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The Life of Peter: Molded in the Master's Hands
It isn’t hard for Christians to identify with the Apostle Peter. As he sought to follow after Jesus, his life was punctuated by bold moments and momentous blunders alike. Yet in spite of Peter’s sins, he was the Apostle who confessed the Christ, to which Jesus replied, “On this rock I will build my church” (Matt. 16:16, 18). The Lord would use this vessel of clay to bring the hope of the gospel to the world.
In this book, Dr. Derek Thomas offers an encouraging portrait of Peter from the Gospels and the book of Acts, with insights from Peter’s own writings later in life. At every stroke, our eyes are drawn beyond the disciple to his gracious Master, who fashions stumbling believers into stalwarts of faith.
In this book, Dr. Derek Thomas offers an encouraging portrait of Peter from the Gospels and the book of Acts, with insights from Peter’s own writings later in life. At every stroke, our eyes are drawn beyond the disciple to his gracious Master, who fashions stumbling believers into stalwarts of faith.
143 pages, Hardcover
Published June 18, 2024
31 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Derek W.H. Thomas
59 books65 followersOriginally from Wales, Dr. Derek Thomas is the John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Practical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi. After pastoring for 17 years in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Dr Thomas returned to the USA in 1996 where, in addition to his work at the seminary, he serves as the Minister of Teaching at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson.
In addition to serving in the pastorate, Derek has served as editor of the Evangelical Presbyterian, a monthly denominational magazine. A 1978 graduate of RTS, he gained a Ph.D. from the University of Wales, Lampeter, in Calvin’s preaching on the book of Job. He has written numerous books, including The Storm Breaks: Job Simply Explained, Wisdom: the Key to Living God’s Way, and God Strengthens: Ezekiel Simply Explained, Making the Most of Your Devotional Life based on the Ascent Psalms, and Praying the Savior’s Way, based on the Lord’s Prayer. Recently he published Let’s Study Revelation (Banner of Truth), Let’s Study Galatians (Banner of Truth), and Calvin’s Teaching on Job: Proclaiming the Incomprehensible God (Christian Focus). He also co-edited, Give Praise To God: A Vision for Reforming Worship (P & R).
His interests include the music of Anton Bruckner, Richard Wagner and Gustav Mahler as well as a passion for good coffee.
He has been married to his wife, Rosemary, for almost 30 years. They have two adult children, Ellen and Owen.
In addition to serving in the pastorate, Derek has served as editor of the Evangelical Presbyterian, a monthly denominational magazine. A 1978 graduate of RTS, he gained a Ph.D. from the University of Wales, Lampeter, in Calvin’s preaching on the book of Job. He has written numerous books, including The Storm Breaks: Job Simply Explained, Wisdom: the Key to Living God’s Way, and God Strengthens: Ezekiel Simply Explained, Making the Most of Your Devotional Life based on the Ascent Psalms, and Praying the Savior’s Way, based on the Lord’s Prayer. Recently he published Let’s Study Revelation (Banner of Truth), Let’s Study Galatians (Banner of Truth), and Calvin’s Teaching on Job: Proclaiming the Incomprehensible God (Christian Focus). He also co-edited, Give Praise To God: A Vision for Reforming Worship (P & R).
His interests include the music of Anton Bruckner, Richard Wagner and Gustav Mahler as well as a passion for good coffee.
He has been married to his wife, Rosemary, for almost 30 years. They have two adult children, Ellen and Owen.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 8, 2025
Humbling is an understatement.
While this book’s focus is Peter, the main character is Jesus. The picture of the perfect Adam, full of grace and love made even more startling in comparison to Peter, the fallible rock chosen to help build the Church.
I found myself often tearing up over the times Peter was so blind to Jesus and his mission, saddened over my own lack of understanding of what Jesus has deemed as good and deep gratitude over his grace.
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
1 Corinthians 13:12
While this book’s focus is Peter, the main character is Jesus. The picture of the perfect Adam, full of grace and love made even more startling in comparison to Peter, the fallible rock chosen to help build the Church.
