LESSON ONE

1 Peter 1:1-12

Greeting (1:1-2)

	1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:
	Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

	V. 1  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ—Peter uses the name that Jesus gave him (John 1:42) rather than the one his parents gave him (Simon).  “Peter” is Greek for “rock.”  “Cephas” is Aramaic for the same.
	Note that Peter does not refer to himself as a bishop or pope but as an “apostle,” a Greek word meaning “one sent forth.”  Peter, along with other humble men, was commissioned by his Lord to go and preach the gospel to all nations (Matt. 28:18-20).  Among the lists of the apostles (Matt. 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13) Peter is always mentioned first, showing the prominence (but not preeminence) in which he was held.  It was Peter that received the keys to the kingdom (Matt. 16:19) and took the lead in preaching the gospel on Pentecost (Acts 2:14).
	To God’s elect—The Christian is the most privileged person on earth!  Forget the suffering, grief and trials (v. 6).  The Great Creator has elected—selected—you to be one of His children.  How thrilled the Christians of Peter’s day must have been (especially those who were lowly slaves) to realize that God Himself had elected to include them in His royal family.  How thrilled we should be at the same thought!
	strangers in the world—As Christians, our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20).  We are “aliens and strangers on earth” (Heb. 11:13).  The Greek word for “strangers” means those who are staying for a short time in a foreign country.  The captain of an invading army once warned his men, “Don’t drive your tent stakes too deep.  We are moving on in the morning!”  What good advice for Christians.
	scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia—The first Christians were “scattered” because of the great persecution initiated against the church by Saul of Tarsus (Acts 8:1).  Now we find Christians again being scattered because of their faith and practice.  Being a Christian has forced countless thousands to flee from homes and families.
	Some of these five provinces of Asia Minor are mentioned in Acts 2:9-10.  This was an area where Paul had preached.  Today it is known as Turkey.  How sad that it is one of the most unreached countries in the world as far as the gospel is concerned.
	V. 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father—“Chosen” was a special term used often of Old Testament Israel (Deut. 4:37; 7:6; 14:2).  Here it is applied to Christians, whether Jew or Gentile.  This must have been encouraging to those suffering saints to know that God had chosen them to be on His side.  Remember how good it felt to be chosen by someone you admired when you were playing ball as a child?  My mother was one of 13 children orphaned at an early age.  She recalls how wonderful it felt to be “chosen” by her adopted parents.
	This choosing is in accordance with God’s foreknowledge (Rom. 8:29).  God predetermined a plan by which fallen man could be redeemed through the sacrificial death of His Son.
	by the sanctifying work of the Spirit—The Holy Spirit is the agent that God has chosen to sanctify (set apart) man for His purpose.  “From the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit” (II Thess. 2:13).  Through the preaching of the gospel the Holy Spirit convicts men of sin, brings them to the cross where sin is forgiven and sets them apart for a life of service for Christ.
	for obedience to Jesus Christ—W.E. Vince points out that “God’s foreknowledge involves His electing grace, but this does not preclude human will.” Salvation is not by fate but by faith (Eph. 2:8).  Election depends upon obedience.  God’s great plan for man culminated in the coming of Jesus to shed His blood for the forgiveness of sins.  When men obey Christ they receive the atoning benefits of His blood (compare Matt. 26:28 and Acts 2:38; 22:16).
	Note, too, the work of the Godhead in man’s conversion:  God the Father chooses us; God the Spirit sanctifies us; God the Son cleanses us by the blood.
	and sprinkling by his blood—In the Old Testament the high priest would sprinkle animal blood on the altar of atonement for the sins of himself and the people (Heb. 9:7).  Christ became our high priest by shedding His own blood for our sins (Heb. 9:11-14).  Another Old Testament reference to the sprinkling of the blood was the Passover when Israelites were spared through the sprinkling of the blood of a lamb upon their doorposts (Exod. 12:7, 13).  Christ is our Passover (1 Cor. 5:7), the Lamb slain to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29).  Our hearts are sprinkled by His blood when our bodies are washed with pure water (Heb. 10:22), an obvious reference to baptism.
	Grace and peace be yours in abundance—As a result of our redemption, we have grace and peace.  “Grace” is a Greek word (charis) meaning God’ unmerited favor to sinners and “peace” is a famous Hebrew word (shalom) showing the result of grace in our lives—rest, calmness of soul, tranquility.  Our souls are at rest with God because of His grace.  Both grace and peace are to be ours “in abundance.”

Reasons for Praise  (1:3-12)

Praise to God for a Living Hope

	3Praise 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, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  8 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, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
	10Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.  12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.  Even angels long to look into these things.
	V. 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!—God is to be praised not only for being God but for becoming the Father of Jesus Christ.  If we on earth celebrate when a man becojmes a father, think how all heaven must have celebrated the night God became the Father of the incarnate Lord, Jesus Christ!  Paul calls for praise for the same (II Cor. 1:3; Eph. 1:3).  The Psalmist praised God seven times a day (Ps. 119:164).  How much more should we praise the One who sent His Son to become our sin-bearer and redeemer!
	In his great mercy—Here is ample reason for praise—God’s great mercy.  Mercy assumes need on the part of him who receives it and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it (W.E. Vine).  God is “rich in mercy” (Eph. 2:4).  He loves to be merciful and wants us to be merciful as well (Matt. 5:7).  Mercy is the only thing greater than judgment (James 2:13).
	he has given us new birth—When one is born again (John 3:3) he becomes a new creation (II Cor. 5:17) and begins a new life.  He has new purpose, a new attitude, new direction.  The theme of “new birth” is found throughout the New Testament (John 3:1-15; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23).  What sets Christianity apart from mere religion is that it grants new life to a person.
	into a living hope—Another distinctive of Christianity is the hope a Christian possesses.  The pagan world of the apostle’ day had no hope of life beyond the grave.  Theocritus said, “Hope goes with life; all hopeless are the dead.”  Aschylus wrote, “Once dead there is no resurrection more.”  Lucretius uttered these mournful words:  “None ever wake again whom the cold pause of life hath overtaken.”  No wonder Paul wrote Christians not to “grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13) and spoke of those who are “without hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12).  The Christian’s hope lives because the One in whom they have put their hope lives!  Jesus Christ, according to His own testimony, is “alive forevermore” (Rev. 1:18).
	through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead—The resurrection of Christ is the keystone of the arch of Christianity.  Remove it and all will crumble and fall.  In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul lists eight frightening implication if Christ was not resurrected from the dead:

1.	Our message is meaningless (v. 14)
2.	Our faith is futile (v. 14)
3.	Our witness is wicked (v. 15)
4.	Our souls are still in sin (v. 17)
5.	Our departed are doomed (v. 18)
6.	Our hope is hobbled (v. 19)
7.	Our baptism is barren (v. 29)
8.	Our conflict is confused (v. 30)

