Bible Commentaries
1 Peter 5

Verses 1-4

1Pe 5:1-4

3. DUTIES OF ELDERS

1 Peter 5:1-4

1 The elders therefore among you I exhort,---"Therefore" logically associates the present exhortation with the sequence of thought at the end of the preceding chapter. There, the saints were admonished to continue in "well-doing" and to prepare them ; selves for the "judgment" impending (1 Peter 4:17; 1 Peter 4:19); and here, the elders are instructed to encourage them in the one, and to assist them in preparing for the other.

The word "elder" is translated from the Greek presbuteros, a presbyter. Originally, it had reference to age, but it later came to be the most common designation of those empowered by the Holy Spirit to exercise oversight of the churches. (Acts 20:28.) Each congregation of the apostolic age had a plurality of men so functioning, their duties being to feed the flock (Acts 20:28), to administer discipline (1 Thessalonians 5:12), and to watch for the souls of the saints committed to their care (Hebrews 13:17). They are thus variously styled "bishops" (Acts 20:28), "pastors" (Ephesians 4:11), "teachers" (Ephesians 4:11), and "presbyters" (1 Timothy 4:14), in keeping with the functions required of them. Their activities, in the functional capacities above designated, were limited to the congregations in which they held membership, and the foregoing designations are descriptive of the same men--the distinctions between elders, bishops and pastors which later developed and which are currently used in the denominational world being without New Testament sanction. Qualifications of elders are listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-16.

The word "exhort" is a term of persuasion; and far from supporting the Romish view that Peter exercised supremacy over the other apostles, the word is a common one to the sacred writers and the duty involved a fitting one for all saints. (Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:25.) The exhortation to the elders was based on three considerations (1) Peter was also an elder; (2) he was a witness of the sufferings of Christ; and (3) he shared with the saints to whom he wrote the hope of ultimate glory.

Who am a fellow-elder,--(ho sumprebuteros, the fellow-elder). Though one of the apostles, he chose to base his exhortation on the fact that he, too, was an elder, and thus on the same level in this respect as those to whom he wrote.

And a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:--Though Peter had seen--from afar--the agony of Christ on the cross, and was, in this manner, a "witness" of the suffering of Christ, the word "witness" here (martus) signifies "testimony," and the meaning is that Peter was chosen to testify regarding the sufferings he had seen. The Lord had said he was to do this (Acts 1:8), and Peter, on more than one occasion, alluded thereto (Acts 3:15; 10:39). Here, as in 1 Peter 1:11; 1 Peter 4:13, the thought of these sufferings led the apostle to make mention of the glory which awaits those who patiently and faithfully endure.

2 Tend the flock of God which is among you,--The verb "tend" (poimaino, to shepherd; to care for sheep) points to the similarity which obtains between the work of a shepherd and the duty of elders in the church. The word includes more than simply preaching or teaching; in it are all the varied duties which we sometimes, and properly so, style the "pastoral" office. The noun form of the verb "tend" is translated "pastors" in Ephesians 4:11. A shepherd and his sheep have long served as a figure of teachers and those committed to their care. When David was taken from the sheepfolds of his father it was that he might feed Israel, "the flock of Jehovah." "So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands." (Psalms 78:70-72.) One of the many charges leveled against the disobedient kings and rulers of Judah was that they did not tend the flock but scattered and destroyed it. (Jeremiah 23:1-4.) It is the flock of God, and not of the shepherds; a reminder that elders serve under the "Chief Shepherd" to whom they, also, must some day give an account. The words "which are among you" identifies the ones for whom the shepherds are responsible:those of their own flock, or congregation.

Exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to the will of God; --The words "exercising the oversight" translate the Greek participle episkopountes, derived from episkopos, the usual word for "bishop" or "overseer." (Acts 20:28.) An episkopos is a superintendent, or overseer; and in exercising oversight of the flock of God, bishops or elders are obligated to superintend and direct the affairs of the congregation committed to their care. (Hebrews 13:17.) To fail to do so is to be remiss in duty and recreant to the trust imposed; and for the congregation to refuse to recognize this oversight when properly exercised and by duly qualified and appointed elders, is to be in rebellion against God himself.

This oversight the elders are to exercise "not of restraint," i.e., not in forced service and through a burdened sense of duty, but "willingly," and in harmony with the will of God who requires it.

Nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; --"Filthy lucre" is from the compound adverb aischrokerdes, and occurs only here, though an adjectival form of the word is in 1 Timothy 3:8 and Titus 1:7. The word describes gain that is base and dishonorable. This statement is significant beyond the instruction which it contains in revealing that in the apostolic age elders were supported financially by the congregation in the work in which they were engaged. Despite the troublous times which then prevailed and the comparative poverty of the congregations in most parts of the world, there was sufficient money available to make the work lucrative. Paul provided that the elders who ruled well should be accorded a double stipend--"especially those who labor in the word and in teaching." (1 Timothy 5:17.) The duties of elders are so varied and pressing that the church will never make the growth it should until this practice--of supporting elders fully that they may devote their entire time to the work of the church--is adopted. These words of warning were necessary because there was always the possibility that some would be tempted to use their position in the church for base ends and personal gain. It is noteworthy that the term used to describe the character of money obtained in this manner is that which the Greek writers commonly used of one who sought gain in a sordid way. Thus an elder (or, for that matter, any spiritual teacher) who obtains money as the result of the misuse of his position is as base and disreputable as the extortioner, the trafficer in the bodies of women, and the seller of slaves. Then, as now, some turned religion into a trade and commercialized the gospel of Christ, "supposing that godliness is a way of gain." (1 Timothy 5:5.) In contrast with all such is the faithful elder who serves with a "ready mind," his service being a willing one, i.e., eagerly and with earnest desire to please the Father.

3 Neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock.--In verse 2, Peter forbade the elders to exercise their functions from base and sordid motives of avarice and greed; here, he warns them against the unseemly ambition and abuse of power in the same work. Such ambition and abuse of power was, in the apostle’s view, as wrong as that condemned in the preceding verse; and the history of religion from the apostolic age to the present is a demonstration of the correctness of this claim., Warnings against such a disposition recur in our Saviour’s teaching. (Matthew 20:25-28 Luke 22:24-26; Mark 9:34-35.) The words "lording it over" (from katakurieuo, to rule over other highhandedly and autocratically) suggests an arrogant, domineering spirit, and is here positively forbidden to those who would serve acceptably as elders or bishops. That such a spirit early manifested itself in the church may be seen from 3 John 1:9.

The "charge allotted" to the elders was the congregation in which they served. These words are translated from kleron, plural of kleros, a lot or portion. In the Greek Septuagint, the word designated a portion assigned by lot. (Deuteronomy 10:9; Deuteronomy 12:12.) Jehovah is there declared to be the "portion" or "lot" of the Levites, the priestly tribe. The word as here used is applied to that portion of the church which the elders have assigned to them as their lot or portion over which to exercise superintendency--i.e., the congregations in which they hold membership. It is significant that our English word clergy derives from kleros, the lot or portion over which elders are to exercise watchful care. In this, as in many other instances, the denominational world has abandoned the New Testament usage; and instead of applying the word . to the members of the church as Peter did, they use it as a special designation for preachers!

Elders, far from manifesting a spirit of arrogance and autocracy in their work, are to serve as "ensamples" to the flock, the church. The word "ensample" is from tupos, type; the print or mark left from the impression; thus, an example or pattern. Elders are to serve therefore as patterns or models for the emulation of those committed to their care, even as they follow the pattern of Christ, the "chief shepherd." (Verse 4.) It is important to note that in the foregoing verse that which Peter forbids is the abuse of authority and not its proper use. To cite this passage as proof that elders are vested with no authority in directing .the affairs of the congregation is utterly to misapprehend the apostle’s teaching. It is not the exercise of spiritual authority as such which is here condemned; it is its excesses and abuses; and in doing this, the apostle directed attention to the fact that the power of a good example is much more effective than the mere exercise of authority, and that to seek for such influence is the best guarantee against its improper use. It is not to be forgotten that to deny to elders the proper exercise of authority in the oversight of the church is as much a perversion of New Testament teaching as it is for the elders to abuse their rights and privileges through improper seizure of authority. There is in the church today tendencies toward both extremes; each of them should be, and must be strictly curbed.

