Bible Study

By: Daniel Goepfrich Suffering for Christ Chapter four picks up immediately with the practical application for Christians based on Christ’s suffering: stay focused on God’s will rather than our fleshly desires. Peter’s audience had been saved long enough that their lifestyles should have reflected the life change (1 Peter 4:3-6). Another encouragement to live in a godly manner is that Jesus’ return is imminent. This lifestyle should include prayer, hospitality, and Christian service. 1 Peter 4:11 ends with a benediction leading many [...]

By: Daniel Goepfrich Being Godly in an Ungodly World Chapter two best starts in 1 Peter 2:4. (The first three verses connect to chapter one.) Here Peter laid out the reason to live properly in this world and gave some practical examples of what that should look like. His reason is very simple: our relation to Jesus. Peter portrayed Jesus as a stone lying on the ground. For unbelievers, he is “A STUMBLING-STONE AND A ROCK TO TRIP OVER” (1 Peter 2:8). [...]

By: Daniel Goepfrich God's Eternal Protection Chapter one begins with a celebration of our salvation in Christ. Peter called it a “new birth,” a “living hope,” and “an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” that “is reserved in heaven for [us]”(1 Peter 1:3-4). Additionally, those who are believers in Christ “are protected” for a deliverance that will come in the future (1 Peter 1:5). It was important that his readers knew of God’s eternal protection because Peter reminded them that it might be necessary [...]

By: Daniel Goepfrich The Audience Peter’s intended recipients were people scattered throughout Asia Minor. The word διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) is used elsewhere in the New Testament only twice. In James 1:1 the “twelve tribes”are specified, and in John 7:25 it refers to Jews dispersed “among the Greeks.”Although 1 Peter contains principles available for all Christians of all time, since Peter was acknowledged to be the apostle to the Jewish people (Galatians 2:7) and since the word διασπορά was used to refer to [...]

By: Daniel Goepfrich Final Encouragements Chapter five concludes this letter with a series of topics, all designed to be final encouragements to James’ readers. James 5:1-6 contain a two-part negative encouragement, patterned after the Hebrew prophets who would encourage their immediate listeners by prophesying judgment on their oppressors (e.g., Amos and Nahum). First, James’ oppressed readers would certainly be encouraged to know that God knew of their suffering. Second, James’ oppressive readers would be encouraged to change their ways (do good deeds) [...]

By: Daniel Goepfrich The Power of the Tongue Chapter three’s teaching on the power of the tongue seems to be disconnected to its context (James 3:1-12). However, its “size-to-impact ratio” concept could point back to chapter two, where not loving one’s neighbor (a “small” sin) has a profound impact within the Christian community. Likewise, the tongue, a small member of the body, can greatly affect those around us, either building up for good or tearing down for bad. The life change that [...]

By: Daniel Goepfrich Growth through Trials James 1 begins very abruptly with a short greeting and quick encouragement. These believing Jews had been displaced from their homeland and had lost their close-knit Christian family. Even though their immediate persecution had stopped, they found themselves facing a new persecution that was both anti-Semitic and anti-Christian. They were certainly tempted to give up their faith to blend into their new communities as much as possible. James offered them three reasons to not give up [...]

By: Daniel Goepfrich James was probably the first or second (behind Matthew) New Testament writer (approximately the early- to mid-A.D. 40s). He followed the pattern of Old Testament exhortation (especially the prophets and proverbs), and his letter has been compared to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount for that reason. James wrote this letter to Christian Jews who had been dispersed from Israel during the early persecution of the Church (see Acts 8) to encourage them to live out their Christian faith, especially [...]

By: Daniel Goepfrich Carrying Out Love for One Another Hebrews 13 ends the letter with final instructions about carrying out “the greatest of these” (1 Corinthians 13:13) – love. The writer insisted that “brotherly love must continue”(Heb. 13:1). Without giving a lot of detail, the writer offered some very practical ways that we can love one another – in-home hospitality (Heb. 13:2)[1]; believers in prison (Heb. 13:3); strong, godly marriages (Heb. 13:4); contentment, rather than greed and covetousness (Heb. 13:5-6); support of church [...]

By: Daniel Goepfrich The Hope Behind Suffering Hebrews 12 addresses “the hope that we confess”(Heb. 10:23). Continuing from chapter eleven, the writer pointed to Jesus, the true pioneer of our faith, who endured what he did because of hope (Heb. 12:1-3). Whereas faith believes in the truth of the unseen, hope is the confident expectation that it will certainly be fulfilled. Because our hope is in something that cannot be shaken, the writer encouraged that we do not “grow weary…and give up” when [...]