Survey of I Peter

I.      Pray

II.    Read and Title:

III.    Paragraph titles (Because this is a short book, I titled the paragraphs rather than the chapters).

A.   1:1-2: Salutation 

B.   1:3-9: Benediction to God

C.   1-10-12: “The Prophets Were Serving You”

D.    1:12-16: Preparing Yourselves for Persecution

E.     1:17-21:  Live in Reverent Fear

F.    1:22-25: The Word that is In You

G.   2:1-3: Rid Yourselves . . . Long For

H.   2:4-6: Let Yourselves Be Built

I.      2:7-8: The Stone Accepted and Rejected

J.    2:9: What You Are in Christ

K.   2:10: Belonging and Receiving

L.    2:11-12: Honorable Conduct 

M.   2:13-17: Authority in the Kingdom

N.   2:18-21: Suffer Under Authority 

O.   2:22-25: How Christ Lived

P.   3:1-6: Conduct of Christian Wives

Q.   3:7: Conduct of Christian Husbands

R.   3:8-12: How Christians Treat Christians

S.   3:13-22: Conduct Before Unbelievers; Modeled after Christ

T.      4:1-6: Suffer in the Flesh

U.   4:7-11: Living In the End Times

V.   4:12-18: How To Consider Suffering 

W.  5:1-5: Duties of and To Elders 

X.   5:6-11: Keep Alert

Y.   5:12-14: Final Salutation 

IV.  Literary type: Ideological (Note: All of the epistles are ideological)

V.   Major components (In the case of Ideology, the major components are the major ideas, listed in the order of their appearance):Note the lines under A, B, N and O. These lines indicate the end of a major thought and the beginning of another. The lines will help me create my chart of the book in the next step.

A.   Salutation

B.   The inheritance of the saints

C.   Preparing for Action:

D.   Live in reverent fear

E.   Rid yourselves of malice

F.    Long for sincere milk

G.   Let yourselves be built

H.   What you are in Christ

I.      Honorable conduct

J.    Authority in the Kingdom

K.   “Family” conduct

L.    Modeled after Christ

M.   Perspective on suffering

N.   Duties to and by elders

O.   Prepare for the end

P.   Final salutation

VI.  Chart of the book:

 

I Peter
G R E E T I N G	Living Victoriously In a Persecuting World		F I N A L   S A L U T A T I O N
	Your Inheritance with the Saints	How Saints Live in a Hostile World
1:1-2	1:3      -    12	1:13                             -                             5:11	5:12-14

 

VII.Structural Laws and the questions associated with each law:

A.   Preparation (1:1-2) àRealization (1:3-5:14)

What is the preparatory material and for what is preparation made (O)? What do the preparatory material and that for which preparation is made mean? (D) How does the preparatory material prepare for what follows? (D-m) How does that which follows realize (fulfill) the preparatory material (D-m)? Why is this preparatory material given? (R) What are the implications to the answers to these questions? (I)

B.   Recurrence of

1.    Emphasis on living under persecution: 1:6-7; 2:12, 18-23; 3:12-19; 4:1-2, 12-14; 5:6-11

2.    Exhortation with substantiation: 1:13-17, 22; 2:1-5, 11-17, 18; 3:1-6, 7,8-12; 3:13-22; 4:1-6, 7-11, 12-19; 5:1-5, 6-11, 14.

What are the exhortative statements and what do they mean? (O-D) How are the exhortations to be obeyed? (R) Why are the exhortations given? (R) What are the substantiating statements and what is meant by each? (O-D) How do they substantiate the exhortations? (R) Why are these substantiating statements made? (R)  What are the implications of the answers to these questions? (I)

 

3.    Substantiation: 1:3aà3b-9 (with particularization), 9, 16a, 16b, 24-25; 2:6, 15, 19, 21, 25; 3:10, 12, 17, 18; 4:1, 6, 8, 17; 5:5, 9.

What element is supported and what passage(s) support it (O)? What is meant by the element that is supported? (D) What is meant by the supporting material? (D) How does the supporting material support the cause (D-m)? Why is this substantiating relationship emphasized? (R) What are the implications of the answers to these questions? (I)

4.    Contrast: 1: 8, 12, 18-19, 20, 22-23, 24-25; 2:7-8, 7-9, 10, 18

What two items are contrasted (O)? What is meant by the two or more contrasting elements? (D) How are these elements different from each other? (D-m) How are they alike? (D-m) Why are these elements contrasted? (R) What are the implications of these findings? (I)

5.    Comparison: 1:14, 15, 18-19, 24; 2:2, 5, 8, 11, 12, 25; 4:10; 5:8

What two or more items are compared (O)? What is meant by the two or more elements that are compared? (D) How are these elements alike? (D-m) How are they different? (D-m) Why are these elements compared? (R) What are the implications of these findings? (I)

6.    Instrumentation: 1:2, 3, 5, 7, 15, 22; 2:2, 15, 24; 13:1

What is the instrument (O)? What does the instrument mean? (D How is it used? (D-m) What is meant by the results of using this instrument (D)? Why is it used this way? (R) What are the implications of the answers to these questions? (I)

C.   Causation (1:3-11à1:12-5:11) (Note the word “therefore” in verse 12).

What is the cause and what is the effect (O)? What is meant by the cause (D)? What is meant by the effect? (D) How does the cause lead to the effect? (D-m) Hoe does the effect result from the cause (D-m)? Why is this causative relationship emphasized? (R) What are the implications of these findings? (I)

VIII.       Strategic Areas

A.   1:1-2: This brief passage introduces the reader to the letter.

B.   1:6-7: This passage introduces the reader to the theme of persecution which runs throughout this letter.

C.   1:13-17: This paragraph contains the first major exhortative statement in the book. It is also linked to the law of causation.

IX.  Other observations:

A.   Higher critical data:

1.    Author: The first word in the book identifies the writer, the Apostle Peter. While there has been debate regarding the authorship of this letter, for now, we will accept the letter’s own identification of the author.

2.    Recipients: The letter identifies the recipients as “the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” Who these people were is much debated. It may simply be that they were Jewish Christian who fled their homeland due to persecution which erupted against the Church. That they were Jewish is not normally debated given the references to the Jewish Scriptures replete throughout the book.

3.    Place and date of writing: The place and date of writing are unknown. The book gives no evidence.

4.    Occasion of writing: The book was written, apparently, to provide motivation and encouragement to Jewish Christians who were facing persecution for their faith.

B.   Atmosphere: The atmosphere if this book is positive given the substantiating material that follows each exhortation. The purpose is to encourage these persecuted believers.

C.   Other observations: None