1 Peter 1

About 1 Peter.

The First Letter of Peter

Purpose

To encourage believers who were suffering to maintain a life of holiness and thereby bear witness to Christ

Author

Peter

Date

Early 60s AD

Setting

Written toward the end of Peter’s life to believers in northern Asia Minor who were experiencing persecution

First Peter has one main purpose: to encourage Christians to stay faithful while they suffer for their faith. Peter wrote to believers who were facing "the fiery trial" or severe testing. The people around them rejected their faith, criticized their way of life, and mocked their hope in Christ. Peter calls his readers to respond by living in the grace of God. They should do this to please God and to show others what he is like.

Setting

Many people in the ancient Roman world thought Christians were strange, superstitious, and not loyal to Roman society. Christians met in private. They also practiced rituals that many people did not understand, such as the Lord’s Supper. Some people wrongly thought this meal involved a bloody sacrifice.

Christians also lived in a way that was different from the culture around them. Some refused to serve in the Roman army because they would not swear loyalty to the emperor as a god. Because they would not follow common Roman practices, Christians were often treated unfairly. People accused them of wrongdoing and sometimes brought them to court on false charges.

First Peter speaks to this situation. Believers were suffering through very hard trials (1 Peter 1:6; 4:12). Other people were saying evil things about them (4:4; see 3:16). Christ’s followers may have wanted to answer harsh words with more harsh words. They may also have felt tempted to stop living in a godly way because it brought them pain.

The apostle knew about these temptations. So his letter encourages believers to see false charges and unfair treatment as a chance to speak about Jesus Christ.

Christians should follow the example of their Lord. Jesus lived a good and faithful life before everyone. He did not insult those who insulted him. In the same way, Christians can show the good news about Jesus through the way they live.

Summary

After the usual opening of a letter(1 Peter 1:1–2), Peter begins the first section (1 Peter 1:3–2:12). by encouraging his readers. Their suffering is painful, but it is temporary. God can use it to strengthen their faith and prepare them to receive salvation (1:3–9).

This salvation is very great. The prophets spoke about it before it came, and angels desire to understand it (1:10–12). Because God gave this gift, believers should live holy lives. They should remember the great cost God paid to save them (1:13–21).

The first section ends with a call to love other Christians and be patient with them (1:22–2:3). Peter also reminds believers that they are God’s new covenant people (2:4–12).

The second part of the letter (1 Peter 2:13–3:12) urges Christians to respect accepted authorities. Their actions can show faithfulness to God in a world that is against them.

Christians should accept the authority of the government (2:13–17). Christian slaves should accept the authority of their masters (2:18–25). Christian wives should accept the authority of their husbands (3:1–6). At the same time, husbands should honor their wives (3:7).

This section ends with general instructions about the kind of behavior that God rewards (3:8–12).

The third section (1 Peter 3:13–4:11) begins by urging believers to respond to social pressure with honorable and respectful behavior, even when others treat them badly (3:13–17).

Peter reminds his readers that their hope of redemption (God rescuing them from sin and death) is secure. This hope rests on Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension (his return to heaven; see 3:18–22).

Peter again calls believers to reject the ways and values of the world (4:1–6). He ends the section with several instructions about how Christians should live (4:7–11).

The fourth section of the letter (1 Peter 4:12–5:11) begins with a final call to stand firm during suffering (4:12–19).

Peter then gives instructions to elders (5:1–4), younger men (5:5), and the whole church (5:5–11).

The letter ends with the usual greetings (5:12–14).

Author and Recipients

The opening verse names the author as the apostle Peter. It also names the readers as "the elect" (God's chosen people) who lived in "Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." These Roman provinces were in the northern part of Asia Minor. Today, this peninsula makes up most of Turkey.

We have no record that Peter visited this area. The letter also does not say that he visited it. In fact, we know little about where Peter went or what he did after his early ministry in Jerusalem and Judea (Acts 1:1–12:25).

Luke says that after God rescued Peter from prison in a miraculous way, Peter "left for another place" (Acts 12:17). Many people have guessed where he went, but we do not know.

