Peter

The chief events in the life of Peter, the author of the two epistles bearing his name, may be summarized as follows. Simeon (Hebrew, meaning Hearing), abbreviated to Simon, whom the Lord named Cephas (Aramaic), or Petros (Greek), John 1:42; Matthew 16:18, was the son of John, or Jonas, a fisherman of Bethsaida in Galilee, a small city on the northwestern shore of the lake which is usually called the Sea of Galilee or Lake Gennesaret. He was married, not only at the time when he became a disciple of the Lord, Matthew 8:14, but also some twenty-five years later, for we are told that his wife accompanied him on his missionary journeys, 1 Corinthians 9:5. Having been, with his brother Andrew, a disciple of John the Baptist, he became acquainted with Jesus at the time of the latter’s first trip to the capital, John 1:40-42, and was later prominent in the number of the twelve apostles, Matthew 4:18-20; Mark 1:16-18. The gospels picture him as one of the closest friends of the Lord, one of the three that were distinguished by being witnesses of the miracle on the Mount of Transfiguration, of that in the house of Jairus, and of the first part of the Lord’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter’s impulsive nature prompted him to assume the rôle of spokesman for the Twelve on more than one occasion, a fact which also brought down upon him some of the sternest rebukes which the Lord administered. A characteristic of Peter during the ministry of Christ was his self-reliance, which came to the foreground upon several occasions and finally culminated in his threefold denial of his Savior. But he arose from his fall in true repentance and faith, and was accepted by the Lord in the wonderful interview which took place on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, John 21:15-17. After the ascension of Christ, Peter again appears as the spokesman and leader of the disciples. He not only proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the Day of Pentecost with miraculous results, but he also confirmed the message brought by him and his fellow-apostles with such signs and wonders as to confound the enemies and establish the hearts of the believers. He was afterward delivered out of prison by an angel, preached the Gospel in Samaria, in the coast cities of Lydda, Joppa, and Caesarea, being the first apostle to receive heathen Christians into the Church. Having returned to Jerusalem, he was again imprisoned, and once more miraculously delivered by an angel. He left Jerusalem for only a short while, later residing there for a number of years. Afterwards he made extended journeys in the interest of the Gospel, very likely through Asia Minor, and toward the end of his life probably came to Rome, where the congregation at that time was without an apostolic adviser, Paul having left for the Orient after his first Roman imprisonment. There is no reason for doubting the historical accounts that Peter also died in Rome as a martyr, under Emperor Nero, at about the same time that Paul was imprisoned for the second time and suffered death for the sake of Christ.

Recipients

The first letter of Peter is addressed to “the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,” 1 Peter 1:1. The Christian congregations in these provinces of Asia Minor had been founded by Paul and his associates and consisted largely of Gentile Christians. The address reminded the readers that they had been elected, or chosen, by God to be a peculiar people to Himself and that their true home was the heavenly kingdom.

Context

Since the Christians in the various congregations of Asia Minor were suffering reproach for the sake of the name of Christ, were being made to feel the ill will of their heathen neighbors, and were consequently in need of comfort and strength, Peter wanted to establish them in the grace of God, thus enabling them to overcome all suspicion and distrust with the weapon of a godly life. “The whole letter abounds in exhortation and admonition. Again and again the apostle exhorts and admonishes his Christian readers to lead a godly life and thus to disprove the suspicion and slander that they were evil-doers. But they were also in great need of comfort and encouragement. This he freely weaves into his exhortation and admonition. He assures them that their sufferings are for their good and the glory of God. He tells them that their experience is nothing strange and unusual, but that the same afflictions are accomplished in their brethren that are in the world, and that they should really rejoice, inasmuch as they were partakers of Christ’s sufferings. He reminds them that their sufferings shall last but a while, and that hereafter in heaven they shall enjoy great and eternal salvation. Thus he illumines the dark night of sufferings with the bright rays of Christian hope. St. Peter has often and truly been called ‘the Apostle of Hope.’ ” ^■936 .

Date

The letter was written at Babylon, which is most likely a designation for Rome, this city, under Emperor Nero, having become a second Babylon. If we assume this to be true, then the presence of Mark and Silvanus is also explained without difficulty, 1 Peter 5:12-13. The circumstances as represented in the letter point to the middle sixties as the time when the letter was written, the probability being that Peter addressed its comforting words to the Christians of Asia Minor at the time when Paul was on his western journey and therefore could not give this matter his personal attention. Incidentally the letter is a bit of evidence for the complete harmony which existed between the two great apostles, Paul and Peter. They were perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Contents

The contents of the letter may briefly be given as follows. After the opening salutation there follows a wonderful hymn of praise to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for His work of regeneration in the Christians, by which they have become partakers of the hope of eternal glory. This hope elevates the believers above all the sufferings of this present world. Accordingly, the admonition follows that the Christians, as God’s people of the New Testament covenant, should lead a godly life, especially with regard to the heathen of their vicinity, be obedient to the government placed over them by God, and in whatever state or calling the Lord may have placed them give evidence of all Christian virtues. In tribulations and sufferings also they should show all patience and meekness in their Christianity and strengthen themselves by the remembrance of Christ’s suffering and exaltation. Toward one another the Christians were incidentally to exhibit all brotherly love, bear the afflictions that fell to their lot, fulfil the duties which their membership in the congregation imposed upon them, be vigilant over against the temptations of the devil, for which God would give them strength. The letter ends with an account of personal matters, a doxology, and greetings ^■937 .

Overview

This Epistle St. Peter wrote to the converted heathen, and exhorts them to stand fast in faith and to increase through all manner of suffering and good works.

In chapter 1, he strengthens their faith through the divine promise and the power of salvation to come, and shows that this has not been deserved by us but was proclaimed before by the prophets. Therefore they ought now to live holy lives, as new creatures, and forget the old life, like men who are born anew through the living and eternal Word of God.

In chapter 2, he teaches them to recognize Christ as the Head and Cornerstone and, like true priests, to sacrifice themselves to God, as Christ sacrificed Himself, and begins to give instruction to all classes of men.

First, he teaches generally to be in subjection to temporal rulership; afterwards he teaches particularly that servants are to be subject to their masters and suffer wrong from them for Christ’s sake, who also suffered wrong for us.

In chapter 3, he teaches wives to be obedient, even to unbelieving husbands, and to adorn themselves with holiness; likewise, that husbands are to be patient with their wives and bear with them; and then that Christians, in general, are to be humble and patient and kind to one another, as Christ was because of our sins.

In chapter 4, he teaches to subdue the flesh, with sobriety, watching, temperance and prayer, and to be comforted and strengthened with Christ’s sufferings; and he instructs the spiritual rulers to deal only with God’s words and works, and everyone to serve another with his gifts, and not wonder, but rejoice, if we have to suffer for Christ’s sake.

In chapter 5, he exhorts the bishops and priests how they are to live and care for the people, and warns us against the devil, who without ceasing pursues us everywhere.

Verses 1-2

Address and salutation

The opening is simple, commensurate with the dignity of an apostle and the message which he proclaimed: Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen sojourners of the Dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. The author, using the honoring name given him by Christ Himself, which was to him a greater mark of distinction than the bestowal of many another honor might have been, introduces himself to his readers as one of the number of men whom the Lord had expressly chosen as His messengers and delegates to bring the Gospel of salvation to all men, as an apostle of Jesus Christ, the Savior. He addresses his letter to sojourners, to strangers of the Dispersion, to people that are far from their real, abiding home, that are wanderers and pilgrims on this earth. By thus reminding his readers from the very start of their real status in this world, the apostle cleverly broaches the thought which is found throughout the letter, namely, that the entire life of all believers here on earth is but a time of preparation for the citizenship in the real Homeland above. His words concern the entire Christian Church as the true Israel, God’s people of the New Testament covenant, which is still far from the heavenly home. The Christians are a poor small crew, scattered over the whole world, commonly in small communities or congregations. And yet they are the chosen people of God, having been elected by God before the foundation of the world to be His own. The letter was sent as a general, or encyclical, letter to the congregations which were then existing in various provinces of Asia Minor: Pontus, in the extreme northeastern part, on the Black Sea, Galatia, the large Roman province in the central part, Cappadocia, another inland province, south of Galatia and Pontus, maritime Asia along the Aegean Sea, Bithynia, in the northwestern part, on the Black Sea. In the case of all these provinces we have later information showing that there was a large Christian population in practically this entire district.

The apostle further describes the state of the Christians: According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, unto the obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. The election of the believers has taken place according to the foreknowledge, or, better still, according to the predestination, the resolution of God the Father. The Christians are elected, chosen out of the world, out of the great mass of those for whom the redemption of Christ Jesus was earned, in this way, that God selected, appointed them to be His own before the ages of the world. There is absolutely no excellence, no merit, on our part. Out of free grace God the Father has from eternity made us the object of His election in Christ Jesus. In His counsel and resolution our election is founded, and therefore no man can pluck us out of His hand. — The resolution, the plan of God was carried out in time in this way, that the Christians are sanctified, separated from the world, consecrated to God. This work, in the majority of cases, was begun in Baptism, but is carried forward throughout the believer’s life, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, who lives in all Christians through faith, who cleanses their hearts from the filth of idolatry and misbelief, as Luther writes. — And the purpose of this predestination, the aim of God’s election, is that the elect should be brought to the obedience of Jesus Christ, that is, to faith. This faith is wrought in their hearts through the application and transmittance of the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus. For the reconciliation of man’s guilt, the forgiveness of sins, has been assured through the shedding of the innocent blood of Christ; our faith rests upon His vicarious work. In this way we are obedient to the Gospel, Romans 10:16, and to Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:5; Hebrews 5:9. Thus the election of God is unto faith; faith was kindled in our hearts as a result of God’s predestination. These things being true, the apostle may well add his salutation that God would now impart to us the grace which His Son has earned for us, and that He would make us the possessors of the peace which passes all understanding, by which we have entered into the relation of sonship to God once more, in rich measure. Note how strongly the apostle emphasizes in the very beginning of his letter that our salvation is, in every respect, from every side, a work of the Triune God, the three persons of the Godhead being coordinated in this act, as having worked simultaneously, with equal power, and with the same purpose.

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Verses 3-12

A praise of God for His manifold blessings

The wonderful gifts of God’s grace:

The apostle knew that the Christians to whom he was writing needed encouragement. But there is no better way of cheering up faint-hearted Christians than by singing the praises of Him to whose goodness and mercy we owe such an overwhelming debt of mercy: Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, He who, according to His great mercy, has born us anew unto a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The apostle gives all blessing, all praise, to God alone, since He is the Author and Finisher of our salvation, reserving none whatever for himself, for his own merits and works. We Christians have reasons for praising God with such full abandon of our hearts and minds, because He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus is our Savior, our Brother, and therefore God, being His God, is now also our God, being His Father, also our Father. This the apostle explains by saying that God has born us anew, that He has made us His spiritual children, and again, not by reason of any merit or worthiness in us, but simply according to His great, His abundant mercy, according to the riches of His love in Jesus Christ. The result, then, of this spiritual begetting should be that there be imparted to us, and that we possess, a living hope, a hope that has sound basis, a hope that is sure to be rewarded. The entire life of regeneration is a life of hope, which looks forward to the precious gifts of the future. With faith there is naturally combined the hope of a future, perfect salvation in eternity, for to the reconciled sinner heaven itself is standing open. This live, this vigorous hope exists in our hearts through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; for this fact has given us the guarantee that our hope will surely be fulfilled. Christ, having risen from the dead and having entered into the state of His glorification, will certainly make good His promise and bring us also into the life of glory.

The beauty and glory of this gift is such as to provoke the apostle to a veritable burst of exultant praise: To an inheritance imperishable and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven with a view to you. That is the aim, the object, of God’s regeneration, that is what He wants to give and impart to us. Heaven and all its glory are our inheritance, for we are children of God and joint-heirs with Christ. This heavenly inheritance is imperishable; it cannot perish, cannot decay, cannot be corrupted, cannot lose in beauty and value. Earthly possessions will pass away and become subject to corruption, but the heavenly possession is of a nature that will never deteriorate. It is an unsoiled, undefiled inheritance. Earthly goods and riches are soiled and defiled and violated by reason of unrighteousness, covetousness, avarice, sin. But the salvation which Christ earned for us is pure, unspotted by any sin; it is the inheritance of the saints in the holy light that emanates from the throne of God. Earthly happiness, earthly fortune and glory, is like the flower of the field, which, indeed, shoots up quickly and blossoms soon, but just as quickly loses its beauty and fades away. The heavenly inheritance is unfading, standing before us in everlasting, unchanging beauty. The first indescribable exultation that will take hold of our hearts upon entering the heavenly mansions will never be reduced, will never grow cold. This inheritance is laid up, reserved, for us in heaven. There is no possibility that it may yet be lost to us, since God’s promise is holding it out to us, since it is assured and applied and imparted to us by faith.

