1. Born at Bethsaida, Peter is called from his fishing nets on the Sea of Galilee to become Jesus’ disciple (John 1:44; Luke 5:1–11).
2. In the region of Caesarea Philippi, Peter acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah (Matt. 16:13–16).
3. Peter, James, and John witness the transfiguration of Jesus on a mountain, perhaps Mt. Hermon, in this region (Matt. 17:1–9).
4. Peter denies Jesus three times on the night before His crucifixion in Jerusalem (Matt. 26:69–75).
5. After His resurrection, Jesus appears to Peter and the other disciples in the Upper Room at Jerusalem (Luke 24:33–43).
6. A leader in the early church at Jerusalem (Acts 2:14–41), Peter broadens his witness to include the Gentiles following a vision on the rooftop of the home of Simon the tanner in Joppa (10:9–23).
7. Beginning at Caesarea, Peter travels through Judea and Samaria, proclaiming Christ and witnessing to the Gentiles (Acts 10:24—11:18).
8. Peter makes a bold appeal to the church leaders at Jerusalem to stop impeding Gentiles from coming into the faith (Acts 15:6–11). Yet on another occasion, at Antioch, Paul opposes Peter for distancing himself from Gentile Christians in order to save face with Jewish Christians (Gal. 2:11–14).
9. According to early church tradition, Peter is executed in Rome.
More: Peter, also known as Simon Peter, consistently appears first among those whom Jesus called as His disciples. See his profile at Mark 1:16 and “The First Disciple” at Mark 1:16–18.
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The mostly Jewish followers of Christ who first read this book were scattered throughout the Roman empire. They faced harassment from both the Roman government and local synagogue leaders. As society turned against them, they suffered as persecuted refugees (1 Pet. 1:6; 2:11, 12; 4:12), likely dealing with doubts about their worth and significance.
Called into the Light
In the midst of these mounting troubles, Peter reminded his readers what it means to belong to Jesus Christ. They felt like outcasts in a hostile society, but to Christ they couldn’t be more important. He had called them out of darkness into light (2:9). These believers were …
• A chosen generation. They were among God’s elect, selected based on His foreknowledge and born again to a living hope (1:2–5). God had called each person out of sin to be among His rescued people.
• A royal priesthood. They were a part of God’s plan to build a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:6; Is. 61:6; Rev. 1:6). Each would serve and worship not by offering up the bodies of animals but by presenting their own bodies as living sacrifices available for His purposes (Rom. 12:1).
• A holy nation. They were to be holy, like the God who called them (1 Pet. 1:16; Ex. 19:6). Their lifestyles were to reflect His character and publicize their identity as His people.
• A special people. They were invited to step into a unique relationship with God and with each other. As God’s people, their community enjoyed unique access to Him (Eph. 2:18).
A Timely Message
Those early Christians needed encouragement as they struggled to stand strong in a world where most lacked citizenship, recognition, respect, or privileges. Today, as we strive to find our own places in society and in the church, these affirmations can raise our confidence about our God-given significance and capabilities. Our self-doubt often comes out in how we speak:
• We talk about ministry as if it belongs only to professional church staff. Yet Scripture describes ministry as the calling and responsibility of every Christian (see “The True Meaning of Ministry” at Eph. 4:12).
• We speak of calling as if it pertains to a select few chosen by God for special assignments. But most instances of calling in Scripture are an invitation from God to all sinners to come to Him (see “Who Is Called?” at 1 Sam. 3:1–21).
• We use words like laity and laypeople as if they imply second-class citizenship in Christ’s body. But the Lord equips all Christians to accomplish His work (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:7; Eph. 4:12, 1 Pet. 4:10, 11; see also “The Christian’s Calling” at Heb. 3:1).
Our True Identity
The descriptions that Peter uses to describe Christians reveal our true identity. We belong to God and have received His call, mercy, and claim on our lives. We can therefore commit ourselves to each other and work together toward God’s goals. We know who we are because we know whose we are.
Unless we recover a biblical understanding of words such as ministry, calling, and laypeople, we will never grow into all that God has planned for us. We will remain spectators of God’s work in the world, watching from the sidelines, unable to share in the victory of carrying out God’s will.
God has given us citizenship in His eternal kingdom, completely equipped us for His service, opened up opportunities for us to work on His behalf, and welcomed us into friendship with Him. We are no longer refugees but sons and daughters of the King, with all the rights and blessings of family membership.
