◄ 1 Peter Devotional Commentary ►

1 Peter 1:1

Much incorrect interpretation of New Testament epistles could be prevented if it was read in context. We should take note of the author of the letter, the people to whom it was written, and the reason it was originally sent.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, was writing this epistle to Christians. He called them 'brethren' who were chosen of God, and living as aliens in foreign places. He was writing to persecuted believers who read more...

1 Peter 1:2

Peter was the beloved big fisherman who was called to follow the Lord that day when he was mending his nets on the banks of the Galilee. He was the one who boldly claimed by faith: "You are the Christ the Son of the living God," and Peter was also the one who, having denied his Lord three times, was thrice called to feed the flock of God.

And in this letter to the pilgrims and sojourners of Pontius, Galatia, read more...

1 Peter 1:3

The God and Father of Jesus Christ is deserving of our thankful praise and eternal worship for His overflowing grace and His abundant mercy. He is FATHER with respect to Christ's divinity and He is GOD regarding the humanity of our Lord Jesus and how we bless His wonderful name. This is my Father - and this is your Father. This is my God - and your God.

Our praises stream back to the cruel cross and the Lamb slain from the read more...

1 Peter 1:4

We were born into this world in a fallen frame, the progeny of sinful man, and condemned by a holy God. But God loved mankind so much that He sent His only begotten Son into the world to save us, by becoming our sin-substitute and taking upon Himself the punishment that we justly deserve.

Christ died in our place so that by believing on Him we might be reborn into the glorious family of God. He identified with our sin and became read more...

1 Peter 1:5

The promises of God to His children are 'yes' and 'amen' in Christ, and God has promised that we who are saved by grace through faith in Him, have a glorious inheritance that is being reserved for us in heaven.

But not only is this priceless, imperishable, and undefiled inheritance being kept safe for us in heavenly places, but God has further promised to protect each one of us in this life and guard us by His almighty power, read more...

1 Peter 1:6

Peter rejoices to tell us that we are born to glory, saved to glory, and kept for glory. But he also reminds us that we are being prepared for glory by the things that we suffer in this temporal and passing life.

We too should rejoice that as the elect of God, we are set apart for God and are being sanctified by the Spirit of God. And we should live in obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ so that His grace and peace may be read more...

1 Peter 1:7

God's will for all His children is that we rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and in all things to give thanks to Him, even during the inevitable difficulties of life that we all have to face, and in the midst of the various trials that are the portion of all humanity.

Trials are a criterion that God uses to test and increase our faith in Him, and to appraise and develop our trust in His Word. We are told in the Scriptures read more...

1 Peter 1:8

Peter was one of the three disciples that saw the glory of God in Christ on the holy mount. Having seen this and coming to a depth of understanding of our position in Christ, he rejoices to remind us that all Christians are born for glory: "The glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth," for we are one with Him.

Peter reminds us that as we walk through this Christ-rejecting, sinful world, our read more...

1 Peter 1:9

The moment that we trusted Christ as Saviour, the salvation of our spirit, soul, and body was eternally secure in Him. From that point onward we are: "Accepted by God in the Beloved." This is not because of our own good works, meritorious deeds, legalistic rituals, or the sacrifices that we have made. We are accepted by God simply and exclusively because of Christ's offering of Himself at Calvary as the Lamb of God, unblemished and spotless.

1 Peter 1:10

Although we are strangers in a foreign land, we have an eternal hope set before us and an incorruptible inheritance reserved for us in heaven. Indeed, we who have trusted Christ and who have been saved by grace through faith in Him, have much about which to rejoice, despite the sobering truth that in this world all who live godly in Christ Jesus will face various trials and tribulations and may even have to face persecution and death. But praise God, for we have an read more...

1 Peter 1:11

There were certain mysteries that were hidden from the prophets of old, but which God chose to reveal to Paul and other New Testament writers. These mysteries were secrets, planned in eternity past and kept hidden for long ages. But at the right time these unrevealed secrets were finally made manifest to us through the New Testament writers in general, and through Paul in particular.

There was a mystery about the partial read more...

1 Peter 1:12

What an important example the prophets of old set to all of us, and what consequential lessons we can learn from their ministries and God's dealings with them. These were chosen men of God who were anointed by Him to deliver heavenly information that was to one day be complied into the very Word of God. These were the select few, through Whom God incarnate was to reveal Himself and His message of salvation to His fallen creation. And over many centuries, holy men read more...

