1 Peter 2: 1-8: The First Letter Of Peter

Longenecker, Bruce W. The New Testament. The Lost Letters of Pergamum. Orlinda, TN: PhD and Lecturer at the University of St. Andrews. 2002.

The first step in the interpretive journey process is to take the text and search for the original situation surrounding it and to search for how the text was interpreted by the biblical audience, thus grasping the text in their town. First Peter was written in Rome from “the late A.D. 50s or early 60s.” Apostle Peter wrote 1 Peter as a letter addressing the Christians in the Asia Minor who where undergoing persecution, to encourage them and to teach them “holy conduct” that they should practice during this time of suffering. The meaning for the biblical audience was intended to remind them to put their

Paul's letters to the church, also known as epistles, are considered some of the most important documents in the New Testament. Paul's writings continue to shape and forge church even today. His letters were written in some of the darkest, most intense moments of Paul's life, but they also celebrate the grace, love, and life changing power of Jesus. Paul's journey in faith is shown in raw, unapologetic honesty, and inspires Christians to maintain a forward momentum, and to run the race Paul speaks so passionately about in Hebrews 12:1. Paul is able to write with both confidence and humility as he writes about the Christian journey.

I will be writing this essay over the apostle Peter. Over the course of this essay I hope to show you the wonderful things that the apostle Peter did for this world in the name of The Lord and how his actions helped shape this world to be what it is today. The reason I chose to use Peter as my character of the Bible in this essay is that I feel that I can relate to Peter in quite a few ways. To name a few, the first is that Peter had a temper and it got him into trouble at times. I can relate to that. Second, I feel that he was looked down upon by other apostles and people from his home; I have struggled with feeling like I was looked down upon, feeling like I let people down, and feeling like I just wasn’t worthy of the position I have.

Within the American Bible, the 57th book is entitled “Philemon,” being the eighteenth book of the New Testament canon1. Paul, the writer of the letter, wrote this scripture as a letter format to his Christian brother, Philemon. Paul was in Rome, Italy, at the time where he was a prisoner of Jesus Christ. By Paul being a prisoner, he assumedly had infinite time to write and deeply contemplate what to include within the letter he created.

The purpose of this paper is to perform a thorough exegetical analysis of Philippians 2:1-11. In order to accomplish this purpose, the basic contents of the passage will be surveyed. In addition, any relevant issues from the background of the letter will be examined. This passage will be interpreted in its context so that its meaning will fit into the overall meaning of the letter. Most importantly, a verse by verse exposition of the text will be given which will trace the author’s flow of thought. Finally, a summary of this study’s findings will be given along with some points of personal application.

The literary genre of 2 Peter is an epistle written to the main personalities, an implied group of believers in Asia Minor and other places around that region. The author is the Apostle Peter a dedicated servant and disciple of Jesus. The date that the letter was written has some controversy, however, in his correspondence Peter mentions that his life is coming to an end, and Peter was martyred for his faith in Rome about A.D. 64-67. Therefore, establishing the date of Peter 's second letter within that time frame. Peter wrote out of love to defend and protect the immutable word of God. The letters main purpose was to warn fellow devotees about false teachers that would try to enter their churches and mislead them in their faith. Peter goes on to explain the false teachers can be recognized by their prideful behavior, their love of money, and disrespect to God. (Life Application Study Bible 1507,1918) Peter uses instances from the past, such as Sodom and Gomorrah and the great flood to stress the judgment and punishment that will come to unbelievers who reject God. The apostle also warns that there will be those that will mock God and dismiss the second coming of Christ. He advises the believers to have confidence in the promises, prophecies, and principles given through God’s inspired word. (Hindson, Towns) Peter cautions God will return without warning and find individuals unwary. However, Peter reasons that God is patient and delays His return for unbelievers, “not

2 Peter Outline Chapter 1: The Gospel is real, impacting truth I. Greeting people in the faith (1:1-4) a. Peter, the dedicated true servant b. Faith is precious c. Knowledge of Christ increases our faith and power d. He gives us precious promises e. We are called to virtue f. We partake in Christ g. We escape the evils of the world II. Faithful growth in Christ (1:5-11) a.

Thesis: It is the intent of this paper to dig into the life of Peter and see just who this man that passionately followed Christ was. As we dig into the life of Peter we will examine his character strengths, his weaknesses, and overall how Peter was transformed by Christ. We will see how God took a man who more often than not acted without thinking and transformed him into a passionate follower who’s words we read today in God’s very words to us.

The similarities of 2 Peter and Jude might appear to be a strenuous task to some who have never been engaged in reading the two writings. My essay will attempt to show the similarities that are in these two writings which seem to have been scribed at the same time or around the same time. Most similarities, of which are namely: the dates of the scribing of the two Epistles, the false doctrines of the false teachers that had come into the church, the same thoughts and expressions of their work, whether the writings are apostolic or not, and what hardships the churches or the two audiences were facing.

Observation 1: In verse 14 [If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed…] Peter is comforting the church on the amount of suffering they may be experiencing. This I s important as the church experienced many trails at that time, and to be consistently reminded of the joy it will bring them- even if it is not observed until the end of time.

The New Testament is characterized by the existence of imperative Biblical figures, with the likes of Jesus Christ, the Apostles, among many others. Peter was among Jesus’ first disciples. From his turning point, as manifested in the book of John 21, to his progress as a dedicated leader as manifested in Acts, to his final emergence as a co-elder as manifested in the Epistles of 1st and 2nd Peter, Peter exhibited traits of a transformational and charismatic biblical figure (Neil & William 409).

The author of this passage is Paul. Paul was one of the Apostles who spent most of his ministry in prison where most of his letters were written. He was specifically residing in Roman prison while writing Ephesians (61 A.D). Paul was often persecuted during this time period even before he himself believed. In Acts, Paul travels from Jerusalem to Damascus on a mission where Jesus appears to him. This inspires him to preach about Jesus being

There is not an exact date given for the writing of this letter. If the letter is pseudonymous, then the date of authorship would be approximately A.D. 100. However, if Jude the half-brother of Jesus is the author then the approximate date of authorship would be before A.D. 90. Jude and 2 Peter are closely related and some believe one was used to write the other. If Jude used 2 Peter to write his letter, then it can be assumed the letter was authored between A.D. 64-65. However, if Jude was used to write 2 Peter than an earlier date would be required. There is not an exact date of when the letter was written, and the date is still argued today.

The book of 1 Peter was written by Peter between the times of 60-65 AD. The theme of this book is suffering and persecution through the true Christian faith. The suffering, dying and resurrection of Christ were explained by Peter for the purpose of spreading the Word, that Christians are redeemed by the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. During a time of Christian persecution, Peter was teaching people not to render evil for evil, to foster brotherly love, and to be a blessing to others as the blessing will be inherited. Peter instructed people to live as they were told, "A Holy Life", just as Jesus lived.