Session 1
1 Peter 1:3-12
Memory Verse: 1 Peter 1:5
Recognizing the suffering that the early Christians were experiencing and its impact on their faith,
1 Peter powerfully reinforced the truth that suffering, while admittedly difficult,
is entirely normative for Christians who find their ultimate citizenship in the new heaven and new earth.
As temporary residents in this world, Christians should not be surprised
when the worldly culture scrutinizes them or even persecutes them for their faith.
The first two verses of 1 Peter is one long sentence in the original Greek,
effectively sums up the letter in its entirety.
The passage galvanizes Christians in an increasingly hostile culture.
Knowing that our heavenly home is an eternal destination keeps us moving forward
and reflecting the holiness of God.
If we are honest, many of us struggle to keep hope alive.
We hope of a better or more fulfilling job.
We hope that a family member struggling with addiction will find help.
We hope to have the finances to pay off student loans or make ends meet in retirement.
Even those who walk with Christ sometimes find it a challenge to keep hope alive.
Circumstances threaten to steal it.
How do we keep hope alive when everything around us opposes it? (PSG, p. 10)
On the board, write:
Describe something you inherited. Include the source, the occasion, and the meaning of what you received.
Identify common themes or characteristics in the examples.
Highlight one or two foundational statements that define inheritance.
believers have a living hope provided through an inheritance:
salvation through Jesus Christ.
today’s study launches a journey through 1, 2 Peter and Jude.
review the content of these books.
Note that Peter was writing to encourage suffering Christians,
pointing readers toward genuine hope even during seasons of suffering.
Church tradition claims the apostle Peter as the author of this epistle. Weighing all of the evidence, there are no substantive reasons to deny Peter’s authorship, and many legitimate reasons to embrace it. He likely wrote it shortly before his death, as Nero’s intense persecution of Christians began around AD 64. All of this is consistent with the content in the letter related to persecution.