First Epistle of Peter - Introduction and Chapter One
INTRODUCTION
The following is taken from the NKJV Personal Study Edition,
Nelson Publishers, 1990, 1995.
The name of Simon Peter is mentioned in the New Testament
more than any of the other disciples, and even more than the name
of the apostle Paul. This letter is the first of two epistles in
the Bible that bear Peter's name.
AUTHOR AND DATE
Some scholars have doubted that Peter wrote this letter.
They claim that the good style and extensive literary vocabulary
of the author could not have come from a Galilean fisherman.
Nevertheless, there are strong reasons for believing
that Peter is the author. The epistle contains references to
events in Jesus' life and to His words. Scholars have also
pointed out similarities between 1 Peter and Peter's speeches in
Acts.....
Peter's scribe, Sylvanus (5:12), may have been responsible
for much of the style and vocabulary. He probably applied his
editorial skills to convey the message, personality, and
apostolic authority of Peter the apostle.
It is natural to identify Peter's scribe with the Silvanus
of Paul's letters (2 Cor.1:19; 1 Thess.1:1; 2 Thess.1:1).
Silvanus is the Latin and Silos the Greek form of the same
Aramaic name. He is probably the same person as the Silas who
accompanied Paul in Acts 15-18.
First Peter was probably written shortly before the
beginning of Nero's persecution of Christians at Rome m A.D.63 or
64.....
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The Christians who received this letter lived in Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (1:1), regions located in
what is today Turkey or Asia Minor. Paul founded churches in
Galatia and Asia. However, it is possible that those addressed in
this letter lived in the northern part of Turkey or Asia Minor
and were never visited by him.
Our knowledge of these Christians is limited. Many of them
seem to have been Gentiles (see 1:18; 2:10). It appears that they
were facing persecution from non-Christians around them and
perhaps also from government officials. This epistle was written
primarily to bring them a message of hope and encouragement under
such persecution. Much of it reads like a sermon written to
remind Christians of their conversion, the privileges they have
in Christ, and the holy lives they are to live.
CONTENTS
Peter thanks God for the plan of salvation which has become
a reality in the lives of his readers (1:3-12). He exhorts them
to live holy lives (a prominent theme of the epistle), to love,
and to desire God's word (1:13-2:3). They are part of the living
temple of God founded on Christ (2:4-10).
Peter tells them how Christians should conduct themselves in
various social relationships (2:11-3:12). In every situation they
should return good for evil.
He has much to say about the sufferings of Christians and of
Christ (3:13-4:19). Christ's suffering is an example of what His
followers may well face because they do what is right; it is also
the means by which they are delivered from sin. If they continue
to follow Him, there is a sure hope of final triumph.
Peter concludes with instructions to church leaders, as well
as to Christians in general, and gives final greetings (5:1-14).
OUTLINE OF 1 PETER
1. Salutation 1:1,2
2. The Christian's sure hope 1:3-12
A. Peter gives thanks for salvation 1:3-5
B. Christians rejoice in redemption 1:6-9
C. The prophets foresaw this salvation 1:10-12
3. Christian conduct 1:13-2:10
A. Be holy 1:13-21
1. Because God is holy 1:13-16
2. Because Christ has redeemed you 1:17-21
B. Love one another 1:22-25
C. Desire God's word 2:1-3
D. Remember you are God's people 2:4-10
4. Christian social relationships 2:11-3:12
A. Christians and unbelievers 2:11,12
B. Christians under government 2:13-17
C. Christians as employees 2:18-25
D. Christians in the family 3:1-7
E. Christlikeness when wronged 3:8-12
5. Christian suffering 3:13-4:19
A. Let suffering come for doing good 3:13-17.
B. Follow Christ's example 3:18-22
C. Abstain from evil 4:1-6
D. Support each other 4:7-11
E. Rejoice in suffering 4:12-19
6. Christian leadership 5:1-5
7. Final Christian counsels 5:6-11
8. Farewell 5:12-14
CHAPTER ONE
Peter declares he is an "apostle" of Jesus Christ - apostle
simply means "one sent forth." From chapter 5:13 we see that
Peter was in faraway Babylon (and that is not some name
representing Rome as some would have you believe). Peter the
apostle did NOT establish the church in Rome as the Roman
Catholic church would like you to believe.
He writes to the "strangers" in the areas he mentions in
verse one. And that is interpreted for us in chapter 2:10-12 as
people which only now have God, so the main people he wrote to
were Gentiles, living among Gentiles.
They were ELECTED as God had indeed planned to call Gentiles
to His salvation, in the overall plan of calling and electing. We
have covered this in past chapters, where the NT church came to
see the prophets of old foretelling the calling of Gentiles to
salvation for the first resurrection at the coming of the Lord
Jesus.
The were also called or elected by the setting apart from
the Holy Spirit, and notice that was "unto OBEDIENCE" - there is
"obeying" God involved in being elected to be a Christian, and
that election includes the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus
Christ.
As the apostle Paul taught in his epistle to the Romans, you
are saved by BOTH the blood of Jesus and by His life - Romans
5:10.
The Father and Jesus as blessed (notice - nothing said about
the Holy Spirit - silent as was Paul in all of His epistles. If
the Holy Spirit is some third Personal Being of a Trinity God,
Peter obviously knew nothing about such an idea). He tells his
readers they are BEGOTTEN AGAIN, yes begotten not yet "born" -
and we have studies to prove the difference - we are as flesh and
blood Christians, BEGOTTEN of God, and we shall be BORN of God at
the resurrection. Those who understand the logic of the human
begetal and birth KNOW it is a TWO phased process. So is our
spiritual begetal and birth. I refer you to the in-depth studies
on this Website for the truth of the matter concerning the
Christian BEGETAL and BIRTH.
We are begotten again unto a LIVING HOPE by and through the
RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ from the dead. As Paul explained in
1 Corinthians 15, if Jesus had not been resurrected then our
faith would be in vain. The sure hope of the Christian is a
RESURRECTION, not some immortal soul. As Jesus is ALIVE today,
then we can be alive in the future, if we die, before the day
Jesus returns to earth.
Our inheritance is incorruptible, will never fade away, and
is now RESERVED in heaven for us. But Jesus will bring that
inheritance with Him, when He comes in glory to raise the dead
and to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. Peter does NOT say
we shall go to heaven to obtain our inheritance. We are today
kept by the power of God through faith, unto the final day of
salvation which will be revealed in the last time. At the end of
this age, glorious salvation will be openly revealed to the
world, when Jesus will return and raise His followers, the
children of God, from the dead, and change in the twinkling of an
eye from mortal to immortal, those alive at His coming (read
again
the wonderful 1 Corinthians chapter 15).
We rejoice in all of this, though for a time, in this life,
we may have troubles and trials. But the trying of our faith is
to be looked upon as a precious thing, more precious than gold
that can perish. We may go through trials that are like metal put
through the fire to purify it, but beyond it all, there will be
praise and HONOR and GLORY, at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Peter realizes most or all of the people he is writing to,
have never seen Jesus. So it is with us today, but we still
believe, and we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
We know the outcome, the goal, the end result of our faith is the
salvation of our lives.
And concerning this SALVATION the prophets of old desired
and loved to look into, as it was revealed to them by the Spirit
of Christ. They were able to testify long before it happened, the
sufferings of Christ, and also the glory that should follow. They
were not just writing about things for themselves, but for US, so
the things that Peter said were NOW being reported about in his
time, were true and the good news inspired to be preached through
the power of the Holy Spirit. And so great was all this teaching
about the salvation of God, even the angels desired to look into
with wonderment (verses 1-12).
Yes, angels, must be awe-stuck at how God planned to
reproduce Himself, through human flesh and blood, how the one now
known as Jesus the Christ, was willing to come from heaven as a
member of the very Godhead, come as a human person, fight
against sin and the Devil, live a perfect sinless life, be
willing to suffer terrible death on a cross, have His blood shed
for all sins of all people from all ages. Lay dead for three days
and three nights, then be resurrected to eternal glorified life
by the Father, and go back to heaven to sit on the Father's right
hand as the interceding High Priest for God's children.
The angels must have then and so still today, be awe-stuck,
by this plan of salvation that the Godhead planned before the
world was made.
It truly is mind-bending when you stop and meditate on it
all, and as Paul said, we really look through a glass darkly at
it all, but one day we shall know as we are known. One day we
shall see the full glorified reality of it all. There is nothing
more important in your life, than to let God's Spirit lead you to
be one of His elected, to be one of His very children, to live
for Him, to serve Him, to walk with Him, to love Him with all
your heart, mind, and life. You can, if you heed His calling, can
be in the first resurrection of glory, at the very coming of
Christ Jesus.
As Peter pleads in verses 13-21.