I found myself often tearing up over the times Peter was so blind to Jesus and his mission, saddened over my own lack of understanding of what Jesus has deemed as good and deep gratitude over his grace.
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
1 Corinthians 13:12
July 29, 2024
In this book, respected pastor, seminary professor and Ligonier Teaching Fellow Derek Thomas examines the Apostle Peter’s life from the accounts of the Gospels and Acts. He also occasionally draws from Peter’s two epistles lessons that Peter may have learned during his life with Jesus and the early days of the church and pondered in the decades that followed.
The material in the book originally came from a series of sermons that Thomas preached at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. In addition, Thomas has recorded an excellent companion teaching series of the same name for Ligonier Ministries, which includes nineteen twenty-three-minute messages.
Peter is a favorite of many because we see him “mess up” so often. We can relate to him because we do as well.
Thomas takes us through Peter’s public ministry beginning from the time he meets Jesus at about thirty years of age until he is executed by Nero in Rome in AD 64. He touches on all of the important aspects of Peter’s ministry such as his attempt to walk on the water with Jesus, his confession about Jesus at Caesarea Philippi, and in response Jesus telling him in Matthew 16:18 “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” This was followed shortly after by Peter’s rebuke of Jesus and Jesus telling him “Get behind me, Satan!”
We read about Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s denial. Jesus tells him of Satan’s desire to have Peter and to sift him like wheat. But Peter is told that Jesus has prayed for him that his faith may not fail. There was also an exhortation from Jesus for Peter, that when he has turned again (after his denials of Jesus), he is to strengthen his brothers. After Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus has three questions for Peter, which reflect the threefold denial.
At Pentecost, a new Peter emerges, strong and forceful, with a power and conviction that we have only partially previously seen. This is Peter filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter would go on to perform miracles, and be imprisoned multiple times. Thomas tells us that the gospel, which had largely been confined to one ethnic group and one geographic locality, is now spreading across the world. And the person responsible for it, humanly speaking, is Peter.
In Galatians 2:11, Paul writes that he opposed Peter to his face. Thomas writes that for Paul to relate the incident so graphically was not out of spite; it was to ensure that the purity of the gospel, with its central doctrine of justification by faith alone, be maintained.
Thomas tells us that the first twelve chapters of Acts is almost entirely about Peter. After that, the focus is on the Apostle Paul. After Acts 15, we hear no more about Peter. Paul addresses his confrontation with Peter in Galatians 2, and there are further references to Peter in 1 Corinthians, suggesting that he was in Corinth for a season.
In this life of Peter, Thomas takes us from Peter as fisherman to Apostle to martyr. He tells us that despite his glaring faults, he was the “rock,” a “pillar” of the church (Galatians 2:9).
I thoroughly enjoyed this book comprised of nineteen short chapters, and would commend it to you for an overview of the life of Peter.
• Below are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
• The Bible is the infallible, inerrant Word of God. Its testimony is true and can be relied on. It is the source of all wisdom, in every circumstance of life.
• Sometimes Jesus may ask of us things that do not make sense to us, but they do to Him. It is the way of wisdom to do as He says.
• We are not all called to be disciples in the sense that Peter and the others were, but we are called to put Jesus first in everything.
• There is no divine necessity for God to save anyone. But having determined to save, God has no way to accomplish it other than the substitutionary death of Jesus, satisfying the demands of divine justice.
• Each one of us is capable of any sin apart from the grace of God.
• In times when the world seems crazy, it is a good thing to know that God has a plan and that He intends to make it happen.
• Every Christian is indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Believers do not have a part of the Spirit; they have Him.
• The exclusivity of Jesus as the way of salvation shaped the direction of the early church.
• Sinners come to Jesus empty-handed. Our repentance is necessary, but it contributes nothing to our salvation. Salvation is by grace alone.