And lest some one hesitatingly refer to the possibility of growing weak and of losing hope, which, indeed, is ever present on account of the many temptations which beset us, the apostle adds: Who are protected by the power of God through faith unto the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. The Christians are like a house or fortress which is besieged by Satan in many forms of temptation. But they are guarded and protected by God’s almighty power. This is not exhibited in absolute majesty, but through faith, which is the hand that receives the gift of salvation, which clings to the certainty of the everlasting mercy. Thus the keeping of the believers unto salvation is accomplished, namely, to a salvation which was appointed before the beginning of time for the believers, in order that it might be revealed and made known in the last time, at the end of the world. The exact time is not known to the author, nor does the fact of his being ignorant of this date in any way interfere with his faith. Sufficient for him is the fact, as it should be for every believer, that God is keeping watch, that his soul’s salvation is well taken care of in the hands of the heavenly Father. Apostasy is indeed man’s fault all alone, but the opposite condition, the reason for steadfastness of faith, is in no way a better conduct or attitude in man, but it is the work of God all alone. What a wonderful comfort when weakness of faith and doubt tend to assail our hearts!

This it is that causes the apostle to write: In which you greatly rejoice, although now for a little you may be obliged to be grieved in various trials. That is the true attitude of the Christian’s heart, full of joy, exultation, jubilation, even here in time, to be completed, however, with inexpressible happiness, throughout eternity. The believers having the guarantee even now that they are chosen sojourners, incidentally have the assurance that God will preserve for them eternal joy and salvation. Therefore this anticipation cannot be influenced by the fact that the believers are here, for a passing moment, exposed to outward grief on account of their being beset by various trials; their life may make the impression as if they were subject to nothing but disheartening experiences and never had a glad hour.

But appearances, in this case, are very deceiving; for the apostle continues: That the testing of your faith may (show it to) be much more precious than perishable gold, which is also proved by fire, found unto praise and honor and glory in the revelation of Jesus Christ. Those very trials which a Christian must undergo are at bottom not a cause of sorrow to him, since they redound to his advantage. For if his faith stands the test to which it is subjected, it is thereby proved to be more precious and valuable than any corruptible gold, whose quality is likewise tested by fire, just as faith is tested in trials. And the result, if the believer stand the test properly, will be that he attains to praise and glory and honor. Through the fiery trial of suffering we not only realize the vanity and evanescence of all earthly things and our own helplessness in spiritual matters, but we are also prepared for the final acknowledgment of our faith, for its crowning and glorifying in the bliss of eternal salvation. On the day of the final revelation of Christ’s glory He will, out of His boundless mercy, permit us to share in this glory and to live and triumph with Him throughout eternity.

This happiness is pictured by the apostle: Whom, without seeing, you love, in whom you now, although you do not see Him, yet believing, you exult with unspeakable and glorious joy, obtaining the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. The readers, just like the Christians of the present time, had not seen Christ in the flesh, had not been witnesses of His miracles nor heard His wonderful parables and discourses. And yet their love, growing out of the faith in the Gospel-message, had taken root and was firmly established. Even now, when they expect His return to Judgment, their faith in Him is unmoved, although they are still without sight of Him. And with their faith their joy, their happiness, their exultation over their redemption and over their final deliverance, continues. In this way the present joy of the believers leads up to its future culmination, when, in the enjoyment of the heavenly glories, their joy will transcend all human language, the most glowing description which human tongue could give, being beyond the conception of even the most daring speculation on glory which human beings have ever succeeded in bringing forward. Thus will the believers obtain, carry off as a prize, the end, the goal, of their faith; they will go from believing to possessing; they will have and hold forever the salvation of their souls. Thus justifying faith is also saving faith, and by the fact of its having accepted the promises of the Gospel it works deliverance from this earthly life with its misery and affliction, and will finally seal to us this deliverance, world without end.

The revelation concerning God’s gift:

The apostle now places the proper emphasis on the greatness of the salvation which the believers confidently expect: Concerning which salvation even prophets searched and enquired, they that prophesied of the grace intended for you. The very men who, by the inspiration of the Spirit, revealed the gracious and good will of God, preached of the grace of God as it was intended for all men, these men were, for their own persons, so earnestly concerned about this promised salvation that they searched most eagerly and assiduously how they might become partakers of it, how they might understand its glorious import more fully. Of this the apostle writes: Pondering in reference to whom and what time the Spirit of Christ in them revealed, testifying in advance of the sufferings that were to come upon Christ and of the subsequent glories. Here it is plainly shown that the holy men of God did not put down their own philosophy, their own ideas; for they themselves pored over, and studied, the prophecies which the Spirit of Christ made known through their preaching and writing. Christ, who was thus in existence also during the time of the Old Testament, used His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to bear witness in advance of the Passion of the Messiah and of His exaltation to the glories of heaven, also according to His human nature. The prophets themselves tried to find out to whom these sayings would apply and at what time their fulfilment was to be expected. Thus Jesus Christ, the Savior, is the theme of the Old Testament prophecy, as the apostle indicates in this very letter by quoting Psalm 2:7; Psalm 118:22, and Isaiah 53 as Messianic passages. Note that the searching of the prophets presupposes the existence of documents containing these prophecies.

The apostle continues by stating concerning the office of the Old Testament prophets: To whom it was revealed, that not to themselves, but to you they might minister these things, which are now proclaimed to you through those that preach the Gospel to you in the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, into which the angels longed to get a glimpse. While the prophets of old were searching the Scriptures regarding the coming of the Messiah, the Lord continued to make known to them, and through them to the people, the facts concerning the Messiah, fixing the time with sufficient accuracy for their knowledge, Isaiah 2:2; Micah 4:2; Hosea 3:5; Jeremiah 31:1. All this was done for the sake of the New Testament believers; for through their writings the prophets conveyed the revelations granted to them for our benefit, through their ministry we have become acquainted with the facts of the salvation of men as set forth in the prophecies of old, the grace and salvation intended for us long before the coming of Christ has been transmitted and imparted to us. And the same facts are now, in the present dispensation, declared to us by the men whom God has given us to preach the Gospel to us, the apostles. These men, as the teachers of the New Testament, were inspired by the Holy Spirit given to them from heaven, by the exalted Christ, on the Day of Pentecost. This testimony of the Spirit is present to this day in the word of the apostles, which is therefore able to work in us the certain conviction of our salvation. So great and glorious is this salvation that, as the apostle says, the very angels long to get a glimpse into its transcendent beauties. Although the angels are blessed spirits, living before God in eternal happiness, yet the world to come is not put in subjection to them, Hebrews 2:5, they cannot possibly feel the unspeakable joy which is the portion of sinners that have been saved by the blood of the Lamb. That is a bliss which is reserved for the perfected saints.

