Peter has concluded the body of his letter.  He now brings his thoughts to conclusion.  He begins by providing a succinct statement as to why he is writing and then a statement of greeting. Peter’s Purpose I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm [...]

In 1 Peter 5:1-4 Peter addresses elders and exhorts them to shepherd well (read the article here).   Peter now addresses the whole church. Admonition to the Younger He begins with the younger.  Now younger here could refer to a group of people who are lesser in age, but also in context could refer to the [...]

In chapter 5 Peter turns his attention to the leaders of these churches.  His desire is to give clear instructions to the elders. Although it could be that Peter is simply speaking to older men when he addresses elders, it seems much more likely that he is referring to elders in the technical sense of [...]

Peter’s discussion of suffering, which he  has woven throughout 1 Peter, comes to a climax in this section.  The thread of conduct that allows us to stand firm in God’s grace (1 Peter 5:12) and the thread that suffering does not mean you are outside of God’s grace (1 Peter 5:12) are tied together in [...]

In verses 1-6 of chapter 4 Peter tells the Christians to “arm themselves” mentally for suffering.  He is convinced that this attitude will lead Christians to not only be able to deal with suffering, but also overcome sin.  He then reminds them of their old way of life that they should be avoiding.  This avoidance [...]