***

Introduction

For background on the author of this letter, see Peter.

The theme of this letter is sufferings and glories. Some form of the word “suffering” occurs 15 times in it and some form of the word “glory” appears 13 times. (Suffering and Glory)

***

1 Peter 1

1 Pet 1:1 – The geographical names listed here by Peter are all regions (not cities), all of which were located within the land mass we today call Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Paul also ministered in these regions during his missionary journeys – and he addressed some of the same people in letters that he wrote. Thus Peter and all the apostles had “missionary journeys.” We just don’t have the abundant records of theirs that we do of Paul’s. This is simply because they didn’t write as much as Paul and weren’t accompanied by someone like Luke. ***** Peter uses “scattered” in his first verse the way James uses “dispersed” in his first verse; both men were referring to the Dispersion (aka the Diaspora).

1 Pet 1:2 – The word “foreknowledge” that Peter uses here is the same word he used on the day of Pentecost when he was explaining the coming of the Holy Spirit in power.

Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know–
Acts 2:23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
Acts 2:24 “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

Since the apostolic announcement of Messiah was so unexpected – that of a king who had been executed as a criminal – it made sense to point out to people that this was not God’s Plan B. It’s the way He saw things going from the very earliest stages of the planning. ***** The “sanctifying work of the Spirit” is the work of cleansing us from our sins and setting us apart for a life of service to God – setting us free from the slavery to sin which is a life of service to self. ***** Note that the goal here is to “obey” Jesus Christ – not just offer Him occasional lip service. ***** Moses sprinkled the people of Israel with animal blood in administering the old covenant (Ex 24:8), but Jesus sprinkled the human race with His own blood in administering the new covenant. ***** As for receiving “grace and peace,” why should we seek only a dab when they are being offering in “fullest measure”?

1 Pet 1:3-5 – Here is a Jewish fisherman demonstrating fluency with a concept – “born again” – over which one of Israel’s most respected rabbis had stumbled. (I’m speaking of Nicodemus’ reaction to Jesus’ used of the term in Jn 3.) God is glorified when unlearned people display wisdom that the learned cannot comprehend. It demonstrates that God is able to make the foolish wise and the wise foolish. ***** In the phrase “a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” Peter is referring to the Second Coming, indicating it will be an event of “revelation.” Jesus had made this revelatory aspect known to Peter and the others during His earthly ministry.

Luke 17:30 “It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.”

That revelation would include that Jesus Christ Is God and that Jesus Is the Father, though these things were hidden even from Jesus Himself at the time (Is 42:19).

1 Pet 1:6-9 – Peter deals with many of the same dynamics in the first chapter of this letter that James deals with in the first chapter of his letter. Those dynamics summarized are that a believer’s belief (faith) will be tested but that test can be passed – to our benefit and God’s glory. If you want to study the similarities, one good way to start is to compare these two verses:

1 Pet 1:9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

***

James 1:21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

Of course, the advantage of studying two passages of Scripture that deal with the same subject is that each sheds light on the other – resulting in a richer understanding of both. Such a method of study allows, as they say, “Scripture to interpret Scripture.” And it becomes richer still when a third passage is found paralleling the first two – this one being from a third man, Paul.

Heb 10:39 But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.

1 Pet 1:10-12 – Notice what Jesus taught His disciples after His resurrection that enabled Peter to say what he says in this passage:

Luke 24:25 And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
Luke 24:26 “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”

Jesus taught His disciples that the puzzle of how all the messianic prophecies could fit together was solved by recognizing that suffering precedes glory. (Suffering and Glory) example, “the stone that the builders rejected” could become “the chief cornerstone” (Ps 118:22) and “David’s son” could be “his lord” (Mt 22:41-46) by recognizing that these were cases of Messiah’s suffering preceding His glory. In both cases the suffering was of death and the glory was resurrection. By definition, there could be no resurrection from the dead without death.

1 Pet 1:11 – Re: “the Spirit of Christ” see #TGTC

1 Pet 1:13 – Again, Peter refers to the Second Coming by speaking of the revelation it would bring. (See note on 1 Pet 1:3-5 above.) ***** The “hope” in this verse is “the blessed hope” in Tit 2:13.

1 Pet 1:14-16 – Paul’s use of the word “obedient” here is echoing what he said in verse 2 above: that our purpose was “to obey Jesus Christ.” And his use of “sanctifying” in that same verse is echoed here in the references to “holy” – for “to sanctify” means to “make holy.” If we are holy, we are no longer our own.

