This Is the True Grace of God

1 Peter 5

Because You Are Willing (5:1-7)

Peter begins this final section with an address to the “elders” of the church or churches in his audience. As it is used in the New Testament, the term “elder” is a general title used for the leaders of the church. It was the custom of Paul and Barnabas to appoint elders in the churches they established (Acts 14:21-23). The elders in Jerusalem were present when Paul met with James to discuss his ministry to the Gentiles (Acts 21:18-19). James directs parishioners to the elders for healing (James 5:14). And when Paul gave his final address to the elders of Ephesus (whom he also called “overseers”) he implored them, as Peter does here, to be shepherds of the flock (Acts 20:28).

Even though he has established his credentials an apostle (1:1) Peter meets these elders on common ground as a “fellow elder” and charges them to undertake their calling, not as a requirement or an opportunity for gain, but as something they truly desire to do, just as Paul could net help but preach the Gospel (1 Corinthians 9:16) and Jeremiah felt the word of God like a fire in his bones (Jeremiah 20:9).

Peter knew well the call to shepherd the sheep, as the Good Shepherd himself called him, not once, but three times, to feed the sheep (John 21:15-18). How often has the Lord called me to care for some lamb, and I have not heard?

Your Enemy the Devil (5:8-9)

Peter tells us again to be “sober” (presbuteros 1:13, 4:7) and encourages us to resist our adversary, the devil. For “devil”, Peter uses the word diabolos, which means “false accuser”. This is the same word that Jesus used when he spoke of the fate of the goats he would separate from the sheep (Matthew 25:41). It is very similar in definition to the word satan, a Hebrew word that means “adversary” or “opponent”. This word is used, for example, in the story of the temptations of Christ (Matthew 4:8-11). But we should also note that when Peter stood in his way, the Lord called him “Satan!” (Matthew 16:21-23). We may imagine a red man with a beard and a pointed tail, but Satan could be you or I, if we have in mind the things of men, instead of the things of God.

After You Have Suffered a Little While (5:10-11)

In this passage, Peter tells us we must suffer “for a little while.” The idea that this life is only a temporary passage is one that Peter has stressed from the beginning of the letter, in which he tells us that our inheritance is kept for us in heaven, to be revealed in the last time (1:3-7). In later passages, he calls us aliens (2:11) and stresses the carnal nature of this life (4:1-2).

We are aliens now, but in that later day, Christ himself will restore (katartizo) us, or make us complete. He will strengthen (sthenoo) us, make us firm (stērizo) that is, establish and confirm us. And he will make us steadfast (themelioo) that is, he will provide us a final and lasting foundation. Our home is not in this world; there is a place prepared for us in heaven (John 14:1-3).

Stand Fast in It (5:12-14)

There are a number of tantalizing references in this final passage. First, Peter refers to Silvanus. Just as one man may be referred to both as “Richard” and as “Rick”, this Silvanus is the same name man we know as Silas (Acts 15:36-40) . There is also the oblique reference to someone referred to only as “she”. This may refer to a church, or perhaps to Peter’s wife (1 Corinthians 9:5). This “she” is said to be in Babylon, but there is no indication that Peter was ever in, or associated with, that city, and so it may be a symbolic reference to Rome. And finally, there is the reference to Mark, who may have literally been Peter’s son, or may have been the Mark who was also called John (Acts 12:11-12).

These gentlemen, Silas and Mark, are traditionally associated with Peter. First, as Peter mentions that this letter is “through Silvanus” and as the Greek of the letter is considered too fine to have been written by a Hebrew fisherman, it is argued that the letter may be the message of Peter recorded by Silas, who was a Roman citizen and may have had a Greek education. Second, there is a very early tradition that the Gospel of Mark was written by John, also called Mark, but is his record of the Gospel as told to him by Peter.

But amid these personal greetings, Peter includes a brief statement that summarizes the letter. This, he says, is the true grace of God. The writer of Hebrews uses the idea of duality, prevalent in his day as well as in ours, to explain the relationship between the things of this world and the things of the next. For example, he says that the temple of this world is only a copy of the true temple in heaven, and that Christ has gone for us through the Holy of Holies to intercede for us in the very presence of God (Hebrews 9:24).

Peter has another approach to the relationship of this world and the next. Why do we suffer? In addition to religious persecution, why is there sickness, loss, and death? Peter does not attempt to explain. But in spite of these things, even through these things, Peter assures us that we may experience the grace of God. This is the world God made (Genesis 1:31). This is the world God loves (John 3:16). This is the true grace of God, stand fast in it!

Participate in the Suffering of Christ

1 Peter 4:7-19

The End of all Things Is near (4:7-11)

 

 

There can be little doubt that Peter anticipated the imminent Second Coming of Christ. We must consider this carefully, as some two thousand years have passed since he wrote of his expectation and the entire earth continues, as Paul says, to groan in waiting (Romans 8:22-23).

As we consider Peter’s expectation, we should first note that it was commonly shared by the New Testament writers: Paul tells us that the night is nearly over (Romans 13:12); this same idea is expressed by the writer of Hebrews (Hebrews 10:24-25); James says plainly that the coming of the Lord is near (James 5:8); the idea is strongly emphasized in the Revelation of John (Revelation 22:7, 12, 20). Indeed, even the words of Christ have been understood in this manner (Luke 21:29-32) though it is not certain what scope our Lord intended with the phrase “this generation” and the implication of a fairly-fixed timetable (within the lifespan of His audience) would seem in contradiction of His statement that only the Father knows when the day will be (Matthew 24:36).

What, then, are we to make of this scripture? Peter himself has given us a clue, as he has said that the prophets of old were not only speaking to the people of their time, but were speaking to us of our salvation through Christ (1:10-12). Whatever Peter may have thought about the imminence of the return of Christ as an immediacy in time, he was not wrong in his eager anticipation – an anticipation that we may have lost in the passing of time.

Despite the passage of time, there are several ways in which the coming of our Lord remains imminent. First, as Peter suggests, the coming is inevitable, as all of salvation is an act that is already complete (1:18-20). Second, there is the immediacy of death. It may not come today or tomorrow or for many years, but if we depend upon our earthly lives, then we put our trust in this world, and such trust is always misplaced (Luke 12:16-21). Finally, though thousand of years have passed since Peter lived in eager expectation, we could see our Lord come in glory this very day. He must find us watching (Luke 12:35-40).

How may we be ready? The answer is we must love and show love, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. The end is indeed coming, and many that the Lord loves do not know of that love (Luke 10:2; Romans 10:13-15).

Participate in the Suffering of Christ (4:12-16)

In his excellent book Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, Richard J. Foster offers a beautiful, if mystical, idea regarding intercessory prayer. He reasons that, because the power of our God is not limited even by time, we may in this day pray for our Lord as He suffered on the cross. Peter presents an idea that is similar in its mysticism: as we live our lives as Christians, we participate in the suffering of Christ.

What an honor to be able to pray for our Lord as he suffers! What an honor to be persecuted for the sake of righteousness (Matthew 5:10-12)! What an honor to participate in the suffering of Christ (Philippians 1:29)!

But as much as I find Foster’s idea challenging philosophically, so do I find the idea from Peter challenging in a very practical way. Though it seems at times that I take arms against a sea of troubles, the anguish and strife I have suffered in this world arises almost entirely from my effort to live in this world. Spiritually, I lead an easy life, sheltered from the challenge to take up my cross daily (Luke 9:23-25) and to love others as my Lord has loved me (John 13:34-35; 20:21).

