Companion book the the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide for quarter two, 2017

Short letters get worldwide study

Friday, March 31, 2017
Avondale academic’s Bible study and commentary brings greater respect for thinking of early church leader

An Avondale academic’s research for a worldwide study of two Bible books recasts an impetuous disciple as a loving leader of the early Christian church.

Associate Professor Robert McIver is the principal contributor of content for the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Adult Bible Study Guide this quarter and author of a companion book. The guide and the book examine 1 and 2 Peter.

McIver enjoyed the challenge of studying the letters partly because few other academics have—more is written about Peter, one of the closest confidants of Jesus, than any other disciple but much less about his letters compared to the letters of Paul, the four Gospels and the Apocalypse of John.

Peter addresses his letters to first-century Christians in Asia Minor. We understand those reading the letters are stressed—they are confronting the challenge of false teaching—and we learn of the consequences of their teaching in the lives of those whom they influence. “I discovered there’s wonderful theology in Peter’s letters, as well as helpful practical advice on Christian living,” says McIver, Director of the Spirituality and Worship Research Centre at Avondale. The college of higher education supported McIver during his research, which included time at Tyndale House, a centre for biblical research based in Cambridge, England.

McIver now has a greater respect for Peter as a thinker and for Jesus as a teacher. “1 and 2 Peter are not the words of an unsophisticated, poorly educated fisherman. They’re the words of one who’s been with the Master.” He also admits to thinking of Peter as “rigid.” “This impression is probably from Paul’s interaction with Peter. They’re opposites—Paul the modern thinker, Peter the traditionalist who sometimes slips back into his old ways. But Peter writes well, expressing good theology and, above all, conveying the centrality of love that Christians have one for each other.”

The lessons in the guide, called “Feed My Sheep,” provide a daily comment on the text and questions for meditation and discussion. The book considers the historical, social and literary context of the text and the practical application of the theology of the text.

The guide and the book may become McIver’s most-read pieces of work. Did he see this as a responsibility or as an opportunity? Both. “I’m trying to capture the meaning of Scripture, so the ideas aren’t mine but those of Peter guided by the Holy Spirit. Understanding this took a lot of pressure off me as I wrote.”

Adult Bible Study Guide Editor Clifford Goldstein compliments McIver on the quality of his manuscript, which “helped make the letters of Peter come alive.” Goldstein notes how the letters, even 2000 years after their writing, remain relevant. “It’s amazing how rich these books are, and Rob’s done a great job in bringing that richness out.”

And in applying it to our lives. Writes McIver in the introduction to the lessons: “Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep. We are among those sheep. Let’s get fed.”

Members of the more than 78,000 Seventh-day Adventist churches worldwide began using the guide and the book this past week (March 25). They will continue using the resources until the end of the quarter (June 23).

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The Adult Bible Study Guide and companion book for quarter two, 2017, are available from Adventist Book Centres or online.

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Brenton Stacey
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Brenton Stacey

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Brenton is Avondale University’s Public Relations and Philanthropy Officer. He brings to the role experience as a communicator in publishing, media relations, public relations, radio and television, mostly within the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific and its entities.