4 And when the chief Shepherd shall be manifested, ye shall receive the crown of glory that fadeth not away.--The words "chief Shepherd" occur nowhere else in the New Testament, and were, therefore, coined by Peter, perhaps in memory of the Lord’s allusion to himself as the Good Shepherd in the parable of the sheepfold. (John 10:14.) The Hebrew writer in similar fashion referred to "the great shepherd of the sheep." (Heb. 13 20.) Elders are thus to regard themselves as under-shepherds, deriving their powers and exercising their functions by the will of the "Chief Shepherd," Christ. The manifestation of Christ will be at his second coming, at which time the under-shepherds, here particularly addressed, will "receive the crown of glory that fadeth not away." Instead of striving for material gain or popular applause elders are to serve in such fashion that the unfading crown of glory reserved for such will be there. The words "that fadeth not away" are from amarantinos, not subject to withering; a flower that never fades, hence, the symbol of perpetuity and immortality. See a similar use and, further explanation of the term in 1 Peter 1:4. "Of glory" is in apposition to "crown" and it is, therefore a glorious crown. The crown (stephanos) is the wreath or chaplet worn by heroes or conquerors, and not the diadems of sovereignty or royalty. It designates the reward which is bestowed for faithful and valued service. And it is an amaranthine wreath, not subject to fading as were the wreaths fashioned for, and bestowed on, the popular heroes of the day. The thought and word occur in one of Milton’s finest passages

"Immortal Amaranth, a flower which once In Paradise, hard by the tree of life, Began to bloom, but soon, for man’s offence

To heaven removed, where first it grew, there grows And flowers aloft, shading the fount of life;

And where the river of bliss through midst of heaven Rolls o’er Elysian flowers her amber stream

With these, that never fade, the spirits elect

Bind their resplendent locks, inwreathed with beams."

Commentary on 1 Peter 5:1-4 by N.T. Caton

1 Peter 5:1—The elders which are among you.

These elders were the bishops or overseers of the churches situated in the provinces named in the first chap­ter. This is evident from the duties imposed upon this office, as the same appears in second verse. Paul sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of that church to meet him at Miletus, and, among other things, he said to them: "Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood" (Acts 20:28). These officers were of like kind. Peter says he was one also; that is, he was both an elder and an apostle. I can not here avoid remarking that no pre-eminent claim is here by the apostle asserted, such as is claimed for him by some in the religious world. It was an opportune time to so claim if any such pre-eminence existed. He simply says he was an elder and witness.

1 Peter 5:2—Feed the flock of God.

I, a fellow-elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, am apostle chosen by him, exhort you to feed the flock. In doing this you are exercising the bishop’s office by teaching and exhorting them, and praying with and for them, and watching for their souls, not because you are overpersuaded by men to do so, but willingly and not for gain for the money to be given you for your services, but because of your love for God and his cause, and the salvation of your fellows.

1 Peter 5:3—Neither as lords over God’s heritage.

In your service be not arrogant and despotic. Macknight says: "This is a strong word, denoting tyranny, which the men of this world often exercise when they have obtained offices of power."

1 Peter 5:3—But being ensamples to the flock.

If the elder must not be despotic, but the reverse, then they must show a kindly, humble and charitable disposition. Their unselfish devotion becomes then easy of imitation. They are then proper ensamples, patterns, models to be followed by the flock.

1 Peter 5:4—And when the chief Shepherd shall appear.

You elders, you shepherds, for thus faithfully perform­ing the duties of your office, when the chief Shepherd shall come, will receive your reward. It will be a crown, but not such as is worn by the victor in races run by men in their human sports; such a crown will fade, but your crown will be one of glory that shall never wither.

Commentary on 1 Peter 5:1-4 by Burton Coffman

This chapter concludes the epistle with exhortations concerning the eldership and the general attitude of submission and obedience for all (1 Peter 5:1-11), ending with salutations and benediction (1 Peter 5:12-14).

1 Peter 5:1 --The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: (1 Peter 5:1)

In this verse, "There is neither self-exaltation nor disparagement, nor any hint of primacy, such as some have claimed for Peter."^[1] The storm of persecution coming upon the church naturally focused Peter’s mind upon "the need for adequate leadership."^[2]

The elders which are among you ... Since these men are those exercising the oversight of the church (1 Peter 5:2), the church officials of that name are meant here. Significantly, in some of the older manuscripts "exercising the oversight" is omitted, probably for the purpose of denying the eldership the same authority which came, in time, to be attributed to "bishops" only. However, as Hunter noted, "In New Testament times the government of the local church was in the hands of a body of men called almost indifferently elders or overseers (bishops)."^[3] Other New Testament synonyms for the same office are presbyters, pastors, shepherds and stewards. See more on this under 1 Peter 5:2.

Which are among you ... As Zerr noted, "Elders have no authority over disciples among whom they are not residing."^[4] This is the reason that the apostles commanded elders to be ordained in "every church" (Acts 14:23;Titus 1:5).

Whom am a fellow-elder ... The authority of the eldership is in the group sharing the office and is not to be exercised individually, each elder himself being subject, as is the whole church, to the eldership. Zerr noted that "Thayer defines the word elder as a fellow-elder."^[5]

Who am a witness of the sufferings of Christ ... Primarily, this is a reference to Peter’s apostleship; for as Hart said:

The qualifications of an apostle in the strict sense limited the office only to those who were companions of the Twelve in all the time from John’s baptism to the Assumption, or at least witnesses of the resurrection (Acts 1:22).^[6]

Construing "witness of the sufferings" as meaning an eyewitness of the crucifixion, however, some are "inclined to doubt this, for we are told that after the arrest in the garden, ’all the disciples forsook him and fled’ (Matthew 26:56)."^[7] But there is no validity to the view that Peter did not actually see the crucifixion. He could well have been among the number mentioned by Luke who beheld the event "from afar" (Luke 23:49); for Mark, shortly after saying that all the apostles forsook him and fled, placed Peter in the courtyard as an observer of the trials (Mark 14:50-54); and even beyond this, there is the fact that Peter witnessed the agony in Gethsemane.

Who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed ... Selwyn thought this clause has reference to the transfiguration which Peter, along with James and John, had witnessed during the Lord’s ministry, saying:

Peter had experienced and was known to have experienced the special revelation of the glory that had been restored to Jesus at the Ascension ... and would be manifested to all when he came again at the End.^[8]

^[1] Roy S. Nicholson, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 10 (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1967), p. 299.

^[2] David H. Wheaton, New Bible Commentary, Revised (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), p. 1247.

^[3] Archibald M. Hunter, The Interpreter’s Bible. Vol. XII (New York and Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1957), p. 147.

^[4] E. M. Zerr, Bible Commentary, 1Peter (Marion, Indiana: Cogdill Foundation, 1954), p. 265.

^[5] Ibid.

^[6] J. H. A. Hart, Expositor’s Greek Testament, Vol. V (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967), p. 76.

^[7] William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1976), p. 268.

^[8] E. G. Selwyn, The First Epistle of St. Peter (London: Macmillan and Company, 1946), p. 229.

1 Peter 5:2 --Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to the will of God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

Tend the flock of God ... The flock does not belong to the elders, but to God. The word here is exactly the same "that Jesus used when he admonished Peter to tend his sheep (John 21:16)."^[9]

Exercising the oversight ... See under preceding verse. As Dummelow, and many others, stressed, "Elders were not then distinguished from bishops as they soon afterward were."^[10] This is plain from the word [@episkopos] from which "oversight" is translated. This, of course, requires a date for the epistle prior to A.D. 70. Very soon, however, the elevation of so called "bishops" to a rank and dignity they did not have in the New Testament began to appear; and "The omission of this clause from the Vatican and Sinaitic manuscripts was prompted by ecclesiastical reason,"^[11] for the fear that elders might be supposed to have equal authority with bishops, which was of course true. Incidentally, the close kinship of the Vatican and Sinaitic Manuscripts is evident in a thing like this, accounting for the fact of their correspondence in the treatment of Mark 16:12-20. For more on this, see the Introduction to my Commentary on Mark.

