Key verse:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you.” (1:3-4)
“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1:14-16)
“ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”( 2:9-10)
“through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water”( 3:19-20).
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”( 5:7-9).
Background:
On 19 July 64 AD, a fire began in the city of Rome which lasted for three days, devastating much of the city. It engulfed the centre of Rome, destroying temples and houses. The citizens looked for a scapegoat and found one in the Emperor Nero. They knew that Emperor Nero had plans to build great and magnificent buildings by pulling down the old buildings. But Emperor Nero shifted this blame onto the Christians and so began a serious persecution of the Church.
The Christians faced lot of persecution; they were tortured, sewn into the skins of wild beasts and made to crawl round the amphi-theatres on all four sides, while they were made to face lions and other wild animals. They were hunted by dogs and some of them were crucified even. Some Christians were coated with tar and bitumen, tied them to posts around the garden and set them on fire. The tar and bitumen burns slowly providing light while Nero and his men enjoyed their barbeque party.
The news of this barbarism against God’s people spread through the whole Roman Empire from Church to Church. During these days, Peter wrote the two letters to Churches around Roman Empire and especially to the believers of North-west Turkey, warning them and be prepared to face the persecution. During the persecution only Peter died, he was crucified in Rome at the hands of Nero. When he was about to be crucified, Peter felt that he did not deserve to be crucified the way the Lord Jesus had been crucified, so he requested the cross be turned upside down. Peter must have been in North turkey whereas Apostle Paul was in Southern Turkey. Peter writes this letter to the Church of North Turkey.
This letter is also associated with Silas (5:12). He was one of the “chief men” in the early church (Acts 15:22) and a prophet (Acts 15:32). This means that he communicated God’s messages to the congregations as he was directed by the Holy Spirit. The Apostles and prophets worked together to lay the foundation of the church (Eph. 2:20); and, once that foundation was laid, they went to a different place. There are no apostles and prophets in the New Testament in the church today. It is quite interesting that Silas was associated with Peter’s ministry, because originally he went with Paul as a replacement for Barnabas (Acts 15:36-41). Peter also mentioned John Mark (5:13) whose failure on the mission field made Paul and Barnabas to separate. Peter had led Mark to faith in Christ. No doubt one of the early assemblies met in John Mark’s home in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12). In the end, Paul forgave and accepted Mark as a valued helper in the work (2 Tim.4:11).
Introduction and purpose:
First Peter is a letter of encouragement (1 Pet.5:12). We have noted that the theme of suffering runs throughout the letter, but so also does the theme of glory. One of the encouragements that Peter gives to suffering saints is the assurance that their suffering will one day be transformed into glory (1 Pet.1:6-7; 4:13-14; 5:10). This is possible only because the Saviour suffered for us and then entered into His glory. The sufferings of Christ are mentioned often in this letter (1 Pet.1:11; 3:18; 4:1,13; 5:1). We can put the 3-great apostles of NT as Peter is the apostle of hope, Paul is the apostle of faith and John as the apostle of love.
Book Outline:
- Salvation and working out (1:1 – 2:3)
- Corner stone and living stones (2:4 – 10)
- The conduct of the believers in times of persecution: (2:11 – 3:22)
- Suffering in the life of believers: (chap.4)
- The work of shepherd (Pastor) in the midst of trials: (chap.5)