Reading through The Bible - 1 Peter

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shorter books.

1st Peter  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE

21st book of the NT 

60th book of the Bible

It starts by blessing God

  in 1 Peter ch. 1 v 3-5

 

4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  

5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

and quickly takes us to rejoice in salvation in 

verses 6-9

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,

8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,  

9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

What is it?

The Book of 1 Peter is one of the EPISTLES in the New Testament which means it is a Letter.

How Long is it?

It has 5 chapters.

When was it Written?

It was written in 64 AD

Who Wrote it?

Simon Peter the disciple of Jesus

The name of the letter tells us the writer.

Other letters in the bible are named to show who the recipients of the letters were specifically intended to be but these were letters written by Simon Peter who we know as the Apostle Peter.

One of the three disciples who Jesus often took with him apart from the others. 

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Peter wrote the letter during Nero's reign"  

 

Who was it Written to?

It was written to the believers that had moved away because of the persecution of the early church.

This is told to us in the first verse

"To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." 

What is it normally well-known for?

It is a source in the Bible where people can find encouragement when suffering or being persecuted for their faith.

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Peter writes to Christians who are being persecuted, encouraging them to testify to the truth and live accordingly"

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Jesus becomes the source of example and strength when we come into trials & tribulations.  By allowing God to help you in your perseverance and work for Christ we can always have hope in the midst of our suffering."

Why was it Written? 

It was written to encourage and remind the believers of the truth and love they have in Jesus and to rely on Him as they face persecution. 

Encouragement for times of worry

 

& persecution of the faith

but also to have love for one another

 

Which other books of the Bible may have a connection with this one? 

Peter wrote two epistles of which this is the first and is followed by 2nd Peter

 2nd Thessalonians also deals with suffering as a Christian

How does it end?

With encouragement of eternal life in Jesus

 chapter 5 v 11

 

and that God answers our prayers 

chapter 5 v 14

The Overview Bible  gives us the following

Quick outline of 1 Peter

1. Suffering proves salvation (1 Pet 1:1-12)
   Therefore: 
   • Be holy (1 Pet 1:13–21)
   • Love one another (1 Pet 1:22–25)
   • Long for the word (1 Pet 2:1–3)
2. We are a holy people (1 Pet 2:4–11)
   Therefore, pursue excellent behaviour: 
   • Toward authority (1 Pet 2:11–25)
   • Toward spouses (1 Pet 3:1–7)
   • Toward all (1 Pet 3:8–12)
3. Christ suffered for us (1 Pet 3:13–22)
   Therefore: 
   • Live for the will of God (1 Pet 4:1–6)
   • Exercise spiritual gifts (1 Pet 4:7–11)
4. Suffering tests us (1 Pet 4:12–19)
   Therefore: 
   • Elders should guard the flock (1 Pet 5:1–5)
   • Humble yourselves under God (1 Pet 5:6–7)
   • Stand firm (1 Pet 5:8–14)

OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 

Reading through The Bible - 3 JOHN

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is the 

• shortest of them all by no. of words
• joint shortest of them all by no. of chapters (5 books all have only 1)
• second shortest of them all by no. of verses

you can find these comparisons in  The 10 Shortest Books

In fact it only takes 2 mins to read it according to Crossway and their lovely barchart

3rd JOHN  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE

25th book of the NT 

64th book of the Bible

It starts with the reassurance that John prays for the elder Gaius

  in 3 John v 2 we read

"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."

What is it?

The Book of 3 JOHN is one of the EPISTLES in the New Testament which means it is a Letter.

How Long is it?

It only has 1 chapter.

When was it Written?

It was written between 95 & 90 AD

Who Wrote it?

John the beloved disciple of Jesus

The name of the letter tells us the writer.

Other letters in the bible are named to show who the recipients of the letters were specifically intended to be but these were letters written by John son of Zebedee and brother of James.

One of the three disciples who Jesus often took with him apart from the others. 

Who was it Written to?

It was written to Gaius as stated in verse 1

 

"To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth:"

What is it normally well-known for?

That John was happy the believers were walking in the Truth as seen in the fourth verse 

but also about concern about a false teacher and John wanted the people to continue to remember to differentiate between good & evil as verse 11 says

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"An even shorter letter about Christian fellowship."  

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"John criticised a false teacher in this very short letter.  He even called him out by name."  

 

Why was it Written? 

It was written to encourage about love and truth and to warn about the false teaching that was coming into the church and specifically warn about a certain person.

