1 Peter 1

1 Peter 1:1

More Precious Than Gold An EasyEnglish Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the first letter of Peter www.easyenglish.info Helen Pocock This commentary has been through Advanced Theological Checking.

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Introduction The writer Peter wrote this letter. He was one of the 12 *apostles. His name was Simon, but Jesus changed it to Peter (John 1:42). ‘Peter’ means ‘a rock’ or ‘a stone’. In *New Testament times many people could speak and read the *Greek language. Peter wrote this letter in the *Greek language. This meant that the good news about Jesus could spread easily.

A man called Silas (sometimes the Bible calls him Silvanus) helped Peter to write the letter (see 5:12). In those days, some men were expert writers. They helped people to write their letters in the proper way. Peter wrote this letter about 30 years after Jesus returned to heaven. The people who received this letter In the first verse, Peter lists 5 countries. Most of these are in the country that we now call Turkey. On the day of *Pentecost (Acts 2) people from three of these countries were visiting the city of Jerusalem. Some of these people may have become Christians there. Perhaps they went home and started new churches. Peter wrote to *Jews and Gentiles who became Christians. Gentiles are people who are not *Jews. They did not believe in the true God. Peter gave the letter to someone who travelled to the main churches in these areas. This person read the letter aloud to the Christians. Then people copied it and sent it to all the smaller churches near to them. Why he wrote this letter Peter wants to encourage Christians who are suffering for Christ. Although Christians might suffer in this life, they will not suffer for ever. This world is not their real home. Heaven is their real home. One day they will live with God in heaven and share God’s *glory.

Peter also wants his readers to understand the *grace of God. He wants every Christian to know what God has done for them. He wants them to learn more about God.

This letter is very practical. When a person becomes a Christian his life changes. (‘his’ here refers to both men and women, not just to men.) Peter tells his readers how to live a good Christian life. Peter was with Jesus for about three years. He saw all that Jesus did. He heard all that Jesus said. Peter is writing to encourage Christians to live like Jesus. Chapter 1 Greetings

v1 I am Peter, an *apostle of Jesus Christ. I send this letter to you who are Christians in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. You are living in these places as foreigners. v2 It was God’s purpose to choose you to belong to him. The Holy Spirit has made you holy, because Jesus Christ has made you clean from *sin by his blood. May God give you more and more of his *grace and peace.

Verse 1

In those days people used to start letters with a greeting. This letter therefore starts with a greeting. The greeting tells us who is writing the letter. It also tells us who will read the letter.

‘I am Peter, an *apostle of Jesus Christ’. Peter was one of the 12 *apostles whom Jesus chose to be with him (Mark 3:14). Jesus chose them to be special leaders. They taught people about Jesus’ life and words. Therefore, Peter’s letter comes with the authority of God.

Peter is writing to Christians. He says that they are like foreigners. He means that wherever they live in this world, that place is not their true home. Heaven is the true home of Christians (Philippians 3:20).

Acts 2:1-13 gives an account of the day of *Pentecost in the city of Jerusalem. *Jews had gone there from many different countries. These included Pontus, Cappadocia and Asia. So, some of the people to whom Peter is writing may have been there and heard him *preach about Jesus.

Verse 2

This verse mentions all three members of the Trinity. The Trinity means that there is one God who is three persons. The three are God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit. We cannot understand the Trinity. However, it is very important to know that Christians *worship one God, not three different Gods.

 God the Father chooses people. God knows more than the facts about each man or woman. He knows about each of us in a personal way. God is a loving Father in heaven. God chose his people before he created the world (Ephesians 1:4).

 God the Holy Spirit works in these people. He makes them holy, so that they obey Jesus. To be ‘holy’ means to belong to God and to be like him.

 God the Son (Jesus) died on the cross, so that he could forgive all *sins.

‘By Jesus’ blood’ refers to Jesus’ death on the cross. In the *Old Testament, the priest splashed blood on people when they promised to obey God. The blood came from a special animal that the priest *sacrificed (Exodus 24:3-8). Jesus died as a *sacrifice to make each person clean from *sin. People *sin when they do things against God or other people. When a person becomes a Christian, God forgives all his or her past *sins. But Christians do not always obey God. They need to ask God to forgive them every day.