2 Cor 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
2 Cor 5:15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

As is normally the case with the apostles, they make the same points even when they don’t use exactly the same words. That is, Peter in 1 Pet 1:14-16 is making the same point as Paul is making in 2 Cor 5:14-15.

1 Pet 1:17-19 – We were redeemed with something that cost far more than all the money in the world.

1 Pet 1:20-21 – Even Peter probably couldn’t comprehend the fullness of what he was saying in this sentence: he who puts his faith in Christ is putting his faith in God. #Hints

1 Pet 1:22-25 – Notice that Peter here repeats words and themes from the sentences that came before:

obedience – from verses 2 and 14
soul – from verse 9
love – from verse 8
born again – from verse 3
perishable, imperishable – from verses 4, 7, and 18
living – from verse 3

What better way is there to understand a man’s words than to examine the various ways he uses a word that he repeats? This is an even more exacting way to “Let Scripture interpret Scripture.” ***** The OT verse Peter is quoting is Is 40:6-8.

***

1 Peter 2

1 Pet 2:1-3 – The “word” to which Peter is referring here is that which he specified at the end of the previous chapter:

“the living and enduring word of God“ – 1 Pet 1:23
“THE WORD OF THE LORD” which “ENDURES FOREVER” – 1 Pet 1:25
“the word which was preached to you“ – 1 Pet 1:25

In the preceding passage (Chapter and verse divisions post-date the authors), Paul likened the word of God to seed (1 Pet 1:23); in this passage (1 Pet 2:2), he likens it to milk. Other New Testament authors used these same two analogies – even when they don’t use the exact same words. For example, James is alluding to the word of God behaving like seed when he describes it as being “implanted” in a person.

James 1:21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

Likewise, Paul is describing the word as behaving like seed when he writes without using that precise word.

1 Thess 2:13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.

Of course, there are also occasions when other NT writers use the exact words that Peter does, as in these two examples:

Luke 8:11 “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.”

***

1 Cor 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.
1 Cor 3:2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able,
1 Cor 3:3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?

***

Heb 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
Heb 5:13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.
Heb 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

In comparing these various verses we see that in addition to behaving like seed and milk, the word of God can also be to us like “meat.” Therefore, let us seek to grow so that we can partake of all the word of God can be to us. (Yet another metaphor used for the word of God is light, but getting into that would not be pertinent to this letter.)

1 Pet 2:4-10 – In this paragraph, Peter is quoting from at least eight different Old Testament passages. I’ll just give them to you in sequence as the NASB cross-reference system gives them. Recall that the NASB translators put into all caps (small caps) any words, phrases, or sentence they recognize as quotations from the Old Testament. (NASB features)

1 Pet 2:6 – Is 28:16
1 Pet 2:7 – Ps 118:22
1 Pet 2:8 – Is 8:14
1 Pet 2:9 – Is 43:20-21; Deut 10:15
1 Pet 2:9 – Is 61:6; 66:21
1 Pet 2:9 – Ex 19:6; Deut 7:6
1 Pet 2:9 – Ex 19:5; Deut 4:20; 14:2
1 Pet 2:9-10 – See Spiritual Israel v Physical Israel.
1 Pet 2:10 – Hos 1:10; 2:23

I show four entries for 1 Pet 2:9 because there are four distinct phrases Peter is quoting. I said above there were “at least” eight quotations because the NASB translators only designated eight with their “all caps” (“small caps”) print. There are actually other words and phrases in 1 Pet 2:4-10 that could be considered quotations, but aren’t mentioned here – either because the translation committee (practically all translations are the work of committees) couldn’t agree on them or because an OT word or phrase is used so often in one or both testaments that it would be tedious to mark every single instance. For example, the words “God,” “Lord,” “Christ,” “Moses,” “Israel,” “lamb,” in the NT are obviously quoting from the OT, but are not rendered in all caps. There are many words and phrases that fall into this category.

The point of all this is that the New Testament writers did not have the New Testament. They had the Old Testament and were perfectly content with it, quoting from it and relying on it – just as Jesus did. They found in the OT the riches of Christ, and what they wrote about those riches became the NT. And thus for us, the NT is milk; and the OT is meat.

1 Pet 2:13-25 – Peter’s letter up to this point has been theology – a review of the gospel. Now he begins writing specific instructions for how to live according to that gospel. This is the same pattern Paul followed in writing his “general letters” (see Paul for an explanation). Though Peter’s instructions extend beyond this chapter, I’ll only describe here the instructions that are in this chapter. They fall into two categories:

1 Pet 2:13-17 – General instructions regarding all human authority.
1 Pet 2:18-25 – Specific instructions for servants, whether slave or free.

