{"id":40708,"date":"2021-12-16T17:21:09","date_gmt":"2021-12-16T23:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?page_id=40708"},"modified":"2023-10-10T09:19:31","modified_gmt":"2023-10-10T14:19:31","slug":"introduction-to-i-peter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/how-to-live-in-a-hostile-world-a-study-of-i-peter\/introduction-to-i-peter\/","title":{"rendered":"Introduction to I Peter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Introduction to I Peter<\/h1>\n

Theme<\/h2>\n

During the time Peter wrote his letter, Christians around the Roman Empire were facing mounting persecutions. Though the church started among the Jews, it was never accepted by the Jewish leaders. Their persecutions caused the church to spread beyond the borders of Judea (Acts 8:1) and as it spread to other regions, an attempt was made to chase down the Christians.<\/p>\n

The Jewish religion was tolerated, Emperor Claudius became increasingly frustrated with the Jews (Acts 18:2). Since Christianity was viewed to be a sect of Judaism (Acts 24:5), it also was persecuted. But by A.D. 50, Christianity was listed as an illicit sect, and by A.D. 64 Nero blamed Christians for his burning of the slums in Rome, and Christianity was declared to be illegal. The major point of contention was that Christians refused to accept the ancient religions that came before them. Persecution was getting more frequent and more severe when I Peter was written.<\/p>\n

I Peter deals with how the Christian is to respond to persecution and suffering (I Peter 4:12-14). That Christians were persecuted should not be surprising to any follower of Christ since he himself suffered (I Peter 2:21; 3:18; 4:1, 12-14). Thus, Peter argues that to share in Christ’s sufferings when persecuted for doing good is a privilege. The suffering was not a punishment by God but an opportunity to grow strong in the faith and it was suffering shared with other believers (I Peter 5:9-10).<\/p>\n

Peter seeks to encourage all Christians who suffer persecution to remember their true destiny (I Peter 5:12). It is filled with advice on how to behave in the face of hostility.<\/p>\n

Class Discussion:<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. What verse in I Peter do you think is the key verse that best captures the theme of Peter’s letter?<\/li>\n
  2. A frequent thought that appears in I Peter is that things happen because it is what God wants. Underline the phrases that indicate that something is according to the will of God. What do you learn from this?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Outline<\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Salutation – I Peter 1:1-2<\/li>\n
    2. The salvation of Christians – I Peter 1:3-1:12\n
        \n
      1. Hope for the future – I Peter 1:3-4<\/li>\n
      2. Trials for the present – I Peter 1:5-9<\/li>\n
      3. Anticipation in the past – I Peter 1:10-12<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
      4. Our response to salvation – I Peter 1:13-2:12\n
          \n
        1. Prepare your minds by being holy – I Peter 1:13-16<\/li>\n
        2. Conduct yourselves with fear – I Peter 1:17-21<\/li>\n
        3. Purify yourselves with a sincere love of the brethren – I Peter 1:22-25<\/li>\n
        4. Desire the word so you can grow – I Peter 2:1-3<\/li>\n
        5. Offer up spiritual sacrifices to God – I Peter 2:4-8<\/li>\n
        6. Proclaim the excellencies of Christ – I Peter 2:9-10<\/li>\n
        7. Abstain from lusts – I Peter 2:11-12<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
        8. The submission of Christians – I Peter 2:13-3:12\n
            \n
          1. Submission to government – I Peter 2:13-17<\/li>\n
          2. Submission to employers – I Peter 2:18-20<\/li>\n
          3. The example of Christ – I Peter 2:21-25<\/li>\n
          4. Submission in marriage – I Peter 3:1-7<\/li>\n
          5. Summary of how to live as a Christian – I Peter 3:8-12<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
          6. The sufferings of Christians – I Peter 3:13-5:14\n
              \n
            1. How to conduct yourselves in suffering – I Peter 3:13-17<\/li>\n
            2. The example of Christ – I Peter 3:18-3:22<\/li>\n
            3. Arm yourselves against lusts to follow Christ – I Peter 4:1-6<\/li>\n
            4. Living under persecution – I Peter 4:7-11<\/li>\n
            5. Be prepared to share in Christ’s sufferings – I Peter 4:12-19<\/li>\n
            6. The service of elders – I Peter 5:1-4<\/li>\n
            7. Humble yourselves – I Peter 5:5-7<\/li>\n
            8. Resist Satan – I Peter 5:8-9<\/li>\n
            9. It isn’t forever – I Peter 5:10-11<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
            10. Closing – I Peter 5:12-14<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrior Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tI Peter\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              Introduction to I Peter Theme During the time Peter wrote his letter, Christians around the Roman Empire were facing mounting persecutions. Though the church started among the Jews, it was never accepted by the Jewish leaders. Their persecutions caused the church to spread beyond the borders of Judea (Acts 8:1) and as it spread to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":40700,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-40708","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":40704,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/how-to-live-in-a-hostile-world-a-study-of-i-peter\/background-of-i-peter\/","url_meta":{"origin":40708,"position":0},"title":"Background of I Peter","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Background of I Peter Text: I Peter 1:1-2 Getting Acquainted: What section of the Bible does I Peter fit? Read the book of I Peter in one sitting as if you just received this letter from your grandpa. What kind of book is I Peter? 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I Peter Text: I Peter 4 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Peter\u2019s letter is addressed to those scattered by persecution - I Peter 1:1 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0That sets the theme of I Peter \u2013 how to live in a world that is hostile to you \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The author is clearly stated to\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10166,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/acts-of-the-apostles\/trouble-back-in-jerusalem\/","url_meta":{"origin":40708,"position":2},"title":"Trouble Back in Jerusalem","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 20, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Trouble Back in Jerusalem \u00a0Text: Acts 11:1-18 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Word quickly spread that the Gentiles had been taught the word of God and had responded to it. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The next time Peter came to Jerusalem, Jewish Christians who believed the Old Law was still in effect began to argue with Peter. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The accusation\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22656,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/survey-of-the-bible\/survey-of-the-bible-acts\/","url_meta":{"origin":40708,"position":3},"title":"Survey of the Bible – Acts","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 19, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Survey of the Bible - Acts Text: Acts 1:1-11 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The book of Acts is a continuation of Luke\u2019s earlier account - Acts 1:1-3 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0All early manuscripts use the title \u201cActs\u201d or \u201cActs of the Apostles\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The author is not named, but continuation and the style makes it clear that\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50025,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/remember-a-study-of-ii-peter\/introduction-to-ii-peter\/","url_meta":{"origin":40708,"position":4},"title":"Introduction to II Peter","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Introduction to II Peter Text: II Peter 1:1 Style Peter knows that he is about to die and what Jesus had prophesied about him would soon come to pass (II Peter 1:13-15). It was Peter's desire to leave a final address to those he has sought to lead. Such is\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65212,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/fundamentals-of-christianity\/deacons\/","url_meta":{"origin":40708,"position":5},"title":"Deacons","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 30, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Deacons I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Terms \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Deacon (diakonos) - a servant. This can get a bit confusing because the same word is used for preachers or an actual servant in different contexts. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Used for a duty or office - I Timothy 3:8, 12 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Where we know the office is mentioned, it is in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40708"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40708\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}