WHO IS PETER, AND WHY DOES HE WRITE THIS BOOK?
In the Bible, we see the historical record of Peter going from being a fisherman to being the leader of a dozen men who would be known as Apostles ("sent ones") or sometimes simply called the Twelve. They are listed in four places int he Scriptures (Matthew 10, Mark 3, Luke 6 and Acts 1) and at the listing, you see that Peter is in charge, so this man is a leader in the Christian movement.
He is a questioning, arguing, emotional type of man. Jesus commends him more than any other of the Twelve, and yet Jesus chews him out more than any other one, too. Outside of Judas, nobody gets harsher words of rebuke than Peter.
In the Bible, we see the historical record of Peter going from being a fisherman to being the leader of a dozen men who would be known as Apostles ("sent ones") or sometimes simply called the Twelve. They are listed in four places int he Scriptures (Matthew 10, Mark 3, Luke 6 and Acts 1) and at the listing, you see that Peter is in charge, so this man is a leader in the Christian movement.
He is a questioning, arguing, emotional type of man. Jesus commends him more than any other of the Twelve, and yet Jesus chews him out more than any other one, too. Outside of Judas, nobody gets harsher words of rebuke than Peter.
1 Peter is the first book written by Peter and is a part of what is called the seven general epistles (an epistle is a letter).
The seven general epistles are James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and Jude. These books have different authors and are written primarily to a general Christian audience, not like the specific communities addressed in Paul's letters.
You could say that one of the key phrases of this letter is "LIVING HOPE". Take a look at chapter one:
1 Peter 1:3, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."
If you're a Believer and have ever been mocked for your faith, you have an idea of where Peter is coming from. He is writing this letter - it's an open letter to be sent across the world - to the folks who have become Christians and are now facing persecution. Some of the suffering is pretty intense. Peter understands; he's been undergone punishments and jail time for simply telling folks about the truth in Jesus Christ.
This happens today. I was sitting at a dinner a month ago with a group of college students and a graduate student suddenly let loose about how she was so disgusted when , as a nurse she was caring for someone, the patient "tried to tell me about Jesus." She proceeded to mock the elderly woman's voice and shake her head as she uttered disgust and rolled her eyes at the idea that a woman would try to "push Jesus" on her. Although the older patient was not persecuted by this woman, I do see this attitude more and more; the very idea that one would follow Jesus Christ is enough to make them the object of scorn.
Peter takes this idea of suffering to a strange challenge: "when you suffer, rejoice." What????
No, he's really serious. He says that he rejoices when these persecutions come along, and he urges the Christians to take a whole new approach in facing this pain: rejoice. Now, this makes me sit back and really take this in.
I mean, take this in as he continues in chapter 4 and verse 12: "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you." Don't be surprised? Act like it's not strange? But, I'm not used to facing problems just because i'm a Believer. I don't want to have a bad day. I want everyone to be happy and I want everything to move along smoothly - including my life.
But here is Peter once again, telling me the same story: Verses 6 and 7, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you’ve been distressed by various trials so that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Okay, I'm starting to see what he is saying. I have got to change my perspective on what is important in life.
Bible scholar John MacArthur helps explain it. Follow carefully - the bold type is where I wanted to emphasize what he says:
"...this is that heavenly perspective. ... Here you’re living your life with a view to the praise and glory and honor again that appears at the revelation of Christ, when Christ is revealed, either in His coming or when you see Him face to face, having left this world.
And verses 6 and 7 tell us that we are not just to rejoice, not just to be accepting of trials, but ... greatly rejoice though you have been distressed for a little while by various trials so that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold which is perishable even though tested by fire may be found.”
The greatest gift that you can have as a believer, I’m convinced, is assurance of your salvation. The toughest thing to try to live with as a Christian is doubt about whether you’re really saved. That is a very difficult thing to experience and many believers do experience it.
The antidote, the cure for doubt is suffering, trial. Why? Because when trials come, various trials come and your faith stands the test of those trials and doesn’t collapse and doesn’t fail, that’s the proof of your faith. And the proof of your faith, as he says there in verse 7, is more precious than gold. The most valuable thing you have is the confidence that your faith is the real thing, your faith is the real saving faith, that you’re a true believer. The more trials you have, the longer you live and the more you accumulate trials, the stronger your faith becomes.
I can tell you after many years of living as a Christian, it is not my triumphs that prove my faith. It is my trials that prove my faith. The proof of the legitimacy and the reality of my faith is that it has stood the test of trial after trial after trial after trial and it comes out strong and stronger in every case."
So, here are the words from Peter's own pen in verses 3 through 9:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
The New Living Translation gives verse 7 this way:
These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
This happens today. I was sitting at a dinner a month ago with a group of college students and a graduate student suddenly let loose about how she was so disgusted when , as a nurse she was caring for someone, the patient "tried to tell me about Jesus." She proceeded to mock the elderly woman's voice and shake her head as she uttered disgust and rolled her eyes at the idea that a woman would try to "push Jesus" on her. Although the older patient was not persecuted by this woman, I do see this attitude more and more; the very idea that one would follow Jesus Christ is enough to make them the object of scorn.
Peter takes this idea of suffering to a strange challenge: "when you suffer, rejoice." What????
No, he's really serious. He says that he rejoices when these persecutions come along, and he urges the Christians to take a whole new approach in facing this pain: rejoice. Now, this makes me sit back and really take this in.
I mean, take this in as he continues in chapter 4 and verse 12: "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you." Don't be surprised? Act like it's not strange? But, I'm not used to facing problems just because i'm a Believer. I don't want to have a bad day. I want everyone to be happy and I want everything to move along smoothly - including my life.
But here is Peter once again, telling me the same story: Verses 6 and 7, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you’ve been distressed by various trials so that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Okay, I'm starting to see what he is saying. I have got to change my perspective on what is important in life.
Bible scholar John MacArthur helps explain it. Follow carefully - the bold type is where I wanted to emphasize what he says:
"...this is that heavenly perspective. ... Here you’re living your life with a view to the praise and glory and honor again that appears at the revelation of Christ, when Christ is revealed, either in His coming or when you see Him face to face, having left this world.
And verses 6 and 7 tell us that we are not just to rejoice, not just to be accepting of trials, but ... greatly rejoice though you have been distressed for a little while by various trials so that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold which is perishable even though tested by fire may be found.”
The greatest gift that you can have as a believer, I’m convinced, is assurance of your salvation. The toughest thing to try to live with as a Christian is doubt about whether you’re really saved. That is a very difficult thing to experience and many believers do experience it.
The antidote, the cure for doubt is suffering, trial. Why? Because when trials come, various trials come and your faith stands the test of those trials and doesn’t collapse and doesn’t fail, that’s the proof of your faith. And the proof of your faith, as he says there in verse 7, is more precious than gold. The most valuable thing you have is the confidence that your faith is the real thing, your faith is the real saving faith, that you’re a true believer. The more trials you have, the longer you live and the more you accumulate trials, the stronger your faith becomes.
I can tell you after many years of living as a Christian, it is not my triumphs that prove my faith. It is my trials that prove my faith. The proof of the legitimacy and the reality of my faith is that it has stood the test of trial after trial after trial after trial and it comes out strong and stronger in every case."
So, here are the words from Peter's own pen in verses 3 through 9:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
The New Living Translation gives verse 7 this way:
These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.