- Take a moment to pray. Praise God for His Word and ask Him to teach you its truth, just as the psalmist prayed in Psalm 119:12-16, “Praise be to You, O Lord; teach me Your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from Your mouth. I rejoice in following Your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways. I delight in Your decrees; I will not neglect Your Word.”
- STUDY NOTE: Silvanus is the Roman form of the name “Silas.” This Silas could have been the Silas who was Paul’s companion in the book of Acts or another Christian by the same name. While it is possible that Silvanus served as the secretary who wrote down Peter’s words for this letter, it is also even more probable that Silvanus helped deliver this letter to the Christians of Asia Minor. In a day before UPS, the Postal Service, or FedEx, letters were hand delivered.
- Peter wrote this letter to share the “true grace of God” that they would “stand firm in it.” In what ways does 1 Peter reveal the grace of God to Christians who are suffering or experiencing various trials?
- How does the true grace of God (as Peter describes it) allow Christians to stand firm in the face of persecution and trials?
- STUDY NOTE: In 5:13, Peter sends personal greetings from two others: “she who is at Babylon” and “Mark.” Mark is a reference to Peter’s longtime friend and ministry colleague John Mark, who also wrote the Gospel of Mark. However, scholars differ in their understanding of who “she” is. Some have seen this as Peter’s wife. However, it is altogether possible that “she” is a reference to the church that Peter was fellowshipping with when he wrote this letter. Tradition puts Peter in Rome as he wrote this letter, and Babylon (with its Pagan tendencies) was a common idiom for Rome among early Jew and Christian followers in the first century. It is totally possible (even probable) that Peter lets the battered believers in Asia Minor a hint that there is a thriving church in the Roman capital, right under the nose of the Emperor who had set as his mission to devour the church! Our God will not be defeated!
- Peter ends his letter in 5:14 by reminding his readers to be loving (the kiss was a common way of publicly showing affection between family members in the first century) and have peace. As Warren Wiersbe says of this conclusion, “What a wonderful way to end a letter that announced the coming of a fiery trial!” In what ways is 5:14 a fitting conclusion to this letter?
- What is one major takeaway you have from your study of 1 Peter?