1 Peter Overview – Peter wrote this letter to Jewish believers who were dispersed throughout the regions of Pontus, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. The reason for this letter was that these believers were suffering for their faith and needed encouragement.
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1 Peter Overview – Peter wrote this letter to Jewish believers who were dispersed throughout the regions of Pontus, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. The reason for this letter was that these believers were suffering for their faith and needed encouragement.
Stay engaged with new and up-to-date content, including newsletters, articles, podcasts, etc. Download the Teach Me the Bible App from any app store or Apple TV/Roku device.
You're listening to Teach Me the Bible podcast, where we unpack the meaning of books, passages and themes from Scripture. Join us each week as Dr David Klingler walks us through God's Word and teaches the Bible. Each episode has a study guide available in the show notes. This is Teach Me the Bible podcast.
Tim Webb:Hello everyone, my name is Tim Webb and I'm here with Dr David Klingler for our Teach Me the Bible podcast, and I want to remind everyone our desire is helping the people of God understand the Word of God, and we also want to encourage you, if you haven't download our app from any app store, as well as Apple TV or Roku app. So with every episode, we want to encourage you to check out the blog post articles. We have continued growth through study guides that David has prepared for us, and so, david, we also want to encourage everyone to interact with their questions. If they have any questions that come up as we're walking through God's Word, just feel free to email David and he will be glad to get with you. And so with that, today we are looking at 1 Peter, 1 Peter, and this is as we were talking before this. This can be a very difficult letter, just in relationships and just our example. And so today, just in this overview, what are we looking?
David Klingler:at Well. 1 Peter is a difficult letter on a lot of fronts. One is interpretive and often we, I think, go astray when we don't keep in mind who Peter was doing his ministry to. So we've referred to this several times, but back in Galatians this is in Galatians, chapter two, and it's always helpful to remind us of this. At least we ought to consider the possibility that what Peter is doing here is what is recorded in chapter two, that Paul this is Paul explaining that he said we'll pick it up in Galatians, chapter two, verse seven. But, on the contrary, seeing that I, paul talking, had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised, for he who have actually worked for Peter and his apostleship to the circumcised actually worked for me, also to the Gentiles. And so, recognizing the grace which was given to me, james and Cephas and John Cephas would be Peter were the reputed to be pillars gave to me in Barnabas the right hand of fellowship that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. And so, as church history goes along and as the church becomes increasingly and almost exclusively Gentile, and as the church is reading a letter like 1 Peter and 1 Peter is quoting these things that appear to be written. You know their quotes referring to Old Testament Israel, you are a kingdom of priests, that type of thing. Replacement theology that the, this notion that the Gentiles had replaced or been somehow the Gentiles are receiving or being identified, as with Israel and the Old Testament, and so the church and Israel become interchangeable in this, in a replacement theology sense. So the Gentiles have replaced the Jews, and so that's difficult, because I don't think that's what's going on at all.
David Klingler:The second, somewhat a smaller issue, but when we talk about where was this letter written from, at the end of the letter Peter says she who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sins you greetings. Now, who's the letter being written to? Well, it's being written to those who are dispersed Peter and Apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered, diaspora, scattered throughout Pontius, galatia, cappadocia, asia, bethenia, who are chosen. Now we're kind of jumping around here a little bit, but when we look back in Acts, chapter 2, so in Acts, chapter 2, there was it's the day of Pentecost and Peter is going to preach the sermon. And so there were Jews. They were in Jerusalem, devout men who had come from every nation under heaven. This is in chapter 2, verse 5, and this sound occurred and the multitude came together and they were bewildered because they were hearing the disciples speak in their own language, and they were amazed and marveled. Why are not these all who are speaking Galileans? How is it that each one hears in his own language? Parthians, medes, elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, judea, cappadocia, pontius, asia we're going down through the list here and we're getting the same list. It's the same list.
David Klingler:So is Peter writing to Jewish believers in the diaspora? Yes, looks like it. Where is he writing from? Well, there's no record of Peter ever going to Babylon and what that would mean, and so maybe it's not Babylon. Maybe Babylon represents Rome, so someone says it's from Rome. One of my students in the PhD program is writing a dissertation right now and I think he's right that Jerusalem is Babylon. That's interesting. The city that kills the prophets, babylon, and so I think that it's the great city who kills the prophets. Well, that's Babylon. That's Jerusalem. So I think Peter is writing this letter from Jerusalem to those who are dispersed throughout to encourage them.
