Holy Living in a Pagan Context: Studies in First and Second Peter

1 Peter writes to embattled and suffering Christians to encourage consistent Christian ethics by emphasizing the identity and salvation benefits of believers and the appropriate conduct and attitude implied as an implication. 2 Peter addresses a situation in which Christian gentiles seem to be weakening in their commitment to the moral standards of the faith and develops a virtue ethic that emphasizes growth toward the ethical ideal of conformity to the image of God.