Not of constraint, but willingly ... "In times of persecution, lukewarm elders might regret their prominence,"^[12] thus Peter admonishes elders not to quail under the pressure of the time. Such a fact is also possibly behind Paul’s words, "If any man desire the office of a bishop" (1 Timothy 3:1).

According to the will of God ... Peter had just spoken of them as "partakers of Christ’s sufferings" (1 Peter 4:13), and this clause shows that all Christians, elders included, are called to suffer for the cause of the Lord. As Paul put it, "If we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him" (2 Timothy 2:12). Many Christians fail because they do not properly discern the nature of the life to which they are committed. It is not one unending "high," comparable to a stroll along some flower-lined pathway to the accompaniment of sweet music. It is a fight (2 Timothy 4:7); it is like being a soldier (2 Timothy 2:4), subject to disagreeable and difficult assignments; it is like training for an athletic contest (2 Timothy 2:5), involving all kinds of austerity, self-discipline and hard work; it is called "taking up one’s cross" (Matthew 16:24), etc.

Nor yet for filthy lucre ... This shows that, "Even in the earliest times, the elders received money in payment for such services as they rendered to the other brethren."^[13]

Another thought based upon this verse was given by Zerr who wrote:

These principles disprove a popular notion that a person can be a member of a congregation even though he is too far away to be among the elders and the other members. The idea that a person can live in one community and "have his membership in another one" has no Scriptural authority.^[14]

^[9] Raymond C. Kelcy, The Letters of Peter and Jude (Austin, Texas: R. B. Sweet Company, 1972), p. 98.

^[10] J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 1047.

^[11] B. C. Caffin, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 22,1Peter (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 206.

^[12] J. H. A. Hart, op. cit., p. 76.

^[13] James William Russell, Compact Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1964), p. 587.

^[14] E. M. Zerr, op. cit., p. 265.

1 Peter 5:3 --neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock.

This verse is somewhat difficult; for, as Mason said, "The English version here is somewhat too strict for the Greek and for the sense."^[15] The New Testament clearly teaches that in a sense (limited, of course), the elders are "lords" or rulers over their congregations; and what is prohibited here is not the exercise of their lawful authority, but the improper exercise of it. Zerr has this:

The Englishman’s Greek New Testament renders it: "Not as exercising lordship over your possessions." ... If a man considers the church as his own, then he is indeed likely to rule in an improper manner.^[16]

Thus it is not to be thought here that "Peter was commanding the bishops not to tyrannize over the inferior clergy."^[17] It is from the word here rendered "lots" or "charge allotted" that the English word "clergy"^[18] is derived; but the passage carries no such meaning.

The power motive is present in every church, and there is "no corruption so odious as that which in public purports to be benevolent and disinterested."^[19] The desire for power is an ever-present threat to every congregation on earth.

^[15] A. J. Mason, Ellicott’s Bible Commentary, Vol. VII (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1959), p. 433.

^[16] E. M. Zerr, op. cit., p. 266.

^[17] B. C. Caffin, op. cit., p. 207.

^[18] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 1047.

^[19] Elmer G. Homrighausen, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XII (New York and Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1967), p. 151.

1 Peter 5:4 --And when the chief Shepherd shall be manifested, ye shall receive the crown of glory that fadeth not away.

The chief Shepherd ... is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ who called himself the "Good Shepherd" (John 10:11). See more on this under 1 Peter 2:25.

Crown of glory that fadeth not away ... "The Greek words here mean literally an amaranthine wreath."^[20]Amaranth is the name of a flower which, like our "immortelles", does not lose its color or form."^[21] However, Peter here used the word as the best figure available for describing the eternal glory of the heavenly reward, thus providing another example of the extensive use of such figurative language throughout 1Peter. It is partially because of things like this that "Babylon" in 1 Peter 5:13 is understood as meaning "Rome."

^[20] B. C. Caffin, op. cit., p. 207.

^[21] A. J. Mason, op. cit., p. 433.

Verse 5

1Pe 5:5

1 Peter 5:5

4. DUTIES OF THE YOUNG

1 Peter 5:5 a

5a Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder. 1 Pet--"Likewise" 1 Peter 3:7, (homoios, in like manner, as in in your turn), points to the corresponding obligations of the younger members of the church. "Be subject (hupotasso, cf. 1 Peter 2:13; 1 Peter 2:18; 1 Peter 3:1) is an injunction to these younger members to be subject to the older members of the congregation. "Elder" in the text is plural (presbuterio) as is the word younger (neoteroi). Does the word "elder" here refer to age alone, or to the functional position designated by the term in verse 1? It is not possible to know definitely. In support of the view that it refers to men who serve as elders in the church is the fact that in the verses immediately preceding such are unmistakably designed by the word. It would be unusual for a word to be used in two different senses in such close connection. On the other hand, it seems natural to regard the words "younger" and "elder" as opposed to each other, and hence in natural antithesis, the first of the younger people, and the second of the older people in the congregation. Paul, in 1 Timothy 5:1, uses the word in this ordinary signification; and such seems the more probable meaning here. But, whether the word be taken in its functional or its ordinary sense, the obligation of the younger to the older people remains. All such are, of course, to be in subjection to the elders of the church, and in addition to render that deference and respect owed by the young to the aged.

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

1 Peter 5:5—Likewise, ye younger.

Younger in years, and later inducted into the kingdom of Christ. To you, and to all such as you, I say be governed by the Christian advice, exhortations and instructions of the elders, for in this regard submission is proper and necessary to your well-being.

1 Peter 5:5—Yea, all of you be subject to one another.

The exhortation of submission to the younger applies to you all: Be clothed with humility, no matter what your relations to one another may be. This grace is necessary.

1 Peter 5:5—For God resisteth the proud.

The reason for the exhibition of humility is now made to appear. God resists the proud, but gives grace to those who are humble.

Commentary on 1 Peter 5:5 by Burton Coffman

1 Peter 5:5 --Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder. Yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another: for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.

Ye younger ... "The reference here is to age, not to official rank. Younger men are to defer to their elders."^[22] Despite this view which is quite common among commentators, however, Kelcy observed that "There is no evidence of a transition of thought from one group to another,"^[23] therefore construing the passage as a reference to the submission to the congregation’s official elders, as mentioned above.

Yea, all of you ... Here there is indeed the transition to a larger group of the whole church, all of whom are commanded to be humble and submissive to others in the giving of loving service to brothers and sisters in Christ.

Gird yourselves with humility to serve one another ...

Gird yourselves... must evidently have been written by Peter in vivid remembrance of that occasion when Jesus himself girded himself with a towel and washed the disciples’ feet, even Peter’s (John 13:4), and that at a time when not a one of the Twelve consented to do such a thing. In this clause, the Greek word actually means "an apron worn by slaves, which was tied around them when at work, to keep their dress clean."^[24]Macknight also defined it as "a frock put over the rest of the clothes,"^[25] giving the meaning to be that "humility should be visible over all the other Christian virtues, in our whole behavior."^[26]

God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble ... Throughout the holy Scriptures, proud and haughty spirits are condemned. Pride leads the list of all of the sins (Proverbs 6:16-18). This passage echoes the very words of the Saviour (Luke 14:11). Humility is such a wonderful virtue that all of the publican’s sins did not destroy him because he had it; and all of the Pharisee’s righteousness could not save him because he did not have it (Luke 18:1-14).

^[22] Archibald M. Hunter, op. cit., p. 152.

^[23] Raymond C. Kelcy, op. cit., p. 101.

^[24] B. C. Caffin, op. cit., p. 207.

^[25] James Macknight, Macknight on the Epistles, Vol. V (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1969), p. 503.