The general instructions regarding all human authority are straightforward and can be applied to 21st-century life without much thought or modification…with one exception. That exception is the subject of suffering, which is mentioned in the instructions for servants. I’ll come back to the general instructions in a moment.

As I mentioned in the introduction to this letter, its overall theme is suffering and glory (Suffering and Glory). Peter mentioned the suffering and glory of Messiah in his first chapter without dwelling on it (1 Pet 1:10-12). He now returns to it in the specific instructions to servants 1 Pet 2:18-25). He does so because he wants to acknowledge that all masters were not “good and gentle” – instead, some were “unreasonable.” This unreasonableness brings “suffering” into the servant’s life, and Paul uses Messiah’s example as the pattern for how to handle such suffering. As a result, the passage shows us how to serve both reasonable and unreasonable “masters” in the 21st century.

Now let’s bring back in the general discussions. Peter did not mention suffering in his general instructions about human authority (1 Pet 2:13-17). I attribute this to the fact that, as we can see throughout the book of Acts, the Roman government did not seem to care much about the Christian movement per se one way or the other. Christians were unimportant and irrelevant to their concerns, and only came on Roman radar screens when hostility from unbelieving Jews toward believing Jews and Gentiles reached the level of civil unrest – as it did when Pontius Pilate ordered Jesus crucified, and when the Roman commander detained Paul in Acts 21 to quell a riot. Thus the believers to whom Peter was writing simply needed to “lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity” (as Paul put it in 1 Tim 2:2) so as not to give the Christian movement a bad name and to make sure, if the hostile Jews hauled Christians into court, that the evidence would exonerate them. Later in the 1st century, however, the Romans, at least in some jurisdictions, would begin to persecute Christians. And, without a doubt, in the 21st century, Christians now face hostility in even what are traditionally called Christian nations. Therefore, knowing how to suffer under unreasonable governments is as important as knowing how to suffer under unreasonable masters. Where do we go for help with that?

The Old Testament is filled with examples of how the people of God had to deal with hostile governing authorities. These include the Israelites in Egypt before Israel occupied Canaan, the exiles (such as Mordecai, Esther, Daniel, Nehemiah, and others) after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. We have to use these examples to supplement the instructions Peter gives us here because neither here, nor in Paul’s Romans 12 discussion of human governments, does either apostle portray Roman government as hostile to Christianity. This is reminiscent of Joseph and his family being welcomed by Egypt in the beginning, but oppressed later. Of course, Rome’s hostility arose more quickly and more ferociously than did Egypt’s, for Paul and Peter died at the hands of Roman government in the mid-60’s AD.

***

1 Peter 3

1 Pet 3:1-4 – When Peter begins the first sentence of this passage with “In the same way,” we are reminded that the chapter and verse divisions are like latitude and longitude lines on a globe. That is, Peter’s referring to something he was just writing. He means that a wife should deal with an unreasonable husband in the same way that he instructed a servant to deal with an unreasonable master (1 Pet 2:18-25): which is to behave as Jesus would in similar circumstances. We have the Gospels to show us how Jesus handled unreasonable authorities in His life – when He was a child with Joseph and Mary (where we’re only shown a little), and when He was a grown man subject to the laws of the land – both Roman and Jewish (where we’re shown a lot).

Notice from Jesus’ life that being submissive to unreasonable authority doesn’t mean always obeying the authority. For example, the Jewish rulers wanted Him to stop teaching or at least to conform His teaching to theirs – but He would not. He remained submissive to them by accepting the suffering they chose to dole out to Him for defying their wishes – according to His Father’s will. That is, He avoided punishment whenever He could, but submitted to it when the Father made it clear that was the way things needed to be. Whether it is an unreasonable government, an unreasonable employer, or an unreasonable husband, you will have to pray your way through difficult situations as Jesus did in Gethsemane. You are not to throw your weight around, nor are you to be a permanent doormat. Jesus will show you how to handle your situation as He handled His. He will walk through your difficult times with you. Women should remember Abigail (1 Sam 25); men should remember Lot (Gen 19:26).

1 Pet 3:5-6 – To “do what is right without being frightened by any fear” is a good word for all of us – man, woman, boy, and girl. For reinforcement on this resistance to fear, see 1 Pet 5:7 below and BSN: ON FEAR.

1 Pet 3:7 – When I see a man use the Bible to lord it over his wife, it makes me sick. It’s not just wrong, it’s blasphemy. I likewise feel sick when I see a woman ignore God’s anointing on the man to lead her and the children. My father told me, “When you get married, it’s you and her against the world.” That is true, and because it’s true, a strong man wants to be married to a strong woman. Anything other than mutual devotion in a marriage is insanity.