1 Peter 1:13

Having summarised the position and privileges of the believer and the glory of our salvation, the apostle Peter exhorts Christians to live their lives in a godly manner, and points out the responsibilities and duties that are incumbent on all who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ.

As believers we are called to 'gird-up our minds' so that we are ready for every eventuality that may overtake us in our Christian walk. read more...

1 Peter 1:13

The epistles of Peter are filled with confidence building facts, placing an emphasis on our security in God's power, detailing the many precious promises we have in Christ, and outlining our permanent possessions in Him. He encourages us to rejoice in our trials because we have believed the glorious gospel of grace and have a heavenly hope founded on Christ. Peter builds up these foundational facts in order to prepare us to live a victorious Christian life that is read more...

1 Peter 1:14

In his introductory remarks, Peter scatters before us the manifold wisdom of God, the superabundant blessings that are ours in Christ, the multiplied glories of salvation, and the eternal inheritance which is kept for us in heaven; all of which we receive by His grace, through faith in Christ's sacrificial death, burial, and Resurrection. And in light of these superlative facts, Peter presents a heart-felt motivation that should spur on all believers who are kept read more...

1 Peter 1:15

As the children of God, we are commanded to be holy because God is holy. But God is perfect and we are not perfect, so some may consider this to be an impossible task. However, when Scripture calls us to perfection, we have to understand that this is only achievable in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is only achievable as we live and move and have our being in our new born-again life in Christ, and not as we live and move and have our being in our old, fallen read more...

1 Peter 1:16

God expected His people Israel to be holy and set apart unto Him. As part of the new creation in Christ, we are also exhorted to be holy, for God is holy. By grace through faith in Christ, we have been given the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us to live the godly lifestyle that God demands; a life that is set apart unto Him; a life that reflects His character and attributes.

Peter does not leave us floundering as to how to read more...

1 Peter 1:17

Our salvation was given to us freely by God's grace and yet the high cost of our redemption is incalculable. God gave His only begotten Son to redeem us from penalty and power of sin and death and to free us from the curse of the Law. The price that the immortal, invisible, eternal Son of God paid to save the fallen race of sinful humanity, is beyond our comprehension.

The immortal, deathless God had to become a mortal man so that read more...

1 Peter 1:18

What do you value in life and what is it that I consider precious? Most people would put gold and silver pretty high up on the list, for 'money speaks' in this world, and silver and gold are commodities that are highly valued by the rich and poor alike, but they are perishable and valueless when it come to the redemption of a lost humanity.

From the fall of Adam, every man inherited an empty life, devoid of all that is good read more...

1 Peter 1:19

Because of our sin we deserve death, and the wages of sin is death: spiritual death. The result of sin is eternal separation from our mighty Creator God. But through faith in Christ, we have been redeemed. We have been bought with a price. We have been purchased back from the slave-market of sin and death by our gracious Saviour God.

He paid a tremendous price to redeem us from our lost condition and it was a price that only He read more...

1 Peter 1:20

Jesus is a Man like no other member of the human race. He was foreknown before the creation of the world, revealed at God's appointed time, and was made manifest for our sake when He was born into His own creation to become the Saviour of the world, by means of His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection.

Jesus is the only Person Who could make the statement: "Before Abraham was, I AM," for Christ is the heavenly Man read more...

1 Peter 1:21

Never diminish the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is ONLY by faith in Him that we are redeemed from the slave-market of sin. Only by faith in the sacrificial death of the Son of God, can our sins be forgiven and eternal life received. And that faith includes Christ rising from the dead.. for it is only because of His glorious resurrection from the dead, that we have the unshakable assurance that our bodies will also be raised to read more...

1 Peter 1:22

Peter's letter is mainly addressed to Jewish Christians, who were residing as aliens in foreign parts, and scattered throughout Gentile territories. No doubt, many had fled from the severe persecution that took place in those early days of the Church. The tone of this letter demonstrates the genuine love Peter felt for these believers and he encourages them to develop the same, sincere love for one another that he has towards read more...

1 Peter 1:23

We all love to think of the apostle Peter as the blustery young fisherman whose energy and enthusiasm often caused him to make rash promises which, all too often, brought him crashing down into the traumatic reality of his own inability, sinfulness, and pride.

