1st Peter: Some New Testament Allusions

First Peter and Peter’s Life With Christ 1

It will be obvious from the numerous parallels quoted below that Peter’s first epistle is replete with recollections of the life and words of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter was a witness of the sufferings of Christ, I Peter 5:1. Not only does he bring to mind the words of Christ but also his special relationship with his Lord. Some of those reminiscences would have been painful to Peter. Imagine his desolation as he exhorts his readers to answer with meekness and fear, yet he had once responded to a ques­tioner with swearings and cursings.

You may think that some of the allusions are a little dubious and you will probably detect others that should have been included. Anyway, here goes:

First Peter and Peter’s Speeches in Acts 2

While it is blatant that Peter drew much from a life in the very shadow of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can also discern that the basic ideas of the speeches of the early ecclesia in Jerusalem, most of which Peter uttered, and the message of I Peter are precisely the same. This is no great revelation, although it does seem to surprise a number of modern-day Christian commentators, as we know that throughout scripture the gospel truth is both clear and consistent.

What is important is the fact that Peter is intent on reinforcing the basics and their application to the lives of the true believers. It is possible that some to whom Peter was writing had been present at the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:9, and that Peter may have actually taught in the areas of I Peter 1:1 prior to writing this epistle. They had probably heard it all before. This demonstrates the need for all of us to keep the basics of the truth uncluttered by human logic and to hold fast to them. It is man, not God, who has complicated the scriptures of truth.

Below, for your interest, are lists of parallels between I Peter and Peter’s speeches in the Acts of the Apostles.

  1. Largely taken from Bro. A.D. Norris — Peter: Fisher of Men, pp181-184 with some additional information from Walls — 1 Peter, pp35, and Selwyn — The First Epistle of St. Peter pp28-31, 376-378, 442-449.
  2.  Largely taken from Selwyn— The First Epistle of St. Peter ­pp33-36 with some additional material from Farrar — The Early Days of Christianity — p71.
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