1 Pet 3:8-12 – In summarizing his instructions for fitting into the world (1 Pet 2:13-25) and the family (1 Pet 3:1-7), Peter quotes Ps 34:12-16. Peter had seen Jesus live out Ps 34 (and many other psalms) right before his eyes. Observing Jesus’ life caused Peter to see just how practical were the promises of God. Peter was now following in the steps of Jesus and could therefore confidently encourage others to do the same.

1 Pet 3:13-17 – I have said that the primary theme of Peter’s first letter is suffering and glory, but I should add that it is a particular kind of suffering that he has in view. It is suffering for doing what is right. Therefore, we could say that a companion theme of this letter is doing what is right instead of what is wrong. Of course, this sounds to some people as simplistic and childish, but it’s more accurate to say it’s simple and childlike – just as it should be. Jesus said we should be as children before Him, seeking to please a loving and wise father. The suffering that leads to glory is when we suffer for doing what is right. That’s the kind of suffering Jesus endured. Notice that Jesus never enjoyed His suffering – instead, He endured it. He never sought to prolong His suffering; rather, He looked forward to the end of it. Therefore, though we know this kind of suffering leads to glory, we don’t seek to suffer. Rather, we seek to do right and are willing to suffer for it if necessary.

1 Pet 3:18-22 – When Peter speaks of “the spirits now in prison” he was referring to the dead in Sheol (Hades). This was where Jesus went when He died, before He was raised. Jesus was raised with no one else; the rest of the dead were all raised at His Second Coming, and that’s when people began ascending to heaven at death. I explain this in the books The Biblical Case for Everyone Going to Heaven and The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact. Since the Old Testament teaches that everyone who died descended to Sheol, you have to know how and when that changed to have a hope that anyone besides Jesus ever goes to heaven. ***** Meanwhile, God wants to deliver you and yours from the cruelties of the world here on earth just as He delivered Noah and his family.

***

1 Peter 4

1 Pet 4:1-2– When Peter contrasts “the lusts of men” with “the will of God,” he’s simultaneously contrasting “the lusts of men” with “doing what is right.” This is because the will of God is that we do what is right; there is no difference in the two. Some people think of the will of God in terms like, “Does God want me to take this job or that one?” or “Does God want me to live in this house or that one?” It’s possible that God could direct you to take a certain job or live in a certain house, but He’s far more concerned that you keep His commandments. His commandments are His will. Once you’re doing all His commandments, then it makes sense to ask questions like “Which job?” and “Which house?” But even then, you should first ask yourself “Which would help me keep His commandments better?” Sometimes, God just wants you to make your own choice. He didn’t design you to be a robot. He left us plenty of righteous choices to make according to our own desires. What He does consistently care about is the keeping of His commandments, which amount to His will. This is why James said:

James 4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”
James 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
James 4:15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”
James 4:16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.
James 4:17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

***** If we asked Paul to paraphrase 1 Pet 4:1-2, he might say this:

2 Cor 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
2 Cor 5:15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

Living for ourselves is living for our lusts. Living for Him is living for His will.

1 Pet 4:3-5 – These are the things you left behind. They are “the lusts of men.” And you left them behind in order to pursue “the will of God.” (1 Pet 4:1-2) Those who didn’t repent like you did are going to be a drag on your repentance. Distance yourself.

1 Pet 4:6 – In this verse, Peter is alluding to what he said about “the spirits now in prison” in 1 Pet 3:19-20. Who gets to be raised from the dead? The dead. The Bible notes no exceptions; therefore, none should be expected. (Everyone Is Going to Heaven)

1 Pet 4:7 – The apostles were constantly reminding believers about the Second Coming. Everything they did was to prepare people for it. Another way of saying this is that the apostles were preparing people to live in the kingdom of God – the kingdom in which we now find ourselves.

1 Pet 4:8 – Peter was a man familiar with fervor. He did everything with it. Likewise, Paul was noted for his zeal. They were both disciples of Jesus, and Jesus was a disciple of Solomon’s writings (among others).

Eccl 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.

***

John 9:4 “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.”

1 Pet 4:9 – God’s instructions are practical.

1 Pet 4:10-11 – When it comes to the will of God (1 Pet 4:1-2), it’s easier to know what He wants us to do than to know what He wants us to say. For this reason, the old saying is wise: “Children should be seen and not heard.” The ability to speak godly comes with much maturity. Therefore, in seeking the will of God, we should seek first to know what we should be doing. If that’s what we are actually doing, we’re in a better position to realize things He might want us to say. To use a different analogy, if we can’t effectively fill a non-speaking role in a play, how could we expect to be successful in a speaking role?

