Bible Commentaries
1 Peter 1

Verses 1-2

1Pe 1:1-2

SALUTATION

1 Peter 1:1-2

1 Peter,--The word "Peter" is the English translation of the Greek petros, a rock or stone. (See margin, American Standard Version.) The Greek lexicographers define it as "a detached but large fragment of rock." (Thayer, etc.) It was assigned as a proper name to the disciple by the Lord because of traits of character and habits of life he was later to exhibit. The Saviour saw, by anticipation, the enduring qualities of character which were to manifest themselves in his life, and hence said to him, "Thou are Simon the son of John: thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, Peter). (John 1:42.) The author thus began his epistle with the name which Jesus gave him instead of "Simon Bar-Jonah" (Simon son of Jonah) by which he was once known (Matthew 16:18), an indication of the high regard he felt for the name which his Lord had assigned him. His two names occur in the New Testament in two forms, the fuller form of Simon being Symeon, appearing thus in the speech of James in Jerusalem (Acts 15:14), the shorter and usual name Simon occurring often elsewhere. The other, Peter, occurs not only thus, but also in the Graecized form Cephas, from the Aramaic Kepha. (John 1:42.) The Lord frequently addressed him as Simon, but the name Peter is that by which he is most often designated in the book of Acts, and by us today.

An apostle of Jesus Christ,--The words, "an apostle," are descriptive of the nature of Peter’s work in the service of the Lord, and "of Jesus Christ," the source of the authority by which he exercised it. "Apostle" (apo--from, and stello,--to send), an envoy or ambassador, signifies one sent on a mission with proper credentials. The credentials of the apostles were the miracles they were enabled to perform in confirmation of their work (Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:1-4), and their mission was the proclamation of the gospel of Christ under the great commission (Mark 16:15-16 ; Acts 1:8). Peter was one of the twelve chosen by the Lord to be apostles at the outset of his public ministry (Luke 6:12-16), and his name appears first in all the lists thereof (Matthew 10 :; Mark 3:13; Luke 6:12-16; Acts 1:13). However, neither here nor elsewhere, did he claim, or seek to exercise, any superiority or distinction of rank over the other apostles, describing himself simply as an apostle (one among several) of Jesus Christ.

To the sojourners of the dispersion,--The word sojourners refers to people who have left their native land and are living temporarily on foreign soil, and among strangers. It is translated from pare pideemos, compounded from para, beside, epi, upon, and &Tinos, a strange people, thus, literally, to dwell alongside those of a strange land. The "Dispersion" was a technical term of common usage among the Jews to designate those of their race who were scattered among the Gentile nations. (John 7:35.) It occurs in the Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Old Testament scriptures) in the passage, "Thou shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth." (Dent. 25:28.) In view of these facts, the temptation is strong to assign a literal significance to these terms here, and conclude that Peter wrote to Christian Jews away from Palestine, and in the provinces designated. An examination of the whole epistle, however, raises serious doubts as to the correctness of this conclusion. In 1 Peter 2:11, the author uses the word parepideemos (where it is translated pilgrim) in an obviously figurative sense (as does Paul in Hebrews 11:13), for Christians generally, without regard to former relationships or races and it is therefore probable that in 1:1 he intended to indicate by "sojourners" all people of God who were then sojourning on the earth among unbelievers, and therefore in a more comprehensive sense than the literal terms would signify. Other considerations suggest this conclusion: (a) From the narrative in Acts, we learn that the churches addressed--Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia--were predominantly Gentile, and it appears unlikely that Peter would send such a missive to a minority among them. (b) Though the thoughts of the epistle are Jewish in background, and many quotations from the Old Testament occur, no reference is made to the law of Moses, as such; and the Greek word for law-- nomos--does not occur in its vocabulary. (c) Statements occurring in 1:14, 2:10, 4:3, and elsewhere seem to require a non-Jewish background for those particularly addressed. (d) It is unaccountable that Peter would have written to Jewish Christian women that they were (would become, egeneetheete, 2 per. plural, aor. 1 ind. pass. of ginomai, to become) daughters of Sarah "if ye do well." (1 Peter 3:6.) These premises lead to the conclusion that the apostle wrote to Christians, both Jew and Gentile, without regard to their religious or racial backgrounds, as composing the body in which there is "neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman but Christ is all and in all." (Colossians 3:11.)

In Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,--The provinces designated were in that geographical subdivision known as "Asia Minor," north of the Mediterranean, and east of the Aegean Sea, in that country now known as Turkey.

1,2 Elect . . . according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,--"Elect" is from eklego, a word signifying to choose or to select. A verb form of this word is translated "choose" in John 15:16, "chose" in Ephesians 1:4, and "have chosen" in John 13:18. "Foreknowledge" is from the Greek "prognosis" previous determination, purpose. (Bagster.) These, therefore, to whom Peter wrote were chosen people, selected by an exercise of the divine will, and in keeping with a purpose earlier formed. Was this purpose or plan conditional or unconditional?

For centuries the religious world has been divided into two great camps, as this question has been answered affirmatively or negatively. Some maintain that the choice of the Father in the selection of those elected was sovereign and unconditional, and that it was made before the creation of the world. They also allege that it was done without regard to the worth or merit of those elected; that it was partial in nature and limited in application; and that the number is so fixed that it cannot be increased nor diminished. The theory was first formulated by Augustine, and adopted and popularized by Calvin during the Reformation.

Such a theory of election is palpably false for many reasons.

(1) It is in conflict with the scriptures which positively assert the conditionality of salvation (Matthew 7:21; Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30 ; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; 1 John 2:4; etc., etc.). (2) It represents God as a cruel and arbitrary sovereign acting by caprice and not by the principles of justice and right. (3) It cancels out all human responsibility, and reduces man to the status of a mere puppet manipulated by the Lord, unworthy of any commendation for good done, and deserving of no condemnation for any evil practiced. (4) All invitations, promises, warnings, threatenings and admonitions to faithfulness in the Word of God become meaningless and without significance. (5) It makes God a respecter of persons despite the definite declaration of scripture that he is not. (1 Peter 1:17.)

It should be observed that 1 Peter 1:1-2 asserts the fact of election and its origin in the purpose and plan of God; the manner and means by which it is accomplished must be sought elsewhere. This information Paul supplies: "But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:whereunto he called you through our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14.) (1) God "chose." (2) He "chose from the beginning." (3) The choice was made "in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." (4) Those thus chosen were "called" through the gospel. The gospel is addressed to all men "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned." (Mark 16:15-16.) Thus, (a) all are called by the gospel. (b) All who believe and obey the gospel are saved. (c) But God chooses (elects) those who are saved. (d) Therefore, God chooses or elects to salvation all who obey the gospel. Such is the true doctrine of election.

In sanctification of the Spirit,--The word "sanctification" is from the Greek agiasmos, the fundamental idea of which is derived from the Hebrew kadosh, separation. That which has been sanctified is set apart, separated to special purposes. We thus learn here that the function of the Spirit in election is to separate the sinner to the sphere where, through obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Christ he is made a chosen or elected one. This, the Spirit accomplishes by revealing, through the Word of truth, the means by which one obeys the Lord and is thereby enabled to appropriate to himself the benefits of the sprinkled blood.

Unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. -- The preposition "unto" (eis) indicates the design and end of the plan provided for man’s salvation--to bring him to obedience, without which no election is available. In the "sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ," there is an allusion to the ceremonial of Exodus 24:8, where Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said, "Behold, the blood of the covenant which the Lord bath made with you." In similar fashion, those who are chosen to salvation "in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" have had applied to them the precious blood of Jesus, by means of which they are cleansed from their sins, and made members of the new covenant. "Unto obedience" indicates the human, and "sprinkling the blood of Jesus Christ," the divine side of salvation. The prepositions of verses 1 and 2 are significant and revealing Election is "according to" (kata) the purpose and plan of God; it is "in" (en) the sphere of the Spirit’s influence and it is "unto" (eis), i.e., designed to produce obedience. The work of the entire godhead in the salvation of man is evidenced in this remarkable passage. From it we learn that the Father elects, the Spirit sanctifies, and the Son, by his blood, redeems.

Grace to you, and peace be multiplied.--The author, in this salutation, joins the lovely and impressive greeting of the Greeks (Chaire! "grace") and the Hebrews (shalom, peace!), with which the people of these races were accustomed to hail one another. A similar salutation occurs often in Paul’s epistles. (Romans 1 :1 Corinthians 1:3; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2, etc.) See Matt. 10 12, 13 for an example of the Hebrew usage (Acts 15:23), for the usual formula of Greek missives. The grace Peter desired for his readers was not however, the mere favor of men and the earthly joy which the Greek greeting signified nor was the peace no more than the tranquil and serene life desired by the Hebrews. The grace here contemplated embraced abundant spiritual blessing, and the peace was the peace of God and of Christ, as well as peace with one’s brethren. Moreover, it included peace in one’s soul, peace that influenced and sweetened the entire life. Such the apostle desired to abound (be multiplied) in the lives of those whom he had addressed.

Commentary on 1 Peter 1:1-2 by N.T. Caton

ANALYSIS.

To comfort and strengthen the suffering Christians living in those regions mentioned in the first verse was the main design of Peter in writing this Epistle. To accomplish these objects in rugged sentences containing thoughts that blaze and burn, in a few words the writer first alludes to their conversion, and the incalculable cost thereof upon the resources of heaven. For therein is exhibited the great love of the Father in the gift of his Son, without which their conversion would have been impossible. Next their attention is called to the sublime grandeur of their relationship to God, which by their conversion was inaugurated. He calls their attention to the fact that they were begotten again into a lively hope by the resurrection of Christ; that by their conversion they became heirs to an unfading and incorruptible inheritance. This hope ought to be great strength to them in time of trial. All trials soon end. Trials should be regarded by them as tests of their faith. As gold is purified by melting, so trials improve the faith. Firmness under trial not only resulted in good to the sufferer, but had an effect upon the world for good; besides, the sufferer would be rewarded with great honor when Christ should come. They would be rewarded at that time. He then calls their attention to the fact that while they had not seen the Master, they had loved him and rejoiced in him, relying upon his promises, being assured that by and through him they would receive the reward. This salvation was so great and of so much importance that prophets desired to look into it, and even the angels were inclined to seek into its mysteries; Christ had suffered and was seated at God’s right hand, and, following his example in doing the will of God, they might expect to be rewarded as he was. He then passes to earnest exhorta­tion, to hope for the blessings brought to their attention through Christ. These were to be heired by them if faithful. To avoid lusts and imitate God’s holy character, and to fear God in consid­eration of the fact that there was to be a judgment—to so act he reminds them that that purchase was not by silver and gold, but by the precious blood of Christ. He tells them that they had purified their hearts by obeying the gospel. He hoped they would love one another as brethren, with pure hearts; that they were born of incorruptible seed, namely, God’s word, and all thus became God’s children. There should be no difference among them as to high or low; that the highest title of earth would fade as a flower, but the higher station is that attained by all who love and obey the Lord, for they will continue to abide throughout eternity.

1 Peter 1:1—Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.

In the very outset the author of this Epistle gives his name—Peter. Around this name many sacred memories are entwined. The Lord himself chose the writer hereof, and selected him as the one who should first announce the gospel of peace to the awe-stricken Jew at Jerusalem and to expectant Cornelius and his invited guests, thus opening the doors of Messiah’s kingdom to both Jew and Gentile. Yet the writer truthfully and modestly calls himself "an apostle," not "the apostle." He claims no pre-eminence over others. He is only one among the chosen ambassadors. All are equally clothed with authority. No one of the dozen is the superior of the other. Each is the Lord’s minister and the Lord’s sent. Each is to be without succession and with­out the power of substitution. All this is plainly deducible from the modest declaration of the apostle. Whom it may hurt or how bad the wound, we have no concern. This is clearly the mind of the Spirit, and that is all in which we are interested.

1 Peter 1:1 --To the strangers scattered.

The Revised Version has, "Elect who are sojourners," while the Syriac uses this language: "Elect and sojourners who are dispersed." In any event, if the persons addressed were at a distance from the home of their nativity, they were strangers and among strangers, and while remaining away from their former residences they were sojourning whither they had gone, and so long as it appears that they were in different places, they were scattered or dispersed. That they were elect is evident in the character of the letter written to them, and in the way and manner the writer accosts them.

1 Peter 1:1 --Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.

These are geographical divisions, provinces of Asia Minor, as then arranged by the authority of the Roman Empire. From the labors of the apostle Paul, as we gather the history thereof from the Acts of the Apostles and from Paul’s many epistles, the gospel had been proclaimed in these provinces, and churches established. In some of the provinces more than one congregation existed, for Paul speaks of the churches of Galatia. (Galatians 1:2). Peter most probably writes to the believers composing these various congregations, Jewish believers specially, and Gentile believers incidentally. I express myself thus for the reason that the gospel is intended for all alike, no discrimination being therein made, and while Peter was to go specially to the circumcision (that is, the Jew) and Paul specially to the uncircumcision (that is, the Gentile), these addressed ones were gathered from both classes, which Peter evidently knew, and it is certain that he could not comfort, admonish and exhort the one without at the same time reaching and benefiting the other.

1 Peter 1:2—Elect according to the foreknowledge of God.

Around this word "elect" have swept the wildest winds of religious controversy, and the gale is not in the least abated at the mention of the term "foreknowledge." While this is all true, I can see but little cause for the humble, teachable disciple of Christ to be in the least disturbed. The honest, sincere and prayerful study of God’s revealed will leaves the student in no perplexity whatever. Elect means chosen. Who does the choosing? God. Who is chosen? Man. What is the procedure? It is set forth clearly in the gospel. Does the chosen one have anything to do in bringing about the result wherein the relationship is established? Yes, he is required to hear and obey. It must be plain to every reflecting mind that if the gospel of Christ, commanded to be proclaimed to the world, embraced the con­ditions upon which salvation is suspended, that when these conditions were performed then and in that case those obey­ing were chosen or elected. To state it differently, in obey­ing the conditions of salvation the obedient one is thereby pardoned of all past sins, and stands before God as one of his chosen. Such a one is elect. He has complied with all the terms upon which his election was suspended. This gospel of Christ, containing the terms upon which this election was suspended, was according to the foreknowledge of God.

1 Peter 1:2 --According to the foreknowledge of God.

Looking back from the time when the Epistle was writ­ten to that period when our merciful Father conceived in his infinite wisdom the scheme of human redemption. Everything connected with the gospel plan of salvation is in strict accord with God’s purpose determined in the past ages, that in the age in which Peter wrote, and in the age in which we live, it is said truly and correctly to be fore­knowledge. God’s conception and knowledge were many ages before he saw fit in his infinite wisdom to make the same known to the children of men in his revealed will—the Bible. God has made known to us in these last days how we may become his elect. The how was known to him ages before. This was his foreknowledge, or, if you prefer the expression, his predetermined purpose. Now, this is all there is of it. No mystery whatever to perplex or annoy any one who will humbly content himself with what God has seen fit to reveal.

1 Peter 1:2 --Through sanctification of the Spirit.

To sanctify is to set apart. Sanctification is, therefore, the setting apart. The spirit is to be sanctified or set apart. Now, since the. Savior has said that we hear with the ears and understand with the heart, it is plain that something must be heard before there can be a setting apart. Now, the gospel is heard, then understood, then believed. Setting apart, or sanctification, which is the same thing, is the result of belief. Belief in action is obedience. Obedience is followed by pardon. Pardon, or the forgiveness of sins, brings about, or results in, the elect state. It is by obedience we are baptized into Christ, and, being in Christ, are new creatures. All such are elect.

1 Peter 1:2 --Grace unto you.

To the elect, Peter wishes not only a continuance of God’s gracious favors and the peace he can bestow, but he earnestly desires these favors and peace to be multiplied when he contemplates the fearful ordeal through which they must pass.

Commentary on 1 Peter 1:1-2 by Burton Coffman

PETER’S FIRST LETTER

Following the greeting and salutation (1 Peter 1:1-2), there is a doxology, extolling the mercies of God who had given Christians a marvelous birth, a glorious inheritance, and the salvation of their souls, a salvation which even the prophets of old, and actually the angels, had sought to understand more perfectly (1 Peter 1:3-12). The final verses of the chapter (1 Peter 1:13-25) interweave the practical commands to "gird up the loins of the mind," to be "children of obedience," not to participate in their former lusts, and to "love one another," with some of the most magnificent teaching in the New Testament regarding the Father who is judge of all people, the redemption of Christians through the blood of Christ, the new birth accomplished through obedience to the truth, and a pointed identification of the Christian gospel as "the word of the Lord" that "abideth forever."

1 Peter 1:1-2 --Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the elect who are sojourners of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. (1 Peter 1:1-2)

As Barclay said, "One of the outstanding things about this passage is that it takes words and conceptions which had originally applied only to Jews and applies them to Christians."^[1] These are elect, Chosen, Dispersion, and sojourners. "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ ..."

Peter was the beloved name that Jesus himself had bestowed upon this apostle, and is the Greek form of the Aramaic name meaning "stone" or "pebble." Jesus had first spoken it prophetically (John 1:42), later confirming it, when in his great confession of Christ (Matthew 16:18), this great apostle was proving his perception and dependability.

An apostle of Jesus Christ ... There was no need for Peter to defend his apostleship, for it was never questioned, as was sometimes true with Paul. Note also that he did not write "THE apostle," but "AN apostle." He was always careful to acknowledge his own equality with all the Twelve and with Paul also. "St. Peter knew no higher title to bestow on himself than that which he held in common with the other eleven."^[2]

Jesus Christ ... Peter used this compound title of the Master eleven times in the 105 verses of this letter; it is likely that he and the other apostles heard it for the first time in Jesus’ great prayer the night of his betrayal (John 17:3).

To the elect who are sojourners of the Dispersion ... These are the great words, once applicable to Jews only, which have now been given by God himself to the church of Jesus Christ which has become through ancient Israel’s rejection of the Messiah the true and only Israel of God in the new dispensation.

Elect ... The Greek word thus rendered literally means "picked out, chosen,"^[3] and was used of ancient Israel because, as Moses said to Israel, "Because he loved thy fathers therefore he chose their seed after them" (Deuteronomy 4:37). However, Jesus Christ said to his followers, "I have chosen you" (John 15:16 John 15:19); therefore, Christians are the new chosen people (note particularly in this context that no Israelite in the fleshly sense is excluded from this fellowship, unless he chooses to be excluded); these people are said to be chosen out of the world, in the world, but not of it (John 15:15 ff).

Who are sojourners ... Christians are citizens of another country, even heaven itself (Philippians 3:20); their head and Lord is in heaven; their treasure is there (Matthew 6:19); their affections are there (Colossians 3:2); their hope is centered there; many righteous loved ones are (in a sense) there; and it is a poor Christian indeed who considers the present world to be his permanent dwelling place. The Old Testament Israelites were also sojourners. Abraham said to the sons of Heth, "I am a stranger and sojourner with you" (Genesis 23:4); and Jacob also spoke of "the days of the years of my pilgrimage" (Genesis 47:9). Many orthodox Jews, regardless of how large and beautiful a house they may build, always leave some specified portion of it unfinished as a symbolical confession of their being sojourners.

Of the Dispersion ... The Greek word from which this comes is Diaspora, which during pre-Christian times was a technical word for the Jews living outside Palestine; in this remarkable passage, Peter preempts all of these glorious words and uses them with a Christian connotation; because, clearly, the epistle is addressed to Christians, not to Jews. The Christians too, like the Jews after the removal of the ten tribes and the Babylonia captivity, are scattered all over the earth, being separated, not merely from each other, but from the heavenly Jerusalem as well.

In Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia ... These were the provinces lying south of the Black Sea and west of the Taurus Mountains, "including the whole of what we call Asia Minor."^[4] Many scholars see in the very order in which Peter mentioned these provinces an indication that Peter was writing from Rome. Coming from Rome by sea, the bearer of the letter would debark at a port on the Black Sea in Pontus; "He would begin in Pontus and travel around the Christian communities of Galatia, Cappadocia, and Asia, ending his journey in Bithynia."^[5]

According to the foreknowledge of God the Father ... That God did indeed foreknow the calling of the Gentiles to be among the chosen people is proved by the dozens of prophetic references to this very event in the Old Testament. Paul, in the ninth and tenth chapters of Romans, quoted no less than nine Old Testament prophecies predicting the calling of the Gentiles (see my Commentary on Romans, pp. 326-382); and besides this, the original promise to Abraham had been specific as to God’s purpose, namely, that in Abraham "all the families of the earth" should be blessed (Genesis 12:3). The unfortunate pride, self-righteousness and vanity of Israel caused that nation either to ignore this or to forget all about it.

In sanctification of the Spirit ... The Holy Spirit sanctifies "through the word of God" (John 17:17). Thus, obedience to the gospel with the consequent indwelling of the Spirit provides the initial sanctification belonging to every convert to Christ. Thus Paul was enabled to address the Corinthian church as "those sanctified in Christ Jesus" (1 Corinthians 1:2 1 Corinthians 6:11); but sanctification must be continued until the Christian is sanctified "wholly" (1 Thessalonians 5:23). "This phrase clearly is to be connected with the word `chosen.’"^[6]This shows that God chooses only those who will consent to obey the gospel and receive the earnest of the Holy Spirit.

Unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Christ ... The "obedience" in view here is the continuing fidelity of the Christian, not his primary obedience, because that must precede the Christian’s endowment with the Spirit. The Spirit’s being the agent of this continuing obedience unto sanctification "wholly," proves that the initial steps of accepting and obeying the gospel are not meant, because no one ever made it any clearer than did Peter that people must believe, repent and be baptized "in order to receive" and before they can ever receive, the promise of the Spirit (Acts 2:38 ff).

And sprinkling of the blood of Christ ... This also has reference to a post-conversion quality leading to a greater degree of sanctification. Practically all scholars agree that this "refers back to the establishment of the Mosaic covenant in Exodus 24:7";^[7] but, true as this is, it looks only to the typical sprinkling of blood, to the sanctification of the old Israel, What is the Christian application of these words? How are we sprinkled with the blood of Christ? It will be agreed by all that something typical is meant, but what is it? Perhaps no better answer to this has ever been given than that of James Macknight, as follows: "So all who receive the gospel are emblematically sprinkled with the blood of Jesus in the Lord’s Supper."^[8] Full agreement is felt with this, for on the very night of the institution of the Lord’s Supper, the Saviour said of the cup, "This is the blood of the new testament shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:26).

Another word is in order with reference to "obedience" as used by Peter in this phrase. Hart compared it to "the obedience of faith," as used by Paul in Romans 1:5 Romans 16:26,^[9] indicating that in every instance of attributing salvation, whether to faith as Paul has it in Romans, or to "sanctification of the Spirit," as Peter has it in this passage, the sine qua non of all heavenly blessing is obedience on the part of the one to be blessed, obedience being one heavenly requirement that is never waived. Of course it is God’s free grace that saves; and even the obedient are not saved either by works or by merit, but the disobedient are not going to be saved at all (2 Thessalonians 1:8).

Grace to you and peace be multiplied ... Judging from the frequent use of this greeting in the letters of Paul, it would appear to have been the general practice of the early church to avoid slighting either Jewish or Gentile elements in the churches, which generally were composed of both, by combining the Greek and Hebrew greetings, with strong Christian overtones, to give the marvelous "Grace ... and peace" of the New Testament.

^[1] William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1976), p. 165.

^[2] A. J. Mason, Ellicott’s Bible Commentary, Vol. VIII (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1959), p. 387.

^[3] W. E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Old Tappan, New Testament: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1940), vol. I, p. 20.

^[4] J. R. Dummelow, One Volume Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 1040.

^[5] Archibald M. Hunter, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XIII (New York and Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1957), p. 89.

^[6] Raymond C. Kelcy, The Letters of Peter and Jude (Austin, Texas: R. B. Sweet Company, 1972), p. 18.

^[7] G.J. Polkinghorne, A New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969), p. 586.

^[8] James Macknight, Macknight on the Epistles, Vol. V (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1969), p. 434.

^[9] J. H. A. Hart, Expositor’s Greek Testament, Vol. V (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967), p. 40.

Verses 3-5

1Pe 1:3-5

EULOGY AND THANKSGIVING

1 Peter 1:3-5

Preparatory to the introduction of the general theme of the epistle--patience in trial and hope for the future--Peter praised the Father for the reestablishment of their faith by the resurrection of Christ, for the living hope they now experienced through it, for the inheritance reserved in heaven for them, and for the promise of preservation that was theirs. Verses 3-5 emphasize the functions of the Father, verses 6-9 the activities of the Son, and verses 10-12 the participation of the Holy Spirit in these matters.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, --Here, as elsewhere in Peter’s epistles, there is striking correspondence with sentiments expressed by Paul (2 Corinthians 1:3 Ephesians 1:3), indicating familiarity with Paul’s writings. It is certain that Peter was acquainted with some of the epistles of Paul (2 Peter 3:15-16), and his frequent reproduction of phrases characteristic of that apostle reveals that he was influenced thereby.

"Blessed" is from the Greek eulogetos from which we derive our English words, "eulogy," "eulogize." The term occurs also in Romans 1:25; Romans 9:5; 2 Corinthians 1:3 and Ephesians 1:3. New Testament writers use it with reference to God only, though a participial form of it is sometimes applied to men. The word means to speak well of another; to praise. It is not the same word as that translated "blessed" in the beatitudes. (Matthew 5:3-11.) There, the word is makarios, "spiritual prosperity."

Who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, --The emphasis in this verse is on the word again. Peter and the other disciples of Jesus had been spiritually begotten before, but in the tragic hours of the Lord’s condemnation and death their faith had failed and was not revived until the full impact and implications of the resurrection struck them with its irresistible force. The reference here is, therefore, to the reestablishment of the faith of the disciples by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Peter, along with all of the disciples, clung tenaciously to the view that Jesus would restore the Jewish political state and establish himself as an earthly ruler on the throne thereof, in Jerusalem. When he allowed himself to fall into the hands of the Romans and to die on the cross, the hope of the disciples was blasted and their faith failed. The attitude of all of them was feelingly expressed in the words of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, when they sadly commented, "But we hoped that it was he who should redeem Israel." (Luke 23:21.) Peter, his faith gone, returned to his nets. But, though his hopes died with Christ on the cross, and were buried with him in Joseph’s tomb, they surged to new life, and to "a living hope" by the resurrection of the Lord from the dead. Peter describes this resurgence to hope by the word "living," in contrast to the temporal and perishable expectations of men which, however attractive and alluring, will, with all earthly things, inevitably fail. In the quickening to new faith and life, Peter saw an exhibition of God’s "great mercy." Unbelievers all, and apostates from the faith, they were utterly unworthy of the rich provisions of grace so wondrously afforded them, and he attributed it all to the "great mercy of God."

The word "hope," or its equivalents, occurs often in Peter’s phraseology. It was a sentiment especially precious to those who were suffering severe persecution (1 Peter 4:12), and it buoyed them up with the expectation of deliverance in the by and by. If it is proper to style John the apostle of love, and Paul the apostle of faith, it is eminently true that Peter may be regarded as the apostle of hope. It is significant that the word "hope" does not occur in the books of Matthew, Mark or Luke. In the classical writers the word here translated "hope" means no more than expectation, the element of desire being absent. It is through the influence of Christianity, and primarily the resurrection of Christ, that to the expectation a desire for better things was added to constitute Christian hope.

4 Unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away,--While verse three deals primarily with the renewal of faith which the apostles and other disciples experienced as a result of the resurrection of Jesus, Peter’s words appear to have an extended application and to apply in a secondary sense to all who have been born again. (John 3:3-5; James 1:18; 1 Corinthians 4:16; 1 Peter 1:23.) The new birth (John 3:5), and the relationship of children which is implied in it, suggests an inheritance awaiting. In this relationship, his children are his heirs and joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:17.) The figure of an inheritance to indicate future blessings is a common one to New Testament writers. (Acts 20:32; Galatians 3:18; Ephesians 1:14; Ephesians 1:18, and often elsewhere.)

(1) The inheritance which awaits the faithful children of God is "incorruptible" (aphthartos, immortal, imperishable, undying, enduring), and thus not affected by the lapse of ages. It is wholly unlike all earthly inheritances which, however attractive and satisfying for a time, must inevitably yield to dissolution and decay. Only the inheritance which we shall receive from the Father is incorruptible, for it alone is eternal.

(2) The inheritance is also "undefiled" (amiantos, unstained, unsoiled, therefore, pure and chaste. This word also appears in Hob. 7:26, where it is used to describe the undefilement characteristic of Jesus, our High Priest. Being undefiled, the inheritance does not partake of the contamination characteristic of the inheritance of men. The earthly Canaan was not able to escape this defilement (Leviticus 18:27-28), but into the heavenly Canaan nothing shall ever enter to defile or make it unclean (Revelation 21:27).

(3) The inheritance is "unfading." The words, "that fadeth not away" are translated from the beautiful word amarantos, that which does not fade, or wither. The amaranth was a fabled flower whose bloom was perpetual, and whose loveliness never faded. The inheritance which awaits the children of God will not deteriorate, nor will passing ages render it less desirable or attractive. There is an assonance obtaining between the words translated "undefiled" and "that fadeth not away," which does not appear in English, but which may be reproduced by the English reader by pronouncing slowly the words, am i an tos and am a ran tos. The feebleness of conception characteristic of us with reference to that which awaits in the next world is indicated by the fact that the sacred writer, in describing some of its features, could only explain that it is not like the things with which we are familiar here.

Reserved in heaven for you,--Hence, not available in this life. Eternal life--the inheritance of the people of God--is not a present possession, but a promise, the realization of which must await our entrance into the world to come. (Mark 10:30; Titus 1:2; 1 John 2:25.) This inheritance is "reserved" (tereo, to keep in watchful custody) "in heaven," and is, therefore, not a promise the enjoyment of which will be on earth, as premillennialists contend. The saint’s future abode is in heaven, which Jesus has gone to prepare. (John 14:2.)

5 Who by the power of God are guarded through faith,-- The children of God are thus (a) guarded; (b) guarded by (literally in) the power of God; and (c) guarded through faith. "Guarded" is from phrouomenous, present participle of phrouoreo, to protect with a garrison, or military guard. The term thus has a military connotation, and as used here, metaphorically suggests a band of soldiers thrown about the faithful to protect and to guarantee their safety so long as they remain within the stockade of faith! The present tense indicates action in progress, and the guarding is, therefore, continuous and unfailing. It is exercised by (in) the power (dunamis, from which is derived our words, dynamic, dynamo, dynamite) of God, a statement reminiscent of Romans 1:16, where we are informed that the "gospel is the power of God unto salvation"; and the guarding is through faith, and not by an independent operation of God’s power, apart from human participation or effort. It is possible for one’s faith to fail (Luke 22:31-32), a fact with which Peter was painfully conscious and there is an important sense in which one must keep himself in the love of God (Judges 1:21). Those whose faith endures are guarded effectively against the assaults of Satan, all others suffering defeat at his hands, as did Peter when his faith failed. This passage, far from teaching the impossibility of apostasy, establishes, by implication, its very definite possibility.

Unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time, --The salvation here contemplated is not that promised in Mark 16:15-16, that salvation being limited to past, or alien sins, but to the salvation of the soul in heaven. It is the equivalent of "the glory which shall be revealed to usward," at the revelation "of the sons of God." (Romans 8:18-19.) This salvation is not available here, and cannot be enjoyed until the last day. Verse 5 contains a warning as well as a glorious and blessed assurance. While it assures us that the Father protects his heirs, even as he guards their inheritance, it also reveals that those who cease to believe will be excluded from the inheritance.

Commentary on 1 Peter 1:3-5 by N.T. Caton

1 Peter 1:3—Blessed be God.

The writer breaks forth in this ejaculation of thank­fulness to God for the exhibition of his mercy to the chil­dren of men. It is called an abundant mercy; that is, an overflowing mercy, a great mercy. It is a marvelous mercy that God should beget us again to a lively hope—a living hope, not a dead hope. Being begotten of God, we are his children, and as children we have this living hope—a glorious hope of a blessed, eternal existence by or through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. By the resurrection of Christ from the dead, his divinity is demon­strated, and on this our hope is based.

1 Peter 1:4—To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled.

Here the apostle describes that for which we hope, and he adds to the same the fact that the elect are heirs. The word "inheritance" conveys the idea of heirship. Think of it, ye elect—heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit, by the pen of Peter, uses no superfluous or misleading words. Notice, then, we are begotten again unto a lively or living hope, not only to an eternal existence, but we as the elect are heirs to an inheritance, and that inheritance is described as, first, incorruptible; second, as undefiled, and, third, as unfading. What a glorious hope! What a weighty incentive to fidelity to the cause of Christ! Here let our progress be slow and observant.

1 Peter 1:4 --Incorruptible.

This is, imperishable. The grandest achievements of human genius give way to the withering touch of time. So of everything in this earth-life. This we all know by obser­vation. Now, in bold contrast to this, in Christ we are assured that our divine inheritance as the elect is not thus liable to decay, but is imperishable.

1 Peter 1:4 --Undefiled.

That is, it is unstained by sin. What a stimulus to the struggling saint in his earth-life when he knows assuredly that, when once in possession of his divine inheritance, he reaches a condition in which he is above the power of sin.

1 Peter 1:4 --Fadeth not away.

The divine inheritance of the elect has and possesses a beauty that is imperishable; possesses absolute perma­nence. The fountain of immortal youth is there, and in all the universe of God to be found there, and there alone.

1 Peter 1:4 --Reserved in heaven for you.

The Syriac has it, "Which is prepared for you in heaven." How forcibly the glorious promise of the Master is here brought to our notice: "In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, ye may be also" (John 14:2-3).

1 Peter 1:5—Who are kept by the power of God.

Kept; that is, guarded. God, by his revealed will, has made provisions by which his elect are kept or guarded or defended against the prince of evil and all of his instru­mentalities, through their faith.

1 Peter 1:5 --Unto salvation.

Final salvation or deliverance. This is the evident thought from the language that follows: "Ready to be revealed in the last time." Some maintain that this referred to a salvation or deliverance when Jerusalem should be destroyed. This destruction the Savior foretold. (Matthew 24:16.) This is true, and the prophecy can only apply to those Jews living at Jerusalem at the time the same should be destroyed by Titus. By observing the admonition of the Savior, the Christian Jews would escape, and their salvation or deliverance from destruction be assured. Here, however, Peter addresses Jews in dispersion and not those in Jeru­salem.

Commentary on 1 Peter 1:3-5 by Burton Coffman

1 Peter 1:3 --Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ... The fountainhead of all blessing and salvation is God himself; and by these words Peter showed that Christianity was in no sense a departure from the God of Israel and of the Hebrew patriarchs, but was still a worship of that same God through the acceptance of God’s only begotten Son; for the same God who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the very one who has begotten us.

According to his great mercy ... Every hope of eternal life, of forgiveness of sins, of every conceivable measure of salvation - all hope springs ultimately from the unmerited favor and mercy of an almighty God.

Begat us again unto a living hope ... This makes God the Father of every Christian, the means by which that hope is conveyed to them being the new birth, of which Peter will shortly speak again.

By the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ... This does not deny that Christians are born again through obeying the word of God (1 Peter 1:22), but refers to the source of that word, Jesus Christ, and the mighty act wrought by God in his resurrection of our Saviour from the tomb, the same being the enabling charter, the vast achievement which made the salvation of people possible. Thus it is quite correct to say that Christians are born again by the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

Furthermore, it is most appropriate that the apostle Peter would have focused upon the resurrection at the very outset; because, as Hunter said, "The resurrection had made all new in Peter’s life, had turned tragedy into triumph; so it is altogether fitting that his epistle should begin with this paean of it."^[10]

The word "blessed" as used of God in this verse is a special word, "consecrated to God alone in the New Testament";^[11] and it is utterly different from the term "blessed" as used in the beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount. Kelcy informs us that the word reserved for God is [@eulogetos]; and the other one is [@makarios],^[12] both of which, however, are translated "blessed" in the common versions.

^[10] Archibald M. Hunter, op. cit., p. 92.

^[11] A. J. Mason, op. cit., p. 388.

^[12] Raymond C. Kelcy, op. cit., p. 20.

1 Peter 1:4 --unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

Here again the continuing contrast between the old and new Israel is in view. The inheritance that pertained to the old Israel was their literal possession of the land of Canaan; and in speaking of the marvelous reward that shall at last result from the Christian life, Peter called it an inheritance. Also, in the case of Christians, it is really an inheritance, something they are born into, through means of the new birth, just as the Israelites who possessed Canaan received it through their being the actual posterity of Abraham. Four things are stated with reference to that glorious inheritance.

Incorruptible ... Paul also spoke of the Christian’s inheritance (Ephesians 1:14; Colossians 3:24), and all of the sacred writers extolled the virtues of it. Canaan, the inheritance of the old Israel, had indeed been corrupted; foreign enemies invaded it and subjected the people to slavery; evil kings arose from themselves who oppressed and devoured the land; but the heavenly inheritance cannot be corrupted. There seems also to be in this word a remembrance of what Jesus said about moth and rust corrupting earthly wealth (Matthew 6:19 ff). Even the very best of earthly treasures are destined to failure and decay at last when not even the earth itself shall stand.

And undefiled ... The old Israel’s inheritance (Canaan) had been indeed defiled. Again and again the people had fallen into idolatry; oppression of the poor was everywhere; even the sacred temple itself had not been exempt from the heel of the invader and the pollution of the most holy altar by the sacrifice of a sow.

And that fadeth not away ... The fading nature of all earthly and temporal things contrasts with the eternal reward of the saints in Christ Jesus. No matter what wealth, honor, power, glory, popularity, beauty, or success may come to one on earth, it is only for a moment. All of the strength, achievement, and desire of mortals quickly end in the tomb, fading away, and are soon forgotten by the fleeting generations of people; but not so the everlasting inheritance of the saints in light.

Reserved in heaven for you ... It is reserved for them who shall be entitled to it; it will be there ready for them; none other shall preempt it or take it away from them. Notice the emphasis upon heaven. Peter had heard the Master say, "Great is your reward in heaven" (Matthew 5:10-12). The essential "other-worldliness" of the Christian faith shines in a passage like this, where the pilgrims, sojourners, and citizens of heaven are called to contemplate the eternal nature of their ultimate reward, the glory of the everlasting inheritance.

1 Peter 1:5 --who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

"The word guarded here is a military term,"^[13] Christians are garrisoned by the power of God and are safeguarded by the Father himself. Of course, the Christians themselves, under the terms of the Father’s will, contribute to that safety. How? The next phrase explains how.

Through faith ... This cannot bear the meaning that the Christian’s sole act of believing provides any safety. "Faith" as used here means "staunch fidelity" as well as trustfulness.^[14] Barnes summarized the thought of this verse thus:

The idea is that there was a faithful guardianship exercised over them to save them from danger, as a castle or garrison is watched to guard it against the approach of an enemy.^[15]

A salvation ready to be revealed in the last time ... Despite the fact of many New Testament writers using the expression "the last days" to mean the Christian dispensation, "the last time" here has reference to the final judgment day when Christ will raise the dead and summon all people to the judgment of the White Throne. As Wheaton noted:

In these verses salvation is seen in all its tenses (past, present and future), Christians have been born anew by the mercy of God, are being guarded by the power of God, and look forward to obtaining complete deliverance from all evil in the last time.^[16]

^[13] Ibid., p. 23.

^[14] A. J. Mason, op. cit., p. 389.

^[15] Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament, Peter (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1953), p. 114.

^[16] Archibald M. Hunter, op. cit., p. 92.

Verses 6-9

1Pe 1:6-9

JOY IN AFFLICTION

1 Peter 1:6-9

6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice,--Though "wherein" seems most naturally in our translation, to refer to the "salvation" of verse 5, actually the text will not bear this interpretation, for the word "herein" (en ho) is neuter gender, and thus requires a neuter antecedent. The word "salvation" is feminine. That which was in the apostle’s mind was the whole of the blessings earlier enumerated--sonship, forgiveness of sins, the divine inheritance and the providential care of the Father. Notwithstanding the fact that these to whom Peter wrote were suffering severe persecution as Christians, he bade them to find occasion for rejoicing, in the midst of trial, in the contemplation of the present and the future blessings which were theirs as children of the heavenly Father. The adverb and verb "greatly rejoice" are translated from one Greek word (angalliasthe, to rejoice exceedingly, to exalt) which occurs also in the Sermon on the Mount when the Saviour said, "Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad (angalliasthe): for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12.) Peter’s use of the term in the same connection as that which characterized our Lord’s use of it in that sermon is significant, being another indication (with which the epistles of Peter abound) of the profound influence the Lord wrote upon that disciple by his teaching during his public ministry.

Though now for a little while, if need be,--The "little while" is descriptive of the duration of suffering the saints were undergoing which, though it should extend through the whole of their life span would, in comparison with the endless ages of eternity, be slight. Similarly, Paul wrote, "For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceeding an eternal weight of glory." (2 Corinthians 4:17.) "If need be" does not signify, as many commentators assert, that there is in these words an implication that the suffering of the saints was divinely sent; a view which seriously reflects on the goodness of God. The meaning is that if it should become necessary (ei deon estin), because of the circumstances characteristic of their time to be exposed to trials and hardships from without, they were not to despair, but to see in these difficulties an occasion for rejoicing in the test of their faith which such trials afforded.

7 That the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it be proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.--The "manifold trials" in which they were being put to grief sum up the persecutions, deprivations, hardships and difficulties that they were experiencing as faithful children of God. The phrase "manifold trials" in Greek is the same as that translated "manifold temptations" in James 1:2. The word "manifold" indicates that their trials had appeared in a variety of form, suggesting diversity rather than number, though the number of them must also have been great.

"Proof of your faith" is translated from the same phrase as "proving your faith" in James 1:3. Here, as often elsewhere in the epistle, there is evidence of Peter’s familiarity with the book of James and his dependence on it for many of his prominent ideas. The word "proof" from dokimion, suggests a trial or test for the purpose of determining the worthiness or character of that tested. As the assayer takes the gold ore and runs a test on it to determine the quality and quantity of the precious metal, so the trials through which the saints were passing constituted a crucible which tested their faith and revealed its true character. The Lexicographer Cremer says that the word dokimion signifies not only the "means of proof itself . . . but also the trace of the metal is left thereon."

This proof of faith is more precious than gold which perishes which, though proved by fire must, nothwithstanding its enduring qualities, ultimately with all things worldly perish; whereas, "faith, hope and love" abide, such faith being unaffected by the corrupting and deteriorating influences of time.

The purpose for which this test is run is that the faith thus approved may be "found unto praise and glory and honor at the relevation of Jesus Christ," i.e., that it may show itself to be approved at the last day. The praise will consist of the benedictions of approval which shall come to those who have been good and faithful servants; the glory will be the tokens of triumph which shall then be bestowed; the crown and the robe and the palm; and the honor will be that which Jesus possessed before the world was, and which he will at length share with those who have followed him faithfully here. (John 17:22.)

8 Whom having not seen ye love:--The saints to whom Peter wrote, being scattered through the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and. Bithynia (1 Peter 1:1), had not seen (literally, had not had so much as a glimpse of) the physical form of Jesus, and yet so vivid was their conception of him that they loved him as dearly as those disciples in Judaea who had been privileged to see his face. Their love did not depend, as human love ordinarily does, on outward, physical characteristics. In penning this statement, Peter was doubtless mindful of the words of the Lord to the disciple Thomas: "Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29.) Those who were acquainted with the fleshly characteristics of Jesus made no effort to retain them, allowing them to be replaced with the vision of the glorified Saviour. Said Paul, "Wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh: even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more." (2 Corinthians 5:16.) Jewish Christians who had formerly placed so much confidence in fleshly descent, and he were at first attracted to Christ because he fulfilled the prophecies regarding fleshly descent from David, allowed these considerations, along with all the matters pertaining to the law, to pass from view, and henceforth regarded Jesus as the risen Son of God. The word "love" (Agapao) which the apostle uses in this passage is not a term which expresses affection between individuals on a human level, but one indicative of reverential awe and deep respect for the one loved. It is a type of love which is created and drawn out by the worthiness of the person which is its object.

On whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory:--Though they had not seen the Lord with their physical eyes, they were nevertheless assured of his loveliness and attractiveness by faith; and in this consciousness they rejoiced (literally, rejoiced exceedingly, exulted). The verb is the same as in verse 6. Here, again, the contrast is between ordinary love and that which has as its object the Saviour. Love which has its origin and end in the flesh must depend on the presence of the one loved for the consummation of joy (2 John 1:12); whereas, this love rejoiced, amid the trials of life, in the unseen presence of the Lord. The joy which such emotion produces is "unspeakable," because it is far deeper than that which is common to human love.

9. Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls,--The word "receiving," a participial form and in the middle voice, is used in 2 Corinthians 5:10, and in Ephesians 6:8, to indicate the reward which shall be vouchsafed to the saints in the judgment day; and such is its meaning here. "End," from the Greek telos, signifies consummation or fulfillment; and thus the reference here is to the consummation and fulfillment of faith at the judgment day, this being the salvation of the soul. Salvation is the goal of faith, and its realization the end or design thereof. This consum-mation will be realized at the judgment day. As a matter of fact, salvation of the soul is the end and aim of all revelation. It has been said that there is not a book in the New Testament in which the word, either as a verb or concrete noun, does not appear. It is truly the fundamental idea of the Bible, the consummation of the divine plan for the redemption of the race. To accomplish it, Jesus came into the world. (Matthew 1:21.)

Commentary on 1 Peter 1:6-9 by N.T. Caton

1 Peter 1:6—Wherein ye greatly rejoice.

That is to say, in the living hope you have of this final salvation you are exceedingly glad, although it is true that now for a little time you are in heaviness; that is, you are sorry, or undergoing sorrow brought about by the afflictions with which you are visited. I take it that these brethren were at this time being persecuted on account of their faith. The expression "if need be," indicating a necessity, which appears both in the Common and Revised Versions, is somewhat confusing. The idea intended to be conveyed is possibly more apparent in the Syriac version, which reads: "Wherein ye will rejoice forever, notwithstanding ye at the present time are pressed a little by various trials that pass over you."

1 Peter 1:7—That the trial of your faith.

"Manifold temptations" of the sixth verse are here referred to as trials of faith. Persecutions by stripes, imprisonment and death are the severest tests of one’s fidelity to the cause of Christ. Maintaining loyalty through­out these trials, enduring without faltering, shows unmis­takably steadfastness in the faith. Gold is tested and refined by fire. Faith tested by trials enduringly is more precious than gold in this: Gold itself will perish, but the faith that endures will eventuate in praise to God and honor and great glory to the victor at the appearing of the Mas­ter, when he comes to make up his jewels, crown the obedient and take his ransomed home to their inheritance.

1 Peter 1:8.—Whom, having not seen, ye love.

These dispersed ones had not seen the Savior while he was here on earth, and did not, at the time Peter wrote, see him with the human eye, yet they believed in him, and all accounts given by the apostles of him, and trusted him and relied unwaveringly upon his promises and the blessed hope of the gospel, and, so believing, were enabled to rejoice in the Captain of their salvation with a joy which was inex­pressible and full in anticipation of the glory which should be their crown on the appearing of the Lord.

1 Peter 1:9—Receiving the end of your faith.

The result you so greatly desire, the recompense or reward for your fidelity; that inheritance heretofore men­tioned. That is, the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Commentary on 1 Peter 1:6-9 by Burton Coffman

1 Peter 1:6 --Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, ye have been put to grief in manifold trials,

wherein ... There are several notions in vogue as to what, exactly, is the antecedent; but the most obvious meaning is that the whole "situation" just discussed is being given as the logical reason why they greatly rejoice, or are commanded to greatly rejoice. "The Greek verb might be taken also as an imperative, `Wherefore rejoice’"^[17] This is also given as an alternative in RSV margin.

Ye greatly rejoice ... This is a simple statement of fact, rejoicing being mentioned almost continually throughout the New Testament, as when Paul and Silas rejoiced and sang hymns in the night (Acts 16:25).

Though now for a little while ... This is not to be understood as a prophecy that their trials would be of short duration, but relates to the fact of earthly life being almost infinitely shorter than eternal life.

Ye have been put to grief in manifold trials ... The trials coming upon the Christians to whom Peter wrote were more than were normally expected. "Here is a reference to the weight of persecutions being felt by Christians."^[18] Later in the letter, Peter will give a number of glimpses of the hatred, vilification, and evil speakings which, even then, were an increasing storm of opposition to the faith.

^[17] David H. Wheaton, op. cit., p. 1239.

^[18] Stephen W. Paine, Wycliffe New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1971), p. 970.

1 Peter 1:7 --that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ:

This rather complicated verse is not a comparison of faith with gold; "but there is an analogy between the testing of character (faith) and the refining of gold."^[19] If people go to the trouble to test gold, how much more should it be expected that God will test faith? Barnes also stressed this, as follows:

This does not mean that their faith was more precious than gold (though of course it is), but that the testing of it ... was a much more important and valuable process than that of testing gold by fire.^[20]

Also inherent in this verse is the tremendous fact itself, that faith is more precious than fine gold, the reason for this, as pointed out by Zerr, being that:

Even while the earth remains, the joys that gold may procure for us are uncertain and often flee like the dew of morning; but the happiness that is obtained by an enduring faith will not pass away.^[21]

It will not be lost on a close student of the New Testament that these verses are loaded with phrases and thoughts used by the apostle Peter in his sermons (Acts 3:20-21 Acts 10:42).

By Peter’s striking this note of suffering early in his letter, he was only stressing that which had been stressed by the Master himself (Mark 8:31-38); and Peter would return to this, again and again, throughout the epistle (1 Peter 2:21 1 Peter 3:14-22 1 Peter 4:12-19 1 Peter 5:1 1 Peter 5:10). (See under the Outline in the Introduction for discussion of themes recurring throughout the epistle.) Thus the sufferings of a Christian must not be viewed as any "unscheduled disaster overtaking him without the will of God, but on the other hand as the very route by which the Lord Jesus wrought his wonderful redemption."^[22]

^[19] Archibald M. Hunter, op. cit., p. 96.

^[20] Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1953), p. 116.

^[21] E. M. Zerr, Bible Commentary (Marion, Indiana: Cogdill Foundation, 1954), p. 253.

^[22] G. J. Polkinghorne, op. cit., p. 587.

1 Peter 1:8 --whom not having seen ye love; on whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory;

Dummelow thought there was a "generous touch"^[23] on Peter’s part in this. The apostle who has seen, admires, and appreciates the love and joy of the brethren who have not seen(!) reminds us of the words of Jesus, "Blessed are they that have not seen, yet have believed" (John 20:29). Despite the unobtrusive nature of it, there is here a positive implication that the writer of the epistle had indeed seen the Lord, by these words recalling that second meeting with the Lord after his resurrection, in that upper room.

The Greeks had three words for love, these being [@agape], [@eros], and [@fileo]. It is the first of these that Peter used here; and Kelcy has an excellent word on the meaning of it:

It indicates an intelligent and purposeful love, the love which recognizes its object for what it is; it is the love of consideration and care, the love of good will, and the love which desires to serve and promote the best interests of its object.^[24]

How can such unspeakable joy and rejoicing exist in the hearts of those whose hearts are burdened with manifold trials and temptations? The answer to this is thundered in the next verse.

^[23] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 1041.

^[24] Raymond C. Kelcy, op. cit., p. 26.

1 Peter 1:9 --receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

End of your faith ... This means the goal or purpose of faith, that which is the ultimate result of the obedience of faith.

Paine, basing his conclusion on the construction of the Greek, says, "This is not a future, but a present reference,"^[25] thus making the salvation to be that which they already had. Of course, this harmonizes with the view in Acts that those who were "being saved" were added to the church (Acts 2:47). There was surely a sense in which Peter’s addressees were already saved, that is, from "their old sins," as Peter explained in 2 Peter 1:9.

Even the salvation of your souls ... Dummelow pointed out that "the Greek has no word for your,"^[26]which, accordingly, is italicized in our version. If read without the italicized words, then the verse has "the salvation of souls," this being indeed the objective or end of all believing, the holy purpose toward which the whole eternal plan of the heavenly Father is directed. The churches of the current era have tended to overlook this. The social gains which have preempted so much time in the plans and activities of churches, although having some little value for the now and the here, are by no means "the purpose" of God’s church in the world. It is the salvation of people’s souls, not their take-home pay, nor the quality of their housing, which looms in Scripture as the great commission for the church.

^[25] Stephen W. Paine, op. cit., p. 970.

^[26] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 1041.

Verses 10-12

1Pe 1:10-12

MINISTRY OF THE PROPHETS

1 Peter 1:10-12

10 Concerning which salvation the prophets sought and searched diligently,--To encourage the saints to bear patiently the trials through which they were passing (1 Peter 4:12), the apostle informed them that the salvation, referred to in verse 9, was not only the subject of prophecy, but that the prophets themselves had engaged in minute and detailed inquiry to determine, if possible, the nature and the time of the events which they had predicted. There is no article before the word "prophets" in the Greek text, and the reference is, therefore, to prophets as a class. These men "sought" (ekzeteo, to seek out, to engage in minute study, to scrutinize closely), and "searched diligently" (exereunao, to trace out in detail, to explore, as one carefully sifts ore to find the precious metal) their own writings in an effort to learn the time and the nature of the tokens by which these events would be ushered into the world. By prayer, by close study, by meditation, by the exercise of all their mental faculties they sought to learn the significance of the matters which had occasioned their prophecies.

Here is indisputable evidence of the verbal inspiration of the prophetical writings. These prophecies, far from being the productions of the prophets, unaided by inspiration, were so far above and beyond them, that they were dependent on others for instruction enabling them to grasp the significance of their own writings. A remarkable example of this will be seen in the instance of Daniel inquiring of the angel the meaning of the matters revealed to him. (Daniel 7:16.) See also Daniel 9:2-3. The Holy Spirit, by whose powers, and under whose influence they spoke, prompted them to give utterance to matters which were outside their apprehension, and which they sought, through patient scrutiny, to understand. They were not only prophets, they were people, and as such, had an absorbing interest in matters of such vital moment as that which occasioned their prophecies. Their primary purpose being consummated in the prophecies, they continued to pore over their predictions in an effort to learn what they signified.

Who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you.--Actually, "Who predicted the special grace intended for you alone." This does not mean that these disciples alone were the objects of the prophecy alluded to, or that the grace was not to be shared by others, but that those of this dispensation, of which they were a part, were the recipients of the blessings predicted. The word "grace" means unmerited favor, and the reference is, therefore, to the blessings which have come to the world in this dispensation through the manifestation of grace to men. This is the "grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ." (John 1:17.) The word "grace" in this verse sums up the blessings of God vouchsafed to men under the present dispensation.

11 Searching what time or what manner of time the spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow them.--Again, reference is made to the diligent and painstaking search the prophets instituted into their own writings, and the writings of other prophets to learn the significance of the matters predicted. The nature of their inquiry is said to have been with reference (a) to what time (chronos) and (b) what manner of time (kairos) "the Spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto." Chronos, time, is a simple term denoting duration, the lapse of moments; kairos describes the seasons, periods, epochs, etc., into which time is divided. Both of these words occur in our Lord’s reply to the request of the disciples for information regarding the time of establishment of his kingdom, when he said, "It is not for you to know time (chronos) or seasons (kairos) which the Father has set within his own authority." (Acts 1:6-8.) The prophets are thus represented as searching for the time when the events mentioned were to occur; or, if failing in that, the dispensation or age in which they could be expected. Thus, the matters about which they appear to have been especially concerned were the date and circumstances of the Lord’s advent, and the consummation of the scheme of redemption for the salvation of man. Daniel 9:25 was doubtless one of the passages particularly studied in an effort to determine the time of the Lord’s appearance and the nature of the events described.

The prophets "testified" (bore witness) "beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow" by "the Spirit of Christ" which was "in them." The Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead. (Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6.) From this important truth several considerations follow: (1) The Holy Spirit dwelt in the prophets, directed their thoughts, and supplied the revelations which they delivered (2) the same Spirit that influenced the apostles and inspired men of the New Testament period operated similarly in the Old Testament era (2 Peter 1:20-21); (3) The Spirit of Christ having been in the prophets, it follows that Christ existed during the times of the prophets, and this verse thus becomes an important text in support of the deity and preexistence of the Lord Jesus.

The Holy Spirit, in the prophets, led them to testify with reference to "the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow," or, more correctly, "the sufferings appointed or destined for Christ and the glories after these." That the expected Messiah should suffer was a matter clearly revealed by the Old Testament writers. (Isaiah 53; Daniel 9:25-27.) Numerous references to such predictions occur in the New Testament. "But the things which God foreshowed by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled." (Acts 3:18.) "Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand unto this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses did say should come: how that the Christ must suffer, and how that he first by the resurrection of the dead should proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles." (Acts 26:23.) The Lord himself, in his famous interview with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, gave utterance to the same sentiment: "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Behooved it not the Christ to suffer these things, and to enter into his glory? and beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24:25-27.) The apostles and other inspired men entered into great detail regarding these matters, and gave much emphasis to them in an effort to overcome the repugnance the Jews felt to the idea of a suffering Messiah. Such a view many of them regarded as inconsistent with other prophecies which represent him as a triumphant and reigning Messiah. Such views continue to constitute a stumbling block in the way of the Jews today. They disregard the fact that Christ was both, i.e., a suffering Saviour, and a reigning Monarch; in him both lines of prophecy merge and find fulfillment.

The "glories after these," i.e., after the predicted sufferings, were the triumphs which came to the Saviour, including his resurrection, his ascension, his coronation, and reign at God’s right hand.

12 To whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto you, did they minister these things,--By means of revelation, it was made known to these ancient seers that the matters which occasioned their prophecies would have their fulfillment, not in their day, or for their benefit, but in succeeding ages, and with reference to other people. To such ages and people they were ministering (serving), being instruments in the hand of God for the deliverance of their message to the world. They were said to minister to the people to whom Peter wrote because these people lived within the period in which their prophecies converged. The benefit which the prophets derived from such activity was great but it was nevertheless secondary and incidental to the functions designed for them in vouchsafing it to the world.

Which now have been announced unto you through them that preached the gospel unto you by the Holy Spirit sent forth from heaven; --The word "announced" points to the proclamation of the matters predicted by the prophets as having actually occurred; and the preaching of the gospel alluded to, included, and embraced the details thereof. This preaching was done by means of the Holy Spirit, the design of the apostle being to show that the same Spirit which motivated the prophets had led the apostles and others to preach the fulfillment of that which the prophets had predicted. Thus, the Spirit which had predicted the events, preached their fulfillment through the apostles. The Jews paid great deference to the prophets and regarded them as under the divine illumination and Peter pointed out to them that the same Spirit effectively operated through the apostles to confirm and announce the fulfillment of the events which they regarded as divine predictions by holy men of old.

In directing attention to the fact that the Holy Spirit was sent down from heaven, it is entirely possible that it was his intention to indicate that whereas the prophets were merely influenced by the Spirit, the apostles were more powerfully directed by him, the Spirit having been sent down from heaven for this purpose.

Which things angels desire to look into.--"Which things" refer to, and include, the matters of prophecy and their fulfillment in the Christian dispensation, alluded to in verses 10-12. These things "angels," (heavenly messengers, inhabitants of the celestial abode), "ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation" (Hebrews 1:14), "desire to look into." "Desire" is from epithumeo, to set the heart on, to want passionately; a word indicative of the intensity of feeling characteristic of the angels as they contemplate the wonders of redemption; and the words, "look into," are from parakupto, to stoop down in order to look. It is used of Peter when he stooped down to look into the empty tomb of the risen Lord. (Luke 24:12.) It is a picturesque word which suggests the act of leaning sideways to peer intently into a place or thing of interest. This passage thus vividly describes the angels as being possessed of a passionate desire to peer into the marvelous depths of redemption and discover its great and fundamental facts. The preposition Para used in composition with the verb whose meaning is "beside" (from the outside), may be indicative of the fact that angels for whom no provision for salvation has been made, are outside the realm of redemption. "For verily not to angels doth he give help, but he giveth help to the seed of Abraham." (Hebrews 2:16.)

Commentary on 1 Peter 1:10-12 by N.T. Caton

1 Peter 1:10—Of which salvation the prophets have inquired.

As the ages passed, God, from time to time, by words through the prophets and by their hands, exhibited types and symbols relating to the coming Christ and the salvation through the gospel for the world which the same prophets did not comprehend. They inquired and searched diligently while they prophesied of the grace that was to be given. They themselves desired further light concerning the things they spoke.

1 Peter 1:11—Searching what or what manner of time.

Now, the Spirit of Christ that was in these prophets caused them to testify that the Christ would come, and of his sufferings and the consequent glory that should follow, both to the Christ and to the children of men. And yet they knew not in what character he would appear, nor the time of his appearance. It is very certain that the king the Jews expected bore no resemblance to the Jesus who did come. And the reason why they did not receive him when he did come was because they did not understand the prophecies concerning him. And the reason they did not understand the prophecies was because the prophets were not permitted to make their utterances plainer.

1 Peter 1:12—Unto whom it was revealed.

The prophets were taught that the things of which they spake concerning the coming One were to be in the future, therefore they, in so predicting, were not ministering unto themselves, but for future generations.

1 Peter 1:12 --But unto us they did minister.

Now, we in this age have the benefits of the labors, predictions and ministry of the prophets in the things they predicted. How?

1 Peter 1:12 --Which are now reported to you.

The coming of the Savior, his earth-life, his teachings, his wondrous works, his tragic death, his resurrection and ascension, the descent of the Holy Spirit, the establishment of his kingdom in the world, his invitation to all to become the subjects of his rule, the conditions upon which this rela­tionship may be established and the blessed promises assured by a loving Father—all these are reported to you. By whom?

1 Peter 1:12 --By them that have preached the gospel unto you.

Peter evidently refers to the labors of the apostle Paul and his colaborers, and it is within the range of judicious inference to say that Peter himself also is here included in the "them" of this verse; but whoever did the preaching had the assistance of the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven. It is certain, therefore, that the report of these preachers made to the world in the proclamation of the gospel was attested by miracles and wonders, and in the exercise of spiritual powers and gifts. These miracles were the attestations of Heaven to the truthfulness and reli­ability of the divine message, and all were but the realization of the prophetic word.

1 Peter 1:12 --Which things the angels desired to look into.

The declaration is plain. The predicted coming and suf­fering of the Christ, the setting up of his kingdom and the nature of the salvation to be offered to man were mysteries too profound for the angels even to comprehend. These remained mysteries until God, in his infinite wisdom, saw fit to make a full revelation of his divine purpose. There is another thought I have at this point which is better expressed by Dr. Macknight, thus: "If our salvation and the means by which it is accomplished are of such impor­tance as to merit the attention of angels, how much more do they merit our attention who are so much interested in them!"

Commentary on 1 Peter 1:10-12 by Burton Coffman

1 Peter 1:10 --Concerning which salvation the prophets sought and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:

As Caffin observed:

Peter was a diligent student of the prophetic books, and constantly quotes them, both in his epistles and in his speeches recorded in Acts. Here he gives a very remarkable glimpse into the condition of the prophetic consciousness.^[27]

Here Peter called attention to the curiosity that the ancient prophets of the Old Testament had with reference to their own writings! Of course, New Testament critics would find fault with a truth like this, suggesting that Peter "built" this verse on one of the statements of Jesus "reported differently"^[28] in Matthew 13:17 andLuke 10:24! There are plural errors in a view like this. First, there is the denial that Jesus made both statements. The foolish notion that similar statements in the New Testament are invariably founded upon "an original" is ridiculous. All of the New Testament sayings of Jesus are originals! Secondly, there is the notion that Peter had to "build" his words. Peter’s teaching in this verse could well have been founded upon the personal words of Christ, but whether this is true or not, it is given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and therefore true.

The prophets ... These were the prophets of the old covenant, the writers of the Old Testament, whose hundreds of prophecies of Christ’s coming into the world make up the burden of the Old Testament. For reasons that will appear below, critics have been very diligently at work on this Scripture. Selwyn argued that these are not the prophets of the Old Testament at all, but those of the apostolic church!^[29] However, the very fact of the prophets Peter mentioned having prophesied the sufferings and glories of Christ identifies them with the Old Testament, not the New Testament.

Sought and searched diligently ... What did the prophets search? The holy Scriptures which they had written, of course! John Calvin’s remarkable pronouncement on this, to the effect that the prophets searched, "not the writing or the teaching, but the private longing with which each was fired!"^[30] is likewise totally out of harmony with the passage. The following verse shows that it was the "testimony" of the Holy Spirit regarding the sufferings and glories of Christ it was that "testimony" which they did not understand (though they had written it), the point of their misunderstanding being the "time" when such things would occur. Now those testimonies of the sufferings and glories of Christ was not "private longings" of the prophets, but the plain words of the Scriptures which they wrote. Besides these obvious facts, who ever heard of a man "searching and inquiring into" his private longings!

The word for "inquired" is "used only here in the New Testament,"^[31] and has the meaning of "to search out, to trace out, or explore."^[32]

Barnes’ lucid explanation of what this verse means is undoubtedly correct:

The prophets perceived that in their communications there were some great and glorious truths which they did not fully comprehend; and they diligently employed their natural faculties to understand that which they were appointed to impart to succeeding generations.^[33]

^[27] B. C. Caffin, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 22, Peter (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 6.

^[28] J. H. A. Hart, op. cit, p. 46.

^[29] E. G. Selwyn, The First Epistle of St. Peter (London: Macmillan and Company, 1946), pp. 131ff.

^[30] A quotation from John Calvin by A. J. Mason, op. cit., p. 391.

^[31] Raymond C. Kelcy, op. cit., p. 28.

^[32] Albert Barnes, op. cit, p. 120.

^[33] Ibid.

1 Peter 1:11 --searching what time or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow them.

The exact nature of the puzzlement of the prophets is here given. It regarded the "time" of the marvelous events which they foretold. The exact answer to their questionings, however, was not revealed to them, only that it was not scheduled for their own generation, but for subsequent ages.

The phenomenon of prophets not being able to comprehend fully their own writings is one of utmost consequence in biblical interpretation; for it requires the deduction that the Spirit of Christ, speaking through them, did not merely give them the correct ideas, or thoughts, which they then were to present in their own words, but, contrarily, the words of truth were exactly what they did receive, words with ideas and thoughts contained which they did not understand at all! It is a mystery why many modern commentators deny a proposition like this, especially in view of the fact that the apostle Peter himself, on Pentecost, uttered the words of God, which he did not at all fully comprehend at the time, the vital truth that the promises of the gospel are for "them that are afar off," clearly meaning, in retrospect, the Gentiles, but in no manner being fully understood by Peter at the time he spoke this. One may legitimately wonder if Peter’s analysis of his own example in this did not likewise reveal to him what had happened in the case of the ancient prophets of the old dispensation, leading to the truth uttered here.

The Spirit of Christ which was in them ... The Spirit of Christ here is the "Holy Spirit," who was also called by this title by Paul (Romans 8:9); and there are deductions of vast consequences which are mandated by this:

In attributing the teaching of the prophets to the Spirit of Christ, Peter is in effect affirming that the same Spirit which spoke through him and the other apostles also spoke through the Old Testament prophets (compare 2 Peter 1:21)^[34]

Macknight gave as the meaning of this verse the observation that:

From this it appears that, in many instances, the prophets did not understand the meaning of their own prophecies, but studied them, as others did, with great care, in order to find out.^[35]

^[34] Raymond C. Kelcy, op. cit., p. 28.

^[35] James Macknight, op. cit., p. 439.

1 Peter 1:12 --To whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto you, did they minister these things, which now have been announced unto you through them that preached the gospel unto you by the Holy Spirit sent forth from heaven; which things angels desire to look into.

Very significantly, in this verse:

Peter claims for those who evangelized Asia Minor (Paul and his companions) the same authority which was possessed by the ancient prophets. The Spirit of Christ was in the prophets; the same Spirit worked and preached through the apostles^[36]

This verse says some wonderful things about preaching, summarized by Barclay: "That it is the announcement of salvation, that it is of the Holy Spirit, and that angels themselves are intensely interested in it."^[37]

Peter’s mention of the Holy Spirit’s being sent forth from heaven implies that the word of the apostles is even superior to that of the prophets, being the result of a more glorious endowment by the blessed Spirit. "The primary reference (in this) is to the descent of the Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 2.)"^[38]

Which things angels desire to look into ... In emphasizing the greatness of the salvation that has come to Christians, Peter in this affirms that even the angels of heaven are deeply concerned and interested in this salvation; and why not? For their own number who had sinned, there was no day of grace, no offer of pardon, no opportunity to seek a remedy. The same verse of the word of God which relates their sin also relates their being cast out of heaven! No wonder they were interested in this new thing wherein God would forgive sinful and rebellious people! No greater wonder ever appeared, either in heaven or upon earth! There is no need to suppose that Peter relied upon the book of Enoch for this information, as alleged by Hart,^[39] for everything that he affirmed here is represented typically in the carved figures of the holy angels adorning the mercy seat (Exodus 25:20 ff), and who were represented in just such an attitude of inquisitive wonder as that which Peter mentioned here. (See short dissertation on The Mercy Seat in this series of commentaries, my Commentary on Hebrews, pp. 190-191.)

To look into ... These words are significant because of the root meaning. Dummelow said, "The Greek word means to look as out of a window";^[40] but a variant meaning is evidently the one here: "To look comes from a word which indicates a stooping over in order to see more clearly."^[41] Macknight also agreed to the certainty of this meaning here:

The Greek means literally to stoop; but stooping, being the attitude of one who desires to look narrowly into a thing; it is properly translated look attentively.^[42]

It will be noted that this meaning focuses upon the stooping posture of the angels above the mercy seat.

^[36] B. C. Caffin, op. cit., p. 8.

^[37] William Barclay, op. cit., p. 180.

^[38] Archibald M. Hunter, op. cit., p. 99.

^[39] J. H. A. Hart, op. cit., p. 47.

^[40] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 1042.

^[41] Raymond C. Kelcy, op. cit., p. 29.

^[42] James Macknight, op. cit., p. 441.

Verses 13-21

1Pe 1:13-21

SOBERNESS AND GODLINESS ENJOINED

1 Peter 1:13-21

13 Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind,-- "Wherefore" (dio, on which account, therefore) is a connective, introducing the inference which the apostle draws from considerations earlier presented. The meaning is, Notwithstanding the fact that you are now called upon to suffer a variety of trials (verse 6) because of your faithfulness to Christ and fidelity to his cause, and in view of the glorious and unfading inheritance which awaits, being reserved in heaven for you (verses 3-6), gird up "the loins of your mind . . ." It is possible that the connection is even closer, and that Peter also connects this statement with that which had immediately preceded, viz., the reference to the participation of the prophets, the earlier evangelists, and the angels (verses 10-12), thus gathering up all matters mentioned earlier in the chapter, and on them basing the admonition which follows.

"Girding" (anaxonnumi, to gather up long, flowing garments by means of a belt or girdle) is a reference to the mode of dress characteristic of people in Oriental lands who, when they desired to run, set out on a trip, work, or otherwise engage in activity, gathered up their outer garment about them tightly so as not to be impeded or hindered in that which they sought to do. The usage here is, of course, figurative, and refers to the gathering up of all improper thoughts, feelings and activities of the mind and restraining them that they may not hinder one’s progress toward heaven. There is a possible allusion in this to the instructions which Moses gave the Israelites in connection with the observance of the passover feast on the eve of their departure from the land of Egypt: "And thus shall ye eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand and ye shall eat it in haste. It is Jehovah’s Passover." (Exodus 12:11.)

Be sober and set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; --Two exhortations are here given: (a) be sober; (b) set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought. The sobriety enjoined is that which evidences itself in selfcontrol; and is a soberness produced by continual calmness of mind and dispassionateness of spirit. One thus possessed exhibits great restraint of temper, controlled habits of thought and a calm and collected attitude toward irritations of whatever nature. The verb occurs in 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:8 and in 1 Peter 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8. It is a grace which tempers enthusiasm and keeps it in proper bounds. When Paul was charged with fanaticism for preaching the gospel so fervently, he could reply: "I am not mad, most excellent Festus; but speak forth words of truth and soberness." (Acts 26:25.)

The "hope" to which the apostle alludes, described as "perfectly" set, is composed of expectation and desire fused into an attitude that is unwavering, complete, lacking nothing in the assurances which it affords. This hope is directed toward (epi, with the accusative) -grace indicating the constant reaching for of grace which should be characteristic of the faithful Christian. (Cf. James 4:6 : "He giveth more grace.") Grace is the unmerited favor of God; and it exhibits itself in the manifold blessings which are available to those who seek and serve him faithfully. The phrase, "that is to be brought," is translated from an article and a participle, (ten pheromenen) in the present tense, indicative of the fact that the grace referred to is being brought now in a present revelation of Christ. Every gift of grace which the Christian receives is a further and additional revelation to him of Christ and what he means to the human soul.

14 As children of obedience,--This phrase is a Hebraism, a form of expression often occurring in Hebrew and other Oriental languages, in which matters closely and intimately related are presented under the figure of the relationship which exists between a child and his parents. Thus, "a child of obedience" is one who belongs to obedience and has partaken of its nature as a child belongs to, and has inherited the nature of, its parent. This is a mode of expression often appearing in the scriptures, e.g.: "sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:3); "children of light" (Ephesians 5:8); "sons of this world" (Luke 16:8); "son of perdition" (2 Thessalonians 2:3); "children of cursing" (2 Peter 2:14). The figure originated in the Hebrew ben- "son," followed by a word indicative of quality, nature, characteristic, etc. The phrase emphasizes the essentiality of obedience to sonship, pointing to the fact that one becomes a child through obedience, and in obedience continues as a child. The blessings, hopes, joys and privileges of sonship cannot exist in the absence of obedience. (Matthew 7:21; 1 John 2:4; Revelation 22:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Galatians 6:5; James 2:24.)

Not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in the time of your ignorance:--Here is evidence of the fact that Peter did not have solely in mind people of Jewish ancestry when he penned his epistle to "the elect who are sojourners of the Dispersion." (1 Peter 1:1.) See the Introduction to the Epistle. Reference to "former lusts" and "the time of your ignorance," while in some measure descriptive of the manner of life characteristic of the Jews before obedience to the gospel, are terms especially applicable to Gentiles, and often elsewhere applied to them. (Acts 17:30.) The Jews regarded the Gentiles as ignorant, and frequently stigmatized them as such. As a matter of fact, the New Testament writers described the whole life of men, whether Jews or Gentiles, before the appearance of Christ, as a period of ignorance and to be considered as such in determining the relative guilt of those who then lived. Of the Gentiles Paul wrote, "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the vanity of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart." (Ephesians 4:17-18.) The Jews were similarly regarded as in spiritual darkness, though they were in possession of the "oracles of God." (Romans 2:1-29; Romans 3:1-2.) The Jews had sinned against the light of truth and were in darkness; and the Gentiles, through long oenturies of depravity, had lost the light they once had through the revelations of the patriarchal period. While there were notable exceptions to this on the part of both Jew and Gentile (Cornelius being a remarkable example of the latter; Nathaniel of the former), such was generally characteristic of the races as a whole. The ignorance of Jews and Gentiles differed in character, however; the ignorance of the Jew consisting of blindness with reference to the true character of the Messiah and his reign; and not of the moral law--the type of ignorance referred to by Peter. The Jews were in possession of the law and the prophets, and were thus acquainted with the will of God as revealed in the Old Testament scriptures. The ignorance contemplated by Peter, and such as was characteristic of Gentiles prior to their obedience to the gospel, was that with reference to moral conduct. In the ignorance which then possessed them and by which they were motivated, they indulged in "lusts." The word "lust" signifies passionate desire ; and its contextual desire evil force here is descriptive of "Fashioning," a participial form of the verb which occurs in the familiar text, "And be not fashioned according to this world," refers to a common tendency of the race to affect the manner of speech, dress, mode and manner of life of those about us. In Romans 12:2, the warning is against conformity to the age, and here to the manner of life which these to whom Peter wrote had followed before they obeyed the gospel. The warning is an important one. The disposition to partake of the manners, morals, and modes of conduct of those about us is a common and dangerous one, and must be resisted. Compare the apostle’s injunction with the edict of Moses: "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil." (Exodus 23:2.)

15, 16 But like he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living: because it is written, Ye shall be holy: for I am holy.--In verse 1, those to whom Peter wrote are described as "elect"; here, as having been "called." God "called" through the gospel, "Whereunto he called you by our gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:14); and inasmuch as the gospel is addressed to all nations and to every creature (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16 15, 16), it follows that all who heed the call become, through obedience, the elect of God. The design of God’s calling is holiness, the sanctification of the whole life to him: "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication; . . . For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification." (1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:7.) This holiness to which all are called is, essentially, separation from a life of habitual sin and all worldly defilement. Such is the meaning of the word translated "holiness" (hagios). The words sanctify, sanctification, saint, holy and holiness all derive from this same root and thus bear related meanings. Here God, as a perfect pattern of holiness, is set forth for our emulation in "all manner of living."

The verb "be" is not the ordinary word for simple being, but one which means, literally, "to become." The tense of the verb (ingressive aorist) suggests the ushering in of one into a new state. This reveals that the holiness enjoined for the Christian is not such as is a necessary consequence of having obeyed the gospel, but a manner of life attained through a positive renunciation of the world by the individual himself. Sanctification is thus not some mysterious change wrought in the soul by an incomprehensible operation of the Holy Spirit, but a manner of life affected through godly conduct. In these words, there is an undoubted allusion to an admonition of the Lord in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5:48), another indication of the profound influence the Lord wrought upon the impulsive apostle during the public ministry.

The words, "Ye shall be holy; for I am holy," occur five times in the book of Leviticus from which they are cited. (Lev. 11:44; 11:45 9:2 20:7; 20:26.) The words were, on some occasions, addressed to priests at other times, to the whole nation of Israel. Peter regarded all Christians as priests (individuals qualified and empowered to engage in worship) and as constituting the "holy nation" of spiritual Israel, and thus worthy indeed to have the admonition applied to them. As the Israelites were required to be a holy nation and a peculiar people in the midst of the nations, so Christians who have succeeded to their spiritual status as the chosen people of the Lord must maintain the same separateness from the world about them. It is a characteristic of people to imitate the God whom they worship; and since he is wholly pure, followers of Jehovah have the perfect standard of excellence that is theirs to emulate. The word "I" in the quotation, "I am holy," is emphatic in the Greek text, signifying, "I, myself, apart from all others, am holy."

The quotation is introduced with the familiar formula, "It is written." The verb is in the perfect tense in Greek, thus indicating past action with existing results. Expanded, the phrase means, It was written and now remains as a record. The phrase was used by the Lord in his encounter with Satan on the mount of temptation, and it constitutes a monument to the unchanging, inerrant and eternal word of God.

17 And if ye call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to each man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear.--The word "if" is not to be taken as indicating doubt, but rather as the introduction of a condition which, being assumed, establishes a definite duty. It is nearly equivalent to "since." The meaning is "Since (or, inasmuch), as ye call on God as Father . . ." There is no article before the word Father in the Greek text, the implication of which is that those to whom Peter wrote were not worshiping a cruel and inhuman tyrant but one whose attributes and characteristics are those of a father. While the idea of the fatherhood of God was not advanced for the purpose of eliminating the idea of a judgment, it does reveal the conforting fact that our judge is also our Father!

We thus learn that (a) our heavenly Father is our judge; (b) the judgment is to be "according to every man’s work"; and (c) it is to be conducted "without respect of persons," i.e., with complete fairness and impartiality. The phrase, "without respect of persons," is the translation of one Greek word, aprosopoleptos, an adverb indicating complete impartiality, meaning literally, "who does not receive face." (See Thayer.) God does not judge individuals on the basis of such outward characteristics as wealth, cultural background or social position, but with reference to their work. The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7 A.V.) The idea here expressed is a frequent one throughout the sacred writings. (Acts 10:34; Matthew 22:16; Romans 2:11 ; Galatians 2:6.) "Work" in the text, is in the singular number, thus revealing the significant fact that the judgment alluded to is with reference to the life as a whole, and in its comprehensive aspect.

In an admonition based on these premises, those to whom Peter wrote were instructed to pass the time of their sojourning in fear. For the significance of the word "sojourning" see the comments on verse 1, and compare with 1 Peter 2:11, for an expansion of the same thought. In the word there is a continuation of the thought drawn from the relation of God as Father. In view of the fact that God is indeed the Father of his children, heaven--God’s abiding place (John 14:2)--thus becomes the children’s permanent home, and they are but sojourners and pilgrims here. (See Ephesians 2:18-19; Hebrews 11:13.)

The "fear that is to characterize those thus sojourning is not the terror of slaves, but the worshipful awe of obedient children toward their beloved parents. It is the fear of displeasing, the fear of causing pain on the part of those we love by conduct inconsistent with their wishes. It is such a fear as God approves, and which his faithful children feel. It is the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom. (Psalms 111:10; Deuteronomy 6:2; Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 3:13; Proverbs 14:26-27.) Such fear is not the shrinking attitude of cowardice, but a courageous emotion which above all else dreads to displease God! "Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom ye should fear: Fear him, who, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yes, I say unto you, Fear him." (Luke 12:4-5.)

18 Knowing that ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver and gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers,--Verse 16 contains an admonition to holiness--godly living--founded on the example of God himself. Verse 17 is an exhortation to godly fear, based on the fact of a judgment conducted with impartiality and without respect of persons. Here, as in verse 18, there is an argument for holiness from the premise of the redemption which has been obtained for us from the bondage of sin at such infinite cost.

The word "redeemed," from lutroo, means to set free by pays ment of a ransom, and was frequently used in the days of slavery to indicate the act of obtaining freedom for enslaved persons through the payment of a sum of money for their release. The noun form of the word occurs in the word ransom (which Peter heard from the lips of the Lord during his public ministry when he said, "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" [Matthew 20:28]). Peter’s reference to these matters, and use of these terms is doubtless an echo of that which he received from the Lord on that and other occasions. Here, perhaps more clearly than anywhere else in the New Testament, there is revealed the chief purpose of redemption: the deliverance of us all from sin. It establishes, beyond reasonable controversy, the fact of vicarious suffering; that Jesus gave his life, not only in our behalf, but actually instead of us, and thus became the satisfaction for our sins. Even more, it teaches us that the liberty thus obtained is not only freedom from the penalty of sin, but from a sinful life itself On this ground the apostle based his exhortation for a life of godliness and holy living. The central idea here is a common one in the New Testament: "For ye are bought with a price." (1 Corinthians 6:20.) "The master that bought them . . ." (2 Peter 2:1.) "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us."

The redemption was not obtained with "corruptible things," things subject to dissolution and decay, specifically here, silver and gold. The words, "silver" and "gold," in the text, are in diminutive form, the little things of the species, thus indicating that the ransom under consideration did not consist of the little silver and gold coins ordinarily used in obtaining the freedom of enslaved people. The medium, not mentioned in this verse, but described in the one which follows, was the "precious blood" of Christ.

The manner of life from which they had been delivered through the ransom which had been made for them is described as "vain" (a word used to describe idolatrous practices in Acts 14:15), and as having been received by tradition from their fathers. Here, it appears that reference is made primarily to Gentiles who, before their conversion to Christianity, had been disposed to engage in the heathen rites of idolatrous worship, a disposition which they had passed on to their children.

19 But with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, even the blood of Christ--The adjective "precious" (timios) is in contrast with the "corruptible things" of verse 18. The word is properly applied to that which is costly ; hence, descriptive of anything regarded as highly valuable or precious. It occurs in the phrases, "most precious wood" (Revelation 18:12), and "a stone most precious" (Revelation 21:11.) The blood, in contrast with the silver and gold alluded to in the verse preceding, is (a) intrinsically more valuable than such metals; and (b) accomplishes that which gold and silver cannot: ransom our souls from the slavery and guilt of sin.

In comparing the blood of Christ with that of a lamb "without blemish and without spot," the doctrine of atonement through the sacrifice of Christ and by means of his shed blood, is clearly and unmistakably taught. Peter had heard it earlier stated by John the Baptist, "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), and he repeats and gives emphasis to it here. The law of Moses required that all sacrifices be without blemish or spot (Leviticus 4:32; Leviticus 22:22-24; Numbers 28:3; Numbers 28:11), so that in them there should be no pollution or defilement whatsoever. In any atonement, it is necessary that the sacrifice should itself be free of the pollution it is designed to expiate; and Jesus, in the absolute sense, complied with this requirement, being utterly and wholly without sin. He was "without blemish," being perfect; and "without spot," undefiled by the world.

From the idea of redemption obtained by ransom (verse 18), there is a transition here to that of expiation, as in verse 19. Reference to gold and silver indicates the former; the blood and the lamb, the latter. The ransom effected man’s deliverance from the power of sin expiation from the guilt and pollution thereof. The blood of animals was powerless to remove sin (Hebrews 10:1-3), being typical and anticipatory in nature only, and foreshadowing the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

20 Who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was manifested at the end of the times for your sake.--The antecedent of the pronoun "who" is Christ. As a lamb without spot and without blemish, Christ was "foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world." "Foreknown" means to know before; hence, Christ was so recognized from before "the foundation of the world." "Foundation" (kataboles, to throw down, thus, the first part of a building; the foundation) indicates here the beginning, and contextually, the beginning of the "world." The word "world" is from the Greek kosmos, an orderly system, hence age, or dispensation. Thus, Christ, as a lamb, was foreknown as such from before the beginning of the age or dispensation. What age? Creation, so some expositors affirm, thus projecting the time when Christ was ordained as a sacrifice into the period before creation of the universe. Though such a view is widely held, and many eminent commentators may be cited in support, the . difficulties associated with it are, to this writer, insuperable. It is impossible to distinguish between the foreknowledge of God with reference to such a plan of redemption and the will that originated it. The two are in the nature of the case inseparable. To project a plan of redemption into the period prior to the fall of man raises immediately and inevitably the question of the free agency of Adam and Eve.

If God had already devised a plan for the redemption of man from a sin which was certain to be committed, how could Adam and Eve avoided its commission? If Christ was a lamb for expiation of sin from before creation, how could the transgression have been other than inevitable since not only it, but the consequences therefore had been provided for in the councils of etrnity. Since, in such a view of the case, our first parents were but passive actors in a drama written and stereotyped before they had existence, ought they not to be commended for obedience in dutifully furthering a plan ordained for them in eternity and which they could not possibly have altered without falsifying God’s foreknowledge? Should they not, we repeat, be commended for obedience, rather than condemned for disobedience? Such must, in consequence, follow, if the popular view be true. The difficulties it entails are insurmountable.

The word "world," from the Greek kosmos, means an orderly system, an age or dispensation, and as such is often applied to the Mosiac age or dispensation. For examples of such see Luke 11:50; Hebrews 9:26; Ephesians 1:4. Thus, Christ, before the beginning of the Mosaic age, and before the intricate and detailed system of sacrifices which characterized it was originated, was ordained by the Father to suffer as a sacrificial lamb in expiation of the sins of the world; and the Mosaic age was arranged and its animal sacrifices provided as types and shadows of the redemption awaiting through Christ. For other references to the foreknowledge of God, see Acts 2:23; Acts 3:18; Acts 4:28.

Christ, as a lamb, was foreknown as such from before the beginning of the sacrificial system originating on Sinai, and was manifested (made known, revealed) "at the end of the times," i.e., near the close of the age whose sacrifices typified and foreshadowed his own. Such provisions were, so the apostle declares, "for your sake," the revelation being for all men.

21 Who through him are believers in God, that raised him from the dead, and gave him glory: so that your faith and hope might be in God.--The pronoun "him" refers to Christ. Through Christ, these to whom Peter wrote became believers in God. These words apply with special force to the Gentile converts among them who, through the preaching of the gospel of Christ, were brought to God, though such is equally true of all Christians, both Jew and Gentile, since there is no saving knowledge of God apart from Christ. "And he came and preached peace to them that were far off, and peace to them that were nigh: for through him we both have our access in one Spirit unto the Father." (Ephesians 2:17-18.) In the resurrection, ascension and consequent glorification at God’s right hand we have the basis of our faith and hope in God. In Peter’s speeches recorded in Acts. much emphasis is given to this theme. (Acts 2:32-36; Acts 3:15; Acts 4:10.)

Commentary on 1 Peter 1:13-21 by N.T. Caton

1 Peter 1:13—Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind.

While the expression is rugged, it is striking and bold, and characteristic of its author. The metaphor is drawn from eastern customs. The angel that delivered Peter from prison said to him: "Gird thyself, and cast thy garments about thee" (Acts 12:8). We gather, then, that in that country and age garments were worn loose, and needed to be girded for convenience, so that a journey might be made without interference from the drapery. The persons addressed understood the figure. Now, as the loins are girded to strengthen them, and to prevent encumbrance from the flowing garment, so gird the loins of your mind. The faculties of the mind want to be prepared, so that all the powers thereof can be brought into activity. There must be no clinging drapery of vice, but every faculty must be placed on proper objects, and all the passions held in sub­jection and governed by the divine will And this is girding the loins of the mind. Paul, in his letter to the church at Ephesus, said: "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth" (Ephesians 6:14). And the Master gave similar advice in these words: "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning" (Luke 12:35).

1 Peter 1:13 --Hope to the end.

The exhortation is based upon the certainty of the reward at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Knowing the Lord will come again, and the crown of life will be bestowed upon the faithful, the apostle urges the continuance and con­stancy in hoping to the end. The end; that is, until the struggling saint shall lay his armor down at the hour of death—death of the body.

1 Peter 1:14—As obedient children, not fashioning your­selves.

Recognized as children—that is, children and heirs as set forth in verse 4. And more than children—obedient children; you must not fashion yourselves as you once did. You well remember that before you became children you followed a course of conduct and conversation fashioned after the world. The course then pursued by you was evil. Your present course must not be so fashioned, but fashioned after the teachings you now receive as obedient children.

1 Peter 1:14 --In your ignorance.

Your course of evil, while you had no information of the demands of the divine Father upon the children of men, was the result of your ignorance; that is to say, you were ignorant of the divine requirements as to your course. Now, this can not be wholly applicable to a Jewish Christian. In his case he had knowledge of the one true and living God, and under the economy under which he was reared he learned that God required him to lead a holy life. Those commentators who claim that this Epistle was written to Jewish Christians only seem to have overlooked the plain teaching of this verse.

1 Peter 1:15—But as he which hath called you is holy.

God called you. God is holy. Now, as you are called of God, and are his children, God is your Father. Every obedient child seeks to please, and, as far as in him lies, strives to be like that Father in character and conduct. His obligation and duty is to be holy, for these rest upon the relationship which subsists between father and child.

1 Peter 1:15 --In all manner of conversation.

The holy character is to be exhibited in everything you say or do; your whole manner of living, your behavior in every respect. In all this you must seek a close imitation of the divine model.

1 Peter 1:16—Because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.

I take this to be a quotation from Leviticus 19:2, which reads: "Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." Twice before, God had uttered the same thought, in chapter 11: and in verses 44 and 45. In the latter verse occurs the expression: "Be holy, for I am holy." Mere verbal differences in quotations may be expected, as the prime object is always to advance and make prominent the thought only. Heathen deities were by their devotees regarded as patrons and practicers of every species of vice. The influence upon the worshipers would necessarily, there­fore, be pernicious. Their morals would be corrupted, since they imitated their vile gods. Like god, like man. In strong contrast with all this, we, as Christians, have a different worship enjoined upon us, and which is to be observed by us. God being far removed from all evil, and being the author of all moral excellence, imitation of his lofty and holy character is enjoined upon his intelligent creatures for their good here, and as a necessary preparation for an entrance into, and the enjoyment of, his presence in the world to come.

1 Peter 1:17—And if ye call on the Father.

The idea is, if God is called on as Father, which would follow as a matter of course if we be his children, then we should pass the time in fear. To call on the Father is to worship him as he directs. To observe his commands, doing just what he requires, and in the way he has enjoined, is exhibiting the fear mentioned by the apostle. Nothing less is the fear of God. What does Peter say of this Father, upon whom we, as children, are to call? "Who without respect of persons." God regards not the race or station of men. He judges them by their acts; by what they do and say; by their works. Peter’s utterance at the house of Cornelius obtrudes itself upon our attention at this point: "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. But in every nation he that fearth him and worketh right­eousness is accepted with him" (Acts 10:34-35).

1 Peter 1:17 --Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.

While living here on earth, before passing away in death, the common lot of all, we should pass the time in fear. This time of sojourning embraces the whole period of the natural life. In fear. Of this we have already spoken; but a thought or two more will not be amiss. Now, fear of what? The apostle has just spoken of God’s impartial judgment. Evidently, therefore, he means that our conduct here in this life must always be such as will pass safely that impartial judgment. Acting with constant reference thereto is acting in fear. As we have said before, doing what he requires is the acceptable way to show fear.

1 Peter 1:18—Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed.

This is as much as to say that the parties here addressed did know, for the sense is, since ye know how they were redeemed. The apostle states the manner of their redemp­tion first negatively, and afterwards affirmatively. Redemp­tion from what? The answer given is, from your vain con­versation; that is, your foolish behavior, vile course of life. From whence came this vain conversation? From tradition handed down by their fathers. Now, from this they were not redeemed by corruptible things, that is, things that perish, and the most precious things known to man are named—silver and gold. Even these, however important in the affairs of life, could not accomplish the redemption of man. However powerful in the estimation of the world, they are wholly inadequate to redeem.

1 Peter 1:19—But with the precious blood of Christ.

Here the manner of the redemption is stated affirma­tively. Negatively, not with gold or silver; affimatively, with the precious blood of Christ. Under the Jewish economy a sacrifice had to be without blemish. (See Leviticus 22:21-23.) So the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, is the means by which redemption is had, atonement is made. It behooves not the true follower of the Lord to stagger at this point, nor to philosophize as to how this precious blood could procure this redemption. It is enough for the trusting soul to know that the all-wise Father so ordained and announced the fact to be, and trustingly it ought to be accepted. The New Testament writers with a singular unanimity recognize and refer to Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God. "The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8).

1 Peter 1:20—Who verily was foreordained.

Christ as the sacrifice was foreordained. In the purpose of God as the sacrifice was determined upon, was appointed as the center and the soul of the scheme of human redemp­tion. This appointment was made before the foundation of the world.

1 Peter 1:20 --Manifest in the last times for you.

While the sacrifice of Christ was foreordained, it was not made manifest—that is, the sacrifice did not take place at the time it was so foreordained—until the end of the Mosaic economy. The Christ then died, then shed his blood. On Calvary’s cross the sacrifice took place, the offering was made. This sacrifice was made for the whole world. All may, if they will, receive the benefits of this atonement. It is to be accepted and appropriated in the manner God has speci­fied, and in no other way.

1 Peter 1:21—Who by him do believe in God, who raised him up from the dead.

Who by him—that is, by Christ—do believe in God. Now, this can not be said of the Jew. He believed in God before Christ came. Of the Gentile, however, it can be truly said. It was through the gospel preached, and through this channel only, that the Gentiles were made believers in the. God that raised up Christ from the dead; and that he not only raised him from the dead, but gave him glory by seating him at his own right hand, and constituted him both Lord and Christ; and, in addition to this, he gave him all author­ity, so that he now rules as King in and over the entire universe of God.

1 Peter 1:21 --Your faith and your hope might be in God.

The result to the believer in this glorification of Christ is the assured foundation upon which rest both his faith and his hope—faith in Christ, hope of eternal life. Faith is essential to salvation. Ultimate salvation is God’s gift, God’s promise. These, we are here assured, are founded in the power and word of God. This power, and the veracity of this promise, we have demonstrated to us in the resur­rection of Christ from the dead.

Commentary on 1 Peter 1:13-21 by Burton Coffman

1 Peter 1:13 --Wherefore, girding up the loins of your mind, be sober and set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Founded upon the Old Testament requirement that the Jews should observe the Passover with their "loins girded," a few have imagined all kinds of vain things, alleging that 1Peter is a sermon delivered in connection with observing the Lord’s supper;^[43] but the scholars should look, not always to the Old Testament, but to the words of Christ, for what Peter meant by this (Luke 12:35-36). Jesus used these words of being prepared for the Second Advent, and that is exactly the way Peter used them here.

Girding up the loins of your mind ... As he did frequently, Peter here gives a metaphorical meaning to well known expressions. "Girding up the loins" meant tying up one’s loose outward garments as a prerequisite to being able to work unencumbered. It had the rough meaning of "Roll up your sleeves, and go to work." Sure enough, the mind cannot roll up any sleeves; but the mind can be disciplined and prepared for the future by diligent prayer, study and contemplation. It was of this that Peter spoke. From this, and many other instances in this letter, Peter’s usual figurative method of expressing himself lends strong presumptive evidence to the conclusion that "Babylon" is a mystical name for "Rome."

ENDNOTE:

^[43] J. H. A. Hart, op. cit., p. 48.

1 Peter 1:14 --as children of obedience, not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in the time of your ignorance:

As children of obedience ... "Despite its emphasis on Christian freedom, obedience is one of the cardinal virtues of the New Testament."^[44] Here is another metaphor. Obedience is represented as the mother of Christians.

Not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts ... A noble principle is in view here. Through the practice of wickedness, people fashion themselves in the likeness of the sins they commit; and thus they become "sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2 Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6), the very opposite of what Peter required for Christians here.

In the time of your ignorance ... The very nature of the Christless life is that it is controlled by lust, grounded in ignorance, and destined to end in futility.

ENDNOTE:

^[44] Archibald M. Hunter, op. cit., p. 100.

1 Peter 1:15 --but like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living;

Hunter properly discerned that the requirement here is about the same as that of Matthew 5:48, namely, perfection.^[45] Isaiah referred to the Father as "the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 30:15); and the great premise here is that children of such a God must themselves be holy "in all manner of living." The writer of Hebrews likewise admonished to "Follow ... holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14 KJV). The theologians may speak as long and as lustily as they like about being saved "through faith alone," but this and a thousand other New Testament passages teach otherwise. Nor is this to allege that man has the ability to achieve this apart from being "in Christ."

ENDNOTE:

^[45] Ibid., p. 101.

1 Peter 1:16 --because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy.

As Kelcy observed, "Thus it is seen that holiness is basic to true religion in both the Old Testament and the New Testament; without it, no one shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14)."^[46]

ENDNOTE:

^[46] Raymond Kelcy, op. cit., p. 33.

1 Peter 1:17 --And if ye call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to each man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear:

And if ye call on him as Father ... This does not imply any doubt of their calling upon the Father, being like Jesus’ words, "If I go and prepare a place for you, etc." (John 14:3). Peter’s familiarity with Jesus’ instructions with reference to God as Father is reflected in this; but his admonition seems to be that, "Although you familiarly address God as Father, do not overlook the fact that he is also the Judge of every man: "Who without respect of persons judgeth according to each man’s work."

According to each man’s work ... This teaching is not peculiar to Peter; Paul declared that "God will render to every man according to his works" (Romans 2:6). The notion that being under the grace of God, and being saved by grace through faith, nullifies Scriptures such as these is extremely erroneous.

Pass the time of your sojourning in fear ... Another strand of the epistle’s thought surfaces again here, as in 1 Peter 1:1. Some have alleged a contradiction between this and John’s words, "Perfect love casteth out fear" (1 John 4:18); but, as Caffin pointed out:

The fear which both Peter and Paul (Philippians 2:12) commended is holy fear, the fear of a son for a loving father, the fear of displeasing God before whom we walk, the very God who gave his blessed Son to die for us, and will judge us at the last.^[47]

ENDNOTE:

^[47] B. C. Caffin, op. cit., p. 9.

1 Peter 1:18 --knowing that ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers;

Ye were redeemed ... This is one of the great ransom passages of the New Testament, along with Mark 10:45; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Timothy 2:5; Revelation 1:5, and many others.

Not with silver or gold ... These are some of the corruptible things cited as examples; nothing of earthly value or merit made up the purchase price of Christians, but only the blood of Christ.

From your vain manner of life ... Inherent in all redemption is the state from which we are redeemed, namely, a state of sin. Peter here notes that the Christians were redeemed "from the vain manner of life"; and this is in every way consonant with what the angel said to Joseph, speaking of Christ, "It is he that shall save his people from their sins." The vanity, futility, lustfulness and ignorance of the Christless life are pointedly stressed in this chapter.

Handed down from your fathers ... Ah, here is the secret of most of the error on earth. "In general, the strongest argument for false religions, as well as for errors in the true, is that men have received them from their fathers."^[48]

ENDNOTE:

^[48] James Macknight, op. cit., p. 444.

1 Peter 1:19 --but with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, even the blood of Christ:

Again, Peter appropriates the corresponding Old Testament figure in describing the glorious redemption of the Christians. As Polkinghorne said:

The Passover lamb (Exodus), as the sacrifice whereby Israel was delivered from bondage and separated to the Lord, is richly significant in context, as is also the lamb of Isaiah 53, the passage so largely quoted in 1 Peter 2:22-25.^[49]

But with precious blood ... This passage, with the preceding verse, sets forth Christ as the paschal lamb for Christians and describes the nature of the ransom price. Christ’s purpose of redeeming people was the great motivation of coming into the world.

WHY CHRIST CAME

He came to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21).

He came to give his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

He came to suffer and rise again (Luke 24:46; Matthew 20:28).

He came to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

He came to be a propitiation for sin (Romans 3:25).

He came that we might receive the reconciliation (Romans 5:11).

He came to buy us with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19).

He came to give himself a ransom for all (1 Timothy 2:5).

He came that he might redeem us from all iniquity (Titus 2:14).

He came that he might purify unto himself a people (Titus 2:14).

He came to make propitiation for the sins of the people (Hebrews 2:17).

He came to bear the sins of many (Hebrews 9:27).

He came to put away sins by the sacrifice of himself (Hebrews 9:26).

He came to offer one sacrifice for sins forever (Hebrews 10:12).

He came to redeem us with his blood (1 Peter 1:18).

He came to bear our sins in his body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24).

He came to suffer for sins that he might bring us to God (2 Peter 3:18).

He came to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:2 1 John 4:10).

He came to be the propitiation for the sins of the whole world.

He came to take away sins (1 John 3:5).

He came to loose us from our sins by his blood (Revelation 1:5).

Therefore, salvation by the blood of Christ is the crimson thread that runs from Matthew to Revelation, and there is no adequate theology that fails to take this into consideration.

ENDNOTE:

^[49] G. J. Polkinghorne, op. cit., p. 588.

1 Peter 1:20 --who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was manifested at the end of the times for your sake,

Who was foreknown indeed ... The redemptive visitation of our world by the Son of God was known in purpose from the beginning, but "was kept in silence through times eternal" (Romans 16:25); it "in other generations was not made known unto the sons of men" (Ephesians 3:5); it was "hidden for ages and generations" (Colossians 1:26).

Before the foundation of the world ... "This means `before Creation.’"^[50] God chose us in Christ "before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 4:16). There is no full understanding of such a thing as this by finite intelligence; but the heart of faith believes it without reservation or doubt.

The Christian dispensation, the point and period in history of Christ’s coming, is here regarded as the climax and consummation of previous ages (see Hebrews 1:1-2 Hebrews 9:26).^[51]

By his use of "manifested," Peter also witnesses in this to the preexistence of Christ and the doctrine of the incarnation. It cannot be said of any ordinary man that he "was manifested."

At the end of the times ... "Peter regarded the Christian era as the last period in the religious history of man."^[52]

^[50] Archibald M. Hunter, op. cit., p. 103.

^[51] Alan M. Stibbs, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, 1Peter (London: The Tyndale Press, 1959), p. 92.

^[52] Archibald M. Hunter, op. cit., p. 103.

1 Peter 1:21 --who through him are believers in God, that raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God.

Who through him are believers in God ... This tells to whom Christ has been manifested, those who believe in him and his resurrection and in the glory that God gave him. "Not that any secrecy was kept from the world in general, for the gospel was preached to every creature under heaven."^[53]

So that your faith and hope might be in God ... This translation makes the purpose of Christ’s resurrection and glory to be that of creating faith in God; however the RSV rendition has it, "So that your faith and hope are in God." However, this makes no difference, for the passage is true either way. "In fact, faith and hope in God are both the purpose and the result of Christ’s resurrection and ascension."^[54]

^[53] E. M. Zerr, op. cit., p. 254.

^[54] David H. Wheaton, op. cit., p. 1240.

Verses 22-25

1Pe 1:22-25

2. BROTHERLY LOVE ENJOINED

1 Peter 1:22-25

22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren,--"Have purified," is, literally, "having purified" from the perfect participle derived from hagnizo, to purify morally, to reform. The perfect tense places the action in the past, with existing results. Their souls had been, at some time in the past, purified; and they remained so. The manner in which such purification was accomplished was through obedience to the truth, and resulting from it was "unfeigned love of the brethren." Obedience to the truth thus became the ground of their godliness, and love of the brethren an effect of it. It is important to note the extent to which human agency is here made responsible for the purification of the soul. These words are reminiscent of those in the famous speech of Acts 2, when Peter, near the conclusion of that sermon, said, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." (Acts 2:40.) Their souls were purified by (a) hearing the truth, which is the word of God (John 17:17; Romans 10:17); (b) obeying it (Matthew 7:21; 1 John 2:4; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8); (c) the results were a pure heart; and (d) love of the brethren.

The love for the brethren which they thus experienced is described as "unfeigned" (literally, not hypocritical from a, not; and play hupocrites, actor, one who exhibits the character of another, and in consequence, a hypocrite). Unfeigned love is, therefore, sincere affection, without admixture of deceit or affectation. It is love which is not in word only, but also in deed, and in truth. (1 John 3:18.) The words, "love of the brethren," are translated from one word--philadelphia--a term well known as the name of cities both ancient and modern. (Revelation 3:7.) It is compounded from philos, love; and adelphos, a brother. The term is thus vividly descriptive of affection obtaining between brethren.

Love one another with a pure heart fervently:--Since their obedience had led to "unfeigned love" of the brethren, why did the apostle immediately admonish them to "love one another from the heart fervently"? The explanation is to be sought in the different words used for love in these clauses. In the expression, "love of the brethren," the word for love is philos, affection, fondness, human attachment or regard, friendship maintained because of the congeniality of the parties motivated by it whereas, the word love in the second clause--"love one another from the heart fervently" --is from the Greek agapao, love which finds its origin, and is based on the worthiness or preciousness of the person loved. The two words and their difference in meaning may be seen in the Lord’s query to Peter, "Simon, son, of John, lovest (agapao) thou me more than these?" and the apostle’s answer, "Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love (phileo) thee." (John 21:15.) Humbled by his recent experiences, Peter was unwilling to admit the greater love for the Lord, being content to use the humbler and more common term.

"Fervently," from ektenos, intensely, describes an emotion that is vivid and forceful, earnest and pointed. Ektenos originally had a musical significance, referring to the drawing out, or stretching, of a string. It thus signified to draw out; to stretch. Children of God are not to love one another indifferently, or loosely, as an unstrung instrument, but with the full tension of heartstrings drawn out fully. Such love does indeed for a symphony, the harmony of which rises to heaven, and falls pleasingly on the ears of our heavenly Father.

23 Having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth.--"Having been begotten" is from the same verb as "begat" in verse 3. Reference to "love of the brethren," in verse 22, prompted Peter to recall for his readers the highest possible motive for such love, their common parenthood. Being children of the same Father, it was meet that they should indeed "be loving as brethren." (1 Peter 3:8.) Sonship and brotherhood are related terms; in becoming sons, we also become brothers, with all the duties and privileges belonging thereto. "Corruptible seed" is that by which the natural birth is produced "incorruptible," the spiritual birth. The seed by which we are born into the world is the difference in the manner in which these births are accomplished. It is "of" (Greek, ek, out of) corruptible seed that we are born into the world of fleshly parents; but it is "through" (dia) the word of God that we are born spiritually. Ek (out of) indicates that the corruptible seed is the originating cause of the fleshly birth; dia, that the word of God is the instrumental cause of the spiritual birth. The seed by which we are born into the world is styled "corruptible" (subject to death) because mortality is a universal characteristic of that which pertains to the flesh. We are born into the world only to begin the journey which leads inevitably to the grave, and that which originates such life may therefore quite properly be styled corruptible. That by which we are born from above, however, is incorruptible, because the life which thus originates does not decay with the passing of the years. It is also incorruptible because the seed itself "liveth" (zontos, is possessed with life and vigor), and "abideth" (menonto, continues constant and unchanging). In Luke 8:11, the "seed" is declared to be the word of God; here, there appears to be a verbal distinction between the "word" and the "seed," in that it is through the word of God that the seed begets, the word being the instrument of the begettal. The idea is parallel with that of John 3:6, "That which is born (literally begotten) of the Spirit is spirit," the Holy Spirit there being made the germinal principle of life. This principle, however, finds expression only through the word, operating in no other fashion. Children of God become such by being begotten through the word, a word which is preached, believed, and obeyed. An example of the manner in which individuals are begotten and born again may be seen in the events of Pentecost when Peter, for the first time in the name of the risen Lord (Acts 2:1-47), preached the conditions of salvation, and three thousand souls in obedience thereto were born of the Word. (Cf. James 1:18; 1 Corinthians 4:15.)

24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of the grass. The grass withereth, and the flower falleth, but the word of the Lord abideth for ever.--In proof of his assertion that the word of God is constant and unchanging, therefore abiding forever, Peter cites this statement from the prophet Isaiah. (Isaiah 40:6-8.) The quotation is from the Septuagint Version, slightly modified. In James 1:10-11, there is a reference to the same passage. All flesh, like grass (chortos, herbiage of the field, grass, hay flowers), which withers and ultimately fades and perishes, will eventually go the way of all the earth; and the glory of man, like the flower of the grass which shrivels and falls, shall perish and fail and be forgotten, and the pride and the beauty and accomplishments attendant thereon vanish. In contrast with all such, "The word of the Lord abideth for ever."

25 And this is the word of good tidings which was preached unto you.--"Word" in verse 23 is logos, here it is rhema, a term more concrete, meaning an utterance, a thing said. The word which the apostles preached through the providence of Asia Minor Peter here declares to be the word (logos) which abides forever. It was the word of good tidings, because it brought to all who received it the knowledge of salvation through Christ. Here, again, emphasis is given to the fact that the means of their birth was the word preached unto them. Only where the word is preached it is possible for men to be born again.

Commentary on 1 Peter 1:22-25 by N.T. Caton

1 Peter 1:22—Seeing ye have purified your souls.

This purification here referred to is moral, and includes the pardon of their sins, and, further, the living of a pure, chaste and holy life.

1 Peter 1:22 --In obeying the truth.

The apostle tells them how the leading of pure lives was by them accomplished. It was in obedience to the truth, obeying the commands of the gospel. It is through the Spirit, because the word of truth comes to the world of mankind through that instrumentality, and is inseparable from it. In fact, the entire gospel age is the ministration of the Spirit.

1 Peter 1:22 --Unto unfeigned love of the brethren.

The purity of their lives had reached to that extent that their affection for the brethren was sincere, and not a mere pretense. This all being true, the exhortation of the apostle comes with irrestible force: "See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently." That is, in sin­cerity of heart; love them continually. This love enjoined is the same in kind we find in the church of Jeruselem, when our author was in prison. "But prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him" (Acts 12:5). On this point Dr. McKnight’s description is worthy of commendation. He says: "Peter’s description of Christian love is excellent. It springs up in a heart purified by truth through the assistance of the Spirit. It is sincere in its operation. It is unmixed with carnal passions, and it is permanent."

1 Peter 1:23 --Being born again, not of corruptible seed.

This may, and does, no doubt, refer the parties addressed back to their conversion. This is compared to a birth. Such a result is produced from an adequate cause—life first, birth afterward. Life is implanted by seed. The apostle says the seed was not corruptible, but incorruptible, and immediately adds "by the word of God" The cause is adequate; life is produced. God’s word is living, and of course can impart life. God’s word is in the gospel, and the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. This, heard and understood, moves to a new life, and birth follows. By obedience, born again.

1 Peter 1:23 -Liveth and abideth forever.

God’s word ever lives, for it is eternal, as God is eternal. Quotations from the sacred volume are wholly unnecessary. The thought is too plain.

1 Peter 1:24—For all flesh is as grass.

To make the declaration that God’s word is living and eternal to stand out with more boldness, the apostle presents by the way of contrast, a quotation from the prophet Isaiah 40:6-8. Everything pertaining to man is weak like the grass, and his highest earthly glory like the flower of the grass. The grass withers and the flower falls. So man in his best estate, with all his earthly achievements, quickly decays. He is soon gone. James uses to some extent the same illustration. (James 1:11.)

1 Peter 1:25—But the word of the Lord endureth forever.

The contrast brought forward in the former verse is now plainly seen. While man is like the grass, and his decay is certain, it is far different with the word of the Lord. That Word endures, abides, remains forever.

1 Peter 1:25 --And this is the word by which the gospel is preached.

They had heard this gospel. It was preached to them by Paul and his assistants, and it may also be gathered that Peter desired them to understand that it is the same Word proclaimed by all the apostles of the Lord, himself included.

Commentary on 1 Peter 1:22-25 by Burton Coffman

1 Peter 1:22 --Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently:

Hart paraphrased the meaning of the first clause here thus, "They must realize that they have cleansed themselves ideally at baptism";^[55] and that this is surely the meaning of it appears to be certain when the passage is compared with Acts 2:40. On Pentecost Peter admonished those whom he was exhorting to be baptized to "save yourselves from this crooked generation." Here it is evident exactly what Peter meant by one’s saving himself or purifying himself, the same being references to one’s obeying the gospel of Christ. Of course, Peter did not mean by this that a man is his own saviour, or that he is in any sense the causative force of his purification; therefore, we should ask, "In what way is a person able to save himself or purify his soul?" Both here and in Acts 2:38 ff, it is clear enough that he does so by obeying the gospel, and that is something that the man himself must do. He must fulfill the conditions that are prior to his being saved; and, through the fulfillment of such antecedent conditions, the Christian, in the sense of his having done that, saves himself. It was altogether proper for an apostle of Jesus Christ thus to speak with reference to people’s saving themselves, because there are certain things one must do to be saved; and the people who do them are indeed saved, and those who neglect or refuse to do them cannot be saved at all, at least as far as any promise of the Christian gospel is concerned. Wesley’s notion that "The Spirit bestows upon you freely both obedience and purification,"^[56] has no foundation in the New Testament. While true enough that the Spirit of God aids Christians in their obedience after their conversion, there is a prior, antecedent obedience that must precede the Spirit’s entry into Christian hearts; that obedience must be provided by the one who would be saved; and it is of this that Peter speaks here.

