1. (verse 1) Look on a Bible map and find the area Peter is writing to. What modern country would this be? Who founded most of these churches?

Peter is writing to the churches in Asia. This area is mostly in present day Turkey. Many of the churches in this region were founded or nurtured by Paul. For example on his first missionary journey he probably visited Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, Antioch, Troas, Ephesus, and Cos. On his second journey he also re-visited some of these. On his third missionary journey he probably also visited Mitylene, Assos, Samos, and Miletus.

Perhaps Paul has been martyred by this time, and Peter is trying to encourage these churches. Or it is very possible that Peter also ministered to some of these churches.

2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

2. (verse 2) According to this verse do we choose God or does he choose us? Do you believe we have a free will to choose Christ? How might we be influenced to choose God? In this verse what is the work of each person of the trinity in our salvation?

This verse tells us we have been chosen by God. This may be difficult for us to understand since it seems we also make a choice to serve and obey God, but there may be some things about God’s divine nature that we humans simply can’t fully understand. Notice that all three persons of the trinity are involved in our salvation. God chooses us, the Holy Spirit sanctifies us, and Christ paid the price for us by the shedding of his blood.

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you,

3. (verses 3-4) What must we do to earn our salvation? How sure is our eternal inheritance?

Verse 3 tells us God in his great mercy gave us a new birth. How? Through the resurrection of Jesus. It is because of God’s mercy we are saved, not because of any goodness on our part. Verse 4 tells us how sure our eternal inheritance is – it is kept in heaven for us.

5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

4. (verse 5) How are we shielded (KJV-kept)? What should we do when we become anxious or worried? Why don’t we do this?

God’s protecting hand is always upon us. Whatever happens to us is according to his divine plan for us. This should cause us to be able to place our complete trust in him when we become anxious or worried. When we don’t, it’s really because we are not fully trusting our future to God. We are sometimes weak in our faith, but don’t forget Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

5. (verse 6) How many trials (KJV-temptations) did Peter say his readers might have to suffer? What do unbelievers turn to in times of sorrow? What should our attitude be when going through times of grief?

Peter tells us we may have to suffer "all kinds of trials." We should expect times of trials and temptations to come our way. When we are facing trials, let us not make the mistake of trying to handle them in our own strength or to allow self-pity to overwhelm us. If we truly believe God has everything under his control, we should realize that he will help us through no matter how difficult the trial may seem.

7 These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

6. (verse 7) What is God’s purpose for allowing us to go through trials according to this verse? List some benefits you have gained from times of suffering. What does God need to melt down in your life?

Have you ever wondered why God allows you to go through suffering? Peter gives us the answer. He says it’s so that our faith may be proved genuine and so that it might result in praise, glory and honor to Christ. Aren’t these good benefits to gain? It is through trials that my faith is strengthened and my praise comes forth. That seems like a worthwhile trade-off to me. Doesn’t it to you?

8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

7. (verse 8) What times of joy have you experienced? Peter actually saw Christ, but most of his readers had not. How does Jesus reveal himself to us?

As we walk in faith and spend time alone with God, we will experience those times of joy unspeakable and full of glory when our soul is flooded by God’s presence. Peter had witnessed first hand Christ’s presence. He had actually heard his words and seen his miracles. We are not privileged the same way the disciples were, but Jesus reveals himself to us today in many ways. It is often after I have gone through a difficult trial, and I am reflecting on God’s deliverance, that I see how his hand was upon me during the whole time. Some things I have had to suffer through only became understandable years later when I entered full-time ministry. It was then I could see the broad panorama of my life – how God had been guiding and preparing me each step of the way for the work in his ministry. We may not always understand why we have to go through times of turmoil or confusion, but we need to realize that God has his purpose for our life. Someday we will understand, but for now we must place our trust in his divine providence.

9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,

8. (verse 10) What does verse 10 mean? How would the prophets be searching for the grace to come? Can you think of any examples of Old Testament prophets to whom God revealed this "grace that was to come"?

There were many Old Testament prophets who were given visions or understandings of some part of God’s plan for the salvation of the world. For example Jeremiah prophesied in Jeremiah 31:33, "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." Micah 4:2 promised, "Many nations will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Isaiah had many words of the future Messiah. Here’s one of them in Isaiah 9:6-7, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this."

11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

9. (verse 11) Can you think of any Old Testament prophets to whom God revealed "the time and circumstances" (KJV-what manner of time)? Where is the sufferings of Christ recorded in the Old Testament? What is it about God that you want to learn more?

Daniel 9:24-25 actually predicts the year that Messiah would appear, "Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble."

Also Isaiah described Christ’s suffering in Isaiah 53:3-5, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." And David described so much of Christ’s suffering on the cross in Psalm 22, and so many of its verses were fulfilled at the time of the crucifixion, that many commentators down through the centuries have argued that the whole psalm was actually uttered by Christ while on the cross!

12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

10. (verse 12) What does this tell us about God’s complete plan over the centuries? What does God want you to do to serve or minister to others?

God’s plan has always been to make us part of his family. Everything he has done has been toward this end. We can rest assured that when we chose to accept Christ as our Savior, it had been the result of countless people praying for us, the Holy Spirit spending months and years drawing us to God, and God sending people to minister to us with his word of hope. This is God’s great plan for all ages – to spread the gospel message to all the world. We may not be able to go to Africa or Asia, but we can minister here in Merced. Whom does God want you to speak with this week? Whom does God desire you to help and encourage today?

Footnotes:

This study on 1 Peter 1:1-12 © 1998 by David Humpal. All rights reserved.

All scriptures unless otherwise noted are from the New International Version © 1971, Zondervan Bible Publishers