Little in Peter's secular or religious background prepared him to take on the role of great leadership that eventually came to him. (Please see related article on this page about Peter's background.) President Spencer W. Kimball noted that some had described Peter as "a lowly fisherman - uncultured, unlearned, and ignorant." (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 132.)

President Kimball further wrote: "When Christ chose this fisherman for His first and chief apostle, He was taking no chances. He picked a diamond in the rough - a diamond that would need to be cut, trimmed, and polished by correction, chastisement, and trials - but nevertheless a diamond of real quality. The Savior knew this apostle could be trusted to receive the keys of the kingdom, the sealing and the loosing power."Speaking to a BYU assembly in 1971, President Kimball said Peter was ill prepared to assume the great responsibility he was given but the Master knew his potential.

"Simon Peter's education, both secular and spiritual, had been limited, but now he followed the Master Teacher. He heard the Sermon on the Mount; he stood with the Redeemer in the boat and heard the masterful sermons to the congregated people. He sat in the synagogues, listening to the convincing and powerful statements of the Creator.

"The scriptures were unfolded as they [Christ and PeterT traveled the dusty or rocky paths of Galilee." Surely, surmised President Kimball, the Savior answered Peter's innumerable questions as they walked together, shared their meals and rested along the roadsides.

"The hours were precious as rare jewels. He heard the parables given to the people and learned the rich lessons therein. . . . From the day he forsook his nets and boats, his feet never turned away. Even in his moment of denial, he was as near to his Lord as he could be."

President Gordon B. Hinckley, in the April general conference in 1979, spoke of Peter's denial and his subsequent actions:

"Recognizing his error, repenting of his weakness, he turned about and became a mighty voice in bearing witness of the risen Lord.

"He, the senior apostle, dedicated the remainder of his life to testifying of the mission, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the living Son of the living God. . . .

"He suffered chains and prison and a terrible martyr's death as a witness of Him who had called him from his nets to become a fisher of men. (Matt. 4:19.)

"He remained faithful and true to the great and compelling trust given when the resurrected Lord, in His final instructions to the 11 apostles, charged them to go `and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' " (Matt. 28:19.)

*****

Peter's warning against false prophets is still valid

"And there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

"And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." (2 Pet. 2:1-2.)

Peter, in his second epistle, warned of false prophets who were among the saints and of those yet to come. The warning still has validity. In his April 1985 general conference address, Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Council of the Twelve cautioned members against false teachers:

"There are those who claim authority from some secret ordinations of the past. Even now some claim special revealed authority to lead or to teach the people. Occasionally they use the names of members of the First Presidency or of the Twelve or of the Seventy and imply some special approval of what they teach.

"There have been too many names presented, too many sustaining votes taken, too many ordinations and settings apart performed before too many witnesses; there have been too many records kept, too many certificates prepared, and too many pictures published in too many places for any one to be deceived as to who holds proper authority. Claims of special revelation or secret authority from the Lord or from the Brethren are false on the face of them. . . ."

*****

A fisherman from Galilee held keys of kingdom\ Peter was a son of Jonah (Matt. 16:17), and brother of Andrew. (John 1:40.) Jesus gave him the Aramaic name of "Cephas" (John 1:40-42), which means stone or rock. He was known also as Simeon (Acts 15:24; 2 Pet. 1:1) or Simon.

He was a fisherman from Bethsaida, on the northern coast of the Sea of Galilee. At the time of his call as a disciple of Jesus, he was living at Capernaum with his wife and her mother. (Matt. 8:14; Mark 1:29; Luke 4:38.)

His name appears first on all the New Testament lists of the 12 apostles. (Mark 3:16-19; Matt. 10:2-4; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13.)

Peter was the first of the disciples to whom the resurrected Savior appeared. When the disciples were gathered in Galilee, Jesus gave Peter a commission to care for the Christian flock. (1 Cor. 15:5.) He received the keys of the kingdom on earth from the Savior, Moses and Elias on the Mount of Transfiguration. (Matt. 17:1-12.)

In this dispensation, the resurrected Peter and James, along with the translated John, returned to earth and conferred the Melchizedek Priesthood and its keys upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. (D&C 27:12-13.)