Page 35 - General Epistles (James through Jude) Textbook

Study Section 7: Introductory Matters of the Epistle of 1 Peter According
to Simon/Peter.

7.1 Connect.

If you have lived for a few years, you will discover that life has its ups and downs. Things can be
going along just great, then suddenly, something tragic happens and life can bring great
suffering. Sometimes God brings suffering into our lives to perfect us, give us patience, make us
more sympathetic to others who suffer, and make us into the image of Christ. But suffering is
not fun.

I think of Suzannah Spurgeon (1832-1903), wife of Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest pulpiteers of
the 19 century. Charles penned 135 books and over 63 volumes of sermons. His wife, Suzannah, at
th
age 30+ she became an invalid having an extremely painful disease that incapacitated her. Her pain
caused episodes in which she was not able to lift hand or head. She could never travel far; her home
was her prison. She suffered this pain until she died at age 71. Yet, through the pain, Suzannah started
a Book Fund to send books to poor pastors throughout England. Within the first year, she sent out
3,000 volumes of theological books and by the time of her death, over 200,000 volumes were
distributed free to ministers and missionaries throughout the world.

Suffering is a part of life, especially for those who boldly speak of their Savior to the world. Jesus told his
disciples that they will hate them just as they hated him. I Peter is a book that addresses suffering. It
helps those who are going through it to endure. Let’s learn about suffering…

7.2 Objectives.

1. The student should be able to identify the author and date of
his writing.

2. The student should be able to identify the provenance of the
first letter of Peter.

3. The student should be able to identify and describe the occasions and purposes for writing the first
letter according to Peter.

7.3 Author, Place of Writing and Date, Recipients, Occasion, and Purpose.

Who Wrote the Letter of 1 Peter?

In the opening of the letter itself, that is, in 1 Peter 1:1, the name Peter is being mentioned. It
does not state what Peter is doing there. However, in the first century, whenever one decided
to write something, he/she would put her name first to signify authorship. In which case,
Peter is the author of the letter. The qualifiers to his name state that he was “an apostle of Jesus Christ”
(1 Pet. 1:1). An apostle is someone who has been sent on a mission. And some Pauline epistles claim
that Peter was sent to proclaim the Gospel to the Jews (Gal. 2:8). Peter comes from Greek world which

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