^[26] Ibid

Verses 5-9

1Pe 5:5-9

1 Peter 5:5-9

5. HUMILITY AND WATCHFULNESS

1 Peter 5:5-9

5b Yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another: for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.--Here, the effort to designate obligations of specific classes is dropped and the duty of all declared. It is as if the apostle had said, "Why should I attempt to specify particular duties for each class when one injunction will cover them all." "All of you gird yourselves with humility to serve one another." "Gird yourselves" is translated from the Greek verb egkomboomai, a term of exceeding interest and significance. The noun from which it is derived (kombos) signifies a knot; and the noun form means to tie with a knot. From this noun, the verb of our text, denoting the garment thus tied on, is derived. It was used at the beginning of the Christian era of the white scarf or apron which slaves wore tightly fastened around the waist to distinguish them from freemen. Used figuratively here, the meaning is, "Tie on humility like a slave’s apron." The saints were thus to array themselves in humility; to tie it on securely like a garment so that it might never fall away. So arrayed, they were to regard no service as too menial or lowly, no task too small for them to perform. Peter must have had a vivid mental picture of the Lord’s action when he tied a towel about him and washed the disciples’ feet, when these words were penned. (John 13:10-17.)

The phrase, "for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble," is a quotation from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, occurring in Proverbs 3:34. The verb "resisteth" is a military term, as of an army marshaled for battle. Spiritual forces are thus arrayed against the proud. These words of Solomon are cited by Peter as an additional reason why saints should clothe themselves in the garment of humility. "Grace" is favor unmerited; God sheds his favor only upon those who humble themselves in his sight.

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; --The "hand of God" is mighty because it is all-powerful and irresistible in its operaations. Inasmuch as it is sheer folly for man to resist God, the wise course is for one to humble himself under the Lord’s hand, with the assurance that he will be exalted in due time. The Saviour’s words, "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted" (Matthew 23:12), must have been in Peter’s thoughts when he wrote these words.

7 Casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you.--The word "casting" is derived from a term which means to deposit, and is in the aorist tense here, thus signifying a once-for-all act by which one rids himself forevermore of all anxious care by depositing it with the Lord! "Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat, or What shall we drink? or, Where-withal shall we be clothed . . . For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." One may, with complete confidence, cast his anxiety on the Lord for the reason that he cares for his saints, and will not forsake them in their time of need. (Psalms 55:22.)

8 Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:--"Be sober" is an admonition to calmness of mind; mental self-control. The verb occurs in 1 Peter 4:7. "Be watchful" is translated from a word often used by the Lord. (Mark 13:35; Mark 13:37 ; Matthew 26:40-41.) An "adversary" is, technically, an opponent in a lawsuit; here, it is used to identify Satan as the one on the opposite side of a trial for life or death. He is the "devil," because he is a calumniator, one who deliberately and knowingly makes false charges against the saints of God; and he is called "a roaring lion," because of the fierceness with which he stalks, and if possible, runs down the saints. The word "roar" describes the howl of the lion or wolf in hunger. He is a serpent because of his subtilty (2 Corinthians 11:1-4); a lion because of his strength and ferocity. The verb "walketh about" indicates his restless energy; and "seeking" the persistence with which he searches out his victims. "Walketh about" is translated from a word which means, literally, to prowl about, not daring to enter the fold where the sheep are, but ready to spring upon, and devour any wanderer outside. The word "devour" is, in the Greek, to gulp down, or swallow, thus utterly to destroy.

9 Whom withstand stedfast in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world.--"Withstand" (anthistemi) is translated from the same word as "resist" in the familiar passage in James, "But resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7.) The verb means to stand firmly against attack; to be unwavering in resistance. The word "stedfast" (stereos) indicates rocklike stability, a solidity and firmness originating in faith; not, however, objective faith-unwavering orthodoxy--but an immovable trust in God. The means by which to withstand Satan are, (1) stedfastness in faith; (2) recognition that the suffering to which the saints are subjected is not peculiar to them; and (3) that the same suffering has been undergone by the brethren before them. Not alone in their trials, they were to remember that they formed a community of believers who were all suffering for the Name they so proudly wore. "Brethren" in the text is a collective term, properly, "brotherhood," and is so translated in 1 Peter 2:17. "In the world" is a comprehensive term, meaning in all parts of the world.

Commentary on 1 Peter 5:5-9 by N.T. Caton

1 Peter 5:5—Likewise, ye younger.

Younger in years, and later inducted into the kingdom of Christ. To you, and to all such as you, I say be governed by the Christian advice, exhortations and instructions of the elders, for in this regard submission is proper and necessary to your well-being.

1 Peter 5:5—Yea, all of you be subject to one another.

The exhortation of submission to the younger applies to you all: Be clothed with humility, no matter what your relations to one another may be. This grace is necessary.

1 Peter 5:5—For God resisteth the proud.

The reason for the exhibition of humility is now made to appear. God resists the proud, but gives grace to those who are humble.

1 Peter 5:6—Humble yourselves, therefore.

Since it is a fact that the humble only receive grace from God, humble yourselves. Take his corrections patiently. Show thereby your entire submission to his will, and in time he will exalt you to the possession of a home in heaven. This he will do in his own time.

1 Peter 5:7—Casting all of your care upon him.

In any distress that comes upon you, submit to God. He will sustain you. The Psalmist says: "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved" (Psalms 55:22).

1 Peter 5:7—For he careth for you.

How consolatory is this declaration to the oppressed Christian heart; God cares for him.

1 Peter 5:8—Be sober, be vigilant.

Observe temperance in all things. Rule with vigor all passions of the mind and passions of the body. Be vigilant; that is, careful, watchful, always on the guard. The occasion for this is that a conflict is before you, and the enemy whom I have disclosed is a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5:8—Your adversary, the devil.

Knowing now with whom you come in conflict, you at once discover the necessity for the close observance of the admonitions given. Your adversary is the devil, the enemy of all righteousness and the author of all wrong. Like the lion, his approaches are stealthy, and, as the lion is powerful among the beasts of the field, so your adversary is exceed­ingly powerful and unscrupulous.

1 Peter 5:9—Whom resist, steadfast in the faith.

When the devil is resisted he flees away. Oppose him, therefore, and be steadfast; that is, firm and unshaken in your faith.

1 Peter 5:9—Knowing that the same afflictions.

You are not alone in this warfare and in these suffer­ings. Your brethren in the Lord everywhere in the world are also visited in the same manner.

Commentary on 1 Peter 5:5-9 by Burton Coffman

1 Peter 5:5 --Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder. Yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another: for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.

Ye younger ... "The reference here is to age, not to official rank. Younger men are to defer to their elders."^[22] Despite this view which is quite common among commentators, however, Kelcy observed that "There is no evidence of a transition of thought from one group to another,"^[23] therefore construing the passage as a reference to the submission to the congregation’s official elders, as mentioned above.

Yea, all of you ... Here there is indeed the transition to a larger group of the whole church, all of whom are commanded to be humble and submissive to others in the giving of loving service to brothers and sisters in Christ.

Gird yourselves with humility to serve one another ...

Gird yourselves... must evidently have been written by Peter in vivid remembrance of that occasion when Jesus himself girded himself with a towel and washed the disciples’ feet, even Peter’s (John 13:4), and that at a time when not a one of the Twelve consented to do such a thing. In this clause, the Greek word actually means "an apron worn by slaves, which was tied around them when at work, to keep their dress clean."^[24]Macknight also defined it as "a frock put over the rest of the clothes,"^[25] giving the meaning to be that "humility should be visible over all the other Christian virtues, in our whole behavior."^[26]

God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble ... Throughout the holy Scriptures, proud and haughty spirits are condemned. Pride leads the list of all of the sins (Proverbs 6:16-18). This passage echoes the very words of the Saviour (Luke 14:11). Humility is such a wonderful virtue that all of the publican’s sins did not destroy him because he had it; and all of the Pharisee’s righteousness could not save him because he did not have it (Luke 18:1-14).

^[22] Archibald M. Hunter, op. cit., p. 152.

^[23] Raymond C. Kelcy, op. cit., p. 101.

^[24] B. C. Caffin, op. cit., p. 207.

^[25] James Macknight, Macknight on the Epistles, Vol. V (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1969), p. 503.

^[26] Ibid

1 Peter 5:6 --Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;

In due time ... Christians may not always be exalted in this life; and, indeed, it might be said that they seldom are; but the exaltation will come. "It might be in the present life, but it will certainly be in the world to come."^[27]

Under the mighty hand of God ... This is a common "Old Testament expression used in connection with deliverance (Exodus 3:19; Exo 20)."^[28] The author of James also remembered this same teaching of Jesus (James 4:6 James 4:10).

^[27] Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament, 1Peter (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1953), p. 205.

^[28] J. H. A. Hart, op. cit., p. 78.

1 Peter 5:7 --casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you.

The thought here contrasts the living and true God with the dumb idol gods of paganism who had no feeling, concern, or interest of any kind whatever in their worshipers. Even those pagan gods and goddesses which were supposed to be more glorious were always represented as being far off from their devotees, and as having no care whatever for them. It is one of the most glorious teachings of the Bible that God, yes, even the Almighty God, loves his children, is concerned and interested in their welfare; and his eyes are always upon his beloved.

1 Peter 5:8 --Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

This warning against the devices and evil intentions of man’s inveterate foe, Satan, should be strictly heeded. Nothing could be any clearer than the presentation in Scripture of the kingdom of evil as an organized wickedness, directed by a powerful and malignant leader, a personal ruler of darkness, having as his objective the destruction of souls. The current theology which downgrades this danger, or even denies the reality of Satan, is wrong. It is contrary to the word of God. The Saviour himself warned Peter of Satan’s "sifting him"; and from this it is clear that Peter got the message.

As a roaring lion ... Satan is represented in Scripture under various figures: (1) the roaring lion; (2) the angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14); and (3) the serpent (2 Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 20:2). These representations also answer to the three avenues of temptation: (1) the lust of the flesh; (2) the lust of the eye; and (3) the pride of life, the same being also the three avenues through which Satan assailed Jesus in the temptation (Matthew 4:1 ff).

As a roaring lion ... In the time at which Peter wrote, Satan was indeed, not a sly and stealthy serpent, nor disguised as an angel of light; but he was a roaring lion elevated in the person of Nero upon the throne of the Caesars and thundering his decrees of death and destruction, like a roaring lion! Many of the Christians would be terrified and intimidated, and some under threat of death would renounce their faith. Satan’s true nature is more visible in this than in the other Scriptural likenesses; because he adopts other methods only when circumstances make it impossible for him openly and wantonly to destroy, as was the case in the Neronian persecution. Paine was not wrong, therefore, when he wrote: "This passage may well be a veiled reference to Nero or to his amphitheater with its lions!"^[29]

ENDNOTE:

^[29] Stephen W. Paine, Wycliffe Bible Commentary, New Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1971), p. 984.

1 Peter 5:9 --whom withstand stedfast in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world.

Whom withstand ... Satan is not to be yielded to; whatever he may do to the bodies of Christians, there is really nothing that he is able to do to them.

Stedfast in your faith ... A glance at the marginal reading in the ASV shows that this should be translated "the faith," and thus be understood objectively as "the Christian faith," not as a sinner’s subjective "trust/faith."

The same sufferings ... See under 1 Peter 5:2.

Who are in the world ... There is a poignant suggestion in this that being "in the world" was one and the same thing as being under Nero and his persecution. Someone has said that in the times of the Caesars, the world itself was but a dreary prison for those who were proscribed by the emperor.

Verses 10-11

1Pe 5:10-11

SECTION FIVE

CONCLUSION,

1 Peter 5:10-14

1. BENEDICTION

1 Peter 5:10-11

10 And the God of all grace, who called you unto his eternal glory in Christ, after that ye have suffered a little while, shall himself perfect, establish, strengthen you.--"Grace" is the unmerited favor of God. He is the God of "all grace" as he is the God of "all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3), because he is the sole source and giver of the grace and comfort the saints so sorely need. These to whom Peter wrote had been "called"; this calling had been accomplished by means of the gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14) the calling was to a share of God’s eternal glory; and the sphere was Christ.

Compared with the glories that are to be revealed they were to know that, however severe the trials of the moment, it was for "a little while," working for them "more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory." (2 Corinthians 4:17.)

"Perfect," "establish," and "strengthen" are verbs in the future tense. "Perfect" (katartidzo, to mend, repair, used of fishermen repairing their nets, Mark 4:21) indicates the action of God in eliminating the deficiencies of the saints and bringing them to a standard of usefulness .in his service; "establish" (sterizo, to make fast, to support that which totters) refers to the fixity and immobility of those who rely on the Lord, the term being used by the Lord in his admonition to Peter, "When thou bast turned again, establish (sterizo) thy brethren." (Luke 22:32.) "Strengthen" (sthenoo, to impart strength), a word meaning to supply strength to resist attack, occurs nowhere else in the New Testament.

11 To him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.--See the comments on 1 Peter 4:11. One who has been perfected, established, and strengthened will rejoice to ascribe to him who is the source of all grace, and the supplier of all strength "dominion for ever and ever," and with fervency and adoration indeed exclaim, "Amen!"

Commentary on 1 Peter 5:10-11 by N.T. Caton

1 Peter 5:10—But the God of all grace.

He is the God of all grace, for he alone can bestow the grace the suffering of earth need.

1 Peter 5:10—Who hath called us unto his eternal glory.

God is the author and provider of the great reward, and he it is who has called us by Christ Jesus. This reward will be bestowed after we have suffered a little while.

1 Peter 5:10—Make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Make you complete in all the virtues. Support you in all Christian exercises. Add to your power to resist temptation, and settle you firmly in your belief of the gospel and its divine origin and inestimable rewards.

1 Peter 5:11—To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Another doxology. To him, that is, God, the glory is ascribed and dominion forever, for none else in the universe has the right to control, and so, acknowledging God’s supreme right, solemnly we say Amen.

Commentary on 1 Peter 5:10-11 by Burton Coffman

1 Peter 5:10 --And the God of all grace, who called you unto his eternal glory in Christ, after that ye have suffered a little while, shall himself perfect, establish, strengthen you.

In Christ ... Peter’s usage of this mighty phrase, both here and at the end of the epistle, indicates his respect and appreciation of the doctrine, no less than that of Paul, despite the fact that he did not emphasize it as Paul did.

After ye have suffered a little while ... A while should here be understood for "the whole of life," and not as indicating the short duration of the persecutions. In the relative sense, even a long life is but "a little while."

Perfect ... This verb is the same that is used of "preparing" the earthly body for the incarnation of Christ in Hebrews 10:5;^[30] and is therefore strongly suggestive of other passages in the New Testament where total and absolute perfection is the obvious meaning, as in Matthew 5:48. However, there is another scriptural meaning of it. It is the "word for mending nets (Mark 1:19) or setting a broken bone"^[31] and this is the meaning that many commentators prefer. This writer cannot resist the conviction, however, that "the absolute perfection of Christians in Christ" is what this speaks of. The very proximity of the phrase "in Christ" seems to suggest this. For discussion of the whole theology of perfection, see in my Commentary on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, pp. 130-133. Taking the word in the other sense also yields some very beautiful thoughts, as in Barclay, who understood it to mean "restore," as Moffatt translated it. He wrote as an illustration of the thought:

Sir Edward Elgar once listened to a young girl singing a solo from one of his own works. She had a voice of exceptional purity and clarity ... When she had finished, he said, "She will be really great when something happens to break her heart."^[32]

Something was about to happen which would indeed break the hearts of many Christians, recalling the words spoken by the blessed Christ who "learned obedience by the things which he suffered, having been made perfect" (Hebrews 5:8-9). Many of the precious saints would be "made perfect" in the same sense, through the awful things they were about to suffer.

Establish ... This word means "to fix, to make fast, to set,"^[33] as when concrete sets.

Strengthen ... means "to make strong,"^[34] and suggests the strengthening that comes to steel, or iron, when it is heated with fire and suddenly cooled, thus "tempering" it and giving it much greater hardness and strength. The onset of the fires of persecution would harden and strengthen the faith of many.

^[30] W. E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1940), vol. 3p. 175.

^[31] Archibald M. Hunter, op. cit., p. 157.

^[32] William Barclay, op. cit., p. 273.

^[33] W. E. Vine, op. cit., vol. 2p. 41.

^[34] Ibid., vol. 4p. 81.

1 Peter 5:11 --To him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

"This is the true consolation in trouble, to extol the power of God."^[35] If God indeed has the dominion for ever and ever, the Christian may safely rest his case in God.

ENDNOTE:

^[35] A. J. Mason, op. cit., p. 435.

Verse 12

1Pe 5:12

2. DESIGN AND BEARER OF THE EPISTLE

1 Peter 5:12

12 By Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I account him, I have written unto you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God: stand ye fast therein.--The epistle was "by" Silvanus, either as the bearer of the letter, or the one to whom Peter dictated it (Romans 16:22), or both. It is possible that Peter wrote with his own hand these words, following a practice of Paul, in attestation of the letter itself. (Galatians 6:11.) It appears that such was a common practice of the New Testament writers as a guarantee of the genuineness thereof.

Silvanus is the same as the Silas of Acts 15:22; Acts 15:32; Acts 15:40, and the Silvanus of 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:19. He accompanied Paul on the second of the great missionary tours recorded in Acts, and was with him in Corinth in A.D. 53. (Acts 18:5.) He was very active in the church in Jerusalem, and was possessed of prophetic gifts. (Acts 15:32.) It was characteristic of the Jews who traveled extensively in Gentile lands to change the form of their names (e.g., Saul to Paul, Joshua to Jason, John surnamed Mark, etc.). Silvanus was "a faithful brother," known as such to the brethren for whom the epistle was intended, and declared to be such by Peter. The apostle wrote "briefly," literally, by a few words (di’ oligon), both with reference to the length of the letter and the importance of the subjects treated. Its design was to exhort and testify regarding the true grace of God. The exhortation was therefore earnest persuasion; the testimony strong confirmation of the matters presented. The purpose of the apostle was to supply indisputable evidence of the soundness of the faith which they possessed. This was the true grace of God which had been bestowed upon them, and in it they were to continue. It was theirs they were experiencing and enjoying its blessings; hence, their obligation to "stand fast therein." The construction in the Greek text is significant: eis hen hestekate, "into which (having entered) stand!"

Commentary on 1 Peter 5:12 by N.T. Caton

1 Peter 5:12—By Silvanus, a faithful brother.

This is the Silas who traveled and suffered with cour­ageous Paul, and preached to the jailer at Philippi. By him Peter sends this letter, exhorting the brethren and testify­ing as an apostle that the faith of the gospel embraced by the brethren is the true grace of God. It came from God, and is worthy, therefore, of acceptance. All other religions in the world are false.

Commentary on 1 Peter 5:12 by Burton Coffman

1 Peter 5:12 --By Sylvanus our faithful brother, as I account him, I have written unto you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God: stand ye fast therein.

By Sylvanus our faithful brother ... "On its narrowest interpretation, this means simply that Sylvanus was the bearer of the letter,"^[36] the same being the technical meaning of the phrase; and it is perhaps best to let that meaning stand. We do not feel any need to help the apostle out with his Greek by making Sylvanus also the "writer" of this letter. Peter was fully competent to have written this epistle. Sylvanus’ name is linked with Paul’s in the writing of Thessalonians; he is called Silas (Acts 15:22); he is referred to as a chief man among the brethren (Acts 15:22), also as a prophet (Acts 15:32). After the defection of John Mark, he was Paul’s traveling companion, being cast into prison with Paul at Philippi. Thus, he was well acquainted with many of the churches that would be receiving this epistle, thus being a very appropriate bearer of it.

As I account him ... does not imply any lack of confidence in Sylvanus, the same being Peter’s manner of recommending him.

Exhorting, and testifying ... Again, it is clear that "testifying" in apostolic times was not merely sounding off in public meetings, as the word is often understood today. It was exhorting and commanding the people to obey the word of God.

This is the true grace of God ... The entire epistle Peter had written with its magnificent overtones of so many varied and profound Christian teachings - that is the true grace of God.

Stand ye fast therein ... This reminds one of Paul’s great charge, "Having done all, to stand." The unanimous appeal of the apostles of Christ was for Christians to stand firmly against every foe, not being swept off their feet, or made to defect from the holy faith by anything whatsoever.

ENDNOTE:

^[36] Archibald M. Hunter, op. cit., p. 158.

Verses 13-14

1Pe 5:13-14

3. CLOSING SALUTATIONS

1 Peter 5:13-14

13 She that is in Babylon, elect together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Mark my son.For "She that is in Babylon," the King James translation has "The church that is in Babylon. . ." The American Standard version adds the marginal reading, "That is, The church, or The sister." There is, however, no noun in the Greek text corresponding to the word "church," and it is therefore not properly inserted in this passage. The words, "she . . . elect together with you," are from he suneklekte, nominative feminine form of sunekiklektos, elect with others, thus, actually, "the coelect woman." What woman? Some expositors regard the word woman as figurative, and understand the reference to be the church in Babylon, supporting such a view by citing 2 John 1:1. The "elect lady" there, however, does not refer to a church, but to an individual; and in the light of the fact that Markan indi-vidual--is joined with the "co-elect woman," it is unaccountable that a figure of speech and a person would be joined in the salu-tation in such fashion; and we therefore conclude that the reference is to a sister in the church in Babylon. To what sister? She was then in Babylon; she had traveled among the saints in Asia Minor ; and she was known to the people to whom the epistle was ad-dressed. What sister could so well meet these conditions as Peter’s wife? She was a "sister-wife" (adelphe gune, a wife who was also a sister in Christ), and she accompanied Peter on his travels at least a portion of the time. (1 Corinthians 9:5.) There was an especial appropriateness in sending a greeting from her to saints with whom she had been formerly associated and whom she well knew, in an epistle that had dealt so specifically with the duties and responsibilities of women. (1 Peter 3:1-7.)

Mark, styled the "son" of Peter, was John Mark, the disciple who incurred the extreme displeasure of Paul because of his de-fection at Perga on the first missionary journey (Acts 13:5; Acts 13:13; Acts 15:36-41), but who was later restored to the good graces of that apostle by subsequent faithfulness and fidelity to duty (Colossians 4:10 ; 2 Timothy 4:11). He was the "son" of Peter, as Timothy was the "child" of Paul (Philippians 2:22; 1 Timothy 1:1-2), a spiritual relation-ship, and not a fleshly one. Mark composed one of the biographies of Jesus, "The Gospel According to Mark," and was, traditionally, "the interpreter of Peter." His mother’s name was Mary; and he was a cousin of Barnabas. (Acts 12:2; Col. 4 10.)

The reference to "Babylon" as the place from which these salutations were sent raises again the question, already considered in the Introduction, From what place did Peter write the epistle? Because Rome is referred to as "Babylon" in the Revelation (Revelation 14:8; Revelation 17:6; Revelation 17:18; Revelation 18:2; Revelation 18:10), all Catholic theologians and many Protestant commentators maintain that reference thereto is to be regarded as mystical and figurative; and that Peter was in Rome when the letter was penned. Opposed to this view, however, are the following weighty considerations: (1) Internal evidence leads irresistibly to the conclusion that First Peter was written before the destruction of Jerusalem. (According to eminent Talmudic authorities, the Jews did not begin to designate Rome by the figurative term "Babylon" until after that event. (2) In the foregoing references in the Revelation Rome is never referred to as "Babylon" by this designation alone, but always as "Babylon, the great," "Babylon, the strong city," etc. (3) The fact that the word "Babylon" is used thus mystically in a highly symbolic and figurative book such as the Revelation does not argue that reference thereto is the same in a book of an entirely different character such as First Peter. (4) Other geographical references in First Peter are admittedly literal. Why, then, should it be concluded that "Babylon" is the sole exception? (5) Peter wrote long before John penned the Revelation, and thus could not have been following John’s use of the term. (6) The name "Babylon," when figuratively used, is the symbol of confusion, corruption, apostasy. What possible reason could Peter have had in using the term in this fashion in an epistle designed to protect the ones addressed from just such a manner of life which it typified? A candid consideration of all the facts leads to the conclusion that the word "Babylon" is to be taken in its ordinary, geographical sense; and that Peter was in the well-known city by that name on the Euphrates when he wrote the epistle which bears his name.

14 Salute one another with a kiss of love.--Greeting, by means of a kiss, appears to have been a common practice in the early church, and to have been followed for some centuries after the beginning of the Christian era. The custom is mentioned by Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Chrysostom, Augustine, and numerous other early writers; and references thereto are frequent in the New Testament. (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12 1 Thessalonians 5:26.) According to the historians of the early church, the abuses to which the practice would ordinarily lead Were avoided , by the separation of the sexes when the church assembled for worship--an arrangement inherited from the synagogue. The "Constitutions of the Holy Apostles," believed to have been written be-tween A.D. 300 and 400, contain the following injunction: "Then let the men give the men, and the women give the women, the Lord’s kiss. But let no one do it with deceit, as Judas betrayed the Lord with a kiss." (Book 2, 57, page 422, Vol. 7, The Ante-Nicene Fathers.) Clement of Alexandria, who died about A.D. 220, wrote, under the heading, "Love and the Kiss of Charity," these words: "And if we are called to the kingdom of God, let us walk worthy of the kingdom, loving God and our neighbor. But love is not proved by a kiss, but by kindly feeling. But there are those that do nothing but make the churches resound with a kiss, not having love itself within. For this very thing, the shameless use of a kiss, which ought to be mystic, occasions foul suspicions and evil reports. The apostle calls the kiss holy." ("The Instructor," Ch. 12, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 2, page 291.)

It should be noted that the apostle did not enjoin kissing as a method of greeting; the custom already prevailed. His words were designed to insure that the custom would be observed in keeping with the morality and chastity characteristic of the high calling of Christianity. Kissing, as a mode of salutation, was no more sanctioned than the handshake is today, both methods being customs of the times. But, as Christianity requires complete sin-cerity in this manner of greeting today, so it enjoined it in the kiss of that day. The kiss was to be one "of love," i.e., prompted by love, and in exhibition of it.

Peace be unto you all that are in Christ.--It is significant that Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, chose to use as his benediction the Greek word of greeting, chards ("Grace be with you all, 1 Corinthians 16:23; Romans 16:24), while Peter, the apostle to the Circumcism, followed the Hebrew greeting, shalom, peace. (Matthew 10:13. This blessing is available only in Christ, who is "our peace." (Ephesians 2:14.) Thus, only those who have been "baptized into Christ" (Galatians 3:27) have entered the sphere where this peace is enjoyed.

Commentary on 1 Peter 5:13-14 by N.T. Caton

1 Peter 5:13—The church at Babylon, elected together with you.

The brethren forming the church at Babylon, becoming members of the body of Christ as you also did, salute you. And so does Mark. This is the same Mark who wrote the Gospel bearing that name. I see no good reason for thinking that spiritual Babylon—that is, Rome—is here meant. The thought is therefore rejected. In passing I desire to say, I hesitate not to use the word "church," notwithstanding it does not appear in the Revised Version. It appears in the Syriac and Vulgate Versions which I have, and, besides, I can hardly believe that Peter refers to his wife, as some suppose, when I consider that the Scriptures fail even to give her name. She would therefore be almost wholly unknown to the brotherhood anywhere, and hence her salu­tation would be out of place.

1 Peter 5:14—Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity.

This was a testimony of affection common in those countries and those times.

1 Peter 5:14—Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Serenity and happiness to all you brethren, members of the body of Christ Jesus, and, in testimony that I sin­cerely mean this, I say amen to the utterance.

Commentary on 1 Peter 5:13-14 by Burton Coffman

1 Peter 5:13 --She that is in Babylon, elect together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Mark my son.

She that is in Babylon ... Although questioned by some who would see in this a reference to Peter’s wife, the best view is almost certainly that the church in Babylon is meant. But where was Babylon? If these words are a mystical reference to Rome, as there seems every reason to believe, then the reference is to the great capital of the Caesars which was the center of the persecutions. See introduction for discussion of this. The figurative language throughout 1Peter; the fact that ancient Babylon was destroyed never to be rebuilt; the total absence in the New Testament, as well as in history, of any reference to Peter’s ever having been in Babylon, literally; and the very early traditions that Peter did indeed preach in Rome and that he was martyred there (the same tradition having arisen much too early to be accredited to later claims of the apostate church); the pressing need, at the very time Peter wrote, to have spoken very guardedly concerning Nero and his city; the current usage of that very expression "Babylon" to mean Rome, as in Hebrew poetry; and the similar usage of it in Revelation - all these considerations taken together have great weight in indicating that the meaning here is Rome on the Tiber.

What are some of the spiritual implications of such a designation? (1) Just as ancient Babylon was a center of enmity and oppression of God’s people, so Rome had become in the times of the apostles. (2) As Babylon was destroyed, so shall Rome also be destroyed. (3) Peter reminds his readers afresh that they, as the Israel of God, are "exiles in a foreign land,"^[37] as were the ancient Jews in Babylon. (4) "The point of the allegory is that Rome was becoming the oppressor of the new Israel, not that it was the center of the world."^[38]

And so doth Mark my son ... Peter was Mark’s mentor, not his actual father; and he is called "my son" in the sense that Paul thus referred to Timothy. It is almost universally agreed that this is the John Mark of Acts, who is the author of the second Gospel. See the introduction to Mark in my Commentary on Mark for a full discussion.

^[37] G. J. Polkinghorne, A New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969), p. 598.

^[38] J. H. A. Hart, op. cit., p. 80.

1 Peter 5:14 --Salute one another with a kiss of love. Peace be unto you all that are in Christ.

Kiss of love ... Paul similarly commanded this greeting (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26). Comment on this was made under all those references. "The practice seems to have been universal in those times."^[39]

Peace be unto you all ... "This is the same blessing Peter had heard the Lord use, the old Hebrew blessing (Matthew 10:12 f; Mark 5:34; Luke 2:14 Luke 2:29; John 20:19 John 20:21 John 20:26)."^[40] The peace in view is primarily the well-being of the soul, the harmony of the recipients with the Father in heaven.

In Christ ... This incredibly important expression carries the thought that: (1) all blessings are exclusively for those in Christ, his baptized followers; (2) perfection and holiness without which no one may see God are achieved by the Christian’s identity as Christ; (3) the ultimate grounds of all justification for human beings is the perfect faith and perfect obedience of the Son of God; etc., etc. For full discussion of this principal theme of the New Testament, see in my Commentary on Romans, especially in Romans 3, pp. 94-154. Peter’s significant mention of this doctrine in this chapter fully establishes it as having been derived "from Christ himself."^[41]

^[39] B. C. Caffin, op. cit., p. 211.

^[40] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 1048.

^[41] Ibid., p. 1039.

"THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER"

Chapter Five

OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS CHAPTER

1) To examine the duties of elders, in their role as shepherds (pastors)

and overseers (bishops)

2) To note the importance of submission and humility in our relation to

elders, one another, and God

3) To consider how we might best counter our adversary, the devil

4) To glean how Peter sought to encourage his brethren in their

suffering

SUMMARY

The final chapter contains charges to elders and their respective

flocks. As a fellow elder, Peter commands elders to shepherd the flock

of God among them, serving as overseers. Doing so willingly and

eagerly, they were to serve as examples to the flock. The younger

members of the flock are then commanded to submit to their elders and to

one another, with humility (1 Peter 5:1-5).

They were to also humble themselves under the mighty hand of God and

cast their cares upon Him, trusting that He would exalt them in due time

because He cares for them. Since their adversary the devil walks about

like a lion seeking to devour them, they are to be sober and vigilant,

resisting him steadfast in the faith. They can take courage in knowing

that other brethren are likewise suffering (1 Peter 5:6-9).

The epistle draws to a close, first with a prayer that God will

eventually perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle them. Mention is

made of Silvanus, and Peter’s purpose in writing. Greetings are sent by

"she who is in Babylon" and "Mark, my son". Finally, a command to greet

one another with a kiss of love is given, along with a prayer for peace

to all who are in Christ Jesus (1 Peter 5:10-14).

