NT -- 1 Peter 1:1-12
We begin the letters of Peter today. We are also studying these letters in Presbyterian Women but I have been unimpressed with the study guide thus far.
The apostle Peter wrote these letters himself and if we were reading these in the original Greek, we would see the vast differences between his word choice, style and grammar vs. those who wrote for Paul. Peter was clearly the less educated.
That being said, he uses the same convoluted writing style as Paul which has sentences with multiple clauses, loads of appositives and other stuff, which can be very confusing. My Bible teacher long ago, said that when you don't understand Peter, try to find the simple subject and the simple verb of each sentence and string them along.
To try this, look at vs 3:
"In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of the Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade -- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."
Whew!!
Simple subject: he (God)
Simple predicate: has given us new birth
The base line of that whole jumble is that God has given us a new life. And what an incredible gift that is.
Now, I know, the other stuff is important. But the bottom line to Peter is that God has saved us. Glory be!
Next time you find your eyes glazing over with the wordiness, try it.
And since this is Thanksgiving Day in the USA, I would like to thank each of you for your readership. It has kept me on track in the Word, and let's just say -- staying focused is mighty hard for me, especially over a year period.
Grace and Peace to you and yours.
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