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"This letter repeats many themes from John’s first letter, and Second John reflects these themes as well. Third John shows us what happens when people follow sound teaching . . . and when they don’t:

• When Christians walk in truth, joy abounds (3 Jn 4). When someone in the church rejects the truth, everyone hurts (3 Jn 19).
• When Christians support one another, they share fellowship in the truth (3 Jn 8). When someone seeks his own power, the fellowship is at risk (3 Jn 9–10).

Overall, the three letters from John give us an idea of what the apostle thought was most important at the time: sound teaching, obedience to God, and brotherly love."  

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"The letter shows us that even when the church was less than 50 years old, it had the same types of problems we have today with divisions and dishonesty."  

Which other books of the Bible is this linked to? 

John wrote three epistles of which this is the third which follows

 1st John and 2nd John  

other books would be

The Gospel of John (also written by John)

Revelation (also written by John)

Jude (also only one chapter long)

Philemon (also only one chapter long)

Obadiah (also only one chapter long)

How does it end?

With the wish to visit in person in the 

first half of verse 13

and a farewell greeting in the 

second half of verse 13

"Peace to you. Our friends greet you. Greet the friends by name."

The Overview Bible  gives us this

Quick outline of 3 John

1. Praise for walking in truth (1–4)
2. Praise for loving the brethren (5–8)
3. Caution regarding Diotrephes (9–12)
4. Anticipation of a visit (13–15)

OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 

 

Reading Through The Bible - 2 JOHN

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is the 

• shortest of them all by no. of verses
• joint shortest of them all by no. of chapters (5 books all have only 1)
• second shortest of them all by no. of words

you can find these comparisons in  The 10 Shortest Books

In fact it only takes 2 mins to read it according to Crossway and their lovely barchart

2nd JOHN  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE

24th book of the NT 

63rd book of the Bible

It starts with a greeting that is different from most other epistles.

  in 2 John ch.1 v 1 we read

"The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;"

and quickly takes us to the assurance that this is about truth in the following verse 

"For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever."

What is it?

The Book of 2 JOHN is one of the EPISTLES in the New Testament which means it is a Letter.

How Long is it?

It only has 1 chapter.

When was it Written?

It was written between 95 & 90 AD

Who Wrote it?

John the beloved disciple of Jesus

The name of the letter tells us the writer.

Other letters in the bible are named to show who the recipients of the letters were specifically intended to be but these were letters written by John son of Zebedee and brother of James.

One of the three disciples who Jesus often took with him apart from the others. 

Who was it Written to?

At first glance it would look as if it was a letter written to a specific person "the elect lady" and greeting sent at the end by "the chosen lady" however there are 3 trains of thought about this

1. the whole church
2. a specific assembly (church)
3. a lady

 and I think I go with number 2.

What is it normally well-known for?

Truth & Love are widely quoted and even appear as quickly as the Greeting in verse 3 

continuing to emphasis Love in verse 6

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"A very brief letter about walking in truth, love and obedience."  

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"This short, one-chapter book offers great encouragement to walk in the light and love one another even when it is hard"  

 

Why was it Written? 

It was written to encourage and remind the believers not to forget the truth in the doctrine of Christ, the love they should have for one another and to keep the commands of Jesus.

Remembering as stated above that Truth and Love are even presented straight away in the greeting.

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"He’d told them about truth, love, and obedience—now he writes to tell them what to do about it.

In Second John, the elder (2 Jn 1) briefly explains the relationship between the three:

• Love and truth. ........ When two parties know the truth, love comes naturally.
• Truth and obedience. ..... When you know the truth, obedience comes naturally.
• Obedience and love. ..... A sure sign of obedience to God is love for His church, and a sure sign of love is obedience to God.

He then warns that ........ They should beware of teachers who do not acknowledge Jesus’ human life and who deviate from the things He taught (2 Jn 8–9). Such people are dangerous: the church shouldn’t side with them, shouldn’t invite them in, and shouldn’t participate in their actions (2 Jn 10–11)."  

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"1 John was written to combat false teaching ..... in 2 John he is addressing the same issue but not in as much detail."  

Which other books of the Bible is this linked to? 

John wrote three epistles of which this is the second which follows 1st John and is followed by 3rd John  

other books would be

The Gospel of John (also written by John)

Revelation (also written by John)

Jude (also only one chapter long)

Philemon (also only one chapter long)

Obadiah (also only one chapter long)

How does it end?

With the desire to come and visit in person instead of writing another letter in verse 12

"Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full."

and another greeting in verse 13 

"The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen."

The Overview Bible  gives us this

Quick outline of 2 John

1. Walk in truth (1–4)
2. Love others and obey God (5–6)
3. Beware false teachers (7–11)
4. Look forward to a visit (12–13)

OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE