CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The First Letter of Peter
Orientation
The apostle Peter, the leader of the original twelve disciples, has two letters in the New Testament associated with him, the two being very different in style (see also chap. 26). Two letters is maybe less than we would expect from intrepid Peter, the first leader of the church. But though they often are overshadowed by the larger corpus from Paul, Peter’s Letters are no less important, and they have a beauty and power all their own.
Figure 25.1. Woodcut of Peter preaching the gospel [Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division]
The First Letter of Peter is a general letter—that is, written not to one specific group of Christians but designed to be widely circulated. The letter would have been hand-delivered by a messenger, read aloud in the church, copied down, and then sent to the next location, where the process would begin again. First Peter 1:1 identifies this wide group of recipients (possibly in the order of the mail route) as Christians scattered throughout what today is eastern Turkey.
Such general letters in the ancient world were often paraenetic, meaning they were written for the purpose of exhorting hearers toward growth in virtue and character. Peter’s paraenetic goal is clear: he is calling Christians to grow in holiness and humility, even amid suffering and pain. Holiness means imitating God himself while living in an ungodly world. Humility means relating to others with a posture of service and love, even when wronged, while also submitting to God’s control of the world. In all of this, Peter continually reminds his hearers that Jesus is the ultimate model of holiness and humility.
This exhortation toward holiness and humility is based on the powerful vision that Peter paints of what it means to be a Christian—to be the chosen ones of God, who are valuable to God, and who will receive a great reward for being faithful to God.
The Historical Origins of 1 Peter
Exploration—Reading 1 Peter
Praise Be to God, You Billionaire Refugees!
READ 1 PETER 1:1–12
The opening of Peter’s letter sets the tone as one of amazed praise for what God has done through Jesus Christ. God has chosen believers, sprinkled them with Jesus’s blood, and is sanctifying them by his own Spirit (1:2). Because of God’s merciful nature, he has caused spiritually dead humans to be born again into a spiritual inheritance that is extravagant and eternal, reserved in heaven, where Jesus now is (1:3–5). These truths are so amazing that even angels long to understand their depth, and though Christians may now suffer great hardships, they still can be filled with joy (1:6–12).
This combination of trials and glorious joy is the undergirding theme of the whole letter and is summed up in the paradoxical description of Christians that Peter gives in the first words of 1:1: “elect exiles.” Christians are simultaneously God’s elect ones and exiles. “Elect” means chosen and set apart for a special covenantal relationship with God like Israel was under the Mosaic covenant. Peter (along with the rest of the New Testament) says that this special relationship is now available for all people who are united with Christ, Jews and gentiles. “Exiles” means that Christians are currently homeless and landless, suffering the hardships of not being in their native land; Christians are heaven’s refugees on the earth. This combination of election and exile is deeply ironic and paradoxical. It well describes the Christian experience that was also Jesus’s own experience—elect exiles, billionaire refugees.
The Structure of 1 Peter
The Roles of the Trinity
God’s Holy People
READ 1 PETER 1:13–2:10
The cause for joy in 1:1–12 leads naturally into a call to holiness in 1:13–2:3. With a series of powerful images Peter exhorts Christians, who have been born again by God, to now live a new life that is based on who God is. This is natural and good; God made every believer alive again through Jesus’s own resurrection, and therefore the Christian’s identity and allegiance and behavior should be rooted in the reality of God’s nature. What is God like? He is holy, meaning that he is consistent in his character and is good, not evil in any way (1:14–16). He is loving, meaning that Christians must also be people of sincere love for one another (1:22). He is good, meaning that the Christian life should be increasingly free of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander (2:1–3).
Peter is strong on encouragement, and in 2:4–10 he gives one of the most beautiful and powerful descriptions of Christians anywhere in the New Testament. This series of images is meant to hearten and strengthen the Christian life amid difficulties. The paradox of being chosen by God while rejected by humans (see the discussion of “elect exiles” above) was true of Jesus himself and therefore will be true of all followers of Jesus. In these verses Peter especially unpacks what “chosen by God” looks like. Peter piles up a series of images based on descriptions of God’s people in the Old Testament. Christians are like stones that are alive and are together being built into a temple. At the same time, Christians are like the priests in that temple offering praiseful sacrifices to God. Christians together are a holy nation, a gathered people who are the recipients of God’s mercy and who now have a clear mission, which is to openly praise God, who has mercifully brought them from darkness into light.
Peter’s Use of the Old Testament
The Christian Way of Humble Service
READ 1 PETER 2:11–3:7
The troubled relationship of Christians to the outside world has been hinted at in the letter, but now it comes to the forefront of Peter’s exhortation. Because Christians are foreigners and exiles (1:1; 2:11), there will inevitably be conflict and tension, with Christians being misrepresented, wrongly accused of evil, and insulted (2:12; 4:14; cf. Matt. 5:10–12). Peter knows that this can’t be avoided but wants to make sure that Christians are only falsely being accused of wrongdoing; they must in fact truly be doing good, and when God does return, Christians’ good works will bring glory and honor to God (2:12; 3:16; 4:16–19; based on Jesus’s teaching in Matt. 5:16).
So what does doing good when being falsely accused look like? Peter describes the Christian way as the way of humble submission to authorities at every level (2:13–14). Christians are free but should show proper respect to earthly authorities, even the emperor, thus disproving the accusations against Christians (2:15–17).
Peter then gives two specific examples of what humble submission looks like: the relationship of servants to masters and of wives to husbands. Peter exhorts Christian servants/slaves to humbly perform their tasks regardless of whether their master is good or bad (2:18). If a servant is rebellious and brings trouble on himself, there is no credit there; but if suffering comes unjustly, then humble submission is in fact commendable and honorable in God’s eyes (2:20). (See the sidebar “Slavery in the Greco-Roman World” in chap. 22.)
The second example, from the marriage relationship, has the same point—be humble—though with a couple of important qualifications. The first qualification is that Peter does not encourage women to endure ill treatment but does invite them to focus on their virtue and goodness in relationship to their husbands, whether the man is a believer in Christ or not (3:1–6). Second, Peter immediately turns to the husbands and gives them an important command: be considerate and treat your wives with respect (3:7).
Peter, Paul, and James
These examples of servants and wives are not meant to be comprehensive but are representative of the Christian call on all people regardless of status or gender—the call to humble service and self-sacrifice.
The basis and the source for this vision come from none other than Jesus’s own example. Peter gives believers one of the most profound reflections on Jesus’s life as the model for every follower: “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (2:21). Jesus’s righteous suffering meant that even though he was misrepresented and mistreated, he did not retaliate but instead “entrusted himself to the one [God the Father] who judges justly” (2:23). Jesus as the model of trusting God amid troubles is the engine that drives the entire exhortation of 1 Peter.
Christians’ Civil Disobedience
The Imitation of Christ and of Christians
Christ Is Lord
READ 1 PETER 3:8–4:11
This section continues and expands the argument from chapter 2. The application of Christian humility to the situation of servants and wives is now broadened out to include all Christians. Peter sums up his point by saying that every Christian should be sympathetic, loving, compassionate, and humble (3:8; 4:8–9). This way of being and doing good is once again supported through the promise that it honors God and therefore will result in goodness and life (3:9–12). And once again, Peter offers Jesus himself as the ultimate example for what he is calling all Christians to do. Christ suffered unjustly, even to the point of death (3:17–18). This can give the Christian the courage to do the same, by making Christ the focus of one’s heart and life—“in your hearts revere Christ as Lord” (3:15 NIV).
Mention of Jesus’s death and resurrection leads Peter down a side trail that contains a great theological treasure. First Peter 3:19–22 is not easy to understand and has been debated throughout the church’s history. Peter references Jesus proclaiming to imprisoned spirits, though what he proclaimed and to whom is not clear—to imprisoned spirits, to disobedient ones (spirits? humans?) during Noah’s day. Then Peter moves from Noah to a discussion of water baptism being a means of salvation, by analogy with Noah’s ark. However, this baptism is not really about water but about the cleansing of the inner person through Jesus’s resurrection (3:20–21). What all these quick exegetical steps mean is not entirely clear. In 4:5–6 we get a little bit more information: Jesus is the judge of both the living and the dead, and everyone will have to give an account to God, resulting in either judgment or life. What is clear about this whole section is that Jesus is now seated in the place of authority with God the Father in heaven (3:22). This is why Christians can have sure hope for the future, even if they suffer now.
Preaching to the Spirits in Prison
Christ’s Descent into Hell and Ascent into Heaven
READ 1 PETER 4:12–5:14
Typical of a paraenetic letter (a letter that exhorts people to live virtuously), before the final section, the main body of the letter ends with a reiteration of the main point. This is what we see in 4:12–19, which provides a good summary of what Peter wants his hearers to understand and to act on. In short, suffering as a Christian is inevitable, so it should not be surprising. Rather than being a cause for sadness and shame, suffering and persecution can in fact be a source of great joy, because it means that one is united with Christ himself. What should the Christian do, then? “Those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good” (4:19 NIV). It’s hard to find a better summary of Peter’s vision than this.
Figure 25.2. Stained glass depicting the harrowing of hell [The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Cloisters Collection, 1986.]
Also typical of an ancient letter like this, the closing section contains final greetings and instructions to specific people. First, Peter speaks to the elders among his readers (5:1–4). “Elders” here does not mean older and more mature people (as compared to the younger people in 5:5); it is more than a designation of chronological age. Peter is addressing Christians who help lead the Christian community, like shepherds over a flock—humble, caring, providing, serving, being a role model. In all of this, Jesus is once again the great example, the Chief Shepherd, who will reward his faithful under-shepherds (5:4). Second, Peter addresses those who are not elders and, consistent with the whole letter, exhorts everyone once again to humility. This time the call to humility is based on the fact that God sets himself in opposition to those who are proud and, quite the opposite, shows favor and kindness toward those who are humble (5:5).
God as Shepherd
Peter then concludes his short letter with a final reminder that God’s people do have an active enemy in the world, the devil, so Christians must not be lackadaisical. The sure hope is that Christ is more powerful and is going to return in glory and restore the honor of his people (5:8–11). A benediction of “peace” concludes Peter’s communication (5:14).
The Historical Peter
Implementation—Reading 1 Peter as Christian Scripture Today
When modern Christians in Western Europe and North America read in the New Testament about suffering for being a Christian, it is difficult to connect emotionally and experientially. The kind of faith-based persecution that Peter is writing about is mostly foreign to Christians in the modern West—though it is not foreign to many Christians in Africa and Asia today.
Figure 25.3. Crucifixion of St. Peter by Caravaggio [Cerasi Chapel / Wikimedia Commons]
Nonetheless, Peter’s message is still deeply relevant and personal today, regardless of whether one has experienced persecution for being a Christian. This is because Peter’s exhortations are rooted in the universal reality of God’s own nature and character. The First Letter of Peter is calling all Christians to adopt a new, self-aware identity as people who are different from the world around them: Christians have been born again, reborn into a new inheritance and hope, a new story! This new story is one of amazing glory, benefits, riches, and joy.
This new narrative identity means that sooner or later, at various times and places in history, Christians will have a strained relationship with their surrounding society. Peter makes clear that this relationship should look like God’s own relationship to the world: loving, winsome, distinct, and respectful. This new Christian identity is related to the present world while it is rooted in the hope for the future, when Jesus will return from heaven to earth and bring the world into submission to God, thus God’s household in the church will become the kingdom of God in all the earth.
- First Peter focuses intently on the identity of God’s people. How does he describe their identity throughout his letter, and how does this understanding change the way you think about yourself as a Christian?
- How would you explain being an “elect exile” to an unbeliever?
- In what circumstances might you find yourself at some point needing to practice some level of civil disobedience toward your government? What virtues do you think Peter would want you to maintain in your life in the way you pursue civil disobedience?
- What type of persecution do you think the Christians whom Peter was writing to were experiencing? How do you think his exhortations concerning persecution apply to your life?