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Many Christians around the world today face severe persecution, while others daily feel the weight of cultural pressure against them. The apostle Peter speaks to this as he reminds us that Christians are aliens and exiles in an often-hostile empire. Yet we are simultaneously the chosen of God, equipped by Jesus’ work for us and in us to live faithfully in our dual identity. In this exposition of 1 Peter, Daniel Doriani explains how the work of Christ enables Christians to live with hope, joy, and faithfulness in a pagan world. He also explores Peter’s emphasis on the kind of life that pleases God—a life that includes respect for authorities, just or unjust; godly behavior as a wife, husband, or elder; and, by God’s grace, good deeds, courage, and a firm stand in the face of trials. As are all the books in the Reformed Expository Commentary series, this exposition of 1 Peter is accessible to both pastors and lay readers. Each volume in the series provides exposition that gives careful attention to the biblical text, is doctrinally Reformed, focuses on Christ through the lens of redemptive history, and applies the Bible to our contemporary setting.
- GenresNonfictionChristian
277 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 21, 2014
13 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Daniel M. Doriani
32 books19 followersAfter a decade as senior pastor of Central Presbyterian church in Clayton, Missouri, Dr. Doriani returned to Covenant Seminary full time in October 2013 to serve as vice president of strategic academic projects and professor of theology.
In this role, he teaches two core courses for the Master of Divinity (MDiv) program—Christian Ethics and Reformation and Modern Church History—as well as some elective courses on exegesis and church life. He also speaks in churches and conferences on behalf of the Seminary in ways that advance the mission of Covenant.
Dr. Doriani previously served in various roles at the Seminary from 1991 to 2003, including professor of New Testament, dean of faculty, and vice president of academics. While pastoring at Central, he continued teaching as adjunct professor of systematic theology. He has extensive teaching and pastoral experience as an interim, assistant, associate, and solo pastor, and has been involved in several planning and study committees at the presbytery level in both the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). He was chair of the PCA’s Theological Examining Committee from 1999 to 2000. Among his many books are Getting the Message: A Plan for Interpreting and Applying the Bible (P&R, 1996); Putting the Truth to Work: The Theory and Practice of Biblical Application (P&R, 2001); The Life of a God-Made Man (Crossway, 2001); and commentaries on Matthew, James, and 1 Peter in P&R’s Reformed Expository Commentaries series. He is also a contributing blogger for The Gospel Coalition.
Dr. Doriani and his wife, Debbie, live in Chesterfield, Missouri, and have three grown daughters.
In this role, he teaches two core courses for the Master of Divinity (MDiv) program—Christian Ethics and Reformation and Modern Church History—as well as some elective courses on exegesis and church life. He also speaks in churches and conferences on behalf of the Seminary in ways that advance the mission of Covenant.
Dr. Doriani previously served in various roles at the Seminary from 1991 to 2003, including professor of New Testament, dean of faculty, and vice president of academics. While pastoring at Central, he continued teaching as adjunct professor of systematic theology. He has extensive teaching and pastoral experience as an interim, assistant, associate, and solo pastor, and has been involved in several planning and study committees at the presbytery level in both the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). He was chair of the PCA’s Theological Examining Committee from 1999 to 2000. Among his many books are Getting the Message: A Plan for Interpreting and Applying the Bible (P&R, 1996); Putting the Truth to Work: The Theory and Practice of Biblical Application (P&R, 2001); The Life of a God-Made Man (Crossway, 2001); and commentaries on Matthew, James, and 1 Peter in P&R’s Reformed Expository Commentaries series. He is also a contributing blogger for The Gospel Coalition.
Dr. Doriani and his wife, Debbie, live in Chesterfield, Missouri, and have three grown daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 28, 2021
Excellent commentary from a Reformed perspective. The author explains the text and is very pastoral in his applications and understanding of the text for today's believer.
I have spent a while in 2021 studying 1 Peter and the relevance of this short epistle to our lives today is self evident. While the church in America looks for power and position within the culture, Peter admonishes and teaches followers of Christ what it means to faithfully live in the world. While we do not abandon this world, the believer is never at home in this world. We live with humility and compassion, grace and truth as our lives conform to the image of God's dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Which is a far cry from being what unbelievers think we are which is a conservative voting block for the Republican Party.
Doriani's commentary is a helpful guide to understanding the fullness and richness of Peter's writings. i recommend this book along with Wayne Grudem's Tyndale New Testament Commentary series book on 1 Peter. What a joy to plumb the depths of this marvelous epistle.
I have spent a while in 2021 studying 1 Peter and the relevance of this short epistle to our lives today is self evident. While the church in America looks for power and position within the culture, Peter admonishes and teaches followers of Christ what it means to faithfully live in the world. While we do not abandon this world, the believer is never at home in this world. We live with humility and compassion, grace and truth as our lives conform to the image of God's dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Which is a far cry from being what unbelievers think we are which is a conservative voting block for the Republican Party.