But as we read through his two epistles, we recognise a beautiful maturity and godly wisdom which descended on this beloved, ageing apostle, as he records his deepened read more...

1 Peter 1:25

As the elderly apostle wrote this epistle to God's elect people who had been chosen according to the foreknowledge of the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, it must have gladdened Peter's heart to know that these saints had purified themselves - which was being manifested to the world through their deep love for one another.

Peter rejoiced in God's great mercy, knowing that all who trust in Christ for the read more...

1 Peter 2:2

When we were born again we were positionally sanctified; positionally set apart unto God, once for all. We were taken out of the old creation in Adam and placed into the new creation in Christ. As newborn babes in Christ, we were positioned in Him. Our position in Him also needs to be worked out practically; a practical sanctification that needs to take place in our everyday life and living. Our positional sanctification took place the moment that we were saved, read more...

1 Peter 2:3

It is David who calls us to: "Taste and see that the Lord is good," and we who have trusted in Christ as Saviour have truly tasted of the goodness of God in our own lives, and have seen in abundance the loving-kindness and forgiveness of our gracious Heavenly Father. How blessed is the man who tastes of the goodness of the Lord and takes refuge in Him.

And since we have been born from above and have tasted of the goodness read more...

1 Peter 2:4

There are many ways to describe believers in Scripture, and many similes drawn to illustrate our role in the world and relationship to Christ. We are sheep following our Shepherd and the Bride of our heavenly Bridegroom. The intimate relationship between a man his wife and the interconnectedness of Body-members with its living Head, are all pictures of Christians painted in the Word of God.

We are branches on a vine and read more...

1 Peter 2:5

In the time of Israel, the first temple was a physical building which was constructed out of great blocks of hewn stone. In this dispensation, Christians are a spiritual house and all believers are living stones that are being assembled together as a fitting dwelling-place for God, with the Lord Jesus Christ being the chief Cornerstone.

Not only are we living stones that are being fashioned into a spiritual house, but we are all read more...

1 Peter 2:6

Christians and the Church are a special group of people who are holy unto the Lord. We are set apart for a specific purpose in this dispensation of grace. Beginning with 120 in the upper room on that first day of Pentecost, we are being formed, fashioned, and knitted together by God Himself into a sacred, spiritual Temple.

Day after week after decade after centuries of time, men and women of faith have been added to read more...

1 Peter 2:7

Although many years had passed since Peter walked with Jesus on the way, met Him on the shores of the Galilee, and was commissioned to feed His sheep and protect His little lambs, this aging apostle's love and devotion for His Lord did not dim with the passing of years, but was strengthened as he faithfully fulfilled his God-ordained commission. His passion for the Lord grew ever brighter as the Spirit of God opened up all the Scriptures to him, guiding him read more...

1 Peter 2:8

In Old Testament times, it was Israel who was called to be a holy people unto the Lord. They were chosen from all the nations on earth, to be God's peculiar people. They were to be a light to the Gentiles. They were to act as the priestly mediator between earth and heaven, so the world would know that God is the Lord and salvation is found in Him, alone.

The promised Messiah was to come through Israel. He was the promised Seed read more...

1 Peter 2:9

What an astonishing revelation is contained within this simple yet profound verse of Scripture: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." As members of the Body of Christ, it reveals one of the precious privileges that are ours in Christ; we are a chosen race and a royal priesthood. We have been made read more...

1 Peter 2:10

Although certain nations have founded their laws on Judeo-Christian principles which acknowledge God as Creator and chose His moral laws as the foundation upon which to build their societies, there has only been one nation that has a God-instituted, everlasting covenant-relationship with the Lord, and that is the nation of Israel.

They were His chosen people, selected out from the sea of humanity to be governed by God. They were read more...

1 Peter 2:11

We are engaged in a spiritual war, and in order to gain an inner victory of the soul during our earthly walk, we are to abstain from fleshly lusts and carnal desires which war against the soul. But this requires us to be able to say NO to the continuous pull of the flesh and to resist the old sin nature, that constantly and consistently is at enmity with our new life in Christ, our new born-again spirit which was made alive by faith in Christ. And so we are called read more...