1 Pet 4:12-13 – This sounds like the way James began his letter:

James 1:2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
James 1:4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Or as Paul said:

2 Tim 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

***

Acts 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

The apostles never promised the disciples an easy road. It’s just a far better road than the one we were on when we were sinning (1 Pet 4:3-5). ***** The expression “the revelation of His glory” is a reference to the Second Coming.

1 Pet 4:14-16 – This is a reminder that it’s not just any suffering that leads to glory – it’s the suffering for doing what is right. I have to chuckle when I hear some sports teams talk about “all the adversity” they’ve had to overcome when it was obviously adversity brought on by their own foolish choices. It’s like a drunk boasting about overcoming the adversity of his hangover. Not all adversity is created equal. If we’re suffering, let’s make sure it’s for our Lord and not for our stupidity.

1 Pet 4:14 – Re: “the name of Christ” see #TGTC.

1 Pet 4:17-18 – In the run-up to a day of judgment, the righteous suffer; but when the judgment comes, the unrighteous have it much worse.

1 Pet 4:19 – A good summary statement of the main point in this chapter and in this letter.

***

1 Peter 5

1 Pet 5:1-3 – Apostolic advice to church leaders in the New Testament age is good advice to family leaders in the age of the kingdom of God.

1 Pet 5:1 – Peter’s reference to “the glory that is to be revealed” is a reference to the Second Coming.

1 Pet 5:4 – Another reference to the Second Coming. The apostles never lost sight of it. ***** As for the words “appears,” some people might think this calls for a physical appearance of Jesus at the Second Coming. However, Strong’s Concordance gives the following listing for the underlying Greek word.

5319 phaneroô; from 5318; to make visible, make clear:–appear(1), appeared(6), appears(3), become visible(1), becomes visible(1), disclose(1), disclosed(1), displayed(1), made…evident(2), made known(1), made manifest(2), make…clear(1), manifested(18), manifests(1), revealed(7), show(1), shown(1).

You can see by the way this word is defined and used that it does not have to mean a physical appearance. It’s like someone saying, “Oh, I see!” They can mean “Oh, I understand” just as easily as they can mean, “Oh, I physically see something.” When Jesus taught the Second Coming, He was not teaching about a physical event. Rather, He was teaching about a spiritual event which would have physical implications. I deal with this extensively in teh book The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact.

1 Pet 5:5 – Peter is passing on to his readers good advice from the book of Proverbs (Prov 3:34). James quoted the same verse.

James 4:6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”

Some people think being humble means saying, “Aw shucks” when they receive a compliment. That’s not humble at all. What’s truly humble is being able to state it as the truth – to write it down or even say it out loud without being narcissistic or even worrying that you will look narcissistic.

Num 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)

***

Matt 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.”

When you get that humble, you can quit trying to be more humble. Be comforted though, every degree that you decrease your pride, you increase His grace. These flows are inversely related.

1 Pet 5:6 – There’s always a timing element with the workings of God. Observe and learn the seasons of life. Daily Bible reading will help you learn spiritual meteorology.

Matt 16:2 But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’
Matt 16:3 “And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?

1 Pet 5:7 – We don’t have to worry about anything He’s promised to take care of. For reinforcement for resisting fear, see 1 Pet 3:5-6 above and BSN: ON FEAR.

1 Pet 5:8-9 – What a friend we have in Jesus…and what an enemy we have in Satan. That is, we have a blocker and a tackler. The easiest way to get caught by the tackler is to stop following the blocker.

1 Pet 5:10-11 – With God, the glory always outlasts the suffering that preceded it – by an eternal margin.

1 Pet 5:12 – Silvanus is Silas, who worked with Paul as well.

1 Pet 5:13 – Like Silvanus, Mark worked with both Peter and Paul. Plus, Mark wrote the Gospel that bears his name from what Peter taught. ***** This world is Babylon to us; that is, we live in exile. Our home is Jerusalem above – beloved Zion. ***** Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History 2.15.2 says that Paul was using “Babylon” to refer to Rome.

Heb 12:18 For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind,
Heb 12:19 and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them.
Heb 12:20 For they could not bear the command, “IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED.”
Heb 12:21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling.”
Heb 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,
Heb 12:23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
Heb 12:24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

1 Pet 5:14 – On earth Jesus gives us peace in the midst of a storm. In heaven, He’ll give us peace in the midst of peace.

***

BSN home page

BSN: 1 Peter

***