Seeing ye have purified ... "This is the perfect tense, pointing to a past act of obedience which has enduring results."^[57] It is therefore a clear reference to the conversion which comes at the beginning of the Christian life, and not to subsequent spiritual endowments of the Christian.

In your obedience to the truth ... means simply, "by your obeying the gospel." As Dummelow put it, "The truth is the substance of the gospel."^[58]

Unto unfeigned love of the brethren ... One is not merely saved, but saved for some holy purpose; and, in this passage, the love of the brethren is identified as that holy purpose.

Love one another from the heart fervently ... See in the introduction for Peter’s fidelity in conforming his teaching to that of the Master. This shows that Peter had not forgotten the Saviour’s commandments to this very end. Of particular interest is the word "Fervently," which may also be translated "earnestly." Wheaton cited four usages of this word in the New Testament, here, in 1 Peter 4:8, and in Luke 22:44, and in Acts 12:5, the latter reference being to the prayer offered on behalf of Peter himself. "It denotes with supreme effort, `with every muscle strained.’"^[59]

^[55] J. H. A. Hart, op. cit., p. 52.

^[56] John Wesley, as quoted by Roy S. Nicholson, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 10 Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1967), p. 276.

^[57] G. J. Polkinghorne, op. cit., p. 588.

^[58] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 1042.

^[59] David H. Wheaton, op. cit., p. 1240.

1 Peter 1:23 --having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth.

Having been begotten again ... This is awkward, and the renditions of the RSV and the New English Bible (1961) are superior, "Ye were born again." This is positive proof that Peter was speaking of the new birth in the preceding verse.

Not of corruptible seed, .... "Peter in this stressed that "It is the word of God through which God brings forth new creatures?^[60] The apostle James taught the same thing (James 1:18), as did also the evangelist Luke (Luke 8:11); "The seed is the word of God." In the present era, a great deal more needs to be made of the seed. The notion that the seed is weak and helpless and must have the direct operation of some external force (such as the Holy Spirit) in order to make it alive, effective, powerful or otherwise able to reproduce in the divine manner intended - all such thoughts are vain. The seed is able of itself to reproduce (Mark 4:26-29). The seed itself is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). It is the seed itself which produces the new birth and the consequent indwelling of the Spirit. It is the word of God that abideth forever.

ENDNOTE:

^[60] Raymond C. Kelcy, op. cit., p. 40.

1 Peter 1:24 --For, All flesh is as grass, And all the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower falleth: But the word of the Lord abideth forever. And this was the word of good tidings which was preached unto you.

The Scripture quotation here is from Isaiah 4:6-6; but the passage seems to have been quoted with more in mind than the mere corroboration of the grand truth that the word of God abides forever, although that is indeed marvelous enough. The passage in Isaiah stands in the forefront of magnificent proclamations of the Messianic kingdom, especially as that pertained to "all flesh" and not merely to Jews only. "Peter was here calling attention to the absolute equality of Jew and Gentile."^[61] By his absolute identification of the holy gospel proclaimed by the apostles as that "word of God" which abides forever, it would appear that this is certainly true.

Zerr’s interesting comment on this verse is:

The new birth does not consist of some mysterious operation of God upon sinful men; it is a simple matter of believing and obeying the gospel

The reader is not left in any uncertainty as to what is meant by the spiritual seed of reproduction ... it is the gospel.^[62]

Barnes’ eloquent tribute to the power and beauty of the gospel is:

It is unremoved, fixed, permanent. Amidst all the revolutions on earth, the fading glories of natural objects, and the wasting strength of man, God’s truth remains unaffected. Its beauty never fades; its power is never enfeebled. The gospel system is as lovely now as when it was first revealed to man, and it has as much power to save as it had when first applied to the human heart.^[63]

People may busy themselves with studies of theology and a multitude of religious matters, but the means of saving the world from sin is the same as it always has been, namely, that of preaching the gospel to all people. It is not the deductions that people make from the sacred text, but the word itself that saves. The church’s chief mission on earth is the proclamation of the word Peter mentioned here; failing in that, a church becomes not merely useless but abhorrent. What can give people the new birth and save their souls? The answer lies in the last verse of this chapter: It is, "The word of good tidings which was preached unto you."

^[61] A. J. Mason, op. cit., p. 399.

^[62] E. M. Zerr, op. cit., p. 255.

^[63] Albert Barnes, op. cit., p. 132

"THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER"

Chapter One

OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS CHAPTER
1) To consider terms used by Peter to describe the people of God: "Pilgrims of the Dispersion", "elect", "obedient children"
2) To reflect upon the salvation, inheritance, and grace to come at the revelation of Jesus Christ
3) To note how we have been served by prophets, apostles, angels, the Holy Spirit, and Christ
4) To be reminded of the need to live holy lives, conducted with reverence toward God and with fervent and sincere love toward brethren

SUMMARY
Peter begins his first epistle to Christians in Asia Minor by acknowledging their election according to God’s foreknowledge, made possible by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, and for obedience and sprinkling by the blood of Jesus (1 Peter 1:1-2).

He then praises God for their living hope, incorruptible inheritance,
and glorious salvation to be revealed at the coming of Christ. Despite grievous trials, the power of God and their genuine faith protects them and gives them inexpressible joy. Their salvation to come was foretold by the prophets, and preached in the gospel by those inspired by the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:3-12).

In view of this salvation, Peter prescribes conduct becoming the people of God. They are to focus their mind and hope on the grace that will brought to them at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, they should conduct themselves in holiness and fear, imitating their holy Father who judges without partiality, ever mindful they have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ through whom their faith and hope are in God. They are to love one another fervently with pure hearts, since they have purified their souls for that very purpose through their obedience to the truth, and have been born again by the incorruptible Word of God which lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:13-25).

OUTLINE

I. INTRODUCTION (1 Peter 1:1-2)

A. THE AUTHOR (; 1 Peter 1:1 a)
1. Peter
2. An apostle of Jesus Christ

B. THE RECIPIENTS (1 Peter 1:1-2)
1. Pilgrims of the Dispersion
2. In Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia
3. Elect (chosen)...
a. According to the foreknowledge of God the Father
b. In sanctification of the Spirit
c. For obedience and sprinkling of blood of Jesus Christ

C. GREETINGS (1 Peter 1:2 c)
1. Grace and peace
2. Be multiplied

II. OUR SALVATION IN CHRIST (1 Peter 1:3-12)

A. BORN AGAIN TO A LIVING HOPE (; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
1. Because of God’s abundant mercy
2. Because Jesus has been raised from the dead
3. Because of our wonderful inheritance
a. Incorruptible, undefiled, and that does not fade away
b. Reserved in heaven
4. Because of being safely kept
a. By the power of God through faith
b. For salvation ready to be revealed in the last time

B. PRODUCING JOY IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING (1 Peter 1:6-9)
1. Great joy, though for a little while grieved by various trials
2. The genuineness of faith tested by fire
a. Proving more precious than gold that perishes
b. May be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation
of Jesus Christ
3. Rejoicing with joy inexpressible and full of glory
a. For loving Him whom you have not seen
b. For believing Him whom you have not seen
4. Receiving the end of such faith - the salvation of your souls

C. SERVED BY PROPHETS AND APOSTLES (1 Peter 1:10-12)
1. Regarding our salvation the prophets inquired and searched
diligently
a. Wondering what and when the Spirit of Christ in them was
indicating
b. When He testified beforehand of the sufferings of Christ and
the glories to follow
2. They were ministering such things not to themselves, but to us
a. Things now reported by those who preached the gospel by the
Holy Spirit
b. Things which angels desire to look into

III. OUR DUTY IN CHRIST (1 Peter 1:13-25)

A. HOLY CONDUCT (; 1 Peter 1:13-21)
1. Gird up the loins of your mind
a. Be sober
b. Rest your hope fully upon the grace to be brought at the
revelation of Jesus Christ
2. Be holy in all your conduct
a. As obedient children
b. Not conforming to former lusts done in ignorance
c. As He who called you is holy, just as it is written
3. Conduct yourselves during your stay in fear
a. Since you call on the Father who judges each one without
partiality
b. Knowing that you redeemed
1) Not with corruptible things like silver and gold
2) From your aimless conduct received by tradition from your
fathers
3) With the precious blood of Christ
a) As of a lamb without blemish and without spot
b) Foreordained before the foundation of the world
c) Manifest in these last times for you
d) Through whom you believe in God
1] Who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory
2] So that your faith and hope are in God

B. FERVENT AND PURE LOVE (1 Peter 1:22-25)
1. Since you have purified your souls
a. In obeying the truth through the Spirit
b. In sincere love of the brethren
2. Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but
incorruptible
a. Through the word of God which lives and abide forever
1) All flesh is as grass, all the glory of man as the flower
of the grass
2) The grass withers, its flower falls away
3) The word of the Lord endures forever
b. The word which by the gospel was preached to you

REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAPTER

1) What are the main points of this chapter?
- Introduction (1 Peter 1:1-2)
- Our salvation in Christ (1 Peter 1:3-12)
- Our duty in Christ (1 Peter 1:13-25)

2) To whom does Peter address this epistle? Where were they located? (1 Peter 1:1)
- To the pilgrims of the Dispersion; Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, Bithynia

3) What three things are said concerning their election? (1 Peter 1:2)
- According to the foreknowledge of God
- In sanctification of the Spirit
- For obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ

4) What has God done for us according to His abundant mercy? How was
this done? (; 1 Peter 1:3)
- Begotten us against to a living hope
- Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

5) What kind of inheritance does the Christian have? Where is it now?
(1 Peter 1:4)
- Incorruptible, undefiled, and that does not fade away; reserved in
heaven

6) How are Christians kept (guarded) for their salvation? (1 Peter 1:5)
- By the power of God
- Through faith

7) In what do Christians greatly rejoice? (1 Peter 1:5-6)
- Their salvation ready to be revealed in the last time

8) What benefits can come out of enduring grievous trials? (1 Peter 1:6-7)
- The testing of genuine faith
- Praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ

9) Though they had not seen Jesus, what is said about Peter’s readers?
(; 1 Peter 1:8)
- They loved Jesus
- They believed Jesus
- They rejoiced with joy inexpressible and full of glory

10) What would they receive as the end of their faith? (1 Peter 1:9)
- The salvation of their souls

11) What did the prophets of old testify about? (1 Peter 1:10-11)
- Of the salvation and grace that would come
- Of the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow

12) When these prophets wondered about they were prophesying, what were
they told? (; 1 Peter 1:12)
- They were not serving themselves, but us (Christians)
- They were ministering things that have now been reported by those
who preached the gospel

13) Upon what are Christians to rest their hope? (1 Peter 1:13)
- The grace to be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ

14) As obedient children, what three admonitions are given to
Christians? ( 1 Peter 1:14-17)
- Do not conform to the former lusts
- Be holy in all your conduct
- Conduct yourselves during your sojourn in fear

15) What three reasons are given to obey these admonitions (1 Peter 1:14-19)
- God is holy
- The Father judges each one’s work without partiality
- We were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ

16) What four things are said about Christ? (1 Peter 1:20-21)
- He was foreordained before the foundation of the world
- He was manifest in these last times for us
- He was raised from the dead and given glory
- Through Him we believe and have hope in God

17) What did God do to Jesus so that our faith and hope are in God? (1 Peter 1:21)
- Raised Him from the dead (resurrection) and gave Him glory
(ascension)

18) What two reasons are given for us to love one another fervently with
a pure heart? (; 1 Peter 1:22-23)
- We have purified our souls in obeying the truth
- We have been born again of the Word of God

19) What is said of the Word of God? (1 Peter 1:23-25)
- Incorruptible seed
- Lives and abides forever
- Endures forever
- By the gospel was preached to them

20) What is said about flesh and the glory of man? (1 Peter 1:24)
- Flesh is as grass which withers; the glory of man as the flower
which falls away

THE LIVING HOPE IN CHRIST 1 Peter 1:1-25

1. How does the writer of this letter describe himself? Ans. 1 Peter 1:1.

2. To whom is the letter addressed? Ans. 1 Peter 1:1.

3. Their election and salvation was according to what? Ans. 1 Peter 1:2.

4. How had they been blessed by the abundant mercy of God? Ans. 1 Peter 1:3.

5. Describe their inheritance. Ans. 1 Peter 1:4.

6. By what, through what, and unto what were they guarded and kept? Ans. 1 Peter 1:5.

7. How would their joy be affected by manifold trials? Axis. 1 Peter 1:6.

8. Their faith was more precious than what? Ans. 1 Peter 1:7.

9. How could the trial of their faith result in their good? Ans. 1 Peter 1:7.

10. Their unspeakable joy was caused by their love for whom? Ans. 1 Peter 1:8.

11. What would they receive as the end and object of their faith? Ans. 1 Peter 1:9.

12. Concerning what did the prophets speak and search? Ans. 1 Peter 1:10-11.

13. What did the angels desire to look into? Ans. 1 Peter 1:12.

14. How should God’s elect prepare themselves for the promised grace? Ans. 1 Peter 1:13.

15. When will this grace be brought to the Lord’s people? Ans. 1 Peter 1:13.

16. Name four characteristics which should distinguish the children of God from the children of this world. Ans. 1 Peter 1:14-16.

17. How does God judge every man? Ans. 1 Peter 1:17.

18. How should the sojourner pass the time? Ans. 1 Peter 1:17.

19. From what and by what have God’s people been redeemed? Ans. 1 Peter 1:18-19.

20. When and for whose sake was God’s eternal purpose in Christ manifested? Ans. 1 Peter 1:20.

21. What did God do for the Christ to establish our faith and hope in him? Ans. 1 Peter 1:21.

22. How is the soul purified? Ans. 1 Peter 1:22.

23. What is the incorruptible seed which produces a new birth and a new creature? Ans. 1 Peter 1:23.

24. All flesh is compared to what? Ans. 1 Peter 1:24.

25. How long will the word of the gospel live and abide? Ans. 1 Peter 1:25.

Questions by E.M. Zerr On 1 Peter 1

1. State the official positions of Peter.

2. Why does he say "strangers"?

3. In what country are the provinces named?

4. Give another name for elect.

5. According to whose foreknowledge’

6. How does this admit of our responsibility?

7. In what manner does the Spirit sanctify?

8. Unto obedience to what law is meant here?

9. How is the blood of Christ sprinkled?

10. What quantity of the grace and peace of God given?

11. What is the relation of God to Christ?

12. He hath begotten whom again?

13. Unto what kind of hope?

14. What was their former hope?

15. By what event was that hope killed?

16. By what event was the new one brought forth?

17. To what kind of inheritance is the new one?

18. Where is it reserved?

19. For whom is it reserved?

20. What power of God is used for its keeping?

21. Through what on their part?

22. When is it to be revealed?

23. Why are these brethren now in heaviness?

24. How should it affect their hope?

25. How precious is this tried faith?

26. In what condition will it be found?

27. At what time will this appear?

28. Why love Christ though not seeing him?

29. In what degree do they rejoice?

30. State the end or object of their faith.

31. Who had written concerning this salvation?

32. What spirit of inquiry did they have?

33. Of what did the Spirit in them testify?

34. How much of the subjects was revealed to them?

35. Who is antecedent of "them," verse 12?

36. With what power did they preach?

37. When was this H. G. sent down from heaven?

38. Who else desired to see into these things?

39. Why was it kept from all these? Ephesians 3:10.

40. Repeat exhortation based on above.

41. To what event should hope extend?

42. Conduct themselves as what kind of children?

43. What was their condition of mind formerly?

44. According to what example should they walk?

45. What scripture is here cited?

46. How does the Father regard persons?

47. In what manner will he judge?

48. How pass the time of our sojourn?

49. Does "sojourn" agree with "strangers," verse I?

50. How were they not redeemed?

51. From what had they been redeemed?

52. By what had they been redeemed?

53. From when was he foreordained for this use?

54. Manifest in what times?

55. What class of persons is benefited by it?

56. How had they purified their souls?

57. How was the truth given to the world?

58. What mutual service should this cause?

59. Of what source were they born again?

60. Why is this not like grass and human glory ?

61. By what means is the Word preached to us?