Peter returned for the council in Jerusalem (Acts 15:1–41). . This council took place around AD 49–50. Peter also seems to have spent some time serving in Corinth (see 1 Corinthians 1:12; 9:5). He was also in Antioch at some point (Galatians 2:11–16).

Christian tradition says that Peter was in Rome near the end of his life. It also says that he died there as a martyr, a person killed because of faithfulness to Christ. This likely happened under the emperor Nero, probably in AD 64 or 65.

Place and Date of Writing

Peter was probably in Rome when he wrote this letter. The phrase “The church in Babylon" most likely refers to the church in Rome (5:13). The ancient city of Babylon is well known from later Old Testament books. But in Peter’s time, the first century AD, Babylon was small and not politically important. It would also be surprising if Peter had traveled so far east.

However, Babylon had been a powerful city in the 600s and 500s BC. Because of this, its name came to stand for a center of world power and cultural influence. The book of Revelation uses Babylon as a code word for Rome (see Revelation 17:5). Peter was probably using the name in the same way.

If Peter wrote this letter from Rome, then he probably wrote it near the end of his life. Mark was also with Peter at this time (see 1 Peter 5:13), which supports this view. Christian tradition says that Mark was with Peter in Rome in the late AD 50s and early AD 60s.

So Peter likely wrote this letter from Rome in the early AD 60s.

Occasion of Writing

Peter wrote his letter because Christians in northern Asia Minor were facing severe trials. Some people have tried to connect 1 Peter to a known official persecution. But the letter does not say that the Roman government was carrying out an official program of persecution against Christians.

Instead, most pressure came from the local people. At times, local officials may have helped or supported this mistreatment.

Meaning and Message

First Peter encourages Christians to live holy lives, even when they face pressure from people who do not follow Christ or who are against Christians.

Peter develops three main ideas:

1. Believers need to understand what God has done for them. They have received the salvation that God promised through his prophets. This salvation is something even the angels are eagerly watching (1:12; see 1:5, 10).

   Believers are God’s children(1:14). They have been born again through God’s powerful word (1:23). They are like stones that God is using to build a new spiritual temple, a place where God is worshiped (2:5). They are also a chosen people whom God has called out of darkness and into light (2:9–10).

   Because believers have received these gifts, they are now like foreigners and strangers in this world (1:1, 17; 2:12). Christians live in the world, but they do not belong to the world.

2. Christians are God’s people. So they should live in a way that shows the values of heaven, not the values of this world. As God’s children, Christians should follow the example of their Father. They should become holy, because God is holy (1:15–16).

   hristians should also love one anothe (1:22). and respect those in authority. Peter summarizes this by calling Christians to "to do good." They should do good even to people who mistreat them and make life difficult for them(3:16–17; 4:19).

3. Believers have become a holy people because of Christ. The death and resurrection of Jesus are the foundation of their new identity (1:18–19; 3:18). His victory over evil powers gives them hope and confidence (1:3–9; 3:19–22).

   Christ made salvation and holiness possible for them. He also gave them an example to follow. Christ did not fight back when people criticized him, persecuted him, and even killed him (2:21–25). Christians should follow his example. They should not seek revenge. Instead, they should use their trials as a chance to speak about the grace and power of God.

1 Peter 1:1

• To the elect: The apostle Peter begins his letter by reminding suffering Christians of their special status because of God’s action for them (1:2).

• who are exiles of the Dispersion: An exile is a person taken from his or her homeland to live in a foreign place. Peter uses this image to remind Christians that they live in a world shaped by values and ways of life that oppose Christ.

• Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia: These were Roman provinces in the region that is now Turkey. Peter may list them in the order that a messenger would follow when delivering the letter to the churches.

1 Peter 1:2

according to the foreknowledge of God the Father: In the Bible, God’s foreknowledge refers to his knowledge and loving purpose from the beginning. It means that God chose his people in advance and set his love on them before they knew him (compare Romans 8:29; 11:2).

