treat one’s wife with respect, as a partner, blocks God’s answers to our prayers.

“This water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also” 1 Peter 3:19–22. These verses have troubled Christians as much as any in the New Testament.
But all Peter was doing was drawing an analogy between the experience of Noah in the great Flood (Gen. 6–8), and the experience of the Christian. The floodwaters of judgment in that ancient day purged the old world of sin, and deposited Noah and his family on a fresh, new earth. This is like the baptism by which the Christian is united to Jesus (cf. 1 Cor. 12:13). In the judgment that Jesus experienced for us on the cross, all that was corrupt in us was cleansed. And in Jesus’ resurrection, we were carried with Him into a new world. In the old world, Peter said, we lived our earthly life “for evil human desires” (1 Peter 4:2). Now, carried through the judgment in Christ, our ark of safety, we are to live the rest of our lives on earth for the will of God.
What an image of the Christian’s experience. After our conversion we look around us, and realize that while the world remains the same, we ourselves are fresh and new! And we are called to live in newness of life!

DEVOTIONAL
When Bad Things Happen to Good People
(1 Peter 3:8–18)
The popular book with this title can be summed up in just a few words. Don’t blame God. He’s upset about it too!
Peter had a much more satisfying answer for us. He reminds us that God’s eyes are on the righteous, so that in the normal course of affairs good things do happen to good people (vv. 8–13). But there are unusual cases when you do good, and suffer for it (v. 14). What’s surprising is Peter’s statement that if this happens to you, “you are blessed.”
Before Peter explained, he told us how to react if something bad happens to us if we have been doing good (vv. 14b-17). Peter said: (1) don’t be terrified or frightened; (2) remember that Jesus is Lord, and thus sovereign over all circumstances; (3) be ready to explain your positive outlook to those who are shocked you haven’t crumbled; (4) keep a clear conscience; and (5) remember that if God chooses to let you suffer, it’s much better to suffer for something you didn’t do than to suffer for committing some sin!
It’s nice to know how to react when something bad happens to us. But it doesn’t explain why bad things happen. So Peter gave an answer; a reason why if this happens to you, “you are blessed.” Peter reminds us that Jesus suffered innocently too. The evil men who deserved punishment unjustly caused Christ’s death, and He suffered instead of them. Surely this is the greatest injustice, the clearest example of bad things happening to someone good, that history has ever known. And yet all this happened according to God’s will. And through the injustice of Christ’s suffering, our Lord brought us to God (v. 18).
Our amazingly wonderful and gracious God turned injustice into a means of grace and of blessing for all mankind.
This is God’s Word to you and me when we suffer unjustly. The Lord hasn’t forgotten or forsaken us. When bad things happen to God’s good people we can be certain that He is personally involved! And we can be sure that out of the evil God will bring some very real good.

Personal Application
Remember: bad things happen to good people that through suffering blessing may come.

Quotable
“O God, give us patience when the wicked hurt us. O how impatient and angry we are when we think ourselves unjustly slandered, reviled and hurt! Christ suffers strokes upon His cheek, the innocent for the guilty; yet we may not abide one rough word for His sake. O Lord, grant us virtue and patience, power and strength, that we may take all adversity with good will, and with a gentle mind overcome it. And if necessity and Your honour require us to speak, grant that we may do so with meekness and patience, that the truth and Your glory may be defended, and our patience and steadfast countinuance perceived.”—Miles Coverdale

1 Peter

INTRODUCTION
First Peter was written by the Apostle Peter from Rome, in the early A.D. 60s, to Christians in northern Asia Minor. This is a pastoral letter, written to encourage Christians who were already suffering persecution to live godly lives marked by submission and good works. Jesus is prominent in 1 Peter as our example of innocent suffering, and as the one whose resurrection to glory confirms our own hope. This powerful letter continues to inspire believers who suffer persecution for our common faith.

SAVED FOR HOLINESS
1 Peter 1

“Just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, ‘Be holy, because I am holy”’ (1 Peter 1:15).

After all, children are expected to resemble parents.

Biography: Peter
Peter was the acknowledged leader of the 12 disciples during Jesus’ life on earth. He continued in that role in the earliest days of the church. We know more of Paul’s later ministry: Paul’s mission work is reported by Luke in the Book of Acts, and Paul contributed some 13 letters to our New Testament. Yet Peter continued to be a driving force in the Christian movement. Early tradition tells us that Mark was the “interpreter of Peter,” and two of Peter’s circulating letters of instruction are found in the New Testament. A firm tradition reports that Peter and Paul both died in Rome in the lateA.D 60s, victims of an outburst of persecution.

Overview
After a brief greeting (1:1–2), Peter praised God for the salvation of those who now suffered persecution (vv. 3–12). He urged them to remember the price of redemption and to live holy lives (vv. 13–25).

Understanding the Text
“Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” 1 Peter 1:1–2. By all accounts the first Christians in the Roman Empire were drawn from the lower, powerless classes. They were vulnerable to persecution; indeed, within 50 years of the writing of this letter Pliny, a Roman governor of Bythinia and Pontus, would summarily execute believers for merely admitting they were Christians! How vital then this greeting, which reminded the Christians of Asia Minor that they were “God’s elect.”
It makes little difference how people in our society view Christians. What counts is that we have worth and value in God’s sight.
Remember that the Father chose you, the Spirit set you apart, and the Son cleansed you with His own blood. These reminders of God’s love can comfort and support when any suffering comes.

“Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” 1 Peter 1:3–4. In the first century many lower class citizens banded together in small associations or clubs, generally of some 50 to 200 members. The clubs provided an opportunity to socialize and a chance to gain recognition by holding office. Perhaps most important, club dues were used to meet burial expenses of members who died. Thus membership in a first-century hataeria offered benefits to its members in this life.
How different the church, the ecclesia! In God’s great mercy He instilled life and hope into Christian believers, promising us life after death through Jesus’ resurrection from the dead! The pagan club stored up treasure so funds would be available to bury its members. God stores up an eternal treasure that we inherit beyond death—and enjoy forevermore.
When suffering comes to us, as it surely must, what a joy to look ahead! For us, death is not an end, but a new beginning.

“Shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation” 1 Peter 1:5. Notice the double lock God has provided to ensure our future? He guards the treasures laid up for us by preserving them in heaven. And He guards us, by preserving us here on earth. Faith in Christ is the guarantee that God will keep us as His own till Christ comes back to take possession of us.

“You may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” 1 Peter 1:6–9. Peter was particularly sensitive to the suffering Christians in many parts of the empire were already beginning to experience. In this brief letter pascho, the basic Greek word for suffering, is used 12 times. And several other Greek synonyms are also found. Peter hurt with the sufferers. But he also had words of encouragement for them—words that encourage us as well.
First, our suffering on earth is “for a little while.” Even years, which seem so long to us, are less than an instant when compared to eternity.
Second, trials have great value in proving faith genuine. When Pliny questioned Christians, he released any who denied the faith by burning incense to statues of pagan gods. The “faith” of some has proven to be unreal under much less pressure. Yet the faith of millions more has proven real despite intense suffering, and this brings God “praise, glory and honor.”
Third, trials give us a unique opportunity to experience our own salvation. When we take our stand for Jesus, we find ourselves “filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” despite suffering and pain. This joy, a gift of the Holy Spirit, is evidence within that we are “receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Those who suffer for Jesus’ sake, and who remain true to Him, find an inner certainty that God is real, and that they are saved!

