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“ Summary, Part 1 ” I. WHO IS THE AUTHOR OF 1 PETER? [starting at 3:37 of the audio] Only recently, liberal scholars have questioned Peter’s authorship. OBJECTIONS: 1. That the Greek in 1 Peter is too polished for an uneducated fisherman. 2. That it must have been written after Peter had died, since the subject matter reflects the experience of formal persecution under the reigns of Dorian (AD 95) or Trajan (AD 112). 3. Its theology is too much like Paul’s to come from Peter. 4. It shows no evidence of the author being familiar with Jesus’ early life. ANSWERS: 1a. Peter lived in Galilee, which was a busy center of commerce. He would have been in touch with a lot of Greek speakers, as Greek was the language of trade at the time. 1b. It is possible that Silvanus wrote the epistle at Peter’s dictation (cf. 1 Pet 5:12). 2. It is not necessary to conclude that Peter’s letter reflects worldwide Christian persecution under later Roman emperors (cf. 1 Pet 1:6, 18, 4:12-13).
Ian Migala (1/9/2017)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 2 ” 3a. The notion that Peter’s theology should be different than Paul’s forgets that both were inspired by the same Holy Spirit. 3b. Since Peter and Paul knew each other (Gal 2), and if tradition is correct that they labored together in Rome toward the end of their lives, we should expect their teaching to be similar. 4a. 1 Peter is written in the form of a letter, not a gospel, 4b. Peter does not intend his letter as a history of Jesus’ earthly ministry, but rather as an application of His teaching. II. WHY WAS 1 PETER WRITTEN? [20:04] He plainly states his reason in 1 Pet 5:12: “I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!” His approach is clearly instruction by exhortation. Further, the day of persecution was dawning upon Christ’s church. Hope is a key theme, especially the hope that enables believers to persevere and triumph amidst the trials experienced when following Christ. He wrote this letter not only to exhort, but also to testify (cf. Rom 8:17).
Ian Migala (1/9/2017)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 3 ” III. WHERE AND WHEN WAS 1 PETER WRITTEN? [27:54] 1 Pet 5:13 makes reference to Babylon, but there is no indication that the church existed in the Mesopotamian city when this was written, nor is there evidence that Peter was ever there. It could be a cryptic reference to Rome, at the time a city of power and pagan worship. Conservative scholars agree that it was written probably in AD 63, before Nero’s persecution (cf. 1 Cor 7:26, 2 Pet 1:14). IV. WHO IS THE AUDIENCE? [34:19] Those to whom Peter wrote were Christians throughout Asia Minor. 1. They were Christians. 2. They were spread over a large region. 3. They regarded themselves as strangers in the world. He applied Old Testament prophecies to his readers that foretold God’s inclusion of believing Gentiles among His new covenant people, including them among the new Israel of God. He identified them with terms that do not rightly describe converted Jews. CONCLUSION: Peter’s readers were mostly—though not exclusively—Gentile converts chosen by God and scattered throughout what is modern Turkey.
Ian Migala (1/9/2017)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 4 (final) ” CONCLUDING APPLICATIONS. [45:05] 1. That Peter is the author teaches us several things: that God loves to save ordinary sinners like Peter; that He doesn’t cast off saints who seriously fail, but grants them repentance and may restore them to some manner of usefulness in the church; and that He may use ordinary saints like Peter to do extraordinary things for the advancement of His Kingdom. 2. That the church is ever in need of a pure doctrine of the grace of God. This is because the doctrine of grace is abused by Antinomians, perverted by legalists, rejected by the world, and misunderstood by some professing Christians. 3. That as pilgrims and aliens, we should expect rough treatment from strangers to God’s saving grace. 4. That the gospel is suitable to sinners everywhere, Jew and Gentile alike, and that we should proclaim it to all kinds of people, since all are redeemable.