1 Peter 1:3-9

In most New Testament letters, a section of thanks or praise follows the greeting. Peter praises God because his mercy gives new spiritual life. This life creates hope for the future, even during difficult times.

1 Peter 1:3

new birth: This is a way of describing Christian conversion (compare John 3:1–13; James 1:18; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18). This Greek word, which occurs again in 1 Peter 1:23, frames the message of 1:1–25.

1 Peter 1:4

The language of inheritance often refers to what God has promised his people. It originally applied to the land of Israel (see Deuteronomy 3:28). Later, inheritance came to mean the people of God and God's presence with them (see Psalm 33:12; Ezekiel 44:28). In the New Testament, the inheritance is the spiritual benefits and eternal salvation that God promises to his people (see Ephesians 1:11; Hebrews 9:15).

1 Peter 1:5

• For the salvation: In the New Testament, salvation often means the final rescue from sin and death when Christ returns. This hope encourages Christians to persevere until the end (see also 1:9, 10; 2:2; 4:18).

• ready to be revealed: The future revealing of God’s salvation stands in contrast to the present time, when God and his purposes are not fully seen (see also 1:7, 13).

1 Peter 1:7

• proven character of your faith … refined by fire: Faith, like gold, becomes purer when tested or refined by fire.

• may result in praise, glory, and honor: This could mean that God will give praise, glory, and honor to faithful Christians. It could also mean that their faithful lives will bring praise, glory, and honor to God.

1 Peter 1:9

salvation of your souls: The Greek word translated souls often refers to the whole person and not just to some part or aspect of the person (Matthew 20:28; Mark 8:35). Salvation affects our whole person, not the inner person only.

1 Peter 1:10-12

this salvation: The prophets in the Old Testament spoke about this salvation long before it came. Even the angels desire to understand it more fully.

1 Peter 1:11

• trying to determine: The prophets in the Old Testament received many messages about the future. But they did not know exactly when the promised salvation would come or how God would bring it.

• The Greek phrase translated the time can also mean what person. The prophets understood that the Messiah would come and that he would suffer before he was glorified. But they did not know who the Messiah would be.

1 Peter 1:12

long to look: The same Greek word is used of the disciples when they looked into the empty tomb of Jesus (Luke 24:12; John 20:5, 11).

1 Peter 1:13-21

New birth and the hope of salvation call Christians to live as God’s people. They must turn away from the values of the world and follow the holiness of God, who redeemed them.

1 Peter 1:13

prepare your minds for action (literally gird the loins of your mind): In Peter’s time, a man had to tuck the hem of his long robe into his belt before he could work or run.

1 Peter 1:15-16

"Be holy, because I am holy": This phrase appears often in Scripture. It emphasizes that God's people must be holy like God (see Leviticus 11:44–45; 19:2; 20:7; also Ezekiel 20:12; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Revelation 22:11).

1 Peter 1:17

Christians belong to heaven. Because of this, they live in this world as foreigners with different values and with a clear purpose from God. Their heavenly identity calls them to live faithfully and responsibly in the places where God has put them, while looking forward to the fullness of life with God (1:1; see Philippians 3:20).

foreigners and exiles: Christians belong not to this world but to the kingdom of heaven (see 1:1, 17).

1 Peter 1:18

A ransom is a payment made to set a captive free. In the ancient world, slaves could sometimes pay a ransom and gain their freedom. Christ’s death is the ransom that God used to set people free from sin (1:19).

1 Peter 1:19

a lamb without blemish or spot: The Jewish Passover lamb had to be without any defect (Exodus 12:5). Christ fulfills the meaning of the Passover. He was without defect or sin (compare Hebrews 4:14–16; 7:26–28).

1 Peter 1:20

With Christ’s coming, God is fulfilling Old Testament promises of redemption, and the last days have begun.

1 Peter 1:22-2:3

After calling believers to live holy lives (1:13–21), Peter explains how they must show love to one another as fellow Christians.

1 Peter 1:22

have a genuine love for your brothers (Literally, must have brotherly love): See study note on 5:9.

Aquifer Open Study Notes © 2026 Mission Mutual, an adaptation of the Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.