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Submitted to Suffering
Finding himself on the deck of a slave ship after having been kidnapped from the Ibo village (in modern-day Nigeria) where he had been raised since birth, Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745–1797), then eleven years of age, spotted a large copper furnace and immediately fainted. When he awoke he asked whether the strange white men on the boat intended to eat him. Little did he know that before his voyage across the Atlantic was over, he would come to prefer death over the miseries of bondage. But God had other plans. Though Equiano’s path would never be free from peril, it would lead him on breathtaking adventures around the globe and within his soul.
Having survived the horrors of the Middle Passage to the New World, Equiano was deposited in Barbados, where he was purchased by an English naval officer who renamed him Gustavus Vassa, after a sixteenth-century Swedish hero who freed his people from the Danes (such names concealed the status of a slave during a time when slavery was frowned upon by the British Navy). As a cabin boy, Equiano was trained in seamanship and traveled extensively during the Seven Years’ War. It was during this time that Equiano became a Christian while reading Acts 4:12. Realizing that only Christ could atone for his sins, Equiano immediately sought and received his spiritual deliverance.
Having gained his master’s favor, Equiano was sent to school in London, where he received a basic education. He also became baptized, which many slaves expected to make them free. But Equiano’s hopes were cruelly disappointed when he was soon after sold and shipped off to the West Indies. Utterly dejected, the poor slave wondered whether this turn of events was a result of God’s judgment for his sins. His response was instantly humble:
I therefore, with contrition of heart, acknowledged my transgression to God, and poured out my soul before him with unfeigned repentance, and with earnest supplications I besought him not to abandon me in my distress.… I considered that trials and disappointments are sometimes for our good, and I thought God might perhaps have permitted this in order to teach me wisdom and resignation; for he had hitherto shadowed me with the wings of his mercy, and by his invisible but powerful hand brought me the way I knew not. These reflections gave me a little comfort, and I rose at last from the deck with dejection and sorrow in my countenance, yet mixed with some faint hope that the Lord would appear for my deliverance (The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African).
Equiano purchased his freedom in 1766. Finding, however, that slave traders were eager to kidnap him back into slavery, he returned to England, working first as a hairdresser and later voyaging all over the world, even taking part in an attempt to find a passage to India by way of the North Pole. In the 1780s Equiano became involved in the abolitionist movement. The publication of his autobiography and his numerous speaking engagements made him well-known and well-connected. Equiano was the first African writer read widely in England, and his book greatly advanced the abolitionist cause. In 1782 Equiano married Susan Cullen, an Englishwoman. They had two daughters.
Equiano’s story differs from many other slave narratives in that it involves neither a daring escape nor a revolutionary protagonist. Equiano certainly displays his own brand of courage and heroism, but he also fully embodies the Christian virtues of patience, humility, and submission. Taking to heart the instruction of 1 Peter 2:13–25, Equiano worked to eliminate the boundaries freedom in Western society, yet never overstepped those boundaries in securing his own liberty. He bore injustice patiently, surrendering his will to the providence of God.
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Sarah was no doubt a favorite Old Testament figure among the Jewish Christians who first read Peter’s letter. Just as Jewish men prized their ties to Abraham (Matt. 3:9; John 8:39; Acts 13:26), women regarded themselves as Sarah’s daughters. Peter affirmed that connection by describing how Christian women should face severe persecution: like Sarah, they should do good and not give in to fear.
Genesis does not record Sarah calling her husband “lord,” but we know that the term was commonly used by members of a clan to show esteem to the head of the clan. The title honored Abraham and illustrated Sarah’s submission to God in following her husband’s leadership (1 Pet. 3:1, 5).
Sarah exerted her own leadership by arranging for her servant Hagar to bear Abraham a son (Gen. 16:2–4; see also “The Two Covenants of Sarah and Hagar” at Gal. 4:24, 25) and by later urging Abraham to send Hagar and her son Ishmael away (Gen. 21:10–14). Interestingly, God instructed Abraham to obey Sarah even though Abraham was displeased with her plan.
Peter emphasized Sarah’s good works and courageous faith. She followed Abraham into risky situations that required courage and righteous living (Gen. 12:15; 20:2). Like her, Peter’s readers were undergoing a “fiery trial” (1 Pet. 4:12). The key to their survival was not to capitulate to worldly standards but to develop a Christlike inner character that was both beautiful and enduring (3:3, 4).
More: See Sarah’s profile at Gen. 17:15.
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As we walk with Jesus we inevitably find ourselves pressed from within and without to return to our old ways. So we should not be surprised when we encounter pain along the journey. Suffering is part of the gift of believing (Phil. 1:29). It is the path to strength and steadiness (1 Pet. 5:10). It is the process God uses to complete us (James 1:2, 3). Christ’s own experience bears this out. He had to suffer and die in order to break the vicious bondage of sin that holds all of God’s creation. His pain made it possible for us to enter into new life. One day we will arrive at the place of peace, joy, and serenity that we hope for, when we reach full maturity in Christ in the world to come (Rev. 7:9–17; 21:1–5; 22:1–6).
More: C. S. Lewis experienced profound heartache during his spiritual journey and even lost his faith for a time. See here for an article on his life.
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Our culture’s general distrust of Christian ministers and ministries—especially when it comes to raising and spending money—makes Peter’s instructions to overseers essential for anyone involved in paid Christian work. Peter condemned “dishonest gain,” literally “filthy” or “shameful” money. What brings shame is not money in and of itself but greed, which amounts to idolatry (Col. 3:5). No wonder Paul emphatically warned church leaders not to use ministry as a pretext for financial gain (1 Tim. 3:3, 8; 6:3–5; Titus 1:7).
Ministers do not all fall into greed. Peter refused a bribe in exchange for the Holy Spirit’s power (Acts 8:18–20). Paul frequently refused the financial support he was entitled to as an apostle (1 Cor. 9:7–15). But all who make their living through ministry need to take special care to maintain the utmost integrity when it comes to finances. If they cannot do that willingly, they should not be in ministry.
More: Paul did everything he could to avoid any hint of financial impropriety. See “I Have Not Coveted” at Acts 20:33–38.
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Satan stalks the world like a lion, knowing that spiritual overconfidence is a guaranteed way to catch believers off guard. See “Escaping Temptation” at 1 Corinthians 10:12, 13.
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When Peter referred to “she who is in Babylon,” he may have meant a group of Christians rather than a particular individual. And the term Babylon was code in the early church not only for Rome but for a world system rebelling against God (see “Babylon: A Symbol of Evil” at Rev. 14:8). It embodied the hostility Christians faced at the local level and eventually from Rome itself.
Early Christians were increasingly harassed, threatened, arrested, beaten, and killed for refusing to back down from their commitment to Christ. During Domitian’s reign as emperor (A.D. 81–96), official persecution intensified, turning many Christians into refugees and driving some living in Rome to flee to the catacombs beneath the city.
First Peter speaks to Christians enduring the “fiery trial” (1 Pet. 4:12). Second Peter addresses Christians whose faith may have wavered during long years of suffering and waiting for the Lord’s return and for deliverance from their oppressors. Both letters highlight themes relevant to suffering Christians:
• The source of trouble. Early Christians were opponents of Rome because the system defined them as enemies, not the other way around. Peter urged Christians to submit to authorities, persevere despite injustice, and love rather than retaliate (2:13–20; 3:13–17; 4:12–16).
• The identity and worth of the believers. Some regarded Christians as evildoers (2:12; 3:16; 4:4). But Peter gave believers names and titles affirming their value to God (2:9).
• The value of community. Peter urged suffering saints to stick together, care for each other, and identify with other Christians facing tough times (3:8, 9).
• The importance of character. Peter challenged his readers not to use persecution as an excuse to stop growing. They were to stand firm in their faith and let suffering build Christlike virtues in them (1:13–16; 2:1, 2, 11, 12; 2 Pet. 1:5–9; 3:17, 18).
• The centrality of sound doctrine. Second Peter forcefully warns against false teachers who exploit suffering in order to advance a counterfeit faith (2:1–22; 3:17, 18). These enemies work their way into the Christian community, compromising truth and accommodating evil. God deals harshly with false teachers (2:4–10).
• The necessity of perseverance. Peter’s letters show Christians how to endure when they have no control over their circumstances or their outcome. Coping may be their only alternative to capitulating—but it is coping to God’s glory by never losing hope, never giving up their dignity, never letting their spirit be crushed.
More: Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. See here for an article on his life.
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