1 Peter 2:11

We have moved from the kingdom of darkness into God's glorious kingdom of light. We have passed from death to life, from being a child of Satan to being a child of the King of kings, from being of the old creation in Adam to being a new creation in Christ, and it is a transaction that was signed in blood on a wooden cross two thousand years ago, when Christ redeemed us from our sins.

Peter urges and implores us to remember that we are simply sojourners, read more...

1 Peter 2:17

As children of God and citizens of heaven, Peter reminds us that we have a responsibility to live godly lives, as unto the Lord. We are no longer enslaved to sin and Satan, nor are we dead in our trespasses and without hope in the world, for we have been released from the slave-market of sin by the blood of the Lamb and are to live in a way that honours Him.

Earlier in the passage, the apostle reminded us that as members of His read more...

1 Peter 2:20

The central theme in the book of first Peter is HOPE for the Christian in the midst of tremendous suffering. The early Church were plagued with significant persecution and pain. They were imprisoned for their faith. They were slandered and ridiculed, and they were hated and abused for the sake of Jesus Christ.

The apostle Peter wrote his encouraging letter, to remind us of our position in Christ and the living hope we have in read more...

1 Peter 2:21

The spiritual life to which we are all called is not an easy path to tread, and Christ Himself warned us that in this world we will have tribulation, while Paul reminds us that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Many believe that becoming a Christian will guarantee a life of simplicity and ease, affluence and comfort, but we are warned in many passages that those who delight in piety and are read more...

1 Peter 2:23

Jesus came to earth as the best example of how man should live. He was the perfect pattern, the matchless measure, and exact representation of ideal humanity, and Jesus lived His life the way that God had intended all men to live. He was God's ideal standard Who came to earth to illustrate the way that God had determined man should behave towards Himself and His creation from the very beginning.

Jesus demonstrated throughout His read more...

1 Peter 2:24

The Lord Jesus not only died to pay the price FOR our sins, but He also died AS us and in the place of us. They were OUR sins, but He bore the punishment for us so that we would never need to be punished for them. As the sinless Son of Man, He paid the full burden-weight of the accumulated sins of the whole world, past, present, and future, and He also identified with all who would believe on Him so that we might reckon ourselves dead TO those sins as we live our read more...

1 Peter 2:25

In the middle section of his epistle, Peter outlines what a believer's relationship should be in different segments of society. He considers a pilgrim's relationship to the world, a citizen's relationship to the government, a servant's relationship to his master, and he ties it together with a believer's relationship with the Lord.

The challenge in each case is to display a Christ-like attitude before a world of unsaved people, so read more...

1 Peter 3:1

There are a number of passages in the Bible that give clear instructions about the attitude and behaviour of wives in the home, and their role in the wider fellowship of believers.

Paul reminds women to submit themselves to their own husbands in the same way that we should willingly yield to the Lord Jesus, Himself. Wives are to submit to their husbands in everything, because it is appropriate for those who belong to the Lord, to do so.

Other read more...

1 Peter 3:3

In this passage, Peter has built up the picture of a believer whose life is honouring to God. We are to grow in grace through the nourishment of the Word of God and, as living stones, are to be built up into a holy nation, a spiritual house, and a holy priesthood that is honouring to God. Our lives are not to mimic the unruly behaviours of evil-doers but to be a light to glorify the Father and to point others to our Lord Jesus Christ.

read more...

1 Peter 3:4

Although Peter deals with the general conduct of Christian men and women in their church fellowships and wider communities, he also gives specific advice to different groups of believers, and in this passage addresses the conduct and character of wives and the relationship they should foster with their husbands.

First, he advises them to be submissive, chaste, and respectful towards their men, because godly behaviour and a read more...

1 Peter 3:5

The lasting beauty and attractiveness that radiates from a spiritual woman of God, comes from an inner purity of heart which honours the Lord and is submissive to her husband.

There were many such holy women mentioned in the Bible, both from the Old and New Testaments, and from each emanated a loveliness from deep within. They did not rely on their outer adornments to recommend themselves to others, but nurtured a heart that was submissive to their own read more...

1 Peter 3:7

Peter spent a significant part of his letter covering Christian conduct and the respect that believers should show towards one another and the community at large. He also gave clear guidelines when dealing with those having governmental authority: "Honour all people, love the brotherhood, fear God and honour the king," is his comprehensive charge.

Having dealt with society at large, he moved on to Christian slaves and the read more...

1 Peter 3:8

Peter set out to console Christians in their sufferings and to call believers to godly, submissive living. After his long treaties on our call to be holy, the need to submit to authority, the different role of family members, and a section on Christ's example of patient endurance in suffering, Peter finally begins to sum up his epistle with a series of short, simple statements on living a submissive Christian life.

What a read more...

1 Peter 3:9

Love for God and love for other people threads its way through this apostle's writings, and in summing up his first epistle, Peter offers the do's and dont's of Christian living in a few pertinent phrases. After stressing the need for unity, brotherly love, sympathy, and compassion for other people, he urges believers not to repay evil for evil nor to respond to an insult with an equally disparaging remark. On the contrary, we are entreated to give blessings: read more...

1 Peter 3:10

The believers to whom Peter was writing were facing hard times of persecution and difficulty, but his advice to them was based on king David's song, when he found himself in deep distress and facing life-threatening danger.

Both David and Peter encouraged others to have a positive attitude towards life, by faith in God Who has promised to be with us always, even when things are difficult, even when we are facing persecution and read more...

1 Peter 3:11

Knowing the devastating results of following after the evils of this world, Peter is encouraging the believers in Christ to refrain from speaking falsities, but rather to seek and pursue after peace.

The Lord Jesus Himself told us that peacemakers are blessed by God and are called His children, but in a fallen world, peace is something that is only found in Christ - and we must seek after it and actively work to maintain read more...

1 Peter 3:12

We are exhorted, as children of God who are born-again in Christ, towards purity of heart, the pursuit of peace, compassion, mercy, and godly living... and yet this epistle is written during a time of severe suffering and increasingly intense Christian persecution.

Peter cautioned the Church that in the midst of this heightened hatred for God and escalating animosity towards those that are His, we are to maintain a clear read more...

1 Peter 3:13

As Christians, we are given all we need for righteous living in order to have a right standing with God. Paul instructed us to walk in spirit and truth, and we learn from the Lord Jesus that this means that we are to abide in Him and He in us... as we journey through life.

We are to rest in His love and to trust in His Word, even during those difficult times so that we may live godly in Christ Jesus. As believers, we have read more...

1 Peter 3:14

None of us want to suffer. Often we actively resist suffering, and sometimes we view it as correction or punishment from God, especially if it is a fellow believer who is suffering! And yet in his first epistle, Peter tells his readers that if we suffer at the hands of ungodly people for righteousness' sake, we are blessed indeed.

Paul reminds us that believers are not only called to trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation but read more...

1 Peter 3:15

Peter finished his godly advice to husbands and wives with guidance on suffering for the sake of righteousness. He gave wise instruction on how to grow in grace and live a godly life, and he encouraged them (as he encourages us) to live in harmony with our Christian brothers and sisters.

Peter encourages us to guard our hearts and our speech, and to turn from evil and do good. We are to seek peace and to pursue it, and we are to read more...

1 Peter 3:18

The Lord Jesus Christ is the righteous One, the sinless Man that suffered and died for the sins of the whole world. He suffered and died once for all the unrighteous race of humanity so that He might bring all who believe in Him into eternal fellowship with God.

As fully Man He was required to die as a man, body, soul, and spirit, but as the sinless Son of Man Who willingly gave His life as a ransom for many, He paid the purchase read more...

1 Peter 3:18

When Peter writes: "Christ also suffered for sins once," he points to the Lord Jesus as the perfect example of One Who through His suffering, fulfilled the will of His Father in heaven. He was identified as the perfect example of a Man Who suffered unjustly at the hands of wicked men, in order to fulfil the plans and purpose of a holy God: "To bring us to God."

The Lord Jesus was indeed read more...

1 Peter 3:21

This verse has caused much controversy and is used as a proof-text that 'water baptism' is necessary for salvation, but that is not what this verse teaches.

Baptismal regeneration is unbiblical, and when this verse is read in its correct context and in conjunction with every other passage on salvation, the 'baptism' that saves is clearly Christ's 'baptism unto death'. 

When a thorough read more...