“The sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow” 1 Peter 1:10–12. We Christians believe that glory follows and grows out of suffering. In the Old Testament era the prophets foresaw both the suffering and the glory of God’s promised Messiah. But the “time and circumstances” involved remained a mystery.
The death and resurrection of Jesus resolved that mystery once and for all. Today we know that Christ came to suffer for us, returned to heaven, and that He will come again in glory. The “time” is suffering first, glory later.
This is also true for you and me. Suffering precedes glory. So if suffering comes, you and I can look beyond it and rejoice in what we know will follow.
Christ’s coming even clarified the “circumstances.” Suffering is to be expected as we live our lives on earth. And glory is to be expected when Jesus returns.
There is much in Old Testament prophecy that remains a mystery. But the link between suffering and glory, with the “time” and “circumstances,” are revealed to us in Christ. Because we now understand them, we can’t be devastated by suffering, as though something strange were happening to us. Instead we look beyond our suffering, and take comfort in the glory that will be ours when Jesus comes.

“Prepare your minds for action” 1 Peter 1:13–16. Knowing the pattern of suffering followed later by glory, you and I prepare to live godly lives. Peter tells us to get ready, to be self-controlled, to be obedient children, to be “holy in all you do.” And he tells us one more vital thing. “Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
So often we “set our hope” on some near, immediate grace. “Lord, I’d like this new job.” “Lord, heal my illness.” “Lord, if only You’ll let us get this home of our own.” “Father, I know this marriage is just what I need to make me happy!” We may indeed get what we ask and hope for in this life. But any earthly prospect can disappoint, and every earthly possession be torn from our grasp. Only when we set our hope “fully” on the grace that will be ours when Jesus comes will we be immune to life’s losses.

“Live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear” 1 Peter 1:17. When you and I take God seriously, we realize how fleeting our life on earth is. We enjoy God’s good gifts. We feel the pain of our losses and our reverses of fortune. But somehow we’re always aware that we are strangers here. We don’t quite belong. And we yearn for home.
This may be one of the most important values of suffering. If life on earth were a constant joy, why would we fix our hope fully on the grace to be brought to us at Jesus’ return? If life on earth were without difficulty, how would we remain sensitive to our need for God? If life on earth were without trials or persecution, how would we be forced to choose between commitment to Christ and comfort or ease?
As Peter said, suffering does have value. It reveals the genuineness of our faith, and so brings praise to the Lord. And our experience of unexplained joy in our suffering assures us. We “are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (v. 9).

DEVOTIONAL
Born Again
(1 Peter 1:17–25)
Jesus said it first: “You must be born again” (John 3:7). But Peter may give us the best explanation of the impact of being born again found in Scripture. In a brief, forceful passage he spoke of the cost of our new life, of its nature, and of the difference it makes.
The cost is “the precious blood of Christ,” the price paid that we might have new life. By nature our new life is imperishable. And the difference it makes is as great as the difference between night and day.
J.B. Phillips helps us understand the nature of our new life in his paraphrase of 1 Peter 1:23: “God has given us His own indestructible heredity.” Our new life is God’s own life, fused permanently to our human personality. All flesh is like grass, perishable. Our new life from God is permanent, a source of endless existence and spiritual vitality.
You and I can’t have God’s life within us and be unchanged. Peter spoke of the difference as a purifying one. In obeying the truth (a phrase that simply means, in responding with faith to the Gospel message) we have “purified” ourselves. The old, selfish motives and desires that once ruled us no longer are our master. They have been replaced by that quality which most clearly revealed the heart of God Himself: love. Now, being born again “so that you have a sincere love for your brothers” we go on to “love one another deeply, from the heart.”
Have you ever wondered if you really are born again? If you have God’s heredity, you will begin to be like your Heavenly Father. And the mark of our family resemblance to Him is our growing capacity to love.

Personal Application
Do those who know you see the family resemblance to God?

Quotable
“By brothers, Christ made love the stairway that would enable all Christians to climb to heaven. Hold fast to it, therefore, in all sincerity, give one another practical proof of it, and by your progress in it, make your ascent together.”—Fulgentius of Ruspe