• It is the work of the Holy Spirit to apply all that Christ has achieved for us in His life and death and bring us all the way home to glory.
• God uses flawed people to accomplish His purpose.
The material in the book originally came from a series of sermons that Thomas preached at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. In addition, Thomas has recorded an excellent companion teaching series of the same name for Ligonier Ministries, which includes nineteen twenty-three-minute messages.
Peter is a favorite of many because we see him “mess up” so often. We can relate to him because we do as well.
Thomas takes us through Peter’s public ministry beginning from the time he meets Jesus at about thirty years of age until he is executed by Nero in Rome in AD 64. He touches on all of the important aspects of Peter’s ministry such as his attempt to walk on the water with Jesus, his confession about Jesus at Caesarea Philippi, and in response Jesus telling him in Matthew 16:18 “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” This was followed shortly after by Peter’s rebuke of Jesus and Jesus telling him “Get behind me, Satan!”
We read about Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s denial. Jesus tells him of Satan’s desire to have Peter and to sift him like wheat. But Peter is told that Jesus has prayed for him that his faith may not fail. There was also an exhortation from Jesus for Peter, that when he has turned again (after his denials of Jesus), he is to strengthen his brothers. After Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus has three questions for Peter, which reflect the threefold denial.
At Pentecost, a new Peter emerges, strong and forceful, with a power and conviction that we have only partially previously seen. This is Peter filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter would go on to perform miracles, and be imprisoned multiple times. Thomas tells us that the gospel, which had largely been confined to one ethnic group and one geographic locality, is now spreading across the world. And the person responsible for it, humanly speaking, is Peter.
In Galatians 2:11, Paul writes that he opposed Peter to his face. Thomas writes that for Paul to relate the incident so graphically was not out of spite; it was to ensure that the purity of the gospel, with its central doctrine of justification by faith alone, be maintained.
Thomas tells us that the first twelve chapters of Acts is almost entirely about Peter. After that, the focus is on the Apostle Paul. After Acts 15, we hear no more about Peter. Paul addresses his confrontation with Peter in Galatians 2, and there are further references to Peter in 1 Corinthians, suggesting that he was in Corinth for a season.
In this life of Peter, Thomas takes us from Peter as fisherman to Apostle to martyr. He tells us that despite his glaring faults, he was the “rock,” a “pillar” of the church (Galatians 2:9).
I thoroughly enjoyed this book comprised of nineteen short chapters, and would commend it to you for an overview of the life of Peter.
• Below are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
• The Bible is the infallible, inerrant Word of God. Its testimony is true and can be relied on. It is the source of all wisdom, in every circumstance of life.
• Sometimes Jesus may ask of us things that do not make sense to us, but they do to Him. It is the way of wisdom to do as He says.
• We are not all called to be disciples in the sense that Peter and the others were, but we are called to put Jesus first in everything.
• There is no divine necessity for God to save anyone. But having determined to save, God has no way to accomplish it other than the substitutionary death of Jesus, satisfying the demands of divine justice.
• Each one of us is capable of any sin apart from the grace of God.
• In times when the world seems crazy, it is a good thing to know that God has a plan and that He intends to make it happen.
• Every Christian is indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Believers do not have a part of the Spirit; they have Him.
• The exclusivity of Jesus as the way of salvation shaped the direction of the early church.
• Sinners come to Jesus empty-handed. Our repentance is necessary, but it contributes nothing to our salvation. Salvation is by grace alone.
• It is the work of the Holy Spirit to apply all that Christ has achieved for us in His life and death and bring us all the way home to glory.
• God uses flawed people to accomplish His purpose.
September 2, 2024
This was a great book to listen to. The narrator is British. It was nice to hear him read it. I did learn quite a few things about Peter. He honored Jesus at his death by being hung on a cross upside down. He didn't feel he should be hung on the cross like Jesus. Peter felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2024
This is the story of Peter, with scripture and research informing the life of a disciple and Apostle of Jesus Christ. The information wasn't new to me, but I liked that it was written in a story timeline. Peter was an interesting and dynamic individual. I can see how Peter and Paul could find their personalities a little challenging and exciting.
October 5, 2024
This book is a great book to read if you or your Church are doing a character study on Peter. It covers Peters life from before he was a disciple to being an elder in the Jerusalem church. It contains a heap of 1st century Judaism stuff that helps the bible come alive.
April 6, 2025
Decent
December 6, 2025
I can appreciate that Derek Thomas writes the way he preaches. You can even sense his pauses and natural flow. Admits that Peter is sometimes relegated to just the gospel story or he is over shouted by Paul. And though I wish he had concentrated more on Peter in Acts and he does give a piecing together of the gospel narrative. He answers question like why the name change and why did Jesus pray. What was Jesus‘s plan for the church. He also warns us of falling into some of the same traps as Peter such as overconfidence, fear, pride and cowardice. Yet in all of this, we can be restored, and we can have our prayers answered. Prayers like for boldness. Yeah he reminds us of the summary of Peter’s preaching and answers deep questions on such topics as households and the keys of the kingdom. It is a great refresher of Peter.
August 4, 2025
The book is a powerful reminder of God’s grace in using ordinary, imperfect people. Peter’s life marked by both great heights and deep lows stands as a testimony to what the Holy Spirit can accomplish through jars of clay like us. Derek Thomas closes the book in a way that leads you to reflect deeply on your own walk with Christ, encouraging you to embrace your calling to live for Him despite your imperfections. Ultimately, it’s a humbling reminder that life in Christ is no longer about us it’s about Him.
March 2, 2025
Thomas brings readers into Peter’s life and relationship with Jesus and others, by providing a biblical look at Peter’s faithfulness, failures, forgiveness, and sometimes rocky fellowship.
Not only did I laugh at times while reading, I also found myself prompted to cry out, “Where else can I go, Lord? You have the words of eternal life.”
Not only did I laugh at times while reading, I also found myself prompted to cry out, “Where else can I go, Lord? You have the words of eternal life.”
June 22, 2025
Deceiving title and description, as most of the narrative about Peter wasn’t until the end once Mr Thomas got through the crucifixion of Christ. The majority of the first half was a prosaic explanation of the gospel, which would’ve been fine under a different title/description.
Even for the gospel account, of which I love because of the Servant and our Savior, it was ordinary and simple.
Even for the gospel account, of which I love because of the Servant and our Savior, it was ordinary and simple.
July 17, 2024
Theologically Rich & Encouraging
Wonderful summary of the life and ministry of Peter. Theologically rich and encouraging. Easy to read and understand. Gives excellent insight into the apostle’s life and ministry in the early church.
Wonderful summary of the life and ministry of Peter. Theologically rich and encouraging. Easy to read and understand. Gives excellent insight into the apostle’s life and ministry in the early church.
July 4, 2024
I love Peter. ...
January 5, 2025
Thomas does an admirable job of tying together the threads of Peter's life and his writings. I was helpfully encouraged to be reminded that God uses flawed people in his work.
April 27, 2025
Read like part devotional part biography. I loved it.
June 5, 2025
Interesting.
April 24, 2025
Solid overview of Peters life in detail. Goes to show how even though Peter denied christ 3 times he God still used him and loved him.
Probably one of the best religious books I’ve read this year. Great explanation of Peter’s life story and his struggles and his fear of what people think he still carried with him even after receiving and asking for power though the Holy Spirit and even his spat with Paul over certain topics God gave him visions of. Was kinda slow at the beginning but a good read and overview on things. Solid read
Probably one of the best religious books I’ve read this year. Great explanation of Peter’s life story and his struggles and his fear of what people think he still carried with him even after receiving and asking for power though the Holy Spirit and even his spat with Paul over certain topics God gave him visions of. Was kinda slow at the beginning but a good read and overview on things. Solid read
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews