Bible Study: First Letter of Peter.
Page 1
Introduction: This letter has been recognised as being written by Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus Christ. It could be that he had some help from Silvanus (ch5:12) in writing this letter to ensure that it was written in a good literacy style in the Greek language.
The letter can be dated to about the early 60s as shown in the content of the letter. At that time Christians were experiencing increasing persecution during the time of the Roman Emperor Nero (54-68AD). This letter gave encouragement and strength to Christians to endure suffering.
There have been several interpretations to where the letter was written such as from 1) a military post called Babylon in Egypt. 2) Babylon in Mesopotamia (present day Iraq). 3) Jerusalem and 4) Rome.
Some early writers believe that Peter wrote this letter from Rome because tradition has connected him to the end of his life in Rome where it is believed he was martyred (65-68AD) during the reign of Nero. However there was a place called Babylon, a small town on the river Euphrates. It is still possible Peter wrote this letter from such a place with greetings from another brother called Mark, converted through Peter’s ministry. The context of ch5:13 is neither figurative nor cryptic (hidden, secret, unseen or mysteriously obscure).
We see from this letter much stress on living the Christian life according to God’s will along with Peter giving his readers an understanding of who God is.
Bible Study Questions
The following questions can be attempted in any order. In studying this letter as a small home group or church group it is recommended to hand out the brief introduction and questions before doing the bible study. In doing so, everyone is encouraged to read and study the first letter of Peter and come ready to give a contribution to the group study.
Q.1 To whom was Peter addressing this letter to? Read ch1:1-2.
Q.2 What do you know about Peter from the letter? Read ch1:1; ch5:1-4,11,13.
Q.3 What does the letter reveal about who God is? Read ch1:2-3,5,10,13,15-16,23,25; ch2:3,10; ch3:12,20; ch4:5,11,14,19; ch5:5,7,10,11.
Q.4 What have we received as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ?
Read ch1:2-3,18-19,23; ch2:5,9-10; ch4:2-4; ch5:1,4.
Q.5 Make a list showing how to live according to God’s will. Read ch1:22; ch2:2,11-12,13-17,18-20,21-25; ch3:1-6,8,10-11,13-17; ch4:7-11; ch5:5-7,9,14.
Q.6 How did Jesus Christ respond to his sufferings? Read ch2:21-24 and compare with Luke ch23:34.
Q.7 Does Peter show us difficulties for believers? If so, discuss the difficulties we may have to face. Read ch1:6-7; ch2:11-12,19-20; ch3:14; ch4:12-13,16,19; ch5:8-9.
Q.8 Write down the main themes revealed in this letter: For example: suffering as seen for Jesus Christ (See ch1:11; ch2:21-24; ch3:18; ch4:1; ch5:1); and as seen for ourselves
(See ch1:6-7; ch2:11,19-20; ch3:14; ch4:12-13,16; ch5:1).
Bible Study Questions continued
Page 2
Q.9 Does this letter reveal to us the gospel? Read ch1:12,18-19,23-25; ch4:6,17-18.
Q.10 Show whether this letter reveals things to come. Read ch1:4-7,9; ch4:12-13; ch5:4,10.
Q.11 Why does the gospel of Christ cause offence? Read ch3:16; ch4:3-5.
Q.12 Show whether this letter reveals the characteristics of evil men? Read ch3:16; ch4:3-5,14.
Q.13 Show whether there is any evidence from this letter that Peter was writing to Christians living under increasing persecution? Read ch1:6-7; ch2:19-20; ch3:14,16-17; ch4:12-13,16; ch5:10.
Q.14 Study Peter’s first letter to see the relationship we have with God. Read ch1:2-3;14,17; ch5:6-7.
Q.15 How does Peter see the responsibilities of leadership in the church? Read ch5:1-4.
Q.16 In studying Peter’s letter what is known of the way unbelievers live? Read ch4:3-4.
COPYRIGHT: The Author
Under the terms of this copyright readers are permitted and encouraged to replicate and distribute this material so long as the original authorship is acknowledged and is accepted that the author is not liable for any damage incurred by such activities nor is he liable for the conduct, the doctrinal stance or financial affairs of those parties engaged in those activities.