David Klingler:Now, what's going on during this time? Well, we learned from reading the other parts of the biblical story that and we talk about this when we're in the book of Hebrews that the Jewish believers are being persecuted, being kicked out of the synagogue, and they're under extreme pressure and they're suffering, and so some are considering going back to temple worship, going back to joining the synagogue and contemplating rejecting Christ, and that's certainly what's going on in the book of Hebrews. But whatever the case may be, they're suffering and they're suffering extensively. And so this letter that Peter writes is an exhortation to endure, to persevere in the midst of suffering. And if they do it, then people will have a question to ask this is in chapter three.
David Klingler:Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? And of course, doing good is doing good in the eyes of the Lord? So if Jesus is the Christ, then to do good in the eyes of the Lord would not be to reject Christ, but to remain steadfast. And if you suffer for doing good so this is in chapter three, verse 14,. But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you're blessed and do not fear their intimidation and do not be troubled, but set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that's in you. It's a verse we hear all the time.
David Klingler:But notice the relationship between verse 14 and 15, that you're suffering and they're going. Why are you doing this? Why are you willing to suffer? And you say for Christ. And they say, okay, what? Yeah, set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that's in you. Why are you willing to suffer? You say because of the hope. What hope? Oh, the hope is with it's Christ, right, yet with gentleness and reverence, and keep a good conscience so that, in the thing that you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it, so that you should suffer for doing what is right and that's what's right in the eyes of the Lord, rather than for doing what is wrong. And so the question really becomes what's right in the eyes of the Lord? And there's gonna be some tough passages in this, in this book, and we're not gonna like them because it's gonna call to suffer.
David Klingler:Peter's going to say this, for you were called for this purpose. Picking it up in chapter two. For what credit is there if you sin and are harshly treated? Well, you deserve that and you endure it with patience. But if you do what is right right in the eyes of the Lord and suffer for it and patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you were called for this purpose.
David Klingler:I don't like that verse. I got an underlying. I wish it said God has called you to have a wonderful life where everything goes perfectly Right. No, you were called for this purpose. What purpose Suffering, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example to follow in his steps. And so a life of suffering, a life of endurance, a life of remaining steadfast to the Lord, or life of committed to doing what's good and right in the eyes of the Lord. And I don't care what the world thinks.
David Klingler:I was teaching a first Corinthians this last week at the seminary, and Paul says it exactly right when the world looks at you and you're suffering and you're not living your best life now, or however we say that in the church, they're gonna look at you like you're crazy. Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks he is wise in this age. Let him become a fool so that he might become wise. The word, therefore, fool is moron.
David Klingler:We've talked about this before. There's a lot of morons who think they're wise today, and if you wanna become truly wise wise in the Lord, then the world's gonna view you as a moron. So you gotta become a moron to become wise. Now, what would be moronic? Signing up for suffering, doing what's good in the eyes of the Lord at your own expense, with no apparent reward today? Well, that's going to require hope, hope in a future reward and in relief that's coming at the return of Christ. And they're going to ask you what is wrong with you? Why do you continue to sign up for suffering? You say because I, because it's right in the eyes of the Lord.
Tim Webb:Well, and Peter also said, you said with tenderness and reverence it's not grumbling all along the way.
David Klingler:Yeah, yeah, that's right.
Tim Webb:Okay, so I just want to throw that in. Absolutely, it's not throwing rocks at people while you're being suffered.
David Klingler:Yeah, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example to follow in his steps, For he who knew no sin, nor was any, you know any deceit found in his mouth while being reviled. He did not revile in return, but, and so there's an example here. So so, so in first Peter we're going to learn about suffering and we're going to learn about the call to do what's good and right in the eyes of the Lord, regardless of the response. And when you do it, the world's going to call you crazy, your family's going to call you crazy. Why are you staying with that husband, with that wife who doesn't make you happy anymore? Because I'm doing what's right in the eyes of the Lord at my expense, for their benefit, and that's what Christ modeled and that's what I'm going to live. And they're going to say what's wrong with you.
