Bible Gateway passage: 1 Peter 5 - New International Version (2024)

FAQs

What is the main point of 1 Peter 5? ›

How should we respond to suffering today? The apostle Peter writes this letter both to comfort believers and to encourage them to stay strong. He urges them to put all their hope in their perfect future with Christ, and to obey and trust Him in the present, even in their suffering.

1 Peter 1:5 In-Context

Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, 4 including a future in heaven - and the future starts now! 5 God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all - life healed and whole.

Discussion Questions

What is the job of elders? What other titles are given to the people with the same job in the church? Who is the “flock of God?” To whom does the flock belong? (God not the elder) How should understanding that the flock is God's affect the elders' service? Describe the way elders were to lead?

1 Peter 5:11 In-Context

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever.

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

We read that those who shepherd the flock of God properly will also receive a reward in addition to the gift of their salvation. An “unfading crown of glory” will come to the faithful under-shepherds of God's flock when the great Shepherd — the Lord Jesus Christ — returns (1 Peter 5:4).

God is guarding our inheritance, and He is guarding us from anything that might cause our inheritance—our eternal life with Him forever—to be lost. The Greek term used in this verse is phrouroumenous, a military term, also translated as "shielded," "kept," or "protected." We are being guarded by God's power.

Notice that Peter, the leader of Jesus' apostles, humbly addresses leaders as a peer (“your fellow elder”, v. 1). The terms elder, pastor and overseer can be used interchangeably; with “elder” connoting experience, wisdom and authority.

God is not obligated to follow whatever script we write for Him. It's a promise that the mighty God will receive our worries, and care about them. He will carry them for us. He is trustworthy to handle them in the way that is best.

And like those verses from chapter 1, today's passage reminds us that strength will come from our suffering. After our suffering God will “restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish” us (5:10). He will fully empower us to stand firm for Him in the midst of all things.

What is 1 Peter telling us? ›

First Peter focuses on the importance of believers bearing up under unjust suffering yet continuing to live well (1 Peter 2:20). In this way, 1 Peter might be called the Job of the New Testament, providing encouragement for the true believer to continue on in the way that Jesus has laid out for all His followers.

Peter was a guy who could be impulsive and overly outspoken, but he also allowed Jesus to correct him. In Peter, we see the grace and patience of our Lord, and how He works with flawed followers (like all of us). We can learn a lot from Peter's story.

Peter emphasizes that both young and old must be of a humble spirit toward one another, always being teachable and correctable, never thinking that they have “arrived.” Such an attitude is prideful which God resists, but He promises to honor and strengthen the humble.

The elders who are among you I exhort: Peter will give a word of exhortation to the elders who are among the Christians reading this letter. These elders had special responsibilities that Peter addressed. i. The idea of the elder came into church life from Jewish culture (Exodus 3:16, 12:21, and 19:7).

All of us must live in humility toward each other and toward God, who opposes the proud. In humility, we cast our anxieties on the Father who cares for us. In alertness, we are to remain clear-minded, looking out for our enemy the devil who seeks to destroy us.

He calls them the elders, from presbyterous in the original Greek. The position of elder in the local church is referenced throughout the New Testament (1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:5–6). These are mature, experienced Christians, charged with leading the local churches.

1 Peter emphasizes the role of apostles as chosen by God to share his Gospel. Because of this, their persecution can actually be seen as a gift because it offers them a chance to show others the surprising generosity and love of Jesus, which is fueled by hope in his return and victory over evil.