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Verses 13-25

An admonition to lead a godly life

The need of holiness:

Because the believers are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, therefore there is need that they be strengthened in faith and a holy life day by day, as the apostle writes: Therefore, girded up in the loins of your mind and with soberness of spirit, set your hope definitely upon the grace which is being brought to you in the revelation of Jesus Christ. The picture is that of a person who is altogether ready for a journey or for a piece of work in the performance of which he wants to be unhindered, with no loose garments impeding his progress by wrapping themselves about his limbs. The mind of the Christians must ever be alert, full of intent watchfulness, ready for the business of the Master, and sober, not engaged in the lusts and desires of the world. Their minds must be directed exclusively toward Christ and toward the goal which they have set before them. In this condition, in this state of mind, Christians should set their hope definitely, without wavering, without the slightest indication of uncertainty, upon the grace of God as it is set before us again and again in the revelation of Jesus Christ, upon the future salvation which God gives to us out of pure grace and mercy. When Christ will be revealed to our eager eyes on the last day, it will be for the purpose of putting us, the elect sojourners here on earth, into the possession of our heavenly inheritance. This we know; and therefore our hope is so sure, so steadfast.

The apostle now shows what attitude, what conduct agrees with the hope of the future grace: As children of obedience, not molding yourselves after the former lusts in your ignorance. Christians must at all times show themselves children of obedience; that is the sphere in which they should be found, in obedience to the gracious will of God, to the Gospel. For this reason they will avoid everything that might endanger their chances of salvation. They will not fashion themselves, they will not mold their opinion, their conduct, according to the lusts and desires which formerly, while they were still in ignorance of the holy will of God, ruled in them. Every unconverted person, every heathen, knows no better than to seek his fortune, his happiness, the gratification of his ambitions in doing after the lusts of his heart. All this the believers have renounced, with all this they have nothing in common any more.

The thought which governs the life of the Christians is this: But as He that called you is holy, so be also you holy in your entire conduct; for it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy. God is the absolutely Pure and Holy One; in Him is no darkness, but He is light. It is He that has called the Christians by the Gospel, converting them to faith in Jesus Christ, their Savior. In accordance with this call, therefore, and with the fact that it is the Holy One that issued the call, the Christians should likewise prove themselves holy, striving in their whole life and conduct after the purity, the righteousness, which is well-pleasing to Him. Instead of bearing in their attitude the form of evil lusts, they should be renewed to the image of God. This is the will of God, as He Himself has stated in His Word, Leviticus 11:44; Leviticus 19:2; Leviticus 20:26. That is the unchangeable will of God with reference to His children, that they make the holiness which He has in His essence their ideal, that the hope and the faith of their hearts find its expression in the sanctification of their lives, Colossians 1:12; Hebrews 12:14.

The reason for the holiness of Christians:

That is a characteristic of the Christians: they invoke God as their Father, they bring all their requests to His attention because He is their Father for the sake of Christ. But of this Father and God it is and remains true, at the same time: If you invoke the Father, who without favor or partiality judges according to the work of each. In God there is no respect of persons; He renders judgment in an altogether impartial way, He will not be influenced in His judgment by the fact that any one bore the name of Christian. The works of every individual, as the fruits of the condition of the heart, will be the standard according to which God will decide on the last day, Romans 2:6. In the works of a man it is shown whether faith and the sonship of God is a mere pretense, or whether it is true and genuine. This being true, it follows: In fear pass the time of your life here. The apostle does not speak, of course, of the fear of a slave, but of the holy reverence before the righteousness of the Judge of all men, which should urge the Christians to show all diligence in good works out of a pure heart. This must be kept in mind for the entire time of our sojourning here on earth. Day after day, year after year, the Christians should be mindful of the word, I am the almighty God; walk before Me and be thou perfect, and work out their own salvation, accordingly, with fear and trembling, Philippians 2:12.

The apostle now names the basic motive for a life of sanctification: Knowing that not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, you were ransomed out of your vain conduct transmitted to you by tradition, but with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb unblemished and unstained. Here is a reminder of the great, decisive fact of salvation, which is the strongest individual influence in the life of the Christians. Ever since the fall of Adam one generation of men after the other conducted itself, led its life, in the vain, sinful manner which was bound to flow from inherited sin. The entire life of all unbelievers, of all men by nature, is a life of shameful, terrible slavery in the power of sin, all the thoughts, words, and deeds of such people being vain, useless, so far as spiritual life is concerned. From this slavery the believers are redeemed because they have accepted the fact of the payment of the ransom through the blood of Christ. It was indeed no small matter, the price of ransom did not consist in corruptible things, such as gold or silver, no matter how highly these may be valued by the children of this world. It was the precious, the holy, innocent blood of Christ, which was placed into the balances in paying for the guilt of the world, in ransoming all men from the slavery of sin and of the devil. The immense, immeasurable value of this ransom was due to the fact that the Lamb which was slain on Calvary’s altar was not a sacrificial lamb of the Old Testament, whose offering had no atoning value in itself, but it was Christ, the Lamb of God, truly without a single blemish and spot, Hebrews 7:26, holy, sinless, undefiled, separate from sinners. Truly, the wonderful assurance contained in these words cannot be proclaimed and repeated too often, since it is the one fact which opens to all men the doors of everlasting happiness.

How seriously God was concerned about the salvation of mankind is brought out in the next words: Who, indeed, was destined before the foundation of the world, but manifested at the end of the times for your sakes. As the sacrificial Lamb, whose blood should serve for a ransom, as the Savior of the world, Christ was destined by God from eternity. Our salvation, the redemption through the blood of Christ, was not brought about by chance, is not due to some sudden caprice of God, but is based upon a counsel of love which was resolved upon by God before the beginning of time, before the foundations of this earth were laid, John 17:24; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 2:23. And now the Son of God, the Savior of the world, was in these last times, at the beginning of the last world period, in the fulness of time, manifested. He who, as the eternal Son of God, had existed from eternity and had taken part in the counsel of God for the salvation of mankind, was made man for our sakes, in order to earn the redemption for us, in order to pay the price, or ransom, which was required in this unusual case. This fact, that the blood of Christ, with its incomparable, priceless value, was paid as the price of our ransom from the power of sin and of Satan, that is the comfort of the Christians at all times, a comfort with which they may calmly defy the accusations of the devil and the terrors of the Judgment, and boldly look forward to the enjoyment of everlasting bliss before the throne of the Lamb.

