1 Peter: An Introduction

Text: 1 Peter 1:1-2

Theme: An introduction to the book of 1 Peter.

Date: 07/10/2022 File Name: 1_Peter_01 Code: NT21-01

I. THE AUTHOR OF THE EPISTLE 1 Peter 1:1-2

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, ... ,” (1 Peter 1:1, ESV)

1. the author is Peter

a. his given name at birth was Simon, but Jesus changes his name to Kephas (Kā - fas) with is Aramaic for Rock which was later translated into Greek as Petros and in English Peter

1) before his call to follow Jesus he was a prosperous fisherman in business with his brother Andrew and two brother — James and John

b. as was customary in first-century letters, the writer of 1 Peter identified himself at the outset

1) for the first 1800 years of Church history no credible theologian or church historian doubted the book’s authorship

2) the rise of liberal historical criticism in the 19th century cast doubt on Peter’s authorship

a) many scholars argue that Peter was not the author of the letter because its writer appears to have had a formal education in rhetoric and philosophy, and an advanced knowledge of the Greek language, none of which would be usual for a Galilean fisherman

3) in a brief refutation of those charges let me say ...

a) 1st, they seem to ignore that Silvanus actually wrote the letter and maybe his Greek was pretty good

b) 2nd, it’s been thirty years since the resurrection of Christ, and in thirty years a man can gain a lot of education

c) 3rd, Peter walked with Christ and learned from Christ, and according to Acts 4:13-21 the Jewish religious leaders were amazed at Peter’s learning and understanding

d) 4th, Peter himself recognized that the Holy Spirit was the inspiration behind the letter

2. the author is the author is Peter and he is an apostle of Jesus Christ

a. he would become one of the leaders among the apostles

b. he was called to carry the good news of the gospel beyond the boarders of Israel

1) even though Paul is known as the Apostle to the Gentiles, it was actually Peter who first introduced a Gentile by the name of Cornelius to the gospel, and Peter regularly preached to them

3. at some point Peter travels to the city of Rome from which he writes this letter

“She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son.” (1 Peter 5:13, ESV)

ILLUS. And “No,” just so you know, Peter did not move to Rome in order to become the first Pope. (Just thought you needed to know that).

a. the she he mentions here is a euphemism for the Church which is the Bride of Christ

b. and Mark is there with him

1) this is the same Mark who had gone on the first missionary trip with Barnabas and Paul, but who had deserted them hardly before the work began

2) but here it is twenty years later and Mark has proved himself a valuable resource, not only to Paul, but to Peter

c. while Peter dictated the letter is was actually written by a man named Silvanus

4. he is writing to them in A.D. 63 which means Nero is emperor, and Paul — and a lot of other Christians in Rome — don’t have much longer to live

II. THE RECIPIENTS OF THE EPISTLE

“ ... To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,” (1 Peter 1:1, ESV)

1. Peter is writing to the chosen people of God who are exiled around the world

a. he is writing to Gentiles, but he uses Old Testament language of choice and election

b. he wants these suffering non-Jewish Christians to see that through Jesus they now belong to the family of Abraham

1) they are wandering exiles just like father Abraham — misunderstood, mistreated and they’re looking for their true home

c. it’s also a reminder that salvation is God’s doing — they are God’s elect, and that election is in Christ Jesus

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” (Ephesians 2:1–6, ESV)

2. it is what we call a circular letter because it is being sent to multiple Churches in an area and not merely one congregation

a. it’s a letter for all the churches in five Roman provinces located in modern-day Turkey

1) Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia

b. these are Christians whom he describes as exiles

1) the word can also mean refugees — theses believers, who have been scattered by violence and persecution might be considered spiritual refugees

3. Peter is writing to non-Jewish Christians who are facing hostility and harassment from their non-Christian neighbors

“Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:12, ESV)

a. the word exiles can also mean refugees — theses believers, who have been scattered by violence and persecution might be considered spiritual refugees

III. THE COMFORT OF THE EPISTLE

“according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you." (1 Peter 1:2, ESV)

1. nothing happening to these people is a surprise to God

A. GOD IS A SAVING GOD

1. the word foreknowledge in vs. 2 refers to God’s eternal, predetermined, loving, and saving intention

a. it basically means that God was determined to have a relationship with these people and so worked in their lives to bring them to faith in His Son

ILLUS. Christians who came to faith when they were older, often look at the months, even years, proceeding their conversion and can point to different events and circumstances where God was dealing with them. In November 2021 a movie came out entitled From Godless to God: 'C.S. Lewis: The Most Reluctant Convert'. It is the story of the conversion of C.S. Lewis.

