- Peter, the Apostle, wrote the book and refers to it in his second letter (2 Peter 3:1).
- Peter likely penned the letter around AD 62-63 while in Rome (“Babylon” in 5:13).
- At the time of Peter’s writing, the famous (or infamous) Emperor Nero ruled Rome. Within a couple of years, he would have Peter killed.
- Although persecution at the time of writing was not yet widespread or officially sanctioned by the empire, it was taking place on a local level. Peter addresses these exiles experiencing opposition and suffering throughout his letter.
- Peter wrote to believers scattered or dispersed throughout Asia Minor (1:1), now modern-day Turkey.
- Most likely, the audience primarily consisted of Gentiles (see 1:14, 18; 2:10) who seemed to have been instructed in the Old Testament after their conversion. There is a lot of Old Testament theology and background Peter draws upon as he explains to them who they are, what Christ has done for them, and how they fit into God’s redemptive story.
- The theme of “exile” is prominent throughout the book and gives us a lens to understand much of what Peter writes. Whether they were physical, cultural, or spiritual exiles (or all of the above), Peter wants to remind them to see themselves and their role through God’s purposes and plans rather than the world’s evaluation and treatment of them.
- Another key theme is that while we don’t belong to this world we do belong to God, who has redeemed us to Himself (1:1-2, 18-19; 2:9-10, 25; 3:18). They are not just exiles, but they are “elect exiles,” known, loved, and treasured by God (1:1). Because they belong to Him, their lives display to the world what He’s like (2:12).
- The purpose of the letter is to encourage believers to both endure suffering and pursue holiness in an evil and hostile culture. Peter will repeatedly bring them back to who their living Savior is and who they now are in Him as an appeal to then live out their new identity and calling in Christ. Because they have hope in a living Savior, they can endure earthly hardships.
- At the end of the letter, we see that Peter was with John Mark. This is the same Mark who participated in ministry with Paul and Barnabas (Acts 12:25; 13:5, Col. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:11), whose mother hosted a church (Acts 12:12), and who most likely wrote the Gospel of Mark through the direction and influence of Peter.
Category: Studying the Bible
Beholding the Beauty of Being Chosen by God
A couple years ago, my wife and I visited the Grand Canyon. It’s a sight to behold, whether at sunrise when the dawn slowly lights up the cold canyon, during the day as its scope can be appreciated, or at night when countless stars fill the sky.
We enjoy hiking, and even though it had recently snowed, we wanted to descend into the canyon. (It’s estimated that only five percent of the more than six million annual visitors go below the rim.) The path along the canyon’s rim is a peaceful place to enjoy the view, but you get to behold the sheer size and beauty of the canyon in a whole different way when you walk down into it. Your eyes are caught by the layers of rock, each offering its own shade and color. You feel your smallness and the canyon’s enormity beneath the rim’s surface. After a couple miles, especially when slowed by trekking through snow and ice, you look up thinking you’ll be further into the canyon only to realize it’s bigger and deeper than you imagined. But whether it’s looking down from above or scanning the canyon from inside, the more you see the layers within the canyon the more in awe you will be of the Grand Canyon as a whole (and its Maker).
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Bible Study Questions
We learn by listening, and good listeners ask good questions. While there’s no one-way to do Bible study, one thing we can do is ask questions as we’re reading to help us better observe, interpret, and apply the text. These questions should help us discover the meaning of the passage itself (“what did the author mean?) and move us to living it out? They should not only help us understand the Bible, but they should stir our love for God and neighbor because of what we discover in it.
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Bible Study Tip: Summarize Your Bible Reading
What did you read in the Bible yesterday or today? What did your pastor preach on last Sunday? I know, those are hard questions. It’s not that you weren’t paying attention but we all struggle to remember things we hear and even learn. We listen to sermons and read the Bible and often move on without doing something to help it “stick.”
My point in this post is straightforward. To improve how you reflect on (meditation) and respond to (application) the Bible, try writing out your own short summary of what you just read. Or on Sundays, do this with the sermon and text your pastor preached on.
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Matthew Reading Plan
We all need encouragement to read the Bible regularly. Maybe one thing that’s kept you from consistent Bible reading is not knowing what to read or where to turn. The nice thing about a reading plan is it provides a starting point. It takes out the question, “What should I red today?”
9 Things to Know about Bible Meditation
First, let’s define Bible meditation.
“Meditation is a serious intention of the mind whereby we come to search out the truth, and settle it effectually upon the heart.” Thomas Hooker
“Deep thinking on the truths and spiritual realities revealed in Scripture for the purposes of understanding, application, and prayer.” Don Whitney
I define bible meditation as reflecting on biblical truths so they burrow themselves into our minds and affections. Meditation means absorbing God’s truths and promises through a purposeful reflection on them.
Savoring Scripture
“A Christian without meditation is like a soldier without arms, or a workman without tools. Without meditation, the truths of God will not stay with us; the heart is hard, and the memory slippery, and without meditation all is lost.” Thomas Watson
Starting on September 9th, I’ll teach a four-week class on Bible meditation. I’ve taught classes on Bible study–which are important–but I believe a missing link between reading the Bible and it landing on us with staying power is meditation.
Pray the Bible
“Look, prayer is spilling your guts. It doesn’t have to be pretty. It doesn’t have to be tidy. It doesn’t have to be particularly eloquent or even particularly intelligent. But the Bible is how God speaks to us and prayer is how we speak to God. These two rhythms form the dynamic of our friendship with the God of the universe. You can’t be good friends with someone you don’t listen to, and you can’t be good friends with someone you don’t talk to. So we go about our personal devotions by studying the Bible to hear what God would say to us and then praying to God that he would forgive us for our hard-heartedness against his Word and empower us to understand it better and make it resonate more deeply in our hearts. Spilling our guts in prayer is how we process God’s words to us. Prayer is how we interact with our friend Jesus.” Jared Wilson
Reading Acts and Bible Study Questions
On Sunday, our church passed out a 40 Days of Prayer & Reading to takes us through the book of Acts together. Each day provides a section of Acts to read and one thing to pray over. It’s a small step in helping people get into the Word consistently, intentionally, and prayerfully. (You’ll notice the text sizes start short and get longer as we walk before we run.) What sorts of questions should we ask when reading the Bible?
indycrowe 