	Peter personally experienced living hope through the resurrection of Jesus.  Peter had denied Christ, had failed his Lord.  When Christ died on the cross, Peter’s hope expired with Him.  When the body of Jesus was buried, Peter’s hopes were buried with Him.  He was a saddened, lonely, disconsolate man.  But when Jesus Christ arose from the grave and the reality of it finally dawned upon him, Peter’s hope was resurrected as well!  He became a changed man.  Infused with new hope, Peter carried on in the work of Christ until he himself expired on a rugged Roman cross.
V. 4 and into an inheritance—Not only has our merciful God given us a living hope but He promises us an eternal inheritance as well.  For suffering Christians who had lost much—perhaps all of their earthly estate—this must have been comforting and reassuring.  An inheritance meant much to the Old Testament Jew who longed for Canaan, the Promised Land.  Heaven, eternal life, should mean more to the Christian.  An inheritance is for a father’s child.  If we are a child of God then we are an heir (Rom. 8:16-17).
	that can never perish, spoil, or fade—Peter uses three words that suggest permanence to describe our inheritance.  It will never perish, it is indestructible.  It will never spoil, no deterioration is possible.  It will never fade, the bloom of heaven will always be fresh and fragrant.  Deterioration, decay and death are symbols of a sinful, fallen world.  None of this will be a part of heaven (Rev. 21:4).
	V. 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power—Not only is the inheritance guarded but the inheritor as well!  We are truly “garrisoned by God.”  Notice how Paul used that word in II Corinthians 11:32.  God’s power is so great that it not only saves but keeps as well (Jude 21, 24).  Our part is showing faith in the One who makes all these marvelous promises.  Hence, we read of our “shield of faith” (Eph. 6:16).
	A thrifty but believing Scotsman had but one word engraved on his tombstone—“Kept.”  It was enough!
	until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed—How long should we keep on believing?  Until Christ comes again!  At that time He will be looking for faith on the earth (Luke 18:8).  Will he find it in you and me?
	The Christian experiences salvation in two phases.  Phase I is here on earth where we can experience salvation from sin (II Thess. 2:9).  Phase II is when we will be brought safely into the heavenly kingdom (II Thess. 4:18).  Just when Phase II will begin no one know (Matt. 24:36) but Peter advises that it is “coming” and “ready to be revealed.”
	in the last time—Ever since Pentecost (according to Peter’s own interpretation of Joel’s prophecy) Christians have been living in “the last days” (Acts 2:16-17).  John narrows it down to “the last hour” in 1 John 2:18.  Jesus spoke of “the last day” (singular) in John 6:40, a reference to the day of Judgment.  All of this points to the fact that time is winding down as far as the Christian’s earthly days are concerned.
	V. 6 In this you greatly rejoice—all of this is tremendous cause for rejoicing.  Who wouldn’t be happy?  God has chosen us, sanctified us, cleansed us, given us grace, peace, mercy, new birth, a living hope, an eternal inheritance and shields us by His power.  The Christian is to “be joyful always” (I Thess. 5:16) and Peter lists these encouraging things to be joyful about.
	though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief—The “now” in this phrase shows us that persecution was going on even as Peter wrote.  No suffering is ever easy or pleasant but Peter wants his readers to remember that it is just for “a little while.”  Paul makes this point in II Corinthians 4:17.  “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”  That is the way we should look at our trials too.  Romans 8:18 tells us “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
	in all kinds of trials—People who dare to live for God have gone through a vicious variety of trials.  Hebrews 11:32-40 contains one such list.  Paul gives his personal checklist in II Corinthians 11:23-28.  But Jesus promised all who lost houses, lands, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers or children for His sake a 100-fold reward in the life to come.  And James ads that we should consider it “pure joy” when we face trials of many kinds because this time of testing develops perseverance in our lives (James 1:2-3).
	V. 7 These have come so that your faith—Why do we have to suffer?  This is an agonizing, universal question which Peter is now going to answer.  The answer has something to do with our faith.
	of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—Before he gives the answer Peter adds a parenthetical insertion stating that fiath is more valuable than gold.  How much is gold worth?  At this writing it is selling for a little over $414 an ounce in Zurich, London and New York.  How much would your faith be worth if it could somehow be measure?  Yet faith is far more valuable than gold because it is imperishable.  Where are the thousands of gold pieces minted years ago?  Precious few remain.  But faith, even though it must go through the refining fires of trials, will not perish.
	may be proved genuine—Trials come from God to make us; temptations come from Satan to break us.  God wants to know (and wants us to know) that our faith is real.  Abraham was told, “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Gen. 22:12).
	and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed—Another reason for trials is more far-reaching.  If we pass God’s tests of our faith some wonderful, eternal results await us.  Jesus will personally praise us at Judgment (Matt. 25:21).  Yes, we will praise Jesus in eternity for all He went through for us (Rev. 19:5) but Jesus will also praise us for all we have gone through for Him.