OUTLINE

I. THE DUTIES OF SHEPHERDS AND THE FLOCK (1 Peter 5:1-5)

A. THE ELDERS’ DUTIES AS SHEPHERDS (1 Peter 5:1-4)

1. As exhorted by a fellow elder

a. A witness of the sufferings of Christ

b. A partaker of the glory that will be revealed

2. To shepherd the flock of God among them

a. Serving as overseers

1) Not be compulsion but willingly

2) Not for dishonest gain but eagerly

3) Not as lords but as examples

b. So when the Chief Shepherd appears, they will receive the

unfading crown of glory

B. THE YOUNGERS’ DUTIES AS THE FLOCK (1 Peter 5:5)

1. Submit yourselves

a. To your elders

b. To one another

3. Clothe yourselves with humility

a. For God resists the proud

b. For God gives grace to the humble

II. THE DUTIES TO GOD AND SATAN (1 Peter 5:6-9)

A. DUTIES REGARDING GOD (1 Peter 5:6-7)

1. Humble yourselves under His mighty hand, that He may exalt you

in due time

2. Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you

B. DUTIES REGARDING SATAN (1 Peter 5:8-9)

1. Be sober and vigilant of your adversary

a. The devil walks about like a roaring lion

b. The devil seeks whom he may devour

2. Resist your adversary

a. Remaining steadfast in the faith

b. Knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by brethren

in the world

III. CONCLUDING REMARKS (1 Peter 5:10-14)

A. CLOSING PRAYER (1 Peter 5:10-11)

1. May the God of all grace perfect, establish, strengthen, and

settle you

a. Who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus

b. After you have suffered a while

2. To Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen

B. CLOSING GREETINGS (1 Peter 5:12-14)

1. Peter has written to them briefly

a. By Silvanus, a faithful brother

b. Exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God

in which they stand

2. Greetings from:

a. She who is in Babylon, elect together with you

b. Mark, his son

3. Greet one another with a kiss of love

4. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen

REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAPTER

1) What are the main points of this chapter?

- The duties of shepherds and the flock (1 Peter 5:1-5)

- The duties to God and Satan (1 Peter 5:6-9)

- Concluding remarks (1 Peter 5:10-14)

2) How does Peter identify himself as he exhorts the elders? (1 Peter 5:1)

- As a fellow elder

- As a witness of the sufferings of Christ

- As a partaker of the glory that will be revealed

3) What is the duty of the elders? (1 Peter 5:2)

- To shepherd the flock of God among them

4) How were they to serve as elders? (1 Peter 5:3-4)

- As overseers

- Not by compulsion, but willingly

- Not for dishonest gain, but eagerly

- Not as lords, but as examples to the flock

5) What reward can elders look forward to when the Chief Shepherd

appears? (1 Peter 5:5)

- The crown of glory that does not fade away

6) What twofold duty is enjoined upon those who are younger? (1 Peter 5:5)

- To submit to the elders and to one another

- To be clothed with humility

7) What were they commanded to do in relation to God? (1 Peter 5:6-7)

- Humble themselves under the mighty hand of God

- Cast all their care upon Him

8) Why were they to do this? (1 Peter 5:6-7)

- That God might exalt them in due time

- Because He cares for them

9) Who is their adversary? What is he doing? (1 Peter 5:8)

- The devil; walking about like a lion, seeking whom he may devour

10) What should they do in regards to their adversary? (1 Peter 5:8-9)

- Be sober, be vigilant

- Resist him, steadfast in the faith

11) What should encourage them in their suffering? (1 Peter 5:9-10)

- Knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by their brethren

in the world

- That after they have suffered a while, God will perfect, establish,

strengthen and settle them

12) By whom has Peter penned this epistle? (1 Peter 5:12)

- Silvanus, a faithful brother

13) What has been Peter’s purpose in writing this epistle? (1 Peter 5:12)

- To exhort and testify that this is the true grace of God in which

they stand

14) Who sends them greetings? (1 Peter 5:13)

- She who is in Babylon, elect together with them

- Mark, his son

15) What final charge does Peter give? What final prayer? (1 Peter 5:14)

- Greet one another with a kiss of love

- Peace to all who are in Christ Jesus

SUFFERING FOR THE NAME OF CHRIST

1 Peter 4:1 to 1 Peter 5:14.

1. With what should the people of God arm themselves? Ans. 1 Peter 4:1.

2. How should they live? Ans. 1 Peter 4:2.

3. Describe the unholy conduct of the Gentiles. Ans. 1 Peter 4:3.

4. What seems strange to the outside world? Ans. 1 Peter 4:4.

5. To whom must they give account? Ans. 1 Peter 4:5.

6. Why was the gospel preached to "them that are dead", or lived before us? Ans. 1 Peter 4:6.

7. Why should all be prayerful and sober in mind? Ans. 1 Peter 4:7.

8. What should be done above all things? Why? Ans. 1 Peter 4:8.

9. What should be freely used for others? Ans. 1 Peter 4:9-10.

10. How must all speak and act? Ans. 1 Peter 4:11.

11. What may the faithful expect? Ans. 1 Peter 4:12.

12. In what should we rejoice? Ans. 1 Peter 4:13-14.

13. Of what should the Lord’s people never be guilty? Ans. 1 Peter 4:15.

14. In what name should we be willing to suffer and to glorify God? Ans. 1 Peter 4:16.

15. Contrast the judgment of the righteous and the judgment of the wicked. Ans. 1 Peter 4:17-18.

16. How and unto whom should those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls? Ans. 1 Peter 4:19.

17. What are elders exhorted to do? Ans. 1 Peter 5:1-3.

18. How will their faithfulness to duty be rewarded? Ans. 1 Peter 5:4.

19. Why should all be clothed in humility? Ans. 1 Peter 5:5-6.

20. What should be done with all cares and anxieties? Ans. 1 Peter 5:7.

21. Why should all be sober and watchful? Ans. 1 Peter 5:8-9.

22. How will God bless his people after they have suffered here for a little while? Ans. 1 Peter 5:10-11.

23. What is said of Silvanus and "she that is in Babylon", and Mark? Ans. 1 Peter 5:12-14.

Questions by E.M. Zerr On 1st Peter 5

1. What officials does Peter exhort?

2. State his own official position.

3. What was he besides this?

4. Of what is he partaker?

5. What must the Elders do for the flock?

6. In what spirit must they do this?

7. Must not be what?

8. Instead what must they be to the flock?

9. Who is to appear some time?

10. What will the faithful Elder receive then?

11. State the command to younger ones.

12. By what should all be clothed 1

13. Give the motive for this.

14. How can all submit in view of verse 2?

15. Should our humility be voluntary 1

16. If it is what will be the reward 1

17. Where cast our care 1

18. What reMon is given for this privilcge 1

19. Explain how to be sober.

20. What is meaning of vigilance 1

21. Against what person must we be on guard?

22. In what form is he here represented 1

23. Is he always in this form 1

24. What is the object of his search 1

25. How may we know him 1

26. In what manner does he devour his prey 1

27. How may we prevent his destroying us 1

28. With what weapon should we attack him 1

29. Cite an instance where this plan worked 1

30. Does Satan know anything about this weapon 1

31. How may we be able to use it better than he 1

32. What advantage may we have 1 Eph. 6: 11.

33. Have any brethren ever defeated him 1

34. To whom are we referred here for help?

35. He will do this after what 1

36. By what means may we be stablished 1

37. Distinguish between "strengthen" and "settle."

38. Who did this writing for Peter?

39. Give the other form of his name.

40. What other apostle did he lahor with?

41. How does Peter describe him 1

42. Distinguish between "exhort" and "testify."

43. To what does "this" refer in verse 12?

44. What like relation did church at Babylon have?

45. Were various places called by this name?

46. Who was Marcus 1

47. Was he the natural son of the apostle 1

48. What is a kiss of charity 1

49. Was Peter starling a custom 1

50. To what clMs does the apostle grant peace?