1 Peter 4:1

I am sure as Peter started to write his epistle, his thoughts must have raced back to that day when he denied His Lord three times. Jesus had died for him and taken the punishment that he rightfully deserved, and even though he had denied Jesus, Peter was not rejected or replaced. Peter was not only forgiven of all his sins, but re-commissioned by the risen Lord Jesus Christ to be His chief apostle who would feed His sheep, shepherd His lambs, and unlock the read more...

1 Peter 4:2

Christian character and Christian conduct covers a significant chunk of early church writings and apostolic epistles.. and Peter takes time in his letter to reiterate a believer's position in Christ and the privileges we have in Him. Peter explains how this should affect our relationship with others.. and impact every aspect of our Christian walk.

As elect believers, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.. who are read more...

1 Peter 4:4

Before we were saved by grace through faith in Christ, we were dead in our sins, at enmity with God, slaves of Satan, and governed by the old, fallen sin-nature. During that pre-salvation time, we were spiritually dead and without God which means that both the noble deeds we carried out in the flesh, and our evil works, selfish actions, and undisciplined behaviours, were ALL considered by God as unacceptable and only read more...

1 Peter 4:5

Preparation for the coming of the Lord was a watchword in the days of the apostle Peter, and it continues to be an increasingly important guiding principle for us today - for the time of Christ's return is closer than when we first believed.

As Christians, we are to remember that the Lord Jesus suffered in the flesh for our sake - so that we could be saved by grace through faith in Him. But we are to translate that eternal truth read more...

1 Peter 4:7

However young or old a person may be in physical years, the fleeting breath of this brief life is but a drop in the vast ocean of eternity as time tick-tocks away. The moon continues to wax and wane in its monthly cycle, and the sun sets in the western skies, evening by evening, as year succeeds to year, in nature's ever-circling round. As spring skips through summer into autumn's golden glow, the end of all things is drawing very close.

read more...

1 Peter 4:8

The warm gentleness and tender-hearted forgiveness in Paul's chapter on love, in 1 Corinthians 13, identifies LOVE as the foundational fruit of the Spirit, from which all other gifts and graces grow. Love is also a gift of the Spirit because it is only as we abide in Him and He in us, that we can love as Christ loved, as we allow the love of Christ to flow through us to others. Here, in Peter's first epistle, we find another important teaching on love, which read more...

1 Peter 4:10

The Bible gives some serious warnings about living in the last days. As the time for Christ's return for His Church draws ever closer, we are warned to be clear-minded and self-controlled. We are exhorted to be sober in deed and watchful in prayer. We are to have fervent love for one another, knowing that love covers a multitude of sins; and we are to extend gracious hospitality to all those with whom we come in contact, and to do it without complaining.

read more...

1 Peter 4:12

As Christians, we are citizens of heaven who are passing through a cursed world which is filled with condemned sinners who are in need of Christ's forgiveness; and God has given us everything we need to live a victorious Christian life in this fallen world. But too many Christians wrongly think that a victorious Christian life is a happy, trouble-free existence where every whim of our heart is magically fulfilled by some sugar-daddy in the sky, cherry-picking read more...

1 Peter 4:13

Christ suffered greatly in His earthly life... and as members of His Spiritual Body, we too are likely to be called on to suffer - individually and corporately. We will also have to face fierce mental anguish, physical suffering, or emotional pain. Peter calls on us to develop a godly attitude towards suffering - even encouraging us to rejoice in our suffering and keep on rejoicing.

Peter exhorts us not to consider the fiery read more...

1 Peter 4:14

Nobody wants to endure suffering, pain, or persecution. None of us like it when we are disparaged or denigrated by friends or acquaintances, and yet Peter teaches us: "If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed! If you are ridiculed, insulted, or hated for His name's sake you are favoured people... because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you."

Which of us sees read more...

1 Peter 4:15

We are to live a life that honours the Lord Jesus Who bought us. And just as He honoured His Father, by suffering on our account, we are to be similarly motivated to live for Christ and do only those things that honour Him, especially as the time for His return daws ever closer.

We are to be clothed in the armour of God and to resist the evil one. We are to live by faith and to walk in spirit and truth. We are to put to death the read more...

1 Peter 4:16

We have been eternally saved by grace through faith in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are also kept by grace, through the power of the Most High God and are eternally secure, for there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus.

'LORD' is His regal and deathless title, for He is the Creator of the universe, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. He is the only true and living read more...

