A Biographical Look at the Apostle Peter

Apostle Peter

The Person Peter

Here’s what we know about the Apostle Peter:

  1. His name was also Simon: “Peter” means “rock.” The Aramaic equivalent is Cephas. Jn. 1:42.
  2. He was a fisherman, the brother of Andrew, and the son of Jonah; he was partners with James and John, the sons or Zebedee. Matt. 4:18; 16:17; Lk. 5:10.
  3. He may have been a disciple of John the Baptist before he became a follower of Christ. Jn. 1:35-42.
  4. He was one of the first apostles called by Jesus. Matt. 4:18-22.
  5. He is always listed first in the list of the apostles, thus probably indicating his prominence. Matt. 10:2; Mk. 3:16; Lk. 6:14; Acts 1:13.
  6. He was one of the three “inner circle” of disciples; the other two were James and John. Mk. 5:37; 9:2; 13:3; 14:33.
  7. He figures in many of the events of Jesus’ life. He is the one who confessed Jesus as the Son of God. Matt. 16:13-20.
  8. As Jesus had predicted, he denied Jesus at the time of Jesus’ death. Matt. 26:69-75.
  9. He was the subject of special attention by Jesus after the resurrection. Jn. 21; see esp. vv. 15ff.
  10. He was the one who led the apostles in selecting someone to take Judas’ place. Acts 1:15.
  11. He preached the first gospel sermon in Acts. Acts 2.
  12. He figures prominently in Acts after that. He also was the first to preach to Gentiles. See., e.g., Acts 3:1-26; 4:8ff; 5:3ff; 8:14ff; 10:1ff; 15:7ff; et. al.
  13. He later was rebuked by Paul because of his behavior at Antioch. Gal. 2:11.
  14. Apparently, he performed an itinerant ministry. 1 Cor. 9:5; 1 Cor. 1:12; 1 Pet. 5:13.
  15. He wrote the two epistles of Peter.
  16. According to tradition, he was martyred in Rome by Nero.

This lesson was originally taught by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at the Owingsville church of Christ in Owingsville, Kentucky.

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