Read Ellen G. White, “Christ the Way of Life,” pp. 365-368, and “Perfect Obedience Through Christ,” pp. 373-376 in Selected Messages, book 1. It’s amazing how rich and deep this first chapter of Peter is and how much ground it covers. Peter begins his epistle with a meditation on the character of the Godhead, bringing … Continue reading –>
Peter next steers Christians to the ultimate expression of what living a holy and faithful life will be like. Read 1 Peter 1:22-25. What crucial point is he making here about what it means to be a Christian? Peter’s starting point is that Christians are already purified (“Seeing ye have purified . . .”), and … Continue reading –>
Read 1 Peter 1:13-21. According to this passage, what should motivate Christian behavior? The word therefore, which begins 1 Peter 1:13, NKJV, shows that what Peter will say next grows out of what he had just said. As we saw in yesterday’s study, Peter just had been talking about the grace of God and the … Continue reading –>
Read 1 Peter 1:3-12. What is Peter’s main message in these verses? In his greeting to his readers in 1 Peter 1:1-2, Peter has already mentioned the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (1 Pet. 1:2). The three members of the Godhead form the subject of 1 Peter 1:3-12. The Father and the Son are the … Continue reading –>
Read 1 Peter 1:2. What else does this tell us about those to whom Peter had been writing? What does he call them? Whether writing to specifically Jewish or Gentile believers, Peter was sure about one thing: they were “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (1 Pet. 1:2). Here, though, one needs … Continue reading –>
If you were given a piece of paper that began, “Dear Sir,” you would realize that you were reading a letter. And you would assume that the letter came from somebody you probably weren’t close to. Just as modern letters have a standard way to begin, so do ancient letters. First Peter begins as any … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Pet. 1:1-2; John 3:16; Ezek. 33:11; 1 Pet. 1:3-21; Lev. 11:44-45; 1 Pet. 1:22-25. Memory Text: “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22, NIV). Whenever one studies … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, “The Call by the Sea,” pp. 244-251, “A Night on the Lake,” pp. 377-382. From the fisherman’s early admission of his own sinfulness to his bold declaration of Jesus that “‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (Matt. 16:16, NKJV) to his terrible … Continue reading –>
During the ministry of Jesus, Peter often acted in the role of leader of the 12 disciples. He was their usual spokesman. When Matthew lists the disciples, he says “first, . . . Peter” (Matt. 10:2). Peter also took a prominent role in the early church. It was Peter who took the initiative to appoint … Continue reading –>
Read Luke 22:31-34, Luke 22:54-62. What lessons can we learn from Peter’s failures? Peter’s intentions were good. And, in fact, he showed more courage than did the other disciples. He actually followed Jesus in order to discover what would happen to Him. But in doing so, he decided to hide his true identity. This compromise, … Continue reading –>