Time for Judgment to Begin (4:17-19)

The Day of the Lord is at hand, and with that day, the day of judgment. Nothing on this earth is hidden from that judgment, to the remotest corners and the inmost parts (Hebrews 4:13; Psalm 139:1-6). It will begin with those who call upon the name of the Lord (Ezekiel 9:1-6; Matthew 7:21-23). If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, who then can be saved? I am thankful that all things are possible with God (Mark 10:23-27)

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

(Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11 KJV)

If You Are Eager to Do Good

1 Peter 3:13-4:6

Eager to do Good (3:13-16)

When Peter asks who will harm us for doing good, we might wonder about the question in the same way we wondered about his assertion that earthly authorities only applaud good and punish evil (2:13-14). But here he immediately acknowledges that, in fact, we may suffer for doing what is right, and so it would seem that when he assures us of protection, he is thinking along the same lines as Paul, who assures us that no earthly force or situation can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35-37).

The NIV phrase “eager to good” is much softer than the Greek zēlōtēs. Today, the terms “zealots”, “fanatics”, and “radicals” are used predominately in a pejorative sense, describing people whose devotion to an idea or cause is beyond the understanding of normal society, and perhaps beyond reason itself. And it is that degree of devotion that Peter declares we should have to the cause of “doing good”. Paul tells us that such devotion is required of us by Christ, and is a mark of our uniqueness as his people (Titus 2:11-14).

Our zealous devotion to good should be evident to those around us, and when they ask us to explain ourselves, we should be ready to give answer. The Spirit of our Father will give us words to say (Matthew 10:19-20) but we cannot expect the Lord to speak for us if we are unwilling to speak for him (Mark 8:38; Matthew 10:32-34).

Once for All (3:17-22)

In this passage, Peter gives us a dizzying cascade of ideas. Two ideas are certain. The first is that our devotion to good works, the suffering we experience for doing what is right and good, and our willingness to testify all serve Christ, who first suffered for us (Romans 5:8). The second idea is that of the unique sufficiency of Christ, who died once for all (Romans 6:10).

As Christ is sufficient for all, so he is supreme over all, and having accomplished our salvation, he returned to his rightful place in the presence of God where, as we are told in Hebrews, he continues to intercede for us (Hebrews 7:25).

With his reference to the spirits in prison, it seems that Peter is making reference to the original nature of Christ, an idea to which he will return in Chapter 4 (4:6)

With the Same Attitude (4:1-5)

Because Christ has died for us, we have new life in him. One of the aspects of this new life is a new attitude towards sin (Ephesians 4:22-32; Romans 6:5-11). The new values we have as we take on the attitude of Christ will not be understood by the rest of the world. They will think us strange, because they measure us by the standards of the world, and not the standards of God (Isaiah 55:6-9). But we are called away from the crowds, and the common path, to enter through the narrow gate into the kingdom of God (Luke 13:24-27). Those who do not answer the call will be judged accordingly. It is not the purpose of God to judge the world through Christ (John 3:16-18) but the word of God is a two-edged sword, and that which brings salvation also brings judgment (Hebrews 4:12; John 12:46-48).

Those Who Are now Dead (4:6)

Peter has already explained to us that the prophets of the Old Testament were inspired by the Spirit of Christ. Here, he continues the idea he has alluded to before (3:19) that salvation of Christ has been made available to all those who have ever lived. Even before he created the world, the plan of God has been salvation for all.

He rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us safe into the kingdom of his dear Son, by whom we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things. For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him. Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place. (Colossians 1:13-17 GNB)

Live in Harmony

1 Peter 3:1-12

Wives (3:1-6)

In this passage, Peter provides instruction to wives, and we must carefully note that the passage begins with “in the same way.” This is important because Peter has just instructed slaves to submit themselves to their masters (2:18). At the time the letter was written, wives had the same social status as slaves: they had no property and no rights, the wife was considered another possession of the husband. Peter was no more blessing this arrangement than endorsing slavery. He was instructing the women to submit themselves to an unfair and dehumanizing arrangement. As he reminded the slaves, this is the example of Christ for all of us (2:21). The inequitable arrangement that left man with power over woman is a result of the fall from grace (Genesis 1:27; 3:16). Peter instructs women to submit themselves to this arrangement for the purpose of redemption.

The specific instruction Peter gives to women is to pursue inner beauty. This should not be understood as a prohibition of “adornment” as the Bible celebrates such finery and other aspects of physical beauty in its proper place (Song of Songs 1:10-11). Instead, Peter stresses the redemptive power of a gentle and quiet spirit, that is, the spirit of Christ (Matthew 5:5; 11:29; 21:4-5).

Husbands (3:7)

Peter’s instruction to husbands is relatively brief, and begins with the command to live in a way that is considerate of their wives, perhaps especially considering what was and continues to be their inferior social status. The term translated in the NIV as “weaker partner” is an interesting one. The word translated weaker (poieō) is elsewhere translated as “do” or “make” as in “he must turn from evil and do good “ (3:11). The term translated “partner” (skeuos) is elsewhere translated “property”, “jar”, or “instrument” (Matthew 12:29; John 19:29; Acts 9:15). Though the translation may be confusing, it is clear that Peter intends for men to acknowledge that women are different, and at the same to treat them with consideration and respect.

In that respect, Peter reminds husbands that their wives are heirs with them, as Paul tells us that we are all co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17). That this proper marriage arrangement will not “hinder your prayers” seems to be a reminder that marital conflict, as conflict in any other human relationships, puts us in conflict with God (1 Corinthians 7:5; Mark 11:25-26).

Live in Harmony (3:8-12)

In the conclusion of this section, Peter gives us the overriding message for slaves, wives, husbands, and all of us, a principal from which his previous, more specific instruction should be understood. This message is “live in harmony” and it is a consistent message of the New Testament writers (2 Corinthians 13:11, for example). This is no indication that we should forfeit matters of principal in favor of social harmony, but that we must address differences with an attitude of humility and submission (1 Thessalonians 5:15; Luke 6:27-31).

We have many parts in the one body, and all these parts have different functions. In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we are all joined to each other as different parts of one body. So we are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. (Romans 12:4-6a GNB)

By His Wounds

1 Peter 2:13-25

For the Lord’s Sake (2:13-17)

As indicated by his use of the phrase “for the Lord’s sake”, Peter continues in this passage to speak to us about what we must do in response to the grace of God. In this passage, he tells us that for the Lord’ sake we must submit ourselves to all human authority. For modern Westerners, the idea of submission to anyone is repugnant, and perhaps for much of the world, Peter’s depiction of earthly institutions seems unrealistically idealized. But just as Paul spoke similarly of the same institutions knowing that they were corrupt, and had unfairly treated him on many occasions (Romans 13:1-4; 2; Corinthians 11:25-26) Peter wrote his instructions knowing that his immediate listeners suffered active persecution from the authorities to which he referred. Even if we were to discount the instruction of these apostles, we cannot ignore Jesus’ observation that the authority of Pilate to save or take his life could only come from God (John 19:10-11).

The Jews were asking Jesus about human authority when they asked him whether it was lawful to pay the poll tax (Matthew 22:15-21). Jesus answered famously that we should give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s. For some of us, once we have begun compartmentalizing, the largest compartment is reserved not for Caesar or for God, but for ourselves.

As we come to some understanding of this teaching, we must do so considering that, when Jesus turned their question around on the Jews, asking whether or not it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, he intentionally broke the law, albeit the law of the Jews, rather than the Greeks (Mark 3:1-6). In so doing he gave us the overriding principle: we must do good. If this may put us at odds with human authority, then that authority can do us no ultimate harm (Matthew 10:28-31).

Commendable before God (2:18-20)

If we find the previous passage unsettling, then this passage may seem scandalous. Does the Bible condone slavery? Since our understanding of the Bible as a whole and our personal experience with God has revealed to us that slavery is abhorrent, we must accept that this passage cannot support such an outrageous perversion of human relationships and cannot be in contravention of our assurance of equality before Christ (Galatians 3:28).

Taken together with the previous passage, we must understand this passage to tell us that we are obligated to submit ourselves to human authority even though that authority be as irredeemably corrupt as slavery. We may certainly ask ourselves what sort of God would require this of us. A fuller answer will be given in the next section, but before we consider it we might recognize that it is a God who asks us what reward we expect for doing the easy thing, or for measuring our conduct by our own standards (Matthew 5:38-47).

Because Christ has Suffered for You (2:21-25)

If Peter has a message of submission to those who are slaves, what is the message for those of us who enjoy freedom, affluence, and influence? In answer, Peter shows us Christ, who has all power and authority, but humbled himself for us (Philippians 2:5-8). Because of the love God has for us, in response to that love, and by the example of that love, we must love each other (John 13:34). These words of Peter would not allow us to sentimentalize the love that is required of us, and neither would the words of Christ, who cautions us to count the cost (Luke 14:27-35). Nor can we hold this love at arm’s length by attending great causes such as hunger or oppression. As worthy as these causes may be, they do not substitute for our requirement to love each individual as we would Christ himself (Matthew 25:31-46).

And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:27-28)

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. (Luke 22:19)

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. (John 15:12)

Living Stones

1 Peter 2:1-12

Like Newborn Babies (2:1-3)

As in the previous section (1:13) Peter began this extended passage with using word translated “therefore” to refer back to his opening thesis, which contrasts the broken, transitory experience of this world with the perfect, imperishable life we are given by grace, through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ (1:3-4). In this section Peter uses the same conjugation to indicate that in response to that grace, there is something we must do – or perhaps something we must become.

First, Peter says we must “rid ourselves” of some undesirable actions or characteristics, and he gives is a list of these. As when Paul provides such a list (Ephesians 4:31, for example) it is not meant to be a complete law, but an illustrative example. As God has given us new life, we must turn from our former ways. But Peter takes this thought further: as we have new life, we must be as newborn babes, craving spiritual milk.

We are familiar with the analogy of milk as it has been used in the negative sense by those writers who would spur us on to solid food (1 Corinthians 3:1-3; Hebrews 5:11-14). Peter has the same idea in a more positive sense: it is not enough, though it may be a considerable effort, to turn from our former ways. Jesus tells us of the man who was relieved of an evil spirit, only to have it return with seven others to the clean and empty lodgings (Luke 11:24-25). We must fill ourselves with the Bread of Life, the living and enduring word of God (John 6:35; Deuteronomy 8:3).

The phrase that the NIV translates “now that you have tasted” (2:3) is in the NASB (for example) translated “if you have tasted”. The latter translation is not meant to emphasize conditionality, but to emphasize our response. We must seek the Word because we have tasted that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). This is faith: we have experienced the goodness of God, and this experience changes us and the way we live. This is what Paul calls the obedience of faith (Romans 1:5).

Living Stones (2:4-5)

Peter was originally called Simon. That, at least, is an English transliteration of his Hebrew name, which is also sometimes rendered Simeon. We are told that when our Lord first looked upon him, he called him Cephas, which is the English transliteration of Hebrew name taken from a Persian word which means “rock” (John 1:40-42). It was not uncommon for Jews of Peter’s day to have a Hebrew name and a Greek name. Sometimes these were Hellenized versions of the Hebrew. For example, Jesus is the Anglicized version of the Hellenized version of a Hebrew name which, coming to English directly from Hebrew is Joshua. But sometimes, rather than being simply Hellenized, the names were translated. This is the case with Peter, which is the English version of the Greek word for “rock”.

After his renaming, he has been known as Simon, Simon bar Jonah, Simon Peter, and Peter. After Peter’s great confession, Jesus used both his old and his new name in one sentence to emphasize the role that revelation and confession would play in the building of the church (Matthew 16:15-18). This exchange must have been continuously in the forefront of Peter’s mind, as it surely was when said to us that we are not only rocks (petros) but stones (lithos) which are selected, hewn, and assembled for a purpose. And further, we are living stones, submitting our lives to the will of God.

Chosen and Precious (2:6-10)

In the previous passage, Peter introduced an astounding truth upon which he expands in this passage. If we are stones, then we have some utility, and on the one hand that notion by itself might be of some comfort. On the other hand, we might wonder about a god who made us merely for his purpose, for designs which we could neither appreciate no escape. But Peter goes much further than that: we are chosen and precious; it is the will of God to love us.

