Saturday, September 8, 2018

1Peter Chapter 1



1 Peter 1:1-25 (NKJV)
1  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
2  elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5  who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
7  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
8  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9  receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls.
10  Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,
11  searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
12  To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things which angels desire to look into.
13  Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14  as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
15  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16  because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
17  And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;
18  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
19  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
20  He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
21  who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22  Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
23  having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
24  because "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away,
25  But the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.



Who, what, where, why.

The Christians of Asia Minor who received this letter from Peter had discovered that a life lived for God is often a life of many difficulties. Some of their troubles came from their neighbors, while some came from government authorities. Peter wrote to these Christians to encourage them, to explain to them why suffering occurs, and to remind them of their eternal reward at the end of this earthly life.

Author • Early church tradition affirms that the apostle Peter was the author of the letter known as First Peter. The author is thoroughly acquainted with Christ’s earthly sufferings and claims to be an eyewitness to them. Finally,
the sporadic and local persecution before Nero’s reign (before A.D. 68) is the persecution that Peter is probably addressing in this letter.
Although severe official persecution did not begin until the reigns of Domitian (A.D. 95) or Trajan (A.D. 112), early Christians experienced oppressive local persecution from the beginning (see Acts 14:19). In conclusion, there is no substantial evidence that contradicts the plain assertion of the letter that it is from the apostle Peter.

Many interpreters have regarded Peter’s reference to Babylon (5:13) as a reference to Rome that Peter described as Babylon to highlight its paganism. In view of all this information it seems likely that Peter wrote this epistle from Rome about A.D. 64. Constable’s Notes.

Date and Place of Writing Peter wrote the letter around A.D. 62–64. First Paul makes no reference to Peter being in Rome when Paul was writing his letters from there (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon), sometime between A.D. 60–62. Moreover in his letter, Peter makes no reference to Paul as being in Rome, identifying only Silvanus and Mark as his companions (5:12, 13). after the burning of Rome in A.D. 64.
However, Rome was a widely-recognized center of opposition to Christianity and also the seat of power in the Roman Empire. Peter was using Babylon as a code word readily understood by early Christians as mean Rome, yet at the same time symbolizing more than just that earthly city.

Setting To reach the centers of the provinces of ancient Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) to which Peter was writing, his letter had to travel many hundreds of miles over rugged terrain and treacherous seas. Christians were targets of attack because they no longer participated in pagan religious practices. Since they were the ones who abandoned the so-called gods of the people, Christians were blamed for everything from natural disasters to economic downturns. They were even more vulnerable because they were often strangers in a city, having been driven out of other cities by persecution or having come from a Jewish background. These early Christians often had little security, low social status (many were slaves), and little recourse to government protection. Peter wrote to encourage them. They were pilgrims in this world heading to their glorious home in heaven. Nelson study Bible

 From the beginning, 1 Peter was recognized as authoritative and as the work of the apostle Peter. The earliest reference to it may be 2Pe 3:1 (see  note there), where Peter himself refers to a previous letter he had written. 1 Clement ( a.d. 95) seems to indicate acquaintance with 1 Peter. Polycarp, a disciple of the apostle John, makes use of 1 Peter in his letter to the Philippians. The author of the Gospel of Truth (140-150) was acquainted with 1 Peter. Eusebius (fourth century) indicated that it was universally received.
 The letter was explicitly ascribed to Peter by that group of church fathers whose testimonies appear in the attestation of so many of the genuine NT writings, namely, Irenaeus ( a.d. 140-203), Tertullian (150-222), Clement of Alexandria (155-215) and Origen (185-253). It is thus clear that Peter’s authorship of the book has early and strong support.
 Thus Silas was the intermediate agent in writing. Some have claimed that Silas’s qualifications for recording Peter’s letter in literary Greek are found in Ac 15:22-29 . It is known that a secretary in those days often composed documents in good Greek for those who did not have the language facility to do so. Thus in 1 Peter Silas’s Greek may be seen, while in 2 Peter it may be Peter’s rough Greek that appears.
 Some also maintain that the book reflects a situation that did not exist until after Peter’s death, suggesting that the persecution referred to in 4:14-16 ; 5:8-9 is descriptive of Domitian’s reign ( a.d. 81-96). However, the situation that was developing in Nero’s time (54-68) fits the description found in these verses just as well.

