19. Peter
19. Peter
CONTENTS
After the opening greeting (1 Pet. 1:1-2) the letter praises God for the hope and salvation he has given in Christ (1:3-12). This forms the basis for an exhortation to obedient and holy living (1:13-16) and a reminder of Christ’s redeeming work (1:17-21), with a further reminder of the importance of living in a holy and loving manner (1:222:2). Christ is then presented as the one in whom the "stone” prophecies of the Old Testament are fulfilled (2:4-8), and the church is described in terms used of the people of God in the Old Testament (2:9-12). Christians are to live in due submission to the authorities (2:13-17). There are separate exhortations to slaves, wives, and husbands (2:18-3:7). The Christian community generally is urged to live in harmony and love (3:812) and to take Christ’s example as pointing the way for them to suffer, if need be, when they have done no wrong (3:13-22). Believers have left their sinful way of living (4:1-6); they are to live in a way that brings praise to God (4:7-11). The readers are undergoing a painful trial, but they are to bear suffering in the right way (4:12-19). Then come exhortations to the elders (5:1-4), to young men (5:5-6), and to all (5:8-9), leading into a doxology (5:10-11) and a normal epistolary ending (5:12-14).