1 Peter

D. A. Carson & Douglas J. Moo
An Introduction to the New Testament

As Martin points out, “Probably no other document in the New Testament is so theological as 1 Peter, if we understand ‘theological’ in the strict sense as teaching about God.” Statistically the writing has the word “God” thirty-nine times, which means an average of once in every forty-three words. The only other New Testament writings to compare with this are 1 John (once in thirty-four) and Romans (once in forty-six). Statistics are not everything, but these make it clear that there is an unusual number of references to God in this letter. God is “the living God” (1 Pet. 1:23), whose will is done (2:15; 3:17), who foreknows who are his (1:2) and whose Word stands forever (1:25). God is the Father (1:2); he is holy (1:15), the judge of all (4:5), and the faithful Creator (4:19). He is “the God of all grace” (5:10), and indeed “grace” is a frequent idea in this letter (ten times). It is due to God’s great mercy that Christians have new birth and a living hope (1:3). The church is related to God in several ways: it is “the people of God” (2:10), “the family of God” (4:17), “God’s flock” (5:2), and its members are “servants of God” (2:16). There is more, but this is sufficient to make it clear that Peter is giving us a full and satisfying understanding of who God is and what he is doing.
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