*Grace is the help and protection that God gives to his people. *Grace is a gift from God. We do not deserve it and cannot earn it. God gives *grace because he is generous. The *grace of God comes through Jesus.

‘Peace’. In the *Hebrew language this word is ‘shalom’. It is a traditional *blessing in the *Old Testament (Numbers 6:24-26), and among *Jewish people today. Peace is not just the opposite of war or noise. It is to have God’s gift of a quiet heart. This involves every part of our life and relationships. No one can have true peace without *grace.

Christians have already received *grace and peace. But Peter prays that they may know God’s *grace and peace more and more. We have a certain and lively *hope

v3 *Praise the God and Father of our *Lord Jesus Christ! Because God has great *mercy, he has given us new life. Now we have a sure *hope that lives because he raised Jesus from death. v4 As a result we shall receive an *inheritance which nothing can destroy. It will not spoil, or lose its beauty. God keeps it safe in heaven for you. v5 God’s power always protects us because we trust him. We shall receive our complete *salvation at the end of time when Jesus returns. v6 You are full of joy about this.

But for a time you are suffering various kinds of difficulties and troubles. v7 God allows these difficulties to come to prove that your *faith in him is genuine. *Faith in God is far more valuable than even gold. You can destroy gold. You test gold by fire to make it pure. Your genuine *faith will bring *praise and *glory and honour to Jesus when he comes again. v8 You have not seen Jesus, but you love him. You cannot see him now, but you believe in him. You are full of great joy.

No words can say how happy you are. It is joy full of *glory. v9 The purpose of your *faith in Jesus is to receive *salvation.

Verse 3

Peter thought about all that God has done for people through Jesus. Then he *praised God. The more that people understand what a wonderful *salvation God has planned for them, the more they will love him. Then they will realise how great and good he is.

‘*Lord Jesus Christ’ is the full title of Jesus. ‘*Lord’ means that he has complete authority. He is head over everything. ‘Jesus’ is his human name. The name Jesus means ‘God is the one who saves’. Jesus saves people from their *sins (Matthew 1:21). ‘Christ’ is the *Greek word for the *Hebrew word *Messiah, which means ‘the one whom God has anointed’. To ‘anoint’ means to mark a person with oil. It is a sign.

It shows that God has chosen that person for some special service. In the *Old Testament they anointed kings (1 Samuel 16:13) and *prophets (1 Kings 19:16) and priests (Exodus 28:1) with oil. God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38). Jesus is King over all kings (Revelation 17:14). He is the great chief Priest (Hebrews 7-8). He is God’s great *Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15; Luke 13:33; Acts 3:22).

Many of Peter’s readers were suffering because they were Christians. So he reminds them of the reasons why they should *praise God. God has shown them great *mercy. Before they knew God, they lived a bad life. They deserved punishment. God shows *mercy when he forgives bad people instead of punishing them. Then he brings them into his family. He does this because he loves them very much.

When God gives people new life, they come alive in their spirit. They become members of God’s family. They are Christians. Sometimes the Bible calls this process ‘the new birth’. In John 3:1-21 Jesus explained this to a man whose name was Nicodemus.

To have *hope in God is to expect all that God has promised to Christians for the future. We cannot guess what God will do. We have to trust him. This *hope is a living *hope because God raised Jesus from death. Christians believe that God will raise them from death too.

Verse 4

An *inheritance is what becomes yours by law after the death of the present owner. It is usually land or property. In the *Old Testament, the *inheritance often refers to the country of Canaan. God gave Canaan to the *Jews who were the people whom he chose (Numbers 26:54-56; Joshua 11:23). In the *New Testament, *inheritance means all that people receive from God as his children, because of what Jesus has done for them. This includes *eternal life now (John 5:24) and a new body when Jesus comes again (1 Corinthians 15:35-44).

God will also give rewards to Christians in heaven (Matthew 5:12; 1 Corinthians 3:8; Revelation 22:12). But we do not know what these rewards will be. Christians receive just a small part of God’s promises in this life. They will receive his promises completely in heaven. Christians go to heaven when they die. If Jesus returns while they are still living in this world, he will take them straight to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).

God gives the Holy Spirit to each Christian. This proves that he will keep his promise (Ephesians 1:14).

The Christian’s *inheritance is not like anything in this world. Peter described it in three ways.

(1) It will never wear out or get old. Nothing can destroy it.

(2) It will not spoil or go bad. *Sin cannot affect it.

(3) It will not lose its beauty. It is not like metal that stops shining. Nor is it like a light that goes out.

God keeps this *inheritance safe in heaven. God does this for each person who believes his promises.

Verse 5

‘Protects’ is a military word that has two meanings. It means to guard from attack and to prevent escape. Peter wants to encourage Christians who are suffering for being Christians. God’s power guards their spirits. As they trust in God, his power makes them strong. Then they will not run away from being a Christian. All Christians must continue to trust God until Jesus comes again. This is when they will receive their complete *salvation (the *inheritance in verse 4).

Peter and the other *apostles saw Jesus go back to heaven (Acts 1:9-11). They heard the *angels say that Jesus would return. They also heard Jesus teach about this (Matthew 16:27). No one knows when it will happen. Therefore, Christians must be ready. They should live good lives as they wait for that important day (1 Thessalonians 4:14-5:11).

Verse 6

When Christians understand what Peter wrote in verses 3-5, it makes them very happy. They have joy deep in their spirits. But Christians may suffer troubles in their lives. These troubles make them sad for a little while. But they will not be sad for ever.

Verse 7

It is easy to be a Christian when life is favourable. But Christians often have troubles in their lives. God uses these troubles to make their *faith in God strong and pure. To have *faith in God means to trust in God and in Jesus Christ his Son. James 1:2-4 says that troubles help people to grow up as strong Christians. So they should have joy even when they have troubles.

In this world gold is very valuable. When someone has *faith in God, this is much more valuable to God than gold. Gold is a metal. It shines even when it is not pure. If you mix gold with other metals, it still looks like pure gold. If you melt gold in a pot in a hot fire, you can find out whether the gold really is pure. As it gets hotter, any other metals or bits of dirt rise to the surface. Then someone can remove them. Peter said that troubles in a person’s life are like this fire. When people have troubles, they see the bad behaviour that hides inside themselves. They should stop their bad behaviour and trust God. If they do this, then their *faith in God is genuine.

‘Your genuine *faith will bring *praise, *glory and honour to Jesus when he comes again’. This means that both Jesus and the person with genuine *faith will receive *praise, *glory and honour. We shall not understand some of God’s purposes in this life. God will *reveal them only at the final judgement.

Verse 8

Peter had been in the company of Jesus for three years. But Peter is writing to people who have never seen Jesus. They love Jesus without seeing him. To ‘believe in’ Jesus means to trust and obey him, although we cannot see him. It means more than believing facts about him. People who believe in Jesus have joy in their spirits. This joy comes from God. No one can explain it in words because it is too wonderful.

Verse 9

We understand *salvation in three ways: in the past, in the present, and in the future.

 *Salvation in the past, when people first become Christians (verse 3).

 *Salvation in the present, as they learn to trust God each day and to receive his help (the first part of verse 5).

 *Salvation in the future, when they will receive all of God’s promises in heaven (verses 4-5).

v10 Long ago the *prophets of God spoke about the *salvation that God has now given to you. They searched deeply to learn about God’s *grace. v11 They were trying to find out when and how it would come. The Spirit of Christ (that is, the *Messiah) was in them. The Spirit told them that Christ (*Messiah) would suffer and die. But afterwards, when Christ rose from death, *glories would follow. v12 The *prophets inquired about these things. The Spirit of Christ (*Messiah) showed them that this was for your benefit, not for their own. People brought you the good news about Jesus. They have now told you the same things as the *prophets said. They have told you about Jesus. And the Holy Spirit from heaven helped them. Even *angels greatly desire to understand more about these things.

Verses 10-12

These *prophets of God lived before the birth of Jesus Christ. The ‘Spirit of Christ’ is another name for Christ or *Messiah or the Spirit of God. (In Romans 8:9-10 Paul, too, uses all these names to mean the same). The *prophets brought messages from God to the people. The messages are in the *Old Testament. For example, Isaiah 53 is about the *Messiah (Christ) and how he would suffer. The *prophets wanted to know about whom they wrote.

They could not understand all the things that God told them. They did not know when these things would happen. They wanted to find out more. The message in verse 11 is about the *glories that would follow when Christ rose from death. This should encourage all Christians who suffer. All that the *prophets spoke about Jesus came true.

Therefore, Christians can trust the Bible.

Verse 12 says that even *angels do not understand everything about God’s plans. They are eager to learn more. Live holy lives

v13 God has prepared this wonderful *salvation for you. So now, you must concentrate on how God wants you to live as Christians. Put all your *hope in God’s goodness, when Jesus comes back to earth again.

v14 Obey God, because you are now his children. Before you knew Christ, you wanted to do evil things. You did those evil things because you did not know any better.

v15 God has called you to know him and to serve him. And God is holy. Therefore, you too must be holy in everything that you do. v16 This is what God commands in the Bible:

 ‘Be holy because I am holy’ (Leviticus 11:44; 45; 19:2; 20:7; 26).

v17 You pray to God as your Father. But remember that he deals with everybody in the same fair way. So, while you are living here on earth, honour God in all that you do.

v18 Remember that the life that you lived in the past was of no worth to God. Your parents, and the people who lived before you, taught you to live in that way. Now God has bought you and freed you from that way of life. He did not buy you with silver or gold, which people can destroy. v19 Instead God bought you with the precious blood of Christ. Christ was like a perfect lamb (young sheep) that the *Jews *sacrificed.

v20 God chose Christ before the world began. But Christ came into the world in these last days for your benefit. v21 Through Christ you believed in God who raised Christ from death. God gave Christ *glory. So, you believe and trust God that he will do what he has promised.

v22 You have obeyed the truth and made your lives pure. Now you can have a sincere love for all Christians. So, love each other deeply from your spirit. v23 Now you have new birth. This new birth did not come from something that dies. It comes from a seed that cannot die. The seed is alive. It is the permanent word from God. v24 The Bible says

 ‘All people are like grass.  All their *glory is only like flowers that grow in the field.  Grass dies and flowers fall off.

v25 But the word of the Lord lives for always’ (Isaiah 40:6-8). And this word is the good news about Jesus that you have heard.

Verse 13

In verses 3-6, Peter has been teaching his readers what *salvation means. He wants them to understand what God has done for them through Jesus. But to know these things only in their mind is not enough. What people believe will always affect the way that they live. So how should Christians live their lives? In verses 13-16, Peter writes very clearly. He tells his readers how God wants them to behave as Christians.

Christians must prepare their minds, so that they can obey God. People’s minds are important. What they think about affects the way that they behave. (Look at Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:22-24; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.) They must have a clear mind about how to live as Christians. To have a clear mind means that they must not be like a person who gets drunk. People get drunk when they drink too much beer or wine. That confuses their minds. They are not ready to act as they should. They cannot control themselves in the proper way.

When Jesus returns he will give great *blessings. To *hope means to expect something that God has promised.

Verses 14-16

Children often look like their parents and behave like them. Christians are now children of God, because God is their Father in heaven. God is holy. God wants his children to be like him. They must have his character in their lives. To be holy means to be completely separate from all *sin and evil. It also means to belong to God alone. God commands Christians to be holy. The Holy Spirit makes them holy (verse 2). This does not mean that Christians can live their lives completely without *sin. This will only happen in heaven. But with God’s help they must now try hard to avoid all *sin and evil in every part of their lives.

Many times in this letter, Peter tells his readers what the Bible says. These verses are from the part of the Bible that we call the *Old Testament. Men wrote down all of the *Old Testament before the birth of Jesus. Like all *Jewish boys, Peter had to learn and remember many *Old Testament verses. This command to be holy is very important. God says it five times in the book of Leviticus (see 11:44; 11:45; 19:2; 20:7; 20:26).

Verse 17

Christians can pray to God as their Father. But he does not deal with other people in a different way. He does not judge people by what their faces look like. Instead, God judges all people by his standard of what is good and evil. God sees how every person lives. To fear God does not mean to be afraid of him. It means that Christians should respect and obey God because he is great and holy. Peter again reminds Christians that they are strangers in this world. Their true home is in heaven.

Verses 18-19

Peter then compares their past and present lives. In the past, they did not know how to live for God (see verse 14). People taught them wrong things. Nobody in their society knew the right way to live.

‘God has bought you’. Sometimes a person pays money so that a slave or a person in prison can have freedom. God paid so that people can have freedom from their life of *sin and death. He did not pay with money, but with the precious blood of his only Son, Jesus. Leviticus 17:14 says that the life of an animal is in its blood. So, the ‘precious blood of Christ’ refers to his death on the cross. To be ‘precious’ means to have great value and honour. Romans 6:23 says, ‘The wages of *sin is death’. Jesus died to forgive *sins. Christians will now live for ever and their spirit will never die.

Long ago the *Jews were slaves in the country of Egypt. When the king of Egypt refused to let them go, God punished some of the people of Egypt. He sent an *angel to kill them. God told the *Jews to kill a lamb (young sheep) and put its blood on their doors. When the *angel saw the blood, he did not kill anyone in that house. The blood saved the *Jews from death. The lamb had to be perfect and have nothing wrong with its body. You can read about this in Exodus 12. Jesus lived a perfect life and never did anything wrong. So, when he died on the cross, he was like a perfect lamb.

Verse 20

People choose to do what is evil. Before God made the world, he knew that this would happen. So he made the plan of how Christ would save people from their evil lives. God ‘chose’ Christ. The word ‘chose’ is the same word as in verse 2. ‘In these last days’ refers to the time since Christ came to earth. We live in the last days now.

Verse 21

Jesus says that the only way that a person can come to God the Father is through Jesus Christ his Son (John 14:6). People of many different religions say that they believe in God. If they do not believe in Jesus, then they are not Christians. They do not have *eternal life with God. Jesus rose from death and came alive again. Later, he returned to heaven and received *glory from God (Philippians 2:6-11; Ephesians 1:20-21). Christians have a sure *hope in God because they know that he always keeps his promises.

Verse 22

Every day, Christians must obey the truth. This will make their life pure. Psalms 119:9 says, ‘How can a young man live a pure life? When he lives the way that God’s word tells us’. The Bible is God’s word. The Bible is truth.

As Christians become purer in their lives, they will have a deeper love for each other. They will not have evil thoughts and feelings about other Christians. To have sincere love means they really care about other people. They mean what they say. People are not sincere when they just pretend to love other people.

‘Have a sincere love for all Christians’. The *Greek word for ‘love’ in this sentence describes the love that brothers and sisters have for each other in a family. All Christians are members of one very big family. God is their Father. We have Christian brothers and sisters who live in every country of the world.

‘So continue to love each other deeply from your heart’. This word ‘love’ comes from another *Greek word that describes the pure love of God. This love always gives more than it takes. Paul describes it in 1 Corinthians 13. Christians should love each other in the same way that God loves them. To love deeply means that love is strong.

Verses 23-25

The ‘word of the *Lord’ (God) can refer to the Bible. It also means the good news that God saves people from *sin through Jesus Christ. When people hear or read this good news, it is like a seed that God plants in their lives. Seeds grow into plants. However, plants die. But the seed of God’s word will never die. It gives a person new birth into God’s family.

Verses 24-25 come from Isaiah 40:6-8. All people, even great people, will die. Their physical body will die, just as grass and flowers die. But God’s words will live for ever. When people accept the word of the *Lord, their spirit will live for ever.

© 1999-2001, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

December 2001

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