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1  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

 1:1 Peter. . strangers in the world. People temporarily residing on earth but whose home is in heaven scattered throughout Pontus ... Bithynia. Gentile and Jewish Christians scattered throughout much of Asia Minor (see map,  Paul’s Second Missionary Journey ). People from this area were in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. NIV Notes

“To the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” He is writing to the strangers, or aliens, who were scattered throughout the Roman Empire. They were Jews, called the Diaspora because they were no longer in the land of Palestine. Due to persecution and other reasons, they had settled throughout the empire. It is my conviction that Simon Peter had already preached the gospel there and that the Holy Spirit wanted Paul to go to people who had not heard the gospel. Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles, and Simon Peter was the apostle to Israelites who had turned to Christ. JVM

1:1 Peter is a Greek name (lit. Petros, meaning a stone or rock). No one else in the New Testament has the name Peter, though Peter called Christians stones in this epistle (2:4-5). In Aramaic “stone” is the word cephas. Jesus gave the name Cephas to Simon (The Greek transliteration of Simeon, Peter’s Hebrew name) as a prediction of what this apostle would become (John 1:42; Matt. 16:18). The word “apostle” has both a technical and a general sense in the New Testament. It refers to the Twelve and Paul, but also to others who went out as the Twelve and Paul did to represent Jesus Christ. Peter was one of the Twelve. He wrote with full apostolic authority. Peter called his readers aliens (NIV strangers) to introduce this self-concept into their minds. In this letter he emphasized that Christians are really citizens of heaven and our sojourn here on earth is only temporary. The Greek word perepidemos (alien) contains both the ideas of alien nationality and temporary residence.
2  elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

1:2 chosen. . Father ... Spirit ... Jesus Christ. All three persons of the Trinity are involved in the redemption of the elect. sanctifying work. . The order of the terms employed suggests that the sanctifying work of the Spirit referred to here is the influence of the Spirit that draws one from sin toward holiness.
[1 Pet. 1:2]. The apostle Peter immediately plunges us into deep doctrinal waters. For instance, he presents the doctrine of the Trinity: the foreknowledge of God the Father, sanctification of the Spirit, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Theologians try to help us understand the tremendous doctrines of election and foreknowledge. We must recognize that our God is a sovereign God and that this little universe is His. He created it. He can do anything He wants to do that is consistent with His character.
Peter really gets us into deep water when he says, “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God.” You see, God is moving according to His plan.
Our God knows everything. He knows every condition; He knows everything that is foreseeable and unforeseeable. So you and I can trust Him implicitly. When Peter says, “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God,” he is telling us what God the Father did.
Now he tells us about the work of the Holy Spirit: “through sanctification of the Spirit.”
However, when the word sanctification is identified with the Holy Spirit, it means something else. When Peter says, “Through sanctification of the Spirit,” he is talking about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the world who not only converts us—is responsible for our New Birth—but He also begins to work in our lives to bring us up to the place of maturation where we become full, mature Christians.
 Remember that Peter is writing to Jews who had been brought up in Judaism. They were the Diaspora, believing Jews living in Asia Minor. They knew the Old Testament, and they understood that the high priest on the Day of Atonement took blood with him when he went into the Holy of Holies, and that he sprinkled the blood seven times on the mercy seat.

1:2 Believers are chosen to be included in God’s family, not on the basis of what they have done or who they are, but on the basis of God’s eternal wisdom. Sanctification is the ongoing process whereby the Holy Spirit works in believers, making their lives holy, separated from their old ways and to God in order to be more like Him. obedience: One reason that God chooses us is so that we might serve Him. sprinkling of the blood: This concept, the second reason why God chooses us, draws our attention to three situations in the Old Testament when the Israelites were sprinkled with the blood of animals: (1) Moses’ sprinkling of blood on the Israelites at Mount Sinai, to symbolize their initiation into the covenant (see Ex. 24:5–8); (2) the sprinkling of Aaron and his sons to be the priests of Israel (see Ex. 29:19–21); and (3) the sprinkling of blood performed by priests over healed lepers to symbolize their cleansing (see Lev. 14:1–9). Any of these three cases could be the one that Peter has in mind here.

