According to the Book of Acts, the apostle Peter led the most important events of the early Church until the arrival of the apostle Paul and his missionary journeys. This is why Peter's first epistle, addressed to several churches located in regions of Asia Minor, has a very special and important relevance in the context of early Christianity.
In this First Epistle, the apostle Peter highlighted the importance of baptism and the changes that this sacrament implies in the believers, something that he himself witnessed during the conversion of the first pagans to the Christian faith, as happened with the Centurion Cornelius and his entire family (Book of Acts 10:1-48).
And so with the experience gained after Pentecost, the apostle Peter wrote in his epistle about the changes involved in accepting Jesus as savior, and thus becoming people renewed in the spirit, that is why the apostle expressed himself in this way: "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance" 1 Peter 1:14.
In other words, to be a Christian in Peter's view then means rejecting the love of worldly things and living in the world as a stranger and a person passing through, and so he continued his thought with these words: "Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul" 1 Peter 2:11.
The apostle Peter, in his epistle, then expressed that entering the Kingdom of God, the dominion or empire of the divine perfections, implies a fundamental spiritual change in man; one cannot make error and sin a habit, a custom, and live in harmony with the divine. This is why Paul spoke decisively about what it means to live as Jesus desires with these words: "Everyone must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble" 1 Peter 3:8.
In Peter's theological thought, then, living the gifts such as mercy (compassion, kindness, gentleness), harmony, and spiritual love is what distinguishes the Christian and makes him live as a stranger in the world to bear witness to the faith and the spiritual gift of eternal life.
For more information, check out my profile, follow the link, and download my ebook.