1 Peter 1

1 Peter 1:1

I. THE BELIEVER’S PRIVILEGES AND DUTIES (1:1-2:10) A. Salutation (1:1, 2) 1:1 The beloved fisherman introduces himself as Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. He had been commissioned by the Lord Jesus as one of the original twelve, called to be the herald of a glorious, transforming message. By responding to the divine tap on the shoulder, he had become a fisher of men. All believers are called to represent Christ’s interests here on earth. We are all supposed to be missionaries, whether at home or abroad. This is the central purpose of our life as Jesus’ followers; all else is subordinate. The Letter is addressed to the pilgrims or foreigners scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Who were these exiles? Peter’s use of the words of the Dispersion predisposes us to think that they were Jewish believers because James uses that same word concerning believers from the twelve tribes of Israel (Jam_1:1). Also the word in Joh_7:35 describes Jews who were scattered among the Gentiles. But it is quite probable that Peter is writing to the Gentile believers who had been dispersed by persecution among the surrounding nations. In doing so, he takes many of the names that were formerly given to God’s earthly people and applies them to God’s new society, the church. He calls them elect (1:2), a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God’s possession (1Pe_2:9). He also gives three other indications that he is writing to Gentile believers. He speaks of the empty way of life which had been handed down to them from their forefathers (1Pe_1:14, 1Pe_1:18). He describes them as those who in time past were not a people (1Pe_2:10).

Finally, in 1Pe_4:3 he says that they had lived in previous times like Gentiles. So there is strong evidence that the Diaspora or Dispersion to which Peter writes is the Christian church, composed largely of those who were Gentiles before their conversion. If it be objected that Peter was preeminently the apostle to the Jews, that did not preclude his ministering to Gentiles. Certainly Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, spent time ministering to the Jews. 1:2 The recipients of the Letter are further designated by a fourfold progression of their salvation which involved all three Persons of the Trinity. First of all, they were elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. This means that in a past eternity, God chose them to belong to Himself. The doctrine of divine election is not always popular, but it does have this virtueit allows God to be God. Attempts to make it palatable to man only succeed in detracting from the sovereignty of God. Any difficulty in reconciling God’s election and human responsibility lies in man’s mind, not in God’s. The Bible teaches both doctrines, and we should believe both. The truth lies in both extremes, not somewhere between them. God’s choice is said to be according to His foreknowledge. Some understand this to mean that God elected those whom He foreknew would trust the Savior. Others say that God knew very well that, left to himself, no sinner would trust the Savior, and so in His foreknowledge He marked out certain ones to be trophies of His grace. While there is unutterable mystery in God’s choice, we can be sure that there is nothing unjust about it. The second step in salvation is sanctification of the Spirit. This aspect of sanctification takes place before conversion. It is a ministry of the Holy Spirit by which He sets people apart to belong to God (see also 2Th_2:13). It logically follows election by God the Father. In eternity God foreknew and chose men. In time the Holy Spirit operates to make that election real in the lives of the individuals concerned. The third step in the soul’s salvation is the sinner’s response to the work of the Holy Spirit. It is described as obedience to Jesus Christ. This means obeying the gospel by repenting of one’s sins and receiving Christ as Savior. The concept of the gospel as something to be obeyed is a common one in the NT (see Rom_2:8; 2Th_1:8). Finally, there is the sprinkling with His blood. We must not take this with absolute literalness and insist that when a person is saved, he is actually sprinkled with the blood of Jesus. This is figurative language. What it does say is that as soon as a person obeys the gospel, he receives all the benefits which flow from the shedding of Christ’s blood on Calvary. The Savior’s blood was shed once for all over 1900 years ago; it will never be shed again. But we receive forgiveness, redemption, and the other innumerable blessings that flow from that crimson tide as soon as we believe on Him. Having traced the four steps in his reader’s spiritual birth, Peter now wishes that grace and peace might be multiplied to them. They have already experienced the grace of God in salvation and the resulting peace with God. But day by day they will need grace or strength for the Christian life, and peace in the midst of a turbulent society. That is what the apostle wishes for them here in fullest abundance. James Denney said that grace is the first and last word of the Gospel; and peaceperfect spiritual soundnessis the finished work of grace.

1 Peter 1:3

B. His Position as a Believer (1:3-12) 1:3 In verses 3-12, Peter sets forth the unique glories of our salvation. He begins by calling for praise to be given to the Author of salvationthe God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This title presents God in a twofold relationship to the Lord Jesus. The name God … of our Lord Jesus Christ emphasizes the humanity of the Savior. The name Father underlines the deity of God’s Son. The full name of the Son is given: Lordthe One with the exclusive right to rule in hearts and lives. Jesusthe One who saves His people from their sins. ChristGod’s Anointed One who has been exalted to heaven’s highest place. It is by God’s abundant mercy that we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. God is the source of this salvation. His great mercy is its cause. The new birth is the nature of it. A living hope is its present reward. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the righteous basis of our salvation, as well as the foundation of our living hope. As sinners, we had no hope beyond the grave. There was nothing ahead for us but the certainty of judgment and fiery indignation. As members of the first creation we were under the sentence of death. But in the redemptive work of Christ, God found a righteous basis upon which He can save ungodly sinners and still be just. Christ has paid the penalty of our sins. Full satisfaction has been made.

The claims of justice have been met, and now mercy can flow out to those who obey the gospel. In the resurrection of Christ, God indicated His complete satisfaction with the sacrificial work of His Son. The resurrection is the Father’s Amen to our Lord’s cry, It is finished! Also, that resurrection is a pledge that all who die in Christ will be raised from among the dead. This is our living hopethe expectation of being taken home to heaven to be with Christ and to be like Him forever. F.

B. Meyer calls the living hope the link between our present and future.1:4 Verses 4, 5 describe this future aspect of salvation. When we are born again we have the certain hope of an inheritance … in heaven. The inheritance includes all that the believer will enjoy in heaven for eternity, and all that will be his through Christ (Psa_16:5). The inheritance is incorruptible and undefiled and unfading: (1) Incorruptible means that it can never corrode, crack, or decay. It is death-proof. (2) Undefiled means that the inheritance itself is in perfect condition.

No tarnish or stain can dim its purity. It is sin-proof. (3) That does not fade away means that it can never suffer variations in value, glory, or beauty. It is time-proof. Earthly inheritances are uncertain at best. Sometimes the value of an estate drops sharply because of market declines. Sometimes wills are successfully contested by parties not mentioned in them. Sometimes people are deprived of an inheritance because of legal technicalities. But this divine inheritance is not subject to any of the changes of time, and there are no loopholes in the believer’s title to it. It is kept in the safety-vault of heaven for the child of God. 1:5 Not only is the inheritance guarded for Christians, but they are kept or guarded for it. In this life an heir may die before an inheritance is divided. But the same grace that preserves the heavenly inheritance preserves us as heirs to enjoy it. God’s election of His people can never be frustrated. Those who were chosen in eternity past are saved in time now and kept for eternity to come. The believer in Christ is eternally secure. But there is a human as well as a divine side to eternal security. We are kept by the power of Godthat is the divine side, but it is through faiththat is the human side. This does not mean that a person is saved only as long as he exercises faith. Where there is true faith, there will be continuance. Saving faith always has the quality of permanence. The child of God is guarded by the power of God for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. This refers to salvation in its future tense. It has often been pointed out that there are three tenses of salvation: (1) A Christian was saved from the penalty of sin the moment he first trusted the Savior (Eph_2:8). (2) He is saved daily from the power of sin as he allows the Savior to live His life through him (Rom_5:10). (3) He will be saved from the presence of sin at the time of the Rapture (Heb_9:28). His body will be changed and glorified, and be forever free from sin, sickness, and death. This future tense of salvation also includes the time when the saints will return to earth with Christ and will be clearly shown to be children of God (1Jo_3:2). 1:6 Because of this hope of the redemption of the body and of a glorious inheritance, believers can greatly rejoice even in the midst of trials. The Christians to whom Peter was writing were suffering persecution because of their testimony for Christ. Peter reminds them of one of the delightful paradoxes of Christianityjoy in the midst of sorrow. On the one hand, they can rejoice in the prospect of a kept inheritance for a kept people. On the other hand, they can find joy in the knowledge that the various trials are only for a little while, whereas the glory will be forever (see 2Co_4:17). Commenting on the presence of joy in the midst of grief caused by numerous trials, J.