1 Peter 4:17

Many consider that when Peter said, "It is time for judgment to begin with the household of God," he was referring to God's judgement falling on the physical House of God in Jerusalem, in AD 70. Indeed, Ezekiel 9:6 describes such a judgement spreading out from there.

As Christ had warned, a great and terrible judgement did befall the Jewish Temple and God's chosen people, after Israel rejected their King and crucified read more...

1 Peter 4:19

For many decades, the west has been spared much of the persecution that has been the norm throughout almost 2000 years of Church history. Indeed, the 'normal Christian life' of recent years, is far more accurately labelled the 'abnormal' Christian life', for down through centuries of time, Bible-believing Christians have been hunted down, brutally persecuted, frequently killed, and treated abominably, for righteousness sake.

Much read more...

1 Peter 5:1

Compassionate Christian conduct, a humble Christ-like attitude, godly and gracious service, and a childlike faith that finds its strength in the Lord when faced with suffering and pain, brings Peter to the point in his epistle where he charged Church elders with new and important responsibilities, "Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder, and witness of the sufferings of Christ, to care for Christ's flock. I appeal to you elders, read more...

1 Peter 5:4

Sheep and shepherds play a vital role in Scripture. Sheep have to be guarded from enemy attacks, and guided by the shepherd, because the little flock in their care, often wander away, become fearful or blindly follow the rest of the sheep. The shepherd must not neglect those in his care. Rather, he must consider the needs of the sheep before his own. He must watch over them tenderly and search out lush pasture for them to eat, and calm pools of water where they read more...

1 Peter 5:5

As he brings his first epistle to a close, the aging Peter gives wise instruction both to church elders as well as to those that are younger in age or spiritual infants. But though he instructs young men to be subject to those that are older in years and spiritual maturity, he calls ALL believers to clothe themselves with humility towards one another, explaining that God resists those that are proud but gives grace to those that are humble in action and read more...

1 Peter 5:6

Having given instructions to the older believers, Peter turns his attention to advising to the younger generation. He instructs them to be subject to those that are older in the faith, and to "clothe yourselves with humility toward one another." These younger believers are to develop a teachable spirit and an attitude that demonstrates respect towards those that have matured in the Lord. Training in righteousness, the development of a spirit of read more...

1 Peter 5:7

There are many places in Scripture that remind us that the cares and concerns of this world can become a burdensome load in our lives. 'Independence' proudly proclaims that it has built up a range of coping strategies and self-help skills to deal with all the stresses and strains of life, while 'Pride' arrogantly announces that it is well-able to go it alone. But the Word of God paints a very different picture.

We have been told read more...

1 Peter 5:8

We journey through our Christian life from grace to glory; from justification to glorification; from the Cross to the Crown. As we travel through life, there are many lessons that we all must learn, and the Holy Spirit is our teacher. The Word of God provides all the instructions that we need for life and godliness, for our faith rests on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself being the chief Cornerstone.

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1 Peter 5:9

The devil is a terrible adversary who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, discredit, discourage, and disengage from their Christian calling. Satan and his fallen accomplices, are striving all day long and throughout the night to shipwreck the faith of believers - and he takes no holiday from his ignoble pursuits.

Although he is neither omniscient nor omnipotent, the devil continues on, unabated, with his read more...

1 Peter 5:10

As believers in Christ, we are loved with an everlasting love and have been drawn by God with loving-kindness and with great goodness. We do not deserve the many privileges we have received by faith, indeed we deserve full punishment for our sins and the wages of all sin is death. But in His grace, Christ paid the price for our sin by dying on the Cross in our place.

Jesus identified with our sin, and the death that He died is read more...

1 Peter 5:10

We discover that the aging apostle Peter, who denied His Lord at the start of his Christian walk, came to an understanding that suffering precedes glory in the life of a believer, sadness comes before joy, and the darkest night of mourning will finally turn into the brightest noon-day sun: "For after you have suffered for a little while," Peter informs his readers, "After you have suffered... the God of all grace, Who called you to His read more...

1 Peter 5:11

Peter begins his first epistle with a most glorious doxology, praising God and exalting His holy name: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," he writes "Who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." And his wonder, excitement, and joy in the Lord is not diminished at the end of his letter, for we find him continuing to rejoice in read more...