Lesson One

OVERVIEW

If you belonged to the cult of Isis in the first century AD, your neighbors probably would not have bothered you. And if they had bothered you, another Isis worshipper two thousand miles away would not have written to you about your troubles. The idea of being one body, one church, was unknown in paganism. As you read Peter's letter, try to imagine how you would have felt to receive it from the chief apostle in faraway Rome.

This overview asks you to read 1 Peter several times. Try to read it as you would approach a letter to yourself, not stopping to wrestle with individual phrases, but looking for the overall message. One reading should take an average reader about half an hour; if you don't think you are an average reader, you might try to read the letter just once or plan extra time. But even if you are "average," this may well be the most time-consuming lesson of your study. Don't get discouraged; just try to plan your time and do as much as you can. You can always return for a more thorough overview when you study 1 Peter again in a later year.

First impressions

1. Read Peter's letter at least once in one sitting, so that you can see it as a whole. You may want to read it again in another translation. Try reading parts of it aloud. Get a general impression.

2. Describe the mood (tone, emotion) of the letter. In other words, what seem to be Peter's attitudes or feelings toward his readers and toward his subject matter? (Is Peter formal, intimate, angry, joyful ...?) If you think the mood changes anywhere, note where and how it changes.

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3. Think about what Peter says and how he says it. How would you describe his style? (For instance, is he writing a story, personal news, a sermon ...? Is he trying to teach doctrine, urge people to act on something, encourage, rebuke, convince ...?) ________________________________________ ________________________________________

4. Repetition is a key to the ideas a writer considers most important. What words or phrases occur over and over? ________________________________________ ________________________________________

For Further Study:

As you study 1 Peter in more depth, you may notice repetition or other general impressions that you overlooked on your first reading. If you like, you can come back to this lesson to write down what you notice for future reference.

Broad outline

If your impression of 1 Peter is vague after one reading, a broad outline can help sharpen it.

5. Reread the letter, preferably in a different translation if you have read it only once so far. (A different version can help you notice new things and can make a confusing passage clearer.) This time, think of a short phrase or sentence that can serve as a title for each paragraph. It may help you to include key words from the paragraph. Write your title below. (There is no one right answer; the first title is given as an example. Your Bible's paragraph divisions may differ, so feel free to alter those given here.)

1:1-2 Apostle to Exiles ________ ________________________________________

1:3-12__________________________________ ________________________________________

1:13-21__________________________________ ________________________________________

1:22-25_________________________________ ________________________________________

2:1-3____________________________________ ________________________________________

2:4-10___________________________________ ________________________________________

2:11-12__________________________________ ________________________________________

2:13-17__________________________________ ________________________________________

2:18-25_________________________________ ________________________________________

3:1-7____________________________________ ________________________________________

3:8-12__________________________________ ________________________________________

3:13-17__________________________________ ________________________________________

3:18-22_________________________________ ________________________________________

4:1-6___________________________________ ________________________________________

4:7-11___________________________________ ________________________________________

4:12-19__________________________________ ________________________________________

5:1-4___________________________________ ________________________________________

5:5-7___________________________________ ________________________________________

5:8-9___________________________________ ________________________________________

5:10-11__________________________________ ________________________________________

5:12-14__________________________________

Theme/purpose

People usually write letters in response to a particular situation in their own or their readers' lives.

They normally have reasons for choosing the topics they cover in their letters. It is often not possible to reconstruct exactly what needs occasioned a letter, but the more we can reconstruct, the better we will understand the writer's message.

Our own purpose for studying the letter will often differ from its original purpose, but how we understand and apply a writer's words should be influenced by how he and the Holy Spirit meant them to be understood and applied in the first century.

6. In 5:12, Peter tells why he wrote this letter. He says he is "encouraging" (nasb: "exhorting") them to do some things and "testifying" that they might believe some things. In one sentence each, summarize what you think Peter wants his readers to believe and do. Take the whole letter into account.

believe__________________________________ _________________________________________

do ______________________________________ _________________________________________

7. What seems to be the main theme or themes of Peter's letter? (Repeated and other important words may help here. You may also want to look for key verses.) _________________________________________ _________________________________________

8. If you have not already done so, read the historical background in the background section starting on page 9. If you feel that additional background information would help you to better interpret Peter's letter, you might write down your...