Election originates in the eternal will and purpose of God the Father. The foreknowledge (Gr. prognosin; cf. Acts 2:23) of God refers, of course, to what
God knows beforehand. God’s foreknowledge has an element of determinism in it because whatever really happens that God knows beforehand exists or takes place because of His sovereign will. Therefore when Peter wrote that God chose according to His foreknowledge he did not mean that God chose the elect because He knew beforehand they would believe the gospel (the Arminian position). God chose them because He determined beforehand that they would believe the gospel (the Calvinist position; cf. Rom. 8:29-30; Eph. 1:3-6; 1 Thess. 1:4; 1 Peter 5:13).
Romans 8:29-30 (NKJV) 29  For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30  Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
Ephesians 1:3-6 (NKJV) 3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4  just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5  having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6  to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.
The Holy Spirit accomplished election when He separated the elect and set them aside to a special calling. God’s purpose in election was that we might obey God the Son and that He might sprinkle us with His blood.
Probably Peter had Old Testament sprinkling of blood in mind when he wrote this verse. There are many Old Testament allusions in this epistle. Sprinkling with blood in Israel resulted in cleansing (Num. 19:9), bringing the person sprinkled under the terms and blessings of a covenant (Exod. 24:3-8), and induction into the priesthood and kingship. Members of the priesthood enjoyed the privilege of mediating between God and people (Exod. 29:21; Lev. 8:30). Members of the royal line in Israel enjoyed the privilege of reigning under God. All of these benefits belong to the Christian whom God has figuratively sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ, the final sacrifice for our sins. Obedience is our responsibility, and sprinkling is our privilege. Christ’s blood covers our sins as sinners, cleanses our defilement as unclean people, and consecrates our service as priests and kings.

3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1:3 mercy. Withholding deserved punishment. new birth. Spiritual regeneration. In the Bible, hope is not wishful thinking but a firm conviction, much like faith that is directed toward the future. resurrection of Jesus Christ. Secures for his people their new birth and the hope that they will be resurrected just as he was.

 The word blessed, which is used here, is a different word from the blessed that is used in the Sermon on the Mount. The word used here is the Greek word from which we derive our word eulogy. It means “to praise.” In the New Testament this word is never used in reference to man. God does not praise man, but man is to praise God, and He is the Father.
“The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in a unique way. He is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ because of His position in the Trinity. They are equal. But you and I do not
call Him Father, except on the basis that Peter mentions here: He has begotten us. The word begotten has to do with the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.
“Peter emphasizes the resurrection of Christ. The Resurrection was his great theme on the Day of Pentecost and in all of his messages. He said in effect, “All that you have seen here today is because Jesus whom you crucified has come back from the dead.” And when he writes his epistles, he anchors them in the resurrection of Christ.
Paul does the same thing. He tells us that Jesus Christ was delivered for our offenses; He died for our sins. But He was raised for our justification, that we might be in Christ, accepted in the beloved, able to stand before God. He doesn’t simply subtract sin from us; He makes over to us His righteousness. We stand before God in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
according to His abundant mercy: Our salvation is grounded in God’s mercy, His act of compassion toward us despite our condition of sinfulness. has begotten us again: God has given believers a new, spiritual life that enables us to live in an entirely different dimension than the one our physical birth allowed. to a living hope: Hope here does not imply a wishfulness but rather a dynamic confidence that does not end with this life but continues throughout eternity. through the resurrection: Although this phrase may modify the phrase “to a living hope,” the context suggests that it is to be understood as the means of our salvation rather than the means of our hope .

4  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

 1:4 into an inheritance. Believers are born again not only to a hope but also to the inheritance that is the substance of the hope. The inheritance is eternal — in its essence (it is not subject to decay) and in its preservation (it is divinely kept for us).

“An inheritance incorruptible,” meaning that it is nondestructible. It cannot be damaged in any way—no rust, no moth, no germ, no fire can touch it.
Undefiled” indicates that it is not stained or defiled by anything. We will not get this inheritance illegally.
That fadeth not away.” We won’t inherit it and then find it to be worthless, like some stock that once had value and then became completely valueless.
Reserved in heaven for you.” The word reserved means it is guarded. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are taking care of it for us. We couldn’t have it in a better safety deposit box than that!

5  who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

 1:5 through faith ... by God’s power. There are two sides to the perseverance of Christians. They are shielded (1) by God’s power and (2) by their own faith. Thus they are never kept contrary to their will nor apart from God’s activity.