H. Jowett wrote: I never expected to find a fountain in so unpromising a waste.1:7 There is further comfort for suffering saints in knowing that their sufferings are neither purposeless nor fruitless. The sufferings of the ungodly are only a foretaste of the pangs of hell which they will endure eternally. This is not true for the Christian. One of the many beneficial purposes of afflictions in this life for the child of God is to test the genuineness of his faith. Peter contrasts our faith with gold.

Of all the substances known to man, gold is one of the most imperishable. It can be subjected to intense heat and might seem to be indestructible. But the truth is that gold perishes through use, pressure, and fire. True faith is indestructible. The believer may undergo severe tests and trials, but instead of destroying his faith, they become food for faith to feed on. Job probably sustained heavier losses in one day than any other man in the history of the world, yet he was able to say, Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him (Job_13:15). The three men in the Babylonian furnace were literally tested by fire. The fire proved their faith to be real. Also it burned away the ropes that held them, setting them free (Dan_3:12-30).

And during their flaming ordeal, they had the companionship of One like the Son of God. The genuineness of faith can be proved only by fire. When prevailing conditions are favorable, it might be easy to be a Christian. But when public confession of Christ brings persecution and suffering, then the casual followers drift away and are lost in the crowd. A religion which costs nothing is worth nothing. Faith which refuses to pay the price is spurious.

It is the kind of say-so faith that James condemns. Genuine faith will result in praise, honor, and glory when Jesus Christ is revealed. This simply means that God will reward every instance of faith that stood the test. He will praise those who are joyful though surrounded by trouble. He will award honor and glory to tried and suffering believers who were able to accept their tribulations as a vote of confidence from Him. This will be apparent when Jesus Christ comes back to earth to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords, and all those whom the world rejected will be shown clearly to be sons of God. A comparison of Scripture indicates that rewards will be announced at the Judgment Seat of Christ, in heaven, after the Rapture. But the public display of these rewards apparently takes place at the Second Advent of Christ. 1:8 Peter now discusses the present enjoyment of our salvationChrist taken by faith. Though we have never seen Him with our eyes, we love Him. Though we do not see Him at this time, yet we believe in Him. That is how we enter into the blessedness which He mentioned to Thomas, Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed (Joh_20:29). William Lincoln writes: People talk a lot about love, but the true test of love to God and Christ is, that in the trial it saysI would not lose the favor and smile of God, so will rather suffer than grieve Him. Love will be content with a crust and the smile of God, rather than a better position and the popularity of the world without it. Such tests must come to all the true children of God; they winnow the chaff from the wheat. The gold comes out from the fire tried, and purified from its dross. Believing on Him we rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. To be united to Him through faith is to have uninterrupted and eternal contact with the fountain of all pure joy. The Christian’s joy is not dependent on earthly circumstances but on the risen, exalted Christ at God’s right hand. It is no more possible to rob a saint of his joy than it is to unseat Christ from His place of glory. The two stand together. 1:9 Next, Peter deals with the present outcome of faiththe salvation of the soul. The salvation of the body is still future; it will take place when Christ comes for His saints. But as soon as we trust Christ by faith, we receive the salvation of our souls. The word here refers to the non-material part of man, his person apart from his body. It is the soul which is separated from the body at the time of death. In this passage it includes the spirit, by which we have God-consciousness. The soul is saved at the time of the new birth. 1:10 This salvation was the theme of many OT prophets. God’s ancient spokesmen prophesied the undeserved favor which we would receive. But they did not fully understand what they were writing (see Dan_12:8). 1:11 They apparently did not understand: (1) The identity of the Person who would appear as Messiah. (2) The time of His appearance. They were inspired by the Spirit of God to foretell the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. But they did not understand that these two events would be separated by at least 1900 years. As has often been pictured, they saw the two mountain peaks(a) Calvary, where Jesus suffered, and (b) Olivet, where He will return in glory. But they did not see the valley which lay between, that is, the present Age of Grace, in which we find ourselves able to see both events, one past, one still future, with a clearer perspective than they. 1:12 To them the Spirit of God mysteriously revealed that they were serving generations yet unborn. While the prophets’ words had meaning for their own generation, they were aware that their full meaning was not exhausted by events in their day. This, of course, raises questions. Were not the OT prophets familiar with the truth of justification by faith? What was it that they did not understand about our salvation? In what sense did they serve us rather than themselves? William Lincoln says: The fullness of God’s grace could not appear till Christ came. God could and did save sinners and take them to heaven, as He did Enoch before, but union with Christ and all that such union implies, could not be experienced until Christ died and rose again. O how God delights to heap honor upon His Son! The things that were veiled to the prophets were now made clear. The Holy Spirit came down from heaven at Pentecost. He empowered the apostles to preach the good news that Jesus of Nazareth was the predicted Messiah, that He had died for the sins of men, had been buried, and had been raised the third day. They announced that salvation was offered as a free gift through faith in Christ. They declared that God’s purpose during this age is to gather out of the nations a people for His name, and that the Lord Jesus would return to earth one day to take the scepter of universal government. The immense privilege of believers in this age is seen not only in that they understand clearly what was veiled from the prophets, but also in the fact that angels desire to look into these truths of salvation. Angels have a prominent place in the NT as well as in the Old. They are mentioned in connection with the birth of Christ, His temptation, His agony in Gethsemane, and His resurrection. But as far as we know, there is no redemption for angels that have fallen. Christ did not come to intervene on behalf of angels, but on behalf of Abraham’s descendants (Heb_2:16). The church is an object lesson to angels, setting forth the manifold wisdom of God (Eph_3:10). But it is not for them to know the joy that our salvation brings.

1 Peter 1:13

C. His Conduct in the Light of His Position (1:13-2:3) 1:13 Beginning here, there is a change in emphasis. Peter has been dealing with the glories of our salvation. At this point, he launches into a series of exhortations based on the foregoing. Jowett says: The present appeal is based on the introductory evangel. … Spiritual impulse is created by the momentum of superlative facts. The dynamic of duty is born in the heart of the Gospel.First, Peter urges the saints to have a girded mind.

The girding up of the mind is an interesting figure of speech. In eastern lands, people wore long, flowing robes. When they wanted to walk fast or with a minimum of hindrance, they would tie the robe up around their waist with a belt (see Exo_12:11). In this way they girded up their loins. But what does Peter mean by gird up the loins of your mind? As they went out into a hostile world, believers were to avoid panic and distraction.

In times of persecution, there is always the tendency to become rattled and confused. A girded mind is one that is strong, composed, cool, and ready for action. It is unimpeded by the distraction of human fear or persecution. This state of mental solidarity is further encouraged by the words be sober. This means self-control in contrast to hysteria. The sober spirit is poised and stable. Next, the saints are urged to have the optimistic, forward-looking mind: rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. The assurance of Christ’s Return is held out as a compelling motive for endurance through the storms and tribulations of life. The revelation of Jesus Christ is generally taken to refer to His coming back to earth when He will be revealed in glory. However, it could also refer to the Rapture when Christ will come for His saints. 1:14 In verses 14-16, the subject is the obedient mind. Obedient children should not indulge in the sins which characterized them in their former life. Now that they are Christians, they should pattern their life after the One whose name they bear. If they conform to the ungodly world, they are denying their heavenly character. The things they did in the days of their ignorance should be put away now that they have been illuminated by the Holy Spirit. The former lusts means the sins they indulged in while they were still ignorant of God. 1:15 Instead of imitating the ungodly world with its fads and fashions, our lives should reproduce the holy character of the One who called us. To be godly means to be Godlike. God is holy in all His ways. If we are to be like Him, we must be holy in all that we do and say. In this life we will never be as holy as He is, but we should be holy because He is. 1:16 Peter reaches back into the OT for proof that God expects His people to be like Himself. In Lev_11:44, the Lord said: Be holy, for I am holy. Christians are empowered to live holy lives by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Old Testament saints did not have this help and blessing. But since we are more privileged, we are also more responsible. The verse Peter quotes from Leviticus acquires a new depth of meaning in the NT. It is the difference between the formal and the vital. Holiness was God’s ideal in the OT. It has assumed a concrete, everyday quality with the coming of the Spirit of truth. 1:17 Not only are we exhorted to holiness but also to a reverent mind. This means a respectful fear, a deep appreciation of who God is. It especially means a realization that the One whom we address as Father is the same One who judges His children impartially according to their deeds. As we realize the extent of His knowledge and the accuracy of His judgment, we should live with a wholesome fear of displeasing Him. The Father … judges His own in this life; He has committed the judgment of sinners to the Lord Jesus (Joh_5:22). Lincoln writes: He is looking on, taking notice of all, whether there is integrity of purpose, intelligence of mind, and desire of heart to please Him.We are to pass the time of our stay on earth in fear. Christians are not at home in this world. We are living in a foreign country, exiled from heaven. We should not settle down as if this were our permanent dwelling. Neither should we imitate the behavior of the earth-dwellers. We should always remember our heavenly destiny and behave ourselves as citizens of heaven. 1:18 Before their conversion, believers were not different from the rest of the world. Their talk and walk were as empty and trivial as that of men around them. Their unconverted days are described as your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers. But they had been ransomed from that futile existence by a tremendous transaction. They had been rescued from the slavery of world-conformity by the payment of an infinite ransom. Was it by silver or gold that these kidnap victims had been freed (see Exo_30:15)? 1:19 No, it was with the precious blood of Christlike the blood of a perfect, unblemished lamb. Christ is a lamb without blemish or spot, that is, He is absolutely perfect, inwardly and outwardly. If a believer is ever tempted to return to worldly pleasures and amusements, to adopt worldly modes and patterns, to become like the world in its false ways, he should remember that Christ shed His blood to deliver him from that kind of life. To go back to the world is to re-cross the great gulf that was bridged for us at staggering cost. But even moreit is positive disloyalty to the Savior. Reason back from the greatness of the sacrifice to the greatness of the sin. Then determine to be done forever with that which cost God’s Son His life.1:20 Christ’s work for us was no afterthought on God’s part. The Redeemer was destined to die for us before the creation of the world. But at the end of the times, that is, at the end of the dispensation of law, He appeared from heaven to rescue us from our former way of life. Lincoln comments: In these last timesthe world’s moral history was closed at the cross of Christ. It has shown itself fully and got to its end before God.Peter adds these considerations to impress us even more deeply with the importance of making a clean break with the world system from which Christ died to deliver us.

We are in the world but not of it. We must not isolate ourselves from unregenerate men, but rather carry the gospel to them. Yet in our dealings and relationships with them, we must never share in or condone their sins. We are to show by our lives that we are children of God. The moment we become like the world, our testimony is weakened. There is no incentive for worldlings to be converted if they cannot see a differencea change for the better in our lives. 1:21 Loyalty to the Lord Jesus is further demanded by the fact that it is through Him we have come to believe in God. He is the One who has revealed the Father’s heart to us. As W. T. P. Wolston says: it is not by creation nor providence nor law that man knows God, but by Christ. The Father indicated His complete satisfaction with Christ’s redeeming work by raising Him out from among the dead ones and honoring Him with the place of highest glory in heaven. The result of all this is that our faith and hope are in God. It is in Him, not in the present evil world system, that we live and move and have our being. 1:22 Now the Apostle Peter urges his readers to have the loving mind (1:22-2:3). First, he describes the new birth and points out that one of the changes that it brings is love for our brethren (1:22a). Next, he presses home the obligation to love (1:22b). Again he reverts to the new birth, and especially to the seed from which this new life has grownthe word of God (1:23-25). And once again he emphasizes the obligations that rest on those who have received the word (1Pe_2:1-3). In 1:22a, Peter first describes the new birth: Since you have purified your souls. … We understand, of course, that it is God who purifies our souls when we are saved; in the strict sense, we do not have the power for personal purity. But in this figure of speech those of us who have experienced purification are said to have attained it when we believed. The means employed in this purification is obeying the truth. This is the second time Peter describes saving faith as an act of obedience (see 1Pe_1:2). In Romans, Paul twice uses the phrase the obedience of faith. In our thinking we should not try to separate belief and obedience. True faith is obeying faith. This can only be done through the Spirit. One of the goals of the new birth is sincere love of the brethren. In a very real sense, we are saved in order to love all our fellow Christians. By this love, we know that we have passed out of death into life (1Jo_3:14), and by it, the world knows that we are disciples of the Lord Jesus (Joh_13:35). So the exhortation follows quite naturallylove one another fervently with a pure heart. This is one of the many instances in the NT where a declarative statement becomes the basis for an imperative. The declaration is this: Since you have purified your souls … in sincere love of the brethren. . . . Then the command: love one another fervently with a pure heart. The positional forms the basis for the practical. Our love should be warm, wholehearted, with all our strength, earnest, unceasing, and pure. The exhortation to love one another is especially timely for a people undergoing persecution because it is well known that under conditions of hardship, trivial disagreements take on gigantic proportions.1:23 Again Peter takes his readers back to their new birth, and this time to the seed of that birth the word of God. The exhortations in 2:1-3 will be based on this. The new birth is not brought about by corruptible seed, that is, it is not produced in the same way as a physical birth. Human life is brought into being by means of seed that must obey physical laws of decay and death. The physical life that is produced has the same quality as the seed from which it sprang; it too is of a temporary character. The new birth is brought about through the word of God. As men hear or read the Bible they are convicted of their sins, convinced that Christ is the sole and sufficient Savior, and converted to God. No one is ever saved apart from the instrumentality in some way of the incorruptible word of God. Samuel Ridout notes in The Numerical Bible:… the three incorruptible things we have in this first chapteran incorruptible inheritance (v. 4), an incorruptible redemption (vv. 18, 19), and an incorruptible word by which we are born (v. 23). Thus we have a nature which is taintless, fitted for the enjoyment of a taintless inheritance and on the basis of a redemption which never can lose its value. How the stamp of eternal perfection is upon all, and what a fitting companion to these is that incorruptible ornament of a meek and quiet spirit (chap. iii. 4). The word lives and abides forever. Though heaven and earth pass away, it will never pass away. It is settled forever in heaven. And the life it produces is eternal also. Those who are born anew through the word take on the everlasting character of the word. In the human birth, the seed which produces a child contains, in germ form, all the characteristics of the child. What the child will eventually be is determined by the seed. For our present purposes, it is enough to see that as the seed is perishable, so is the human life which results from it. 1:24 The transitory character of human nature is emphasized by a quotation of Isa_40:6-7. Human life is as impermanent as grass. Physical beauty is as short-lived as the flowers of the field. The grass withers, and the flowers droop and die. 1:25 In contrast, the word of the Lord endures forever (Isa_40:8). Therefore, the new life of the believer is equally incorruptible. This incorruptible word is the message of good news which was preached to Peter’s readers and which caused them to be born again. It was the source of their eternal life.