Context: Peter, perhaps in Babylon, writes what may be a circular letter to several scattered churches in Asia Minor. Praising God for the redemptive power of the begotten and risen Christ and declaring trials to be only proving grounds of the faith in the revelation, he notes the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies in Christ. With exhortations to the righteous life because of the holiness of God and the grace of Christ, he designates Christ the "living stone" of God's house and urges the people to be themselves "living stones" of the spiritual house. Calling upon the members of the churches to act circumspectly before the world, he exhorts them to obey governmental powers as forces in God's great plan. Further, he succinctly commands them to: