Daily reading

Today’s reading is: 1 Pet. 1-5

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First Peter Chapter One

  1. Peter writes an Apostolic epistle to the “scattered aliens” of five Roman provinces in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) (1st Pet. 1:1).
    1. παρεπίδημος parepidēmos #3927: stranger, sojourner, alien.
    2. διασπορά diaspora #1290: a scattering, dispersion.
  2. Peter describes election, foreknowledge, sanctification, & salvation as a work of God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ (1st Pet. 1:2).
  3. Peter describes the Christian life in terms of our blessings in time and eternity as those who have been born again to a living hope (1st Pet. 1:3-9).
    1. Our new life in Christ consists of an eternal inheritance (vv.4-5).
    2. Our new life in Christ consists of temporal testing (vv.6-7).
      1. These tests are necessary.
      2. The proof of our faith results in the glory of Jesus Christ.
  4. Peter describes the Dispensation of the Church as a stewardship in between the two advents of Jesus Christ; a stewardship that Old Testament saints could not have anticipated, and even the angels long to understand (1st Pet. 1:10-12).
  5. Given our necessary testing, and the great privilege of revelation we enjoy, every believer is expected to prepare their minds for action (1st Pet. 1:13-25).
    1. We are to be sober, and oriented completely to the imminent Rapture of the Church (v.13).
    2. We are to be holy, oriented to the character of God (vv.14-16).
    3. We are to function in the fear of the Lord, living our life mindful of the coming judgment, and in remembrance of the price that Christ paid to give us this life (vv.17-21).
    4. We are to fervently love one another in purity and sincerity (vv.22-25).

First Peter Chapter Two

  1. With a mind prepared for action, believers can put aside the sinful things of the flesh, and grow in the Word of God (1st Pet. 2:1-3).
  2. Believers grow individually and corporately (1st Pet. 2:4-10).
    1. Christ is the Stone (Isa. 28:16; Ps. 118:22; Isa. 8:14).
    2. Each believer in the Church is also a stone, being crafted into the overall Church.
    3. The Church is a unique body in human history. This passage is similar to a passage relating to Israel (Ex. 19:5,6), but important differences must be observed.  The Church is God’s heavenly people, while Israel is God’s earthly people.
      1. A Chosen Race, based upon our spiritual parentage of God the Father.
      2. A Royal Priesthood, based upon our King-Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ.
      3. A Holy Nation, based upon our sanctification by the Holy Spirit.
      4. A people for God’s own possession.
  3. As a holy nation, residing as aliens and strangers in the κόσμος kosmos world system, we have a manner of life appropriate to our new life in Christ (1st Pet. 2:11-25).
    1. We fight the internal battle of the soul against our sin nature (v.11).
    2. We maintain the external witness of our faith in view of unbelievers (v.12).
    3. We conduct ourselves in public according to the Laws of Divine Establishment (vv.13-17).
    4. We conduct ourselves at work according to the good pleasure of God (vv.18-20).
    5. We follow the example that was set by the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (vv.21-25).

First Peter Chapter Three

  1. Our ministry as Royal Priests will also be manifest in our marriages (1st Pet. 3:1-7).
    1. Wives have a ministry to their husbands by silently living the example of Christ for their husbands to observe (vv.1-6).
    2. Husbands have a ministry to their wives by showing them honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life (v.7).
    3. Husbands and wives form an effective prayer team within the royal priesthood of Christ.
  2. Peter summarized the Christian life as a life of harmony (1st Pet. 3:8-12).  ὁμόφρων homophrōn #3675.
  3. Peter summarized the Church’s opportunity to maintain a public witness, even in the face of persecution (1st Pet. 3:13-17).
  4. Jesus Christ stands as our great example, for how persecution can become an opportunity for public witness (1st Pet. 3:18-22).
    1. The Victorious Proclamation was made to the disobedient spirits that engineered the corruption of the human race in the days of Noah (vv.19-20; 2nd Pet. 2:4; Jude 6).
    2. Jesus Christ also disarmed the fallen angelic forces at that time (Col. 2:15), and 
    3. Jesus Christ led forth the captives from Sheol into the presence of God the Father (Eph. 4:8).

First Peter Chapter Four

  1. Christ established the example in His humanity, and believers likewise function in our humanity according to the will of God (1st Pet. 4:1-6).
    1. Although He left us in our physical bodies after salvation, we are not to continue in the sinful practices of our humanity prior to salvation.
    2. We are to proclaim the gospel to those who are spiritually dead, so that they may face the judgment of the living rather than the judgment of the dead.
  2. Imminency demands urgency (1st Pet. 4:7-11).
    1. Urgency in prayer.
    2. Urgency in love.
    3. Urgency in hospitality.
    4. Urgency in the exercise of spiritual gifts for the edification of the Church.
  3. Expectation of glory entails an expectation of suffering (1st Pet. 4:12-19).
    1. Keep our suffering in the realm of undeserved suffering rather than Divine discipline.
    2. Keep our focus on the coming judgment.
    3. Keep our trust in the faithful Creator.

First Peter Chapter Five

  1. Peter concludes his epistle with an appeal to the elders in the local churches to provide the shepherding example of Christ for the flock to follow (1st Pet. 5:1-5).
  2. Humility is essential for any engagement in the angelic conflict (1st Pet. 5:6-9), and the reward of exaltation will come from God the Father (1st Pet. 5:10-11).
  3. The epistle closes with greetings from Peter’s scribe Silvanus, Peter’s wife, and Peter’s spiritual son, Mark (1st Pet. 5:12-14).