The First Epistle General of Peter

Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ

Peter was the President of the Church after the death and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. As the chief Apostle, he provided leadership just as our prophet does today. Near the end of his life, persecution by the Roman empire increased and life as a Christian became more dangerous. Many of the faithful members of the Church were executed for their beliefs. Peter wrote this letter to encourage the Saints in their sufferings and to remind them of the eternal reward for their faithfulness (see 1 Peter 4:12–13).

Some Unique Themes of 1 Peter

The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “Peter penned the most sublime [glorious] language of any of the apostles” (History of the Church, 5:392). Included in this epistle is Peter’s testimony of the foreordination of Jesus Christ, his assurance that the Saints are God’s “peculiar people,” and some of the most revealing statements in the Bible about salvation for the dead.

• 1 Peter 1-2: Jesus Christ, the Foreordained Redeemer

• 1 Peter 3-5: Redemption of the Dead