If we consider Peter’s thought according to this outline printed above, we shall see that in this Epistle he covers five main points: full salvation, growth in life, the Christian life, the elders’ shepherding, and the mighty hand of God. If we get into the depths of this book, we shall see that these are the basic matters Peter was seeking to cover as he wrote. Furthermore, with each of these five matters there is an issue, a result, some kind of suffering, a reward, or a goal. With God’s full salvation, we have a twofold issue, a holy manner of life and brotherly love. With the growth in life, we have transformation, building up, and the expression of God. With the Christian life, we have sufferings. With the elders’ shepherding, we have the reward. With the mighty hand of God, we have a goal. This understanding of the structure of 1 Peter is clear and also logical.
If you consider the brief sketch of this book presented in the outline, you will see that this Epistle covers the full salvation of the Triune God and its issues, growth in life and its results, the Christian life and its sufferings, the elders’ shepherding and its reward, and the mighty hand of God and its goal. God will reward all the elders for their shepherding. In this book the mighty hand of God is emphasized because the subject of this Epistle is the Christian life under the government of God. The mighty hand of God is for the carrying out of His governmental administration, and with this administration there is a goal.
After the section on the mighty hand of God and its goal, we have the conclusion in 5:12-14. We have seen that the introduction (1:1-2) is on the operation of the Triune God in His economy to bring the elect into the participation of His riches. Then in the conclusion we have a testimony of the true grace of God (5:12). What is this true grace of God? The true grace of God is His full salvation. This grace was experienced by Peter and testified by him. Therefore, both by his experiences and by his writing Peter could declare what the true grace of God is and testify concerning it.
The outline of 1 Peter will help to make the text clear to us. If we read the text apart from seeing the main points presented in the outline, we may become puzzled. Our feeling may be like that of someone driving through the small streets of a city without having an understanding of the overall layout of the city. It would be helpful to have a bird’s-eye view of the city and its main streets. We may say that the outline of 1 Peter is a bird’s-eye view of this book that helps us to see the main points. Therefore, I encourage you to use the outline as you read and study the text of 1 Peter. You will find this a great help.
Let us come now to the third section of 1 Peter and begin to consider the Christian life and its sufferings. In 2:11 Peter says, “Beloved, I entreat you as sojourners and pilgrims to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” The fleshly lusts are in man’s fallen body (Rom. 7:18, 23-24), warring against man’s soul—man’s inner being, composed of mind, will, and emotion (Rom. 7:19-23).
Peter’s entreaty in 2:11 is based upon what he has said in the two previous sections. In particular, this entreaty is based on the new birth and on the growth in life. When Peter says, “I entreat you,” he is actually saying, “I beg you.”
In verse 11 Peter refers to the believers as sojourners and pilgrims. He begs these sojourners and pilgrims to abstain from fleshly lusts. This entreaty is a very practical matter and not merely a doctrine. Here Peter seems to be saying, “I beg you all to abstain from fleshly lusts. Do you know who you are? You are not worldly people. You are sojourners and pilgrims, people who belong to another country and who are traveling through a foreign country. Actually, you are on this earth as aliens, for you are not citizens of the earth. You are heavenly sojourners and spiritual pilgrims. As such persons, you should live a life that is different from that of the worldly people. You need to abstain from the vain manner of life. The vain manner of life is a life that comes out of fleshly lusts. Therefore, in order to show others that you are heavenly aliens, you must abstain from fleshly lusts.”
In verse 11 Peter says that the fleshly lusts war against the soul. The fallen body is fleshly and full of lusts. The fleshly lusts in the fallen body war against the soul, against our inner being, that includes the mind, the will, and the emotion. Often we think good things, love good things, and decide to do good things. Thinking is in the mind, loving is in the emotion, and the deciding is in the will. Nevertheless, the fleshly lusts often war against what we think in our mind, what we love in our emotion, and what we decide with our will. The fleshly lusts are contrary to our good thoughts, intentions, and decisions. Therefore, we should abstain from the fleshly lusts which war against the soul.