Lewis had rejected Christianity in his early teens and lived as an atheist through his 20s. He turned to theism in 1930, and became a Christian in 1931, partly with the help of his close friend and devout Roman Catholic J.R.R. Tolkien. On September 19, 1931, in what might rank as one of the most important conversations in literary history, Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien on a walk near Magdalen College. Lewis, who was a professor of ancient European myths and folktales, was fascinated with the tales of sacrificial heros. Tolkien told Lewis that myths were not falsehoods per se, but rather imitations of a concrete, spiritual reality. Tolkien told his friend, that the account of Christ and his death and resurrection was a kind of myth. It works on our imagination in much the same way as other myths, with this difference: It really happened.

Lewis points to that walk as one of the events that propelled him to faith in Christ. Lewis describes his actually moment of conversion when he was traveling to visit the zoo one afternoon with his brother. He writes that when they left for the zoo he was not a believer in Jesus Christ, but when they arrived at the zoo, he knew he was a Christian.

B. GOD IS A SANCTIFYING GOD

1. God is not only active in their bringing them to faith, but He is active in growing them in the faith

a. the biblical word for that is sanctification

b. the Apostle gives us a picture of what that sanctification looks like in chapter two

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9–10, ESV)

2. at salvation the sanctifying work of the Spirit sets believers apart from sin to God, separates them from darkness to light, sets them apart from unbelief to faith, and mercifully separates them from a love of sin and brings them to a love of righteousness

a. once the Holy Spirit separates believers from sin, He continues to make us more and more holy in the life-long, progressive work of forming us into the image of Christ

b. Paul expresses the totality of this sanctifying work in his 1st letter to the Thessalonians

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24, ESV)

3. the goal of this sanctification is a progressive obedience to Jesus Christ at the end of vs. 2

C. GOD IS A GRACE-MULTIPLYING GOD

vs. 2 “ ... May grace and peace be multiplied to you.”

1. the word may in this part of the verse is a wonderful little word that means may you experience something to the fullest measure

a. it’s a word that refers to a maximum allotment or quantity

2. Peter wanted the recipients of his letter to experience all the rich and varied blessings of being God’s people

a. God really does want to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think

IV. SOME APPLICATION

1. Peter’s letter has four main sections to it, each of which give us some application for living out the Christian life

A. SECTION #1: Suffering is a Part of the Christian Experience 1 Peter 1:3-2:10

1. Peter, himself, is facing imminent death, and so were many of those to whom he was writing

a. because of that, Peter attempts to comfort and encourage his friends in the face of mistreatment and persecution

1) they are not to be surprised by it

2. he reminds them that Christ also suffered

“But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:13, ESV)

ILLUS. In case you haven’t noticed there is a growing rage against the Confessing Church in America. When Christians in America talk about the growing persecution of the Church in sounds ... well, it sounds a bit hysterical. Christians in America, after all, are free to live according to their faith without harassment, which is very unlike the situation in most Muslim counties — or China.

Look at the vicious reaction to the big Supreme Court news about Roe v. Wade in America, however, and you see something changing. Enraged by what they perceive as a dastardly plot by the religious right to take back control of women’s bodies, American progressives have turned aggressively on Christian groups. Masses and services have been disrupted and churches graffitied.

The vehemence of the reaction to the Supreme Court decision, and the violent targeting of Christians as enemies of progress, suggests that America’s pro-abortion movement is not just for women’s rights, it’s against Christian ones.

3. progressive secularists will increasingly blame Christians for the loss of what they see as their most sacred rite — the right to sacrifice unborn children to the god of convenience

B. SECTION #2: We Are at Home in This World, but Not of This World 1 Peter 2:11-3:12

ILLUS. My favorite Gospel Hymn reminds us of this great truth. In 1946 J.R. Baxter wrote a gospel hymn entitled, This World is Not My Home

This world is not my home, I'm just-a-passing through

My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue

The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Oh Lord you, know, I have no friend like you

If heaven's not my home, oh Lord what will I do

The Angels beckon me to heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

C. SECTION #3: Suffering as a Believer Adds to Our Eternal Glory 1 Peter 3:13-4:11

1. believers can look forward to an unfading, eternal inheritance in heaven

a. this includes the salvation of our souls and the glorification of our bodies

D. SECTION #4: Believers Need to Focus on Their Future Hope 1 Peter 5:1-14

ILLUS. The Church Father Augustine wrote that every Christian is a citizen of two cities, the City of Man, and the City of God. Our goal as believers is to be good citizens of both, but we are to forever be turning loose of the City of Man and ever more cling to the City of God.

1. we are pilgrims