	V. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him—Can you love someone you’ve never seen?  Of course.  Ask any godly mother who has loved that little unborn one she carried for months in her womb.  We have not yet seen Christ but our love for Him deepens as the time draws near for Him to be revealed.
	and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him—Can you believe in someone you’ve never seen?  Of course.  Ask any historian.  Because they’ve never seen such notable figures as Socrates, Napoleon or Lincoln doesn’t mean that they don’t believe in their previous existence.  Our faith in Christ is based upon the credible testimony of those who did see Him (1 John 1:1-3).  Peter himself was one of those “eyewitnesses.”
	and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy—The hymn writer B.E. Warren wrote, “It is joy unspeakable and full of glory!”  We simply are at a loss for words when it comes to expressing our joy for Jesus.
	V. 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls—why did you become a Christian?  Why do you live the Christian life?  Here is the answer—to be saved!  Eternal life should be uppermost in our minds each day that we live.  This is what it’s all about, this is “where it’s at.”  The salvation of our souls should be our goal.  We enjoy the benefits of salvation now (Peace, pardon, etc.) and we look forward to eternal life.
	V. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets—The prophets were devout men who, having seen or heard a message from God, faithfully declared that message.  Some of the great prophets were men like Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel.  They all looked forward to the salvation the Messiah would bring.
	who spoke of the grace that was to come to you—How privileged the Christian is!  God reserved His grace for a people who lived beyond the era of the noble prophets—those of Peter’s time and us today.  Certainly we have done nothing to merit such favor.
	searched intently and with the greatest care—Here we see not only their diligence but their devotion as well.  All Bible prophecy should be studied in the same manner.
	V. 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Chris in them was pointing—Barnes says they became students of their own predictions.  They were human beings as well as inspired prophets.  The Spirit of Christ was directing their message even though they did not fully understand the meaning of their own message (although they tried to with all earnestness).
	The Holy Spirit is also called “the Spirit of Christ” (Acts 16:7; Rom. 8:9; Gal. 4:6; Phil. 1:19).
	All of the Old Testament points forward to Christ—“Someone is coming.”  The theme of the gospels is “Someone has come.”  The remainder of the New Testament warns, “Someone is coming again—prepare!”
	when he predicted the suffersings of Christ and the glories that would follow-—he Holy Spirit, through the prophets, foretold the “agony and ecstasy” of Jesus (Isa. 53; Ps. 22; Dan. 9:25-26; Acts 3:18).  Christ Himself told the two men on the road to Emmaus that the Messiah had to suffer and then enter His glory (Luke 24:26).  The “glories” spoken of may well refer to Christ’s resurrection, ascension and coronation.  They could even extend to His second coming, judgment and eternal life in heaven.
	V. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you—The Holy Spirit “uncovered” the fact to the prophets that these marvelous prophecies were not for themselves but for a people of a later generation.  How disappointed they must have been at this startling revelation yet how faithful they were to deliver God’s message anyway—even to the point of suffering for doing so (James 5:10).
	McGee says the prophets saw two great mountain peaks: the sufferings of Christ and the glories of Christ.  They did not see the long valley in between—the valley that you and I live in as Christians.  We are at a point in time where we can look backward and forward.  They could only look forward.
	Barclay relates a touching story of a blind lamplighter, tapping his way from lamp-post to lamp-post bringing to others a light which he himself would never see.  What a beautiful picture of the prophets!
	when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven—The preachers of the New Testament age continued to preach this “good news” under the direction of the Holy Spirit.  We still need men today who will continue to be Spirit-led in the preaching of the gospel.  The message is heaven-sent and will save men from hell.
	Even angels long to look into these things—Peter has just mentioned some special men on earth (the prophets) who sought to understand the message of salvation.  Now he turns to a group of select beings in heaven (angels) who desire to know the same.  What longing these spirit-beings have to know what we know (and, all too often, take for granted).  Angels would give their veritable “wings” to fully fathom and personally experience salvation as we can today.  Even though God used the angels (they are mentioned over 300 times in Scripture) and continues to use them today (Heb. 1:14), angels are not able to experience redemption.  What they are denied we can enjoy.  What the prophets were prohibited from, we can experience.  How privileged is the Christian!

Study Questions

1.	What is the significance of the meaning of Peter’s name?

2.	Why was Peter’s reading audience “scattered” and in what way were they “strangers”?  In what way are we “strangers in the world”?

3.	How does the Godhead cooperate in our conversion experience?

4.	How does the hope the Christian possesses differ from what hope the world has?

5.	Why do you think it is necessary for our heavenly inheritance to be “guarded”?

6.	In what ways does God “shield” us today?

7.	What can help us endure out times of trial and suffering?

8.	Is it possible to believe in someone or something we’ve never seen?  Explain.

9.	What is the goal of your faith?  (If your answer does not coincide with v. 9 reevaluate your reason for being.)

10.	Why weren’t the prophets allowed to understand their own message?

11.	Why can’t angels experience salvation?