David Klingler:There's your chance to to explain the hope that is within you that, Christ apart, is Lord, always being ready to make a defense. And so this isn't just some evangelism verse, but it is a response to to suffering. You say, well, there's not a lot of suffering in the church. No, I think that we've chosen not to suffer in the church because we have chosen the life of being happy and doing what's right in our own eyes, rather than a life of sacrifice and doing what's right in the eyes of the Lord. And so so it's going to draw a very stark contrast between what the believer is called to be and do and live and what we want to, how we want it to go. We want it to be wonderful for us, but that's not often the reality.
Tim Webb:Yeah, I don't. I don't see many times apologetics courses involving suffering. It's more just to to know what you believe. But Peter makes a distinction. Yes, you know you've got to suffer when you suffer, when you're persecuted. Know what you believe, yeah, so you can give.
David Klingler:Yeah, and, and and yeah. You're right, tim, to to talk about the apology. That's the word. That's where we get apologetics. We get that from, from that, from that passage being ready to make a defense, an apology, explain yourself, care to explain yourself. Right, yeah, jesus Doing what's right in the eyes of the Lord, following his example. Yep, well, what's wrong with you? Why would you be willing to do that? Yeah, because he's coming. Yeah, no-transcript the hope that's within me.
Tim Webb:Yeah, I just say that because I've had a lot of people in the church they want to know, and the apologetics. They wanna be a student of apologetics, but they're missing. Are you sure you wanna be a student?
David Klingler:of apologetics, do you?
Tim Webb:know what you're signing up for.
David Klingler:Yeah, I just wanna win arguments. I just wanna be able to defend myself and win arguments. That's not what Peter's saying here.
Tim Webb:Those people are typically divisive in the church. So yeah, I just think it's noteworthy thing to say, because our church today we're not signing up for that.
David Klingler:Yeah, we need to know what we believe and why we believe it, so we live it out in a life of sacrifice and suffering, not in a divisive way that divides and tears down the body of Christ. And so, yeah, good, that's a good distinction. So that's our trail, that's what we're gonna go down. We've got some real practical application, some real practical instruction. That's gonna be in 1 Peter, and it's a hard it's hard, it's a hard work.
Tim Webb:It's a hard discussion, yes, but it's good. I will say this on the pastoral care side when you bring this into council, it's hard for people to receive. It's really difficult we really have a philosophy.
David Klingler:I wouldn't call it a theology, but our core philosophy is I deserve, I have the God-given right to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That's very American right, and that Americanism has infiltrated the church and we've exported it to all around the world. So, no, you don't have the right to life, you deserve death. You don't have the right to freedom. You're either a bond servant to slave or a bond servant to Christ. Either way, you're a bond servant.
David Klingler:And the pursuit of happiness how about the pursuit of faithfulness? And so we have really messed that up and brought that into the church in a forms of theology that says God loves you. That's true. He has a wonderful plan for your life, and that's true. But how we interpret the wonderful plan of your life is he wants you to be happy and healthy and wealthy now. But actually it is through the suffering, through the trials and tribulations, that your faith is perfected and your hope is a future hope. If you live long enough, if you put your faith and your hope in present happiness and your present condition, you're going to and you live long enough. You're gonna be really disappointed with that because you're gonna get a hold to crap it and gonna start to lose your mind and lose bodily function and it will fail. You right? That's a wonderful theology when you're 25 and you think it's only gonna get better when life actually happens. You better have a real sound theology established so that you know where your hope is.
Tim Webb:And so I just again you've said this about understanding, understanding the story leading to conviction. But again, I think part of that operating out of conviction and as we're walking through Peter, these are real life relationships, relationships. You cannot allow your feelings To drive your decisions. It's your faith and conviction. So, as you're walking through this and you're gonna walk us through these passages, we need to be very careful not to redefine things in our own terms and bring all that in. So I just want to just remind our listeners that you want application, your faith buck, yeah my senior seat belt.
Tim Webb:That's, and if you're gonna be, faithful You're, we're gonna have an opportunity to see that. Yep, okay, that's it. Well, thank you, david, looking forward to this. I'm not looking forward to the application, but I am. It's good.
David Klingler:It's good. It is good and just know this finds favorite.
Tim Webb:This is one place where you want to know the favor of the Lord, yeah, when you follow his son's example. Hey, okay, yeah, careful what you ask for, right? It's a tough road, it is well. Thank you, david, and thank you everyone for being with us today, looking forward to this journey, continuing it, and just want to remind you again download our app, get involved and be a part, and also encourage other people to join in learning the story of God, learning his word, understanding it and letting it build conviction in your life.
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