To support this idea, Peter uses a succession of Old Testament quotations (Isaiah 28:16; Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 8:14; Exodus 19:5-6; Hosea 1:8-9; 2:23). Some of these are favorite quotations for the New Testament writers (Matthew 21:42; Romans 9:33; Acts 4:11) and the first thing we may notice about them as we read them in our modern translations is that they do not quite agree with the Old Testament sources. This is because Peter and the other New Testament writers were quoting from the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament from the 3^rd century B.C. Our modern translations are strongly influenced by the Masoretic tradition which has faithfully maintained Hebrew texts that are generally considered more faithful than the Septuagint.

Peter uses these passages to establish an argument which might be understood as follows: 1) God has provided for us a way (the stone in Zion) into fellowship with him; 2) though consistently rejected, the will of God for our redemption cannot be overcome; 3) in this choice we may stumble and finally fall – our trust in this stone is eternally secure, but there is no hope in any other choice.

We should carefully consider the language Peter uses here as he tells us that we are chosen, and he has previously said the we are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God (1:2). But others have a different destiny, and depending on our reading of the passage, we might understand that they are destined to disobey, and they are therefore doomed, or that they disobey, and their doom has been predestined. We might conclude from this language that some of us, no matter what we do, were predestined for salvation, and others for torment. But this letter we study is chiefly about what we must do now that we have chosen our salvation. It has always been the plan of God that we have the freedom to choose salvation (Deuteronomy 30:19) but those of us who have accepted grace must respond as that grace demands (Romans 6:1-2).

Aliens and Strangers (2:11-12)

As he writes to Christians with advice and encouragement as we Live a Christian life, a primary principle Peter provides is that this world is not our home. Peter was writing to those who were suffering persecution to reassure them that the persecution would not last, but that the thing on which they had set their hope was certain and eternal (1:3-5). The same truth has another message for those of us who are comfortable in this world, encouraging us to take stock of our investments: time, money, our very selves – do we live as though we are passing through this world, our making this world our home? (Luke 12:16-21).

The Living and Enduring Word of God

1 Peter 1:13-25

Be Holy in All You Do (1:13-16)

Just prior to this passage, Peter has given us an important parenthetical comment on the origins of prophecy (1:10-13). The word “therefore” with which this passage starts takes us back to the “living hope” described in the introductory passage (1:3). Because of this hope, in response to this hope, and perhaps through this hope, we must “gird up the loins of our minds” and “be sober.” This latter imperative is one he uses several times (4:7; 5:8) in the same manner as Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:4-8).

The NIV properly, if less evocatively, translates the metaphors rather than the words, so that we are commanded to be prepared and “self-controlled”. It is worth noting, however, that we must escape the physical in order to achieve the metaphorical: we cannot be spiritually alert and active if we are drunken and slothful. And this very idea of connecting this world and the world to come is central to the message of 1 Peter.

We Evangelical Christians are very comfortable with the relationship between grace and belief (Acts 16:30-31; John 3:16). Though we may sometimes acts as though this belief were a one-time event, it is better understood as a state of mind, or of heart, or of being. Peter connects that way of being – the way were are – with the way we act. On the one hand this may not seem like a very complex idea. On the other hand, when we acknowledge that we are not even good (Luke 18:18-19) it can be hard to understand our call to perfection (Matthew 5:44-48). We are not able to achieve this perfection ourselves, but Peter tells us that we must be active participants in the process.

Through Him You Believe (1:17-21)

Whether it is silver and gold, or diamonds, or oil, or information, whatever is of highest value today will have no value tomorrow. Such is God’s love for us that he paid for us the highest price, pouring out precious blood of Christ. This sacrifice was made manifest as an event in time, but has existed before time. Only that which was from the beginning will last until the end. Only he who has loved us from before the world was established can promise to love us after all else has passed away.

The Living and Enduring Word of God (1:22-25)

And we must love one another. The recurrence of this command throughout the New Testament is perhaps an indication of how often we need to be reminded to love one another (John 13:34-35; 15:12-14; Romans 12:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 John 3:11; 4:11). This is how we participate in the process: we love one another.

More perishable than silver and gold is life itself, but through love we participate in the imperishable, the living and enduring word of God.

Living Hope

1 Peter 1:1-12

Introduction (1:1-2)

Most of the questions that we bring to the study of any book are answered in the first few verses of 1 Peter. Immediately, the author identifies himself as Peter, the apostle of Christ. As we understand this title, the reference must be to that Peter with which we are all so familiar. There are issues, however, which make some scholars wonder if Peter could be the true author of this letter. Some of these involve matters of exegesis that are rather technical, but any serious student of the book must note that it contains no personal references to Jesus, and this seems odd given Peter’s very close relationship with our Lord. However, when we are given the witness of the scripture itself that it was written by Peter, it is hard to imagine what argument we might accept to the contrary.

The original audience of the letter is also mentioned right away: Peter is writing to a people dispersed (NIV: scattered) throughout the world. The Greek word diaspora is used to refer the the Jews who were scattered abroad since the Babylonian exile (John 7:35; James 1:1) but Peter is writing to Christians who were, as we are, aliens in this world, very far from home (John 17:15-21).

Peter identifies us as the chosen – chosen through the foreknowledge of God, the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, and the sprinkling of the blood of Christ. Yet we are chosen for obedience, and this is a very interesting juxtaposition of ideas: God’s choice to submit himself for our salvation, and our choice to submit ourselves to that salvation.

There are times when our focus is on God and we feel more like visitors than aliens. Conversely, there are times when we are so focused on this world that we have the mistaken idea that we belong. But there are other times when the things of this world seem to weigh us down as much as our faith would lift us up. Peter writes to us in those times, to tell us how to live in this world but obedient to Christ.

Living Hope (1:3-9)

This passage is a capsule of the letter, and is packed with ideas. Central among them is the tension between the trials of this world and the promise of the next. We always want to know why we suffer these trials, and we might understand Peter to say that they come to prove our faith – that this world is a test which we may pass or fail. But we must examine this theory in light of Peter’s earlier observation that God chose us, and has foreknown our response. What could we prove to God?

On either side of this conflict, Peter mentions hope and faith and we must be careful to note the difference. Faith, he explains quite simply: though we do not see him, we love him. Similarly, the writer of Hebrews says that, though we do not see this world as it should be, we do see Jesus, crowned with glory and honor (Hebrews 2:8b-9). This is faith. It is not a fanciful acceptance of what cannot be proved, but faith is proof itself. It is personal proof, a proof that may not be obtained through scientific method, but is revealed by God (Matthew 16:15-17).

And through faith we have hope. In our vernacular, hope is a weak idea. If I were to say that I hope the vase will not fall, you would understand that it might. If I were to say that I hope to get to your request next week, you would understand that I might not get to it at all. This feeble idea is far from the hope expressed in this passage. This hope is the certainty of a promise already fulfilled – an inheritance kept in heaven for us, that can never perish, spoil, or fade. Faith has no expectation, but submits to the will of God (Daniel 3:16-18; Luke 22:41-42). Hope looks forward to the complete fulfillment of the promise of God (2 Chronicles 7:14; John 3:16).

Things into which Angels Long to Look (1:10-12)

We children of the New Testament have a tendency to look upon the Old as a different plan for a different time, which was eclipsed and superseded by the message of Christ, and which only has lasting importance in the extent to which it foretells the birth and death of Christ. We might be shaken in this opinion, however, if we carefully considered the parable of “Poor Man Lazarus” and the importance it places on the words of the prophets (Luke 16:27-31).

Peter understood this importance, and having set our sights on the future promise, now takes us back to the origins of prophecy, which he says is a work of the Spirit of Christ. This is a mystery, that God has established our salvation from before time itself, and has secured that salvation until all else will pass away. It is a mystery into which even the angels long to look.

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory… But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (1 Corinthians 2:7,9 KJV)