The apostle not only applies the salvation of Christ to his readers in the words “for your sakes,” but also explains how this application takes place: Who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, in order that your faith and your hope be directed toward God. Faith is not the result of a man’s own effort, of his own reason and sense. Through Christ, through His manifestation in the flesh, through His blood, through His redemption we have been placed into the right relation toward God, we have become believers, we have become sure of our sonship. Our faith thus rests in God, who, by raising Christ from the dead, has testified to the sufficiency of the ransom which was paid for our sins. Thus we rest our confidence in the reconciled Father, who has accepted and is accepting the intercessory prayer of Christ, our Advocate. Therefore our hope and our faith are directed toward God; we have the certain conviction that God will make us partakers of the glory of Christ.

The quality of Christian love:

Just as earnestly as the apostle emphasized the necessity of faith and of unwavering trust in God, just so strongly he brings out the need of Christian love: Having your hearts purified in the obedience of the truth to unfeigned love of the brethren, from the heart love one another intently. The characteristic of faith is that it is obedient to the truth of the Gospel, that it is eager to give every manifestation of sonship towards God. This obedience of the Christians has purified their hearts from the former selfishness, from the natural love of self. They are able and willing now to show real, genuine, unfeigned love, without a trace of hypocrisy or affectation. But although this is true only in the same degree as a Christian has made progress in sanctification, yet the faculty, the ability, is there and is being fostered carefully by the Christians. Therefore they can and do accept the admonition of the apostle to love one another from their hearts, fervently, intently, assiduously. The argument is virtually this: Since you Christians can do it, since your faith has given you the ability to give proof of its existence in brotherly love, be sure to exercise this ability with all cheerful eagerness.

This love should appear in the entire life of the Christians on the basis of their regeneration: Since you are born again, not of perishable, but of imperishable seed, through the living and abiding Word of God. The new birth, which took place in us when God kindled faith in our hearts, is supposed to have effected a thorough purification of our hearts, has, in fact, done so, if our faith is of the right kind. And so the fruit of this faith will be a genuine, unselfish love for the brethren. Just why the fact of our regeneration should prove such a strong motive to us to give evidence of our faith in love is shown in the description of regeneration, when the apostle states that this new birth in our hearts is not the result of perishable, corruptible seed, as the growth of earthly plants would be, but of an incorruptible, imperishable seed, the Word of God, the Gospel of the Savior Jesus Christ. This Word of God is in itself living, full of life and of life-giving power. And it abides in eternity; even after the form of the Word, in Scripture and preaching, has passed away, the content of the Gospel will remain in eternity. Thus the life which is wrought in the hearts of men through the Gospel is a true, divine, and therefore imperishable life, and it will continue in the life of eternity.

The apostle substantiates the statement just made by a quotation from the Old Testament: For, All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the grass; the grass dries up, and the flower falls off, but the Word of the Lord lasts forever. Isaiah 40:6,8. All flesh, all mankind, as it now exists, with its nature corrupted by sin, is like grass; and of the grass it is true that it withers, it dries up. All the handsomeness, the beauty, the glory which man is able to produce, with which he delights to boast; honor, art, culture, wisdom, virtue, righteousness: all is vain, without lasting value, subject to the same rapid change and decay as the flowers of the field that fall off even before the stalk is withered. They that trust in the things of this world will find themselves bitterly disappointed at the last. For only God’s Word has lasting value; it endures throughout eternity, it alone stands firm and unmoved in the midst of this world of death. If we but place our trust in this Word, in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it will lift and take us safe through the uncertainty and decay and misery and wretchedness of this world to the eternal life of salvation. Once more, then, the apostle calls out: But this is the Word which in the Gospel is preached to you. If we place our trust in this Word, in this glorious Gospel, then we are safe, here in time and hereafter in eternity.

Summary

After the address the apostle launches forth in a hymn of praise to God for the gifts of His grace in Christ Jesus, to which he adds an admonition to be firm in Christian hope, in sanctification, and in brotherly love, the motive being the regeneration through the Word of God.

Verses 1-10

Further practical admonitions

Growth in holiness:

The apostle here continues the admonitions which he began in chapter 1, placing the old evil life of the unconverted in opposition to the sanctification of the believers: Laying aside, then, all wickedness, all guile and hypocrisy and envy, and all slanderings, like newly born infants yearn after the spiritual, unadulterated milk, that by it you may grow unto salvation. The sins which the apostle mentions in the first verse are characteristic of the unconverted state, but are incompatible with true sanctification. There is wickedness, or malice, whose constant aim is to harm one’s neighbor. There is, as an expression of this malice, guile, which tries to reach its selfish object by deceiving one’s neighbor; hypocrisy, which always assumes a garb to cloak the real condition of the heart and mind; envy, which begrudges one’s neighbor everything that the goodness or the mercy of the Lord has given him; and, as a culmination of them all, slanderings, backbitings, cleverly composed speeches which are intended to detract from the good name of one’s neighbor. All these vices should be laid aside, put off, because it interferes with the Christian’s growth in holiness and will certainly kill faith in his heart. Instead of that, the true believers will be found like infants that have just been born, like sucklings. For just as a healthy baby at that age is eager for its nourishment, practically hungry all the time, so the Christians should have an insatiable longing for the milk of the Word, for the nourishment which is the proper food for all believers from their conversion to their death. This Word of the Gospel is a spiritual milk, which, as Luther writes, the soul must draw and the heart seek; and it is a pure, unadulterated milk, it should be used just as it is found in Scriptures, without the slightest addition of man’s wisdom. Through this mental and spiritual food, the Word of the Gospel, the growth of the Christian takes place, the growth in grace, the growth in faith, the growth in sanctification, unto salvation. The Word works in us pure, holy, wholesome thoughts, wishes, and works, it gives us the strength both to will and to do according to the good pleasure of our heavenly Father.

In order to call the attention of his readers to the importance of this food and of the growth thereby, the apostle refers to an Old Testament passage: If, indeed, you have tasted that good is the Lord. Psalm 34:8 ^■938 . He assumes as a matter of course that the Christians have enjoyed the food to which he has referred. But the excellence of this food is in itself an incentive for the believers to be eager for the proper spiritual growth. The very first taste of the goodness, of the kindness of the Lord, as shown in the Word of His grace, is bound to make the Christian eager for more of this wonderful benevolence, for more of this glorious news of the forgiveness of sins through Christ. Thus the faith that accepts and holds Christ is increased and strengthened through the Word, and out of this strength there flows, in turn, a truly righteous demeanor, true goodness of heart, Christian kindness and benevolence.

Lively stones built up on Christ:

This entire paragraph refers to the Lord, of whom St. Peter had spoken in 1 Peter 2:3. Making use of a new figure or picture, the apostle writes: To whom coming, to that living Stone, rejected indeed of men, but chosen on the part of God, precious. The Christians have become partakers of the new spiritual birth, they are children of God. Mindful, therefore, of the sacred obligations and privileges which their new state lays upon them, they will come to the Lord, they will be joined to Him, they will range themselves on His side. They know that their Lord, Jesus Christ, is the living Stone, Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16, the Source of all spiritual life, and that they can retain their own life only in proportion as they remain in fellowship with Him. This living Stone, Jesus the Messiah, was indeed rejected by the builders, by the leaders of the Jewish nation, by men in general, for most of them concur with the Jews in rejecting the Savior. But the judgment of God does not agree with that of the blinded world, for He has chosen this Stone as a most precious stone, as the Headstone of the corner, Isaiah 28:16 ^■939 . This fact, that Christ, although scorned and despised by the children of the world, is given such great honors in the sight of God, should encourage the Christians at all times to set aside the scornful attitude of the world and accept the judgment of the Lord instead.

With the reference to Christ as the living Stone agrees the description of the believers: And yourselves like living stones be built up as a spiritual house, unto a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are well-pleasing to God through Jesus Christ. In order to remain in fellowship with the Corner-stone, Christ, it is necessary that the believers partake of His nature, be filled with His life. It is then, and then only, that they can be built up as a spiritual house, their faith sinking deeply and ever more deeply into this unshakable foundation of His eternal love, their mutual faith uniting them in mutual love, connecting them in one vast organization. In this way the Christians are built up as a spiritual house, built up on Christ and in Christ, unto a holy priesthood. The apostle is here describing the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the sum total of all the believers in Christ, an edifice of living persons filled with the Spirit of God. Every member of this Church is incidentally a priest of God in the sacred edifice which is erected upon Christ. Whereas in the Old Testament there was a special hierarchy, composed of members of the house of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi, Hebrews 5:1, there is now, by virtue of the vicarious action of Christ, a general priesthood of believers. Every Christian has direct and free access to God, because the sin which formerly divided between us and God has been removed by Christ. Of this priestly dignity the believers should always be conscious; they should keep their relation toward God intact and ever draw more closely to the heavenly throne. At the same time, all these spiritual priests should be active in offering to the Lord such spiritual sacrifices as are well-pleasing to God. The entire life of a Christian, all his thoughts, desires, and deeds, are such sacrifices, because it is the Spirit of God that lives in them and teaches them to be duly grateful to the Lord for the gifts of His salvation, both in hymns of praise and in good works, Romans 12:1.

In support of these statements the apostle does not quote an Old Testament passage outright, but makes it the basis of an explanation in which he uses also other texts: For it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a Stone, a Corner-stone, chosen, precious; and he that believes on Him shall not be brought to shame. Cp. Isaiah 28:16. Note that the reference is to a book which is a definite, well-known entity, which went by the name “Scripture” and was generally conceded to be the Word of God. The gist, or tenor, of the passage in Isaiah is given. In Zion, in His Church of the New Testament, the Lord places or appoints a Corner-stone, one that is at the same time a Rock of Salvation. For not one person that puts his trust in Him will be found ashamed on the last day. The congregation of believers that is built up on this Stone shall not be overcome even by the portals of hell.

The apostle now makes his application of the prophetical passage: To you, then, that believe He is preciousness; but as for the unbelievers, the Stone which the builders rejected, this has become the Corner-stone, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, who stumble at the Word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed. Cp. Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 8:14. In the case of all believers, in which number Peter pointedly and emphatically includes his readers, the living Stone, Jesus Christ, the Rock of Salvation, is preciousness; they partake of the wonderful value of this Stone, and should properly appreciate the honor which is thereby conferred upon them. Altogether different is the case with the unbelievers. To them that prophecy of the rejection of the Corner-stone applies, for they follow the Jews in their blind foolishness, in scorning the one way of salvation, through the redemption of Christ Jesus. And therefore they, who should have been built up with the saints, in their blind enmity stumble over this Stone, trip over this Rock, since they refuse to be obedient to the Word, to accept the truth of the Gospel. They stumble, they fall, they perish in the destruction which their stubborn refusal of salvation has brought upon themselves. They harden their own hearts against every effort of the Spirit to reveal the Savior to them. And thus the judgment is carried out in their case; their unbelief condemns them. They come under that terrible sentence of God according to which those that harden their hearts in spite of all calling of the Lord are finally appointed to that lot that the Word of Salvation becomes to them a savor of death unto death. It would hardly be possible to warn against the sin of unbelief in a more emphatic way.

The royal priesthood of the Christians:

A greater contrast cannot be conceived of than that which the apostle here presents with regard to the unbelievers and the believers. The unbelievers, by their own fault, have become subject to the condemnation of the Lord, and their lot is inexpressibly sad, since, if they persist in their unbelief, they are forever cast off by God. But to the believers the apostle applies all the honoring designations which were given to the people of God in the Old Testament: But you are the chosen generation, the royal priesthood, the holy nation, the people of His possession, that you may tell out the virtues of Him who has called you out of darkness into His wonderful light, Exodus 19:6. These excellencies do not appear, of course, before the eyes of men. According to the opinion of the world, on the contrary, the believers are a negligible quantity of misguided fools, to whom no sane person will pay serious attention. But hear the opinion of the Lord. He calls them the chosen generation; they have been chosen, or elected, for the position they hold by the resolution of God before the foundation of the world; not only the individual sojourners, but the entire congregation of saints was included in the plan of God; a royal priesthood, for Christ has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father, Revelation 1:6; the holy, the consecrated nation, separated from the world and reflecting the holiness of the Lord; the people of His possession, of His purchasing, that belong to Him, with regard to whose members all the plans of their enemies will prove futile. Because we occupy this wonderful position in the sight of God, therefore it behooves us, therefore it is natural for us to publish, to proclaim freely and widely, the virtues, the excellencies, of our God, to tell men of, to praise, the goodness, kindness, mercy, grace of God. We can do this with all the greater impressiveness, because we have experienced these attributes in ourselves, because He has called us out of the darkness of our natural condition into the wonderful light of His love in the Gospel, assuring us, at the same time, of the complete forgiveness of all our sins.

Of this the apostle has still more to say: Who formerly were not a people, but now the people of God, who had not become partakers of mercy, but now have received mercy. Cp. Hosea 2:23. The readers whom Peter addresses had formerly, before their conversion, been a non-people, they had not been in the kingdom of the Lord. But now they have been transferred out of the darkness of heathenism and enmity toward God to the glory of the Kingdom of Grace. In their former state they were not under mercy, but under God’s wrath and condemnation. But now they have become partakers of the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. It is the same miracle which the Christians of all times have experienced. And this fact they are to make known to others, telling them of their deliverance from destruction, of their redemption from death, of their salvation through the blood of Christ. That is the best occupation in which Christians may engage.

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Verses 11-25

Specific admonitions concerning the station of the Christians

General requirements:

Having pointed out the inestimable blessings and privileges which the Christians enjoy, the apostle now makes a specific application of these truths in showing what obligations their possession implies: Beloved, as sojourners and strangers I admonish you to abstain from the lusts of the flesh, which battle against the soul. The intimate form of address, which is but rarely used by Peter, is intended to convey to the readers the force of the admonition. Because the Christians are but sojourners, strangers, pilgrims in this world, and are looking forward to their real home above, therefore they will certainly not endanger their hope of salvation by yielding to their fleshly lusts. The children of this world, the unbelievers, are governed and ruled by their evil desires; they perform the will of the flesh, and that gladly. But the Christians, instead of permitting their flesh, their old sinful nature, to rule them and to lead them into various sins, will wage an incessant war against these lusts of their flesh. For they know that these evil, godless desires battle against the soul, about whose salvation they are so earnestly concerned. If the lusts of the flesh gain the ascendency in the heart of a Christian, then his soul, his true life in and with God, is lost. Under no circumstances, therefore, dare Christians heed the tempting voice of the charmers whose aim is to represent the sins of the flesh as a harmless gratification of natural inclinations. The attitude of the Christians must be that of an altogether uncompromising stand against every form of sin.

The distinction between believers and unbelievers must always be marked: Having your conduct in the midst of the heathen as an excellent one, so that, in the matter in which they now speak against you as evil-doers, they may, being spectators of your good works, glorify God in the day of visitation. The conduct of the Christians will, as a matter of course, always be in conformity with the will of God, with the denial and suppression of the lusts of the flesh, and therefore good, excellent in the sight of God. The corresponding impression upon men will then also not fail. For the very men that were now looking upon the Christians as bad or suspicious characters, as enemies of the government and as addicted to immoral practises, were still open to conviction. The Christians, therefore, should so conduct themselves in all their dealings before men, should so live in the very midst of the heathen, that their life would be a testimony for them, in favor of the Gospel. The good works of the Christians, their meekness under the severest provocations, their cheerful readiness to be of service at all times, their self-evident observance of all precepts of God’s holy will — all these were bound to make an impression, in spite of all opposition. Many an unbeliever that originally considered Christianity a huge fraud has been led to reconsider his first impression by the conduct of the confessing believers. Exact observation, closer acquaintance, showed him the injustice of his position. And when the grace of God was then proclaimed to him, when God visited him with the gracious Word of the Gospel, his heart was changed in favor of the Christian religion, he accepted its truths, he glorified God, whom he now recognized also as his Father for the sake of Jesus.

Obedience to the constituted authorities:

Here the apostle mentions some specific instances in which his instructions concerning the behavior of the Christians over against the heathen should find their application: Submit yourselves to every human authority for the Lord’s sake, whether it be to the emperor, as supreme, or to the governors as deputed by him for the punishing of evil-doers, but for the praise of those that do well. This admonition, the necessity of which must be admitted in our days without question, was badly needed also in the days of the early Church. Not only was the doctrine of spiritual liberty liable to be misinterpreted by superficial Christians, but some of them might be under the impression that the government, being heathen, was none of their concern, and that they owed no allegiance to the emperor. Therefore the apostle plainly states that believers are to submit themselves, are to be subject and obedient to every human authority and institution. Whether men have chosen the democratic or the monarchical form of government makes no difference to the Lord, for by His authority all governments exist, Romans 13:1-2. It makes no difference either, as the apostle indicates, whether all authority is vested in a single man, as in an emperor, or whether this emperor, as the supreme, the preeminent head of the nation, commissions or deputes governors to administer justice in any section of the empire, the authority of the government should be recognized and its existence by divine order acknowledged. That is one of the functions of the government, that it punish such as are wicked, as refuse to keep the peace, as are disobedient to the laws of the country. The people that do well, on the other hand, those that live in conformity with the laws of the land, the government should acknowledge with proper praise, that is, by protecting them and their property against every form of wickedness. Note: It is self-evident that Christians cannot be obedient to the government if the latter tries to extend its authority to spiritual matters, Acts 4:19.

The motive for the willing obedience of the Christians is given by the apostle: For so is the will of God, namely, that in well-doing you silence the error of foolish men, as free, and not having your freedom as a cloak of your malice, but as God’s servants. The statement just made by the apostle is not his own personal opinion, which the Christians may or may not accept, as they choose, but it is the will of God. The Christians in this way, by cheerful obedience to the constituted authorities, will do more to silence the wrong ideas, the errors which foolish men hold with regard to their status in the state, than by books written in explanation of their tenets. Mark: Also in our days, when the unbelievers are jeering at the otherworldliness of the true Christian religion and boldly declare that Christianity has proved a failure in coping with the special problems of our days, our most effective argument is to do our duty in good works, as citizens and as neighbors, meanwhile changing neither our religion nor the means of grace given to us by God. Christians should remember that they are free, that they are partakers of the wonderful freedom which the Son of God earned for them by His suffering and death. As free children of God we Christians will therefore show that willing submission to which the apostle admonishes. But no true believer will plead freedom from the Law as his excuse for not obeying the government, for not fulfilling the holy will of God in every possible way. He will not, under the pretense of standing fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, become guilty of sins and of various forms of wickedness. That would be a disgraceful abuse of the freedom to which Christ has called us, Galatians 5:13. We are in the service of God; this is our highest boast, that we are not serving as unwilling slaves, but as servants, whose greatest delight it is to show the new spiritual life in works which will please our heavenly Father.

