Peter’s writings are brief, containing only eight chapters. Nevertheless, the span of Peter’s writings is vast. For example, in 1:2 he speaks of the foreknowledge of God the Father. Then in 1:20 he says that Christ was foreknown before the foundation of the world. Based upon His foreknowledge. God chose us. As we shall see, we were chosen before the foundation of the world. Peter’s mentioning of the foreknowledge of God and of Christ being foreknown before the foundation of the world indicates that the span of his writing begins from eternity past, from before the foundation of the world. Then, as we have indicated, Peter has a word concerning the new heavens and the new earth. This refers to eternity in the future, for it will be in eternity future that there will be the new heavens and new earth. By this we can see that the span of Peter’s writings embraces the two eternities; it goes from eternity past to eternity future.
What about the scope of Peter’s Epistles? The scope also is very broad. The scope of Peter’s ministry is wide. This is indicated by the first two verses of 1 Peter, chapter one: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen pilgrims of the dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.” How broad is the scope and how rich is the content of these verses! Here we have the Father’s selection, the Spirit’s sanctification, and the Son’s redemption. Of course, in verse 2 Peter does not use the word redemption. He purposely uses another expression—the “sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.” It would have been too simple merely to use the word redemption. But to speak of the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ is to expound the matter of redemption, define it, and apply it. The sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ is the application of redemption. It is redemption expounded, defined, and applied.
We may use a special definition to describe the contents of 1:1 and 2. What we have in these verses is the revelation of the economy of the Trinity of the Godhead operating on the elect for their participation in the Triune God. Here we see the operation of the Triune God upon His chosen people for their participation in His full salvation. We shall cover this definition more fully a little later. At this point, we refer to it to indicate how broad is the scope of Peter’s writings.
First Peter is a difficult book to translate. In this Epistle, Peter covers many points, and his composition is not smooth. For example, some of his sentences are extremely long. Although Peter was a fisherman, a countryman from Galilee, he used some extraordinary Greek words. Peter’s writing certainly is rich and high in the points it covers. Therefore, we need to love Peter and appreciate him and his ministry.
It is not easy to say what the main subject of 1 Peter is. Even after reading 1 and 2 Peter many times, you still will find it difficult to say what the main subject of these Epistles is. In this matter, Peter is again very particular. He talks about a certain thing, but he does not give us a term to describe that thing.
In his two Epistles Peter is on the subject of God’s universal government. These two books speak concerning the universal government of God. As we know, Matthew is on the kingdom. Do not think that the government and the kingdom are identical. No, the kingdom is one thing and the government is another. A country or nation has a government. The government, however, is not the nation; rather, the government is the administrative center of the nation. For example, the government in Washington, D.C., is the administrative center of the United States. Although Matthew presents the kingdom, the government is not found in that book. The government of God is in the writings of Peter.
Mark presents service; Luke, salvation; and John, life. Thus, in the four Gospels we have the kingdom, service, salvation, and life. But we do not have the divine government. In his Epistles Peter makes up this lack by showing us God’s universal government.
God’s government covers the entire universe. We know this by the fact that Peter speaks of the new heavens and new earth. This indicates God’s universal government. Eventually, in eternity future, everything will be right and in good order, for righteousness will dwell in the new heavens and new earth. Today the earth is filled with unrighteousness and disorder. Nevertheless, God is still governing heaven and earth.
God governs by judging. This is the way God carries out His government. As an elderly man who has some knowledge of world history both by study and observation, I can testify that I bow before God. He is the governing One, and He governs by judging. God has judged Hitler, Stalin, and other evildoers. On the one hand, to some extent, God tolerated them in doing certain things that served His purpose, such as Hitler’s slaughtering of the Jews, which caused the Jews to be one. Nevertheless, God judged them.
In 1 and 2 Peter we have a record of God’s judgment. God judged the earth by means of the flood, the deluge. Later He judged Sodom and Gomorrah. The history of God’s judgment also includes the judgment upon the children of Israel in the wilderness. During their years of wandering, the children of Israel experienced God’s judgment again and again. With the exception of Joshua and Caleb, all those who came out of Egypt, including Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, died in the wilderness under God’s judgment. Furthermore, the Bible says that thousands of the disobedient ones were strewn by God in the wilderness. That was God’s judgment.
We should not think that God judges only evildoers such as Hitler and Stalin. God also judges His own people. According to 4:17, God’s governing judgment begins from His own household: “Because it is time for the judgment to begin from the house of God; and if first from us, what will be the end of those who disobey the gospel of God?” This is God’s government.
What is the purpose of God’s governing judgment? God judges in order to clear up His universe. The universe was created by God for a positive purpose, but Satan came in to defile it. Now God is cleansing the universe through judgment. He is doing a thorough work of cleaning the entire universe. Eventually, the universe will be new. Do you know the significance of the new heavens and the new earth mentioned in 2 Peter 3? The significance is that it indicates the newness of God’s universe.
God will not live or dwell in a place that is unclean. Thus, God is cleansing, purifying, the universe. First He purifies us, His household. We are now the center of His cleaning work. Do you not sometimes say to yourself, “Why is it that the more I love the Lord Jesus, the more difficulties I have? My relatives are flourishing; they are doing very well. But my situation seems to get worse and worse.” Some saints have problems with their health; others are disappointed with their children. The reason we have difficulties is that God’s judgment begins from His own household. You and I are under God’s judgment.
The reason the two Epistles of Peter were written, especially the first, was that the dispersed Jewish believers were suffering persecution. They were undergoing a fiery trial. Peter compares this persecution to the burning of a furnace. Because the believers were troubled and perhaps doubting, Peter wrote to instruct them and also to comfort them. In 5:10 he says, “But the God of all grace, who called you into His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself perfect, establish, strengthen, and ground you.” Here Peter seems to be telling the believers that there is no need for them to doubt, for God is perfecting them. Just as stones are cut in order to be fit together in a building, we also need to be “cut” in order to be perfected, established, strengthened, and grounded. Peter wrote to comfort the suffering, persecuted saints, showing them that all of them were under God’s government. The exercise of God’s government is first upon His own children.
The subject of 1 Peter, therefore, is the Christian life under the government of God. The subject of 2 Peter is a little different: it is the divine provision and the divine government. In his second Epistle Peter shows us that God is not only governing us, ruling us, but also providing us with whatever we need. God supplies us all things to live a holy life, a Christian life, under His government.