Intro In 1 Peter 3:1-7, Peter finishes his focus on how the Christian is to live within a non-Christian household. Like his earlier instruction, we can find this section also comprised of three parts: How to live or be, here being subordinate Unfolding of what is pleasing to God, and A reason for the attitude […]
1 Peter: Lesson 7: How the Christian Lives
June 18, 2019 by
Intro Peter earlier explained how our faith-life derives from, and is lived in, Christ. Because Christ is the living Stone, we become living stones (1 Peter 2:4). With Him as cornerstone of the House, the Church, we are incorporated into His Church (vs. 5-6). Since Jesus, this Cornerstone, is the source of honor for believers, […]
1 Peter: Lesson 5: From Nothing to Something
June 18, 2019 by
Intro Last week, Peter commanded Christians to long for the “worded” (logikon) milk like newborns for their mothers’ milk. This referred to the Lord’s Supper, for if Peter meant the preached Word, he would have used a different Greek construction (to gala tou logou). Why are we to crave the Supper? To grow up into […]
The Unknown Unknown
May 21, 2019 by
This is our pastor’s article for the June, 2019 edition of our newsletter. In this, he delves into some (some!) of the New Testament’s use of the little-known book of 1 Enoch. Some speak of “known knowns,” things of which we are aware and also understand. For others, they talk of “known unknowns,” what we […]
1 Peter: Lesson 4: It’s All About Jesus
May 2, 2019 by
Intro Last week, we saw Peter focus on “the futile ways inherited from [the ethnic Jewish Christians’] forefathers”—their Jewish work-righteous thinking. So, we found Peter establish a pattern. First, he sets up one’s righteous standing before God by what someone does. Next, he destroys such foolish thinking by what showing what God does. Two times, […]
1 Peter, Lesson 3: Our Life with God: Is It Up to Us or God?
March 27, 2019 by
Intro In 1 Peter 1:3-12, Peter is preparing his recipients for what is to follow, to be well-disposed and ready to receive his instruction. Peter does this by expounding on the activity of each Person of the Holy Trinity, offering a blessing based on the Father (vs. 3-5), Son (vs. 3, 7-8), and Spirit (vs. […]
1 Peter: Lesson 2 Preparing His Hearers
March 27, 2019 by
Intro In this section, Peter uses classical rhetoric, writing an “exordium” to prepare his recipients for what is to follow. The purpose is to prepare them to be more well-disposed and ready to receive his instruction. So, this section includes no explicit exhortations or commands. Instead, Peter wants his recipients to hear him without being […]
1 Peter: Lesson 1
March 27, 2019 by
Introduction Theme The relationship between the Christian and culture as resident aliens in this world. Peter wants the hearers of his epistle to understand who they are before God so they can be who they are in in the world. 1 Peter tells us not so much how we are to think about God, but […]
The “I AM,” the Flesh-and-Bone God for Us
March 4, 2019 by
In many ways, our lives are all about knowing God. For this to be, we must understand Jesus, God’s Son, as God incarnate, for “no one comes to the Father except through [Him]” (John 14:6). Still, how can this take place for us creatures born separated from God (Ephesians 2:12)? The Scriptures of God reveal […]
The Apostles’ Creed, Lesson 1
February 6, 2019 by
What is a Creed? Creed comes from the Latin word credere, meaning “to believe.” Our English word “credible” comes from credere, meaning what someone says is believable. So, a creed is a statement of what someone believes or trusts to be true. “I believe the earth is round, not flat,” is an example of a […]