"Wherefore gird up the loins (THOUGHTS) of your mind, be
SOBER (mentally, emotionally), and HOPE to the end for the
GRACE that is to be brought unto you at the REVELATION
(REVEALING IN GLORY) of Jesus Christ; As OBEDIENT children,
not fashioning yourselves according to the FORMER LUSTS in
your ignorance. But as He which has called you is HOLY, so
be you HOLY also in all manner of CONDUCT; because it is
written 'Be you Holy; for I am Holy'" (Lev.11:14). And if
you call on the Father, who without RESPECT OF PERSONS
judges according to everyman's work, pass the time of your
living here in fear (humble and deep respect of the Almighty
One). For you do know that you were not REDEEMED with
corruptible things, as like silver and gold, from your vain
conduct (useless and no good conduct as far as finding
salvation) received by following the traditions of your
family (parents, and associates of this world). But you were
REDEEMED by the PRECIOUS BLOOD of Christ, as of a Lamb
WITHOUT BLEMISH and WITHOUT SPOT (pure and wholesome in
every way possible, who never sinned). Who truly was
FOREORDAINED BEFORE the foundation of the world (God the
Father and He had decided before the earth was founded,
Jesus would come to earth as a human and die for the sins of
the world), but that plan came to fruition in these last
times for you and for me. Who through Him (Christ) we do
believe in God, who RAISED Him up from the DEAD, and gave
Him GLORY; that your FAITH and HOPE might be in God the
Father (verses 13-21 - my translation and amplification).
What indeed a wonderful plan of salvation God and Christ had
planned before the earth was formed. There would be a calling and
an election according to grace, a redeeming or buying back, from
sin and death, for those called and chosen. It would be done
through grace (undeserved forgiveness of sins) by the blood or
death of Jesus on the cross. And we do believe God did raise
Christ from the dead and gave Him eternal glory. And because He
lives we also can live in glory in the family of God.
Peter was confident that the people he was writing to had
purified their lives in OBEYING the TRUTH, by and through the
power of the Spirit of God, which also leads people to a sincere
love of all their brethren, and they were to continue in loving
each other with a pure heart - and they were to do it FERVENTLY,
because they had been begotten again not of corruptible seed, but
of INCORRUPTIBLE seed through the WORD of God, which lives and
abides FOREVER. Yes, God's begetting seed, the Holy Spirit and
His forever living Word in the Bible, are the agents that come
into the mind, that unite with the human mind, and DO BEGET us as
the VERY CHILDREN of God.
This BEGETAL is just as REAL as when a baby is begotten by
its physical parents. The teaching of the whole New Testament is
that God is REPRODUCING Himself, begetting flesh and blood human
beings, and so making real spirit united CHILDREN. Over and over
again, the New Testament says God, the Most High One, IS OUR
FATHER, Jesus His firstborn Son from the dead, is our ELDER
BROTHER. Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers (Hebrews
2). We are NOT "adopted" as God's children (which is a wrong
translation in a few verses of the NT) - we are LITERAL SONS and
DAUGHTERS of God our Father.
We are made Sons by things that will never pass away. Our
physical flesh is as the flower of the grass. The grass and its
flowers come up by they fall away, they die and are no more. But
the WORDS of God ENDURE FOREVER, and that Word of the GOOD NEWS
(the gospel) IS PREACHED UNTO YOU (verses 13-25).
Here on this RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS Website, you are
having the very GOSPEL of Jesus Christ preached to you. You are
learning about the mysteries of God that He WANTS you to KNOW and
UNDERSTAND - the VERY PLAN OF SALVATION - the WAY INTO the very
Kingdom or Family of God. The Gospel - the good news - of the
true way to find eternal life, is here laid out before you in
plain clear language. The WAY of LIFE the Father wants you to
live, the WAY of WORSHIPPING Him, SERVING Him, SERVING YOUR
FELLOW MAN, is being expounded to you.
If you have not yet done so, you need to HUMBLY REPENT,
accept Jesus as your PERSONAL SAVIOR, come to the Father in
FAITH, be saved by His GRACE, through faith, in the reconciling
sacrifice of Christ Jesus. You need to be willing to OBEY the
Father, to now be willing to LIVE by EVERY WORD that comes from
Him to you through the pages of the Bible. You need to love the
Lord your God with all your HEART, MIND, and LIFE! On this
Website you are being taught HOW TO LIVE as a true Child of God.
Very few Christian Websites will give you the plain truth of what
God wants you to know from His word. I am at times blunt and to
the point concerning the false Christianity out there, I try to
be tactful and to do it all in love. Truth is truth, but Jesus
said you can know the truth and in so knowing, it would SET YOU
FREE. It is the greatest blessing of this life, to KNOW THE TRUTH
and to be SET FREE from lies and falsehood and religious
deceptions.
May you have the willingness and the love to search the
Scriptures daily and to come to see God's marvellous and
beautiful truths of His ever-living Word of Light.
................
Written May 2007
|
No comments:
Post a Comment