HISTORICAL CONTEXT
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Everyone needs grace to overcome life’s hurdles. First Peter is the book of strengthening grace and triumphant hope. There is an abundance of hopeful grace found within the verses of this book to set you free. You are a victorious over-comer, and God’s grace is our fuel to empower our hearts to soar!
From:
The book of 1 Peter was written by the apostle Peter. He was one of Jesus’ disciples during His earthly ministry, and was raised up to be the leader of the apostles once Jesus ascended to Heaven.
To:
The recipients of 1 Peter are identified in 1:1. Peter wrote to the “exiles dispersed abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” These
were Roman provinces located in the northern part of what is now modern Turkey. Written about AD 62 from ”Babylon” (a cryptic term for Rome), Peter longed to encourage and strengthen the faith of those who were being persecuted for following Christ. Most of these Christians had once lived in Rome, but were forced to “disperse” into the suburbs due to escalating persecution. This hostility came to a head when Emperor Nero ordered Rome set ablaze and blamed it on the Christians. This backdrop of intensely violent, and oftentimes deadly, persecution and alienation sets the scene for the major themes in the letter.