A LIVING HOPE

Robert Mounce, who was for 21 years a regular columnist in 'Eternity' as well as the author of several popular articles in such publications as 'Christianity Today', here demonstrates his scholarship, lucidity, and pastoral heart in this commentary designed to meet the needs of laypersons and pastors looking for a balanced, effective, and relevant interpretation of Peter's epistles. Mounce sees the keynote of the letters as hope, but the main purpose as hortatory - that is, they were written "to encourage believers in Asia Minor to expect and endure hardship as a result of their commitment to the Christian faith" and "to stimulate them to wholesome thinking" vis-a-vis false teachers who had risen within the church itself. Central to Mounce's commentary is the remarkable fact that although the letters are packed with imperatives, they do not merely offer ethical instructions or "lessons for living," but move freely from doctrine to duty and back again. Thus, the purpose of doctrine is seen here as less to instruct than to provide the theological basis for a new way of living. More specifically, because Christians have been born anew to a living hope, there is a serious challenge to holy living. Mounce effectively "updates" this challenge, applying it to modern living - and chapter titles such as "How to Get Along With Your Spouse," "Living in an Alien Society," and "How to Live in the Family of God" reflect the author's timely and practical application. Study questions are included to facilitate individual and group Bible study.