 “Kept by the power of God” emphasizes the keeping power of God. Kept is
probably one of the most wonderful words we have here—“kept by the power of God through faith.”
The apostle Paul said the same thing: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

6  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice.” Rejoice in what? In something good? No, “in heaviness through manifold trials.” This places in contrast two words that are worlds apart: rejoice and trials.
Peter gives us reasons for enduring trials down here in this life. “Now for a season”—the trials will not be long, compared to eternity. In our day there is too much emphasis on the present life. We need always to remember that our trial are only temporary. Paul says the same thing: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17–18).
 grieved: While there is much rejoicing because of the salvation God has prepared for us, there will also be agony because of the pressures and difficulties of life. by various trials: In this context (v. 7), trials refers to ordeals that we encounter in life rather than those things that would induce us to sin. Note that no one particular problem is in view here, but rather all the testings of life.

7  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

 1:7 that your faith ... may be proved genuine.  Not only is the faith itself precious, but Peter’s words indicate that the trial of faith is also valuable. Believers will share in the “praise, glory and honor” of God.

“The trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold.” After gold is mined, it is put into a smelter, a red-hot furnace. The purpose is not to destroy the gold; it is to purify the gold. When the gold is melted, the
dross is drawn off to get the pure gold. Later on, Peter will also make an application of this regarding the suffering of our Lord. He says that we have been redeemed, not with gold or silver, but with something infinitely more precious than that—the blood of Christ.
1:7 genuineness: As the purity of gold is brought forth by intense heat, so the reality and purity of our faith are revealed as a result of the fiery trials we face. Ultimately the testing of our faith not only demonstrates our final salvation but also develops our capacity to bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ when He comes into His Kingdom and we reign with Him.

8  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

 1:8 though you do not see him now, you believe.  “Though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

9  receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls.

10  Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,

 1:9 souls. Implies the whole person. Peter is not excluding the body from the inheritance that will be received.

Salvation was a subject of prophecy in the Old Testament. Both the prophets and apostles bore witness to the truth of it. What an encouragement that was to the Diaspora, those who were suffering for their faith.
1:9, 10 receiving the end: There is a final, positive outcome for trusting God through all the difficulties of life—our salvation, which here has an eschatological sense. salvation of your souls: This phrase refers to our glorification in heaven and perhaps the rewards we will receive for following Christ the prophets: Peter indicates that the Old Testament prophets knew
of the gracious salvation we would one day receive and, as a result, studied it carefully and intensively.

  prophets ... searched intently. Inspiration did not bestow omniscience. The prophets probably did not always understand the full significance of all the words they spoke). [1 Pet. 1:10].

All the prophets prophesied diligently concerning it.

 11  searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

 Spirit of Christ. The Holy Spirit is called this because Christ sent him  and ministered through him (see Lk 4:14 , 18 ). the sufferings of Christ and the glories. A theme running through the Bible and a basic concept in this letter. Those who are united to Christ will also, after suffering, enter into glory. And they will benefit in the midst of their present sufferings from his having already entered into glory.

The prophets spoke of “the sufferings of Christ” and the grace of God. We find this in Isaiah 53 and in Psalm 22 as well as in many other Scriptures.
The prophets wrote some things which they themselves did not grasp. They searched for the meaning diligently, “searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” There are many places in the Old Testament that speak of the suffering of Christ, and there are many other places that speak of the sovereignty of Christ, of the kingdom age.
12  To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things which angels desire to look into.

 Holy Spirit sent from heaven. By Christ, on the day of Pentecost, at which Peter was present. God the Father also sent the Spirit.

  Now the apostles are saying, “We are preaching the same thing that the prophets did.” The only difference was that the prophets could not make the distinction between Christ’s suffering and glory while the apostles were in the position of being able to understand the distinction.
was revealed: God made known to the prophets that they would not experience all that we experience in Christ, that they were serving God for our benefit. by the Holy Spirit: Although humans may preach God’s message of salvation, ultimately the Holy Spirit is the One who proclaims these great truths. Even the angels are amazed at what a wonderful salvation God has enacted on our behalf.

13  Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;


prepare ... for action. The first of a long series of exhortations that end at 5:11 . This one is a graphic call for action. In the language of the first century it meant that the readers should literally gather up their long, flowing garments and be ready for physical action . grace to be given you. The final state of complete blessedness and deliverance from sin. Peter later indicates that a major purpose of this letter is to encourage and testify regarding “the true grace of God”.

“Gird up the loins of your mind.” This is a figure of speech based on the gathering and fastening up of the long Eastern garments so that they would not interfere with the wearer’s vigorous movements. It was an expression that was understood in Peter’s day, but I would like to bring it down to good old Americana. I think we would say, “Get with it!” Or maybe we would say, “Get turned on!”
“Be sober.” You won’t need drugs; you won’t need alcohol. Let the Word of God turn you on. However, “be sober” means more than this. It means to be sober minded, to adopt a serious attitude in the study of the Word of God.
gird up the loins of your mind: be sober: Peter’s concern here is primarily using mentally or spiritually sound judgment. rest your hope: We need to exhibit confidence that God will accomplish all that He promised He would do.

14  as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;

children. Christians, born into the family of God, are children of their heavenly Father and can pray, “Our Father in heaven” ( Mt 6:9 ). Believers are also described as being adopted into God’s family.

 “As obedient children.” The Scriptures will lead us to obedience. You may recall that James said, “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only …” (James 1:22). The Word of God not only brings us hope, but it also leads to our obedience. The Word of God is to be obeyed; we are to yield to its instruction.
“Not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance”that is, not conforming your behavior to what it used to be before you knew better. We are to live lives which reveal that we have been transformed from the inside.  Believers should not pattern their lives after the desires that controlled them when they were not Christians, when they did not know God’s ways.
15  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

 Holiness is something that is really misunderstood. To the average person, holiness means to assume a very pious attitude, to become almost abnormal in everyday life. It is thought to be a superficial thing.
Holiness is to the spiritual life what health is to the physical life. You like to see a person who is physically fine, robust, and healthy. Well, holiness is to be healthy and robust spiritually. Oh, how we need folk like this today!
16  because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

  Be holy, because I am holy. To be holy is to be set apart — separated from sin and impurity, and set apart to God. The complete moral perfection of God, whose eyes are too pure to look on evil with favor ( Hab 1:13 ), should move his people to strive for moral purity. 1 Peter is a letter of practical earnestness, filled with exhortations and encouragements.

 17  And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;

  reverent fear. Not terror, but wholesome reverence and respect for God, which is the basis for all godly living.

 “Without respect of persons” means without partiality. God judges every man’s work impartially. God doesn’t have little pets. God is going to judge the work of every Christian fairly. This has nothing to do with your salvation; it has everything to do with the kind of life you are living down here on this earth. The fact that God is going to judge us ought to cause us to become very sober minded and to give a little more attention to the life that we are living.
who without partiality judges: Our heavenly Father is also our earthly
Judge. Moreover, our relationship to Him as His children does not imply that we will escape judgment. God does not show favoritism in judgment but invokes His judgment on all people according to their works. in fear: For Christians, this phrase should be understood as something between terror and reverential awe. We need to remember that God is both our merciful Savior and our holy Judge .

18  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

redeemed. In the Bible, to redeem someone usually means to rescue them from some bad situation (e.g., Israel from Egyptian bondage , Often this comes at a cost to the one who redeems. In the Greco-Roman world slaves could be redeemed by the payment of a price, either by someone else or by the slaves themselves. Jesus redeems believers at the cost of His blood. The result is the “forgiveness of sins” ( Col 1:14 ) and justification ( Ro 3:24 ). empty way of life ... from your forefathers. Some maintain that the recipients must have been pagans because the NT stresses the emptiness of pagan life
 Redeemed suggests the idea of offering something, usually money, in exchange for the freedom of a slave or a prisoner of war. God bought our freedom, paying for us with His Son’s life). your aimless conduct: Peter’s focus is not on any specific action, but on the way of life that his readers inherited from their ancestors. Those old ways were futile, empty of power and incapable of securing salvation. Peter’s readers needed to be snatched from their hopeless condition.

19  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

  lamb. The OT sacrifices were types (foreshadowings) of Christ, depicting the ultimate and only effective sacrifice. Thus Christ is the Passover lamb, who takes away the sin of the world . without blemish or defect.
You and I stood under the judgment of God, for the Scripture says “… the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:4). God has never revoked that decree. God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The immutability of God is the terror of the wicked—if they give any thought to it at all.
 precious blood: God’s way of salvation is contrasted to human attempts at gaining salvation through the use of earthly means. a lamb: Peter describes Christ as the ultimate sacrificial Lamb, who is offered in our place to pay the price for our sins. The analogy here may be a reference either to the Passover lamb  or to the many lambs without blemish that were offered as part of the Old Testament sacrificial system .

20  He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you

 chosen. Some think the Greek for this word means “foreknown,” i.e., God knew before creation that it would be necessary for Christ to redeem human beings, but he has revealed Christ in these last times. Others interpret the word as meaning that in eternity past God chose Christ as Redeemer. these last times .
“Who verily was foreordained”—a better word is foreknown. Christ was foreknown before the foundation of the world.
foreordained: God has known (v. 2) the One who would bring salvation, even as He has known those to whom that salvation is offered and secured. but was manifest: This phrase contrasts with the first half of the verse. What was known only to God before the creation of the world is now made known to us.

21  who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

“That raised him up from the dead”—Simon Peter keeps reminding us of the resurrection of Christ.
“That your faith and hope might be in God.” Previously he put together the words grace and hope; now it is faith and hope. Peter is the great apostle of hope, and hope rests upon the resurrection of Christ and upon the fact that we have a living Savior who will be returning some day.
22  Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,

Peter does not say that we purify our own souls but that we accomplish the purification of our souls by obedience to God’s truth. It is unclear whether this obedience is a reference to the conversion process or to the sanctifying process after one’s conversion. The former seems more likely in the context of vv. 20, 21; the latter seems more likely in light of Peter’s general theme of holiness in this letter.

23  having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

  born again ... through the ... word of God. The new birth comes about through the direct action of the Holy Spirit Titus 3:5 (NKJV)
5  not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
but the word of God also plays an important role, for it presents the gospel to sinners and calls on them to repent and believe in Christ (see v. 25 ). perishable seed ... imperishable. In this context the seed is doubtless the word of God, which is imperishable, living and enduring.

“Not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” You cannot be saved, you cannot be born again apart from the Word of God. This Book is the miracle that is in the world today.
born again: Though this phrase is commonly used by Christians today, it is rarely found in the New Testament . Christians are dead in sin before their life is renewed by the Spirit (see Eph. 2:1). The same idea is expressed by “the washing of regeneration” (see Titus 3:5) and the concept of “children of God” in John’s first letter.

24  because "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away,
25  But the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

 Don’t ever think that there is something of value in us that we can offer to God. All the glory of mankind is like the fragile flower of grass. In other words, mankind is like the grass which I can see from my window. It is nice and green in the summertime, but it is brown and dead in the wintertime.
withers . . . falls away: Peter reminds his readers of our transitory nature with an Old Testament quote, comparing us to the temporary things of this world—a direct contrast to God’s permanent work and His eternal word.
 the word ... stands forever. The main point of the quotation here.

We need the preaching and the teaching of the Word of God above everything else. I do not mean to minimize the place of music, the place of methods, and the place of organization, but there is absolutely no substitute for the Word of God today. “The word of the Lord endureth forever.”



ESVN……………..…ESV Study Bible Notes
MSBN……………….MacArthur NASB Study   Notes
NIVSN………………NIV Study Notes.
JVM ………………..J Vernon McGee’s Commentary
BN ………………….Barnes Notes
WBC………….…….Wycliffe Bible Commentary
CN ……….………….Constables Notes
IC……………….……Ironside Commentary
NET…………….……Net Bible Study Notes.
JFB………………….Jamieson Fausset  Brown Commentary
VWS…………………Vincent Word Studies
CMM………………..Commentary on Matthew and Mark
BDB……………..…..Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
Darby……………….John Darby’s Synopsis of the OT and NT
Johnson……………..Johnson’s Notes on the New Testament
NTCMM…………….The New Testament Commentary:  Matthew and Mark.
EHS………………….Expositions of the Holy Scriptures
CPP…………………..The Complete Pulpit Commentary
SBC………………….Sermon Bible Commentary
K&D…………………Keil and Deilitzsch Commentary on the OT
EBC……………….…Expositors Bible Commentary
CBSC………………..Cambridge Bible for Schools and College
GC……………………Guzik Commentary
RD……………….…..Robert  Deffinbaugh
NSB …………………The Nelson Study Bible
MHC…………………Matthew Henry Commentary
CSTTB…………………Chuck Smith Through The Bible
LESB………………….Life Essentials Study Bible.
JGC………………………..John Gill Commentary


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