Studying 1 Peter 1:13-25

It is hard to understand the interplay between our sinfulness and our holiness. God calls us to be holy just as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16, quoting Leviticus) but how does one go about doing that when we recognize that we are all also sinners who have fallen short (Rom 3:23)? The answer to […]

Studying 1 Peter 1:3-12

In order to understand what Peter writes next you have to put yourself in the shoes of his first audience. In 1 Peter, Peter repeatedly makes reference to suffering (1:6-7, 2:13-14, 2:21-23, 4:15-16, 5:10). If you are a Christian suffering because you are a Christian you are in a difficult position in need of encouragement. […]

Studying 1 Peter 1:1-2

Peter begins his letter in the typical Greco-Roman fashion. He introduces himself, addresses his letter’s recipients, gives the greeting (grace and peace) and then launches into a blessing. Peter refers to himself by his “Jesus given name” rather than the name his parents gave him, Simon. He then calls himself an apostle. The word literally […]

Love is the Inevitable Result of Purity

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” – 1 Peter 1:22-23   1 Peter […]