Doriani's commentary is a helpful guide to understanding the fullness and richness of Peter's writings. i recommend this book along with Wayne Grudem's Tyndale New Testament Commentary series book on 1 Peter. What a joy to plumb the depths of this marvelous epistle.
December 6, 2016
Useful & correct.
Read
January 27, 2020This was my first commentary by Doriani and I found it to be winningly pastoral while also being faithful to the text and getting the main point of each passage across. Oftentimes commentaries can be helpful in parsing out the details of the text, but can become unclear when the author attempts to explicate the main point of the text. This is not a problem with this particular commentary.
My only complaint would be an uneven explanation of the 1 Peter 3 passage that refers to Jesus proclaiming a message to the souls in prison. While this is a difficult passage, it seems to me Doriani is rather rigid in his following of Calvin's interpretation of this passage, unfairly making it a choice between Jesus preaching a postmortem gospel to the imprisoned souls and emptying hell or Jesus experiencing hell on the cross. Again, this is a difficult passage and difficult to interpret, but I believe Doriani is too dogmatic at certain points here.
Regardless of this critique, everyone would benefit from reading and studying 1 Peter alongside Doriani's helpful Reformed perspective.
My only complaint would be an uneven explanation of the 1 Peter 3 passage that refers to Jesus proclaiming a message to the souls in prison. While this is a difficult passage, it seems to me Doriani is rather rigid in his following of Calvin's interpretation of this passage, unfairly making it a choice between Jesus preaching a postmortem gospel to the imprisoned souls and emptying hell or Jesus experiencing hell on the cross. Again, this is a difficult passage and difficult to interpret, but I believe Doriani is too dogmatic at certain points here.
Regardless of this critique, everyone would benefit from reading and studying 1 Peter alongside Doriani's helpful Reformed perspective.
August 20, 2020
Used this to help teach through 1 Peter the last 6 months. It’s a good commentary, very pastoral. Would have loved it to be a little more technical but the author provides some incredible devotional and practical insights.
October 1, 2017
I would have loved to see more references to the OT. It is good, but not what I was expecting.
November 24, 2019
Outstanding commentary
May 18, 2022
Excellent, insightful resource to compliment a study of 1 Peter. Such an appropriate epistle to study as the end times draw ever closer and suffering comes to America.
December 20, 2023
Useful for thinking about sermon applications.
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May 9, 2024Excellent
February 10, 2015
Good preaching will sustain the vitality of the church. That has always been something I deeply believed in. Alas, good preaching is also hard to come by. The good news however is that in this age, it is not hard to find good sermons recorded or written. This is where this commentary/expository sermon comes in.
As christians continue to move on to live in a post-christian society, 1 Peter will slowly become even more relevant to us — to live holy and upright lives in the midst of being marginalised or even persecuted. I found the sermons in this book to be very clear and wholesome. Daniel Doriani has not written a work that will reach a wide audience, it is not too watered down, or technical for anyone who’s studying the text for the first time or the twenty-first time.
Doriani does not skim on the exegesis and explanation part, taking time to show the readers/listeners how and why derives at points he makes in each sermon. Alongside with theses, Doriani also uses helpful illustrations to showcase his points in a way that all would understand.
This commentary by Doriani serves as an excellent guide for pastors in terms of teaching pastors good exegesis and good preaching. Thought it will not serve as a technical verse-by-verse commentary, I’ve found it helpful to read and meditate on these sermons. I recommend pastors and lay christians who really want to dive in to study 1 Peter to get this commentary.
Rating: 5 / 5
Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
As christians continue to move on to live in a post-christian society, 1 Peter will slowly become even more relevant to us — to live holy and upright lives in the midst of being marginalised or even persecuted. I found the sermons in this book to be very clear and wholesome. Daniel Doriani has not written a work that will reach a wide audience, it is not too watered down, or technical for anyone who’s studying the text for the first time or the twenty-first time.
Doriani does not skim on the exegesis and explanation part, taking time to show the readers/listeners how and why derives at points he makes in each sermon. Alongside with theses, Doriani also uses helpful illustrations to showcase his points in a way that all would understand.
This commentary by Doriani serves as an excellent guide for pastors in terms of teaching pastors good exegesis and good preaching. Thought it will not serve as a technical verse-by-verse commentary, I’ve found it helpful to read and meditate on these sermons. I recommend pastors and lay christians who really want to dive in to study 1 Peter to get this commentary.
Rating: 5 / 5
Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
August 2, 2015
Thoroughly biblical with excellent exegesis, each chapter reads like a sermon. This is a great book for devotional use, small group use, or serious academic use. It is very approachable for those who have not been trained in post-graduate theology, while it also would benefit anyone with the highest of theological training. I hope Doriani continues to write more commentaries in this series.
April 12, 2017
This was a great commentary to use as I preached through 1 Peter last year. Doriani's style of writing was warm and invitational, not bogged down with too much detail, and was more devotional and pastoral in nature than other commentaries. The antidotes and examples he gave helped drive his points home. A great commentary that helped me press into the text more, finding out what it means and how it applies to our hearts today.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews