Sunday’s study talked about the persecution Christians faced. Here is a fuller excerpt from the letter written to the emperor about what Christians suffered in those early centuries: “… the method I have observed towards those who have been denounced to me as Christians is this: I interrogated them whether they were Christians; if they … Continue reading –>
As we have seen, Peter was writing to believers who were suffering for their faith. And as Christian history has shown, things only got worse, at least for a while. Surely many Christians in the ensuing years found solace and comfort in what Peter wrote. No doubt, many do today, too. Why the suffering? That, … Continue reading –>
Compare 1 Peter 4:17-19 with Isaiah 10:11-12 and Malachi 3:1-6. What are they saying in common? In all these passages, the process of judgment is portrayed as starting with the people of God. Peter even links the sufferings of his readers to the judgment of God. For him, the sufferings that his Christian readers are … Continue reading –>
Read 1 Peter 4:12-14. Why does Peter say that they shouldn’t be surprised at their suffering? See also 2 Tim. 3:12, John 15:18. Peter makes it clear that to suffer persecution for being a Christian is to partake of Christ’s suffering. It is not something to be unexpected. On the contrary, as Paul would write: … Continue reading –>
Read through 1 Peter 3:13-22. How should Christians respond to those who would bring them suffering because of their faith? What is the connection between the sufferings of Jesus and the sufferings experienced by the believers because of their faith? When Peter says, “if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed” (1 Pet. … Continue reading –>
Read 1 Peter 1:6, 1 Peter 5:10. What is Peter talking about, and how did he tell his readers to respond to what they were facing? For the first few centuries, just being a Christian could result in a horrible death. A letter written to the Roman Emperor Trajan illustrates how precarious the safety of … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Peter 1:6, 1 Peter 3:13-22, 2 Tim. 3:12, 1 Pet. 4:12-14, Rev. 12:17, 1 Pet. 4:17-19 Memory Text: “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21, NKJV). The history of persecution in … Continue reading –>
“The love that suffers long and is kind will not magnify an indiscretion into an unpardonable offense, neither will it make capital of others’ misdoings. The Scriptures plainly teach that the erring are to be treated with forbearance and consideration. If the right course is followed, the apparently obdurate heart may be won to Christ. … Continue reading –>
Even in the time of Peter, Christians lived with the expectation of the soon return of Jesus and the end of this present world. We know this because in 1 Peter 4:7 he writes: “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers” (NKJV). In other words, … Continue reading –>
In listing the wrong things that people had done in the past, and that they stopped doing after becoming believers in Jesus, Peter also lists what could be called “sexual sins.” Read 1 Peter 4:3 again. What else does Peter list there? Two words have a distinctive sexual connotation: “lewdness” (aselgia, which means “sensuality”) and … Continue reading –>