As such free men, that serve God in willing obedience, the Christians are glad to hear the apostle in his call: Give honor to all; love the brotherhood; fear God; honor the king. To all their fellow-men the Christians are to give the honor which is due them in whatever position they hold in the state or in society. To all their brethren in the faith they should show that intimate, intensive love which is proper among children of the same heavenly Father. To God they should give fear and reverence, all other considerations being relegated to the background in view of this demand. To the king or emperor, that is, to the constituted government, they will give the honor which is due according to the Fourth Commandment. Altogether, it is not a mere passive attitude which the Lord here speaks of, but an active exhibition of a state of mind which is bound in loving obedience under the Word of God.

The submission of slaves:

Having shown the proper relation of the citizens to their government, the apostle here delineates the attitude which God, according to the Fourth Commandment, expects from slaves, the majority of the members in the Asiatic congregations apparently belonging to this class: Servants, be in subjection in all fear to your masters, not only to the good and lenient, but also to the perverse. The word used by the apostle, “domestics, family servants,” is not so harsh as the plain “slaves,” and it intimates that in many cases the masters granted to their slaves privileges which made them almost members of the family. Such Christian servants were not to be influenced by a false idea of Christian liberty and refuse to do their work, but they were, in free obedience, to be in subjection, in submission to their masters, and with all fear at that, Ephesians 6:5. They should feel a fear or dread of doing anything which might be contrary to the will of their masters, rather show all care and diligence in performing the work of their calling. And this was to be the case not only when the masters were good, kind, gentle, lenient, but also when they were of a perverse, morose disposition, when they were hard to please, when they were tyrannical.

This latter demand, which properly distinguished the Christian slaves from the unbelievers, the apostle substantiates: For this is grace, if on account of conscience toward God one patiently bears afflictions, suffering unjustly. There is no special distinction or praise in doing one’s work cheerfully and conscientiously if the master or employer is uniformly kind and lenient. But that is grace, that is pleasing and acceptable to God, that is a mark of His favor in granting the ability, that is a fine, excellent work in which God delights, if a person in that station, that of a slave, a servant, bears the afflictions of injustice, abuse, with patient endurance, if he takes upon himself even the unjust treatment administered by the temper of the master. The Christian will put aside all provocation and not permit anger to get the better of him under such adverse circumstances, simply because he is conscious of the fact that it is the Lord who sends or permits such tribulations to come upon him, and because his conscience tells him that he owes it to God, his heavenly Father, to show patient endurance under such circumstances.

That a Christian servant will in just this way give evidence of his Christianity the apostle shows in a question which he now proposes: For what praise is it if you sin and then endure a beating patiently? But if you do right and then endure suffering, this is grace before God. There is no special credit in enduring beating, stripes, punishment, with a great show of patience if such punishment was soundly deserved on account of some wilful defection, some wrong-doing. It is different, however, if a servant does right, does his work faithfully in every respect, and then is obliged to suffer, receives beatings, even though he does what he knows to be right and good before God. To endure patiently in a case of this kind, that is pleasing and acceptable to God, that can be done only by a gracious dispensation of strength on His part, that is a fine, excellent work. Mark: Although these words are addressed primarily to Christian slaves, their admonitions may well be heeded by all employees and servants everywhere; for a Christian will be faithful in his work and ready to endure even injustice, knowing that the good pleasure of the Lord rests upon him ^■940 .

The inspiring example of Christ:

The first reason for suffering wrong readily is the good pleasure of God, the second is that of the Christian’s calling, as it is typified in the example of Christ: For to this end you were called, because also Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow His footsteps. That is a part of the believer’s calling, that is the fate which was held out before him at the very time of his conversion, namely, that he will indeed be an heir of eternal glory, but that the way leading to this glorious bliss is also one of much tribulation, Acts 14:22. Incidentally, the disciple is not above his Master, and Christ Himself serves as a type, example, or pattern to the believers that we should follow His footsteps, be as much like Him as possible, grow more like Him every day. This example He set before us in His suffering during His whole life, and particularly at the time of His last great Passion. The meekness and humility, the patience and endurance which Christ showed at this time should always stand out strongly before the eyes of the Christians.

The individual instances in which His example stands out with such marked emphasis are now named: Who did not commit sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth, who, being reviled, reviled not in return, suffering did not threaten, but left it to Him that judges righteously. Cp. Isaiah 53:9. The suffering of the Messiah was in no way merited by His own transgressions of the divine Law; even upon His direct challenge the Jews were unable to convict Him of a single sin, John 8:46. In both His actions and His words Christ was unblamable. Even those sayings of Christ which were deliberately branded as lies by His enemies were without guile, altogether true. Not one of the accusations which the members of the Sanhedrin brought against the Lord was substantiated. When Christ was scorned, cursed, covered with the vilest epithets, He did not return in kind in a single instance. What He had taught His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount He kept in every way. Even His apparently harsh rebukes were not personal vilifications, no expressions of hatred, but words of warning to show His opponent the foolishness of his self-hardening. In the midst of the most bitter sufferings, as when He was nailed to the cross, He did not threaten His jubilant persecutors, but, instead, pleaded with His heavenly Father to forgive them their sin. Far from seeking His own revenge, He placed the entire matter into the hands of His heavenly Father, the just Judge, that He might adjust the affair as He should think best. Surely we believers that confess Christ, that bear His name, should be willing to bear His reproach with the same patience.

Just wherein the secret of the Christian’s ability to bear injustice and wrong lies, is shown in the next verse: Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the wood, in order that we, having gotten rid of our sins, should live to righteousness, by whose wounds you are healed. Here the vicarious suffering of Christ is plainly taught, as in Isaiah 53:4. Christ, of whom it had been stated that He had no sin, stepped into our place and took upon Himself the burden of our sins, as our great Substitute. They were laid upon His body, His person: He was considered the greatest sinner of all times. Thus He assumed also the guilt of our sins, He took upon Himself their punishment. He ascended the wooden altar of the cross, the accursed tree, loaded down with their terrible weight. And all this He did in order to give us the benefit of His suffering and death. It is now possible for us, having gotten rid of our sins in the manner indicated, to spend our entire life in living in conformity with the holy will of God, in true righteousness. Without the vicarious suffering and death of Christ we should never have been able to reach this state, to obtain this ability; but faith in His redemption gives us the power, since He became wounded that we might be healed, since He became sick that we might be made whole. What an inspiring example, what a compelling motive, what a divine source of power!

But the apostle repeats his thought, clothing it in another picture, in order to give it the proper emphasis: For you were like sheep gone astray, but you have now been turned back to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. Cp. Isaiah 53:6. That is true of all men by nature; they have turned away from the God of their life, of their salvation, following their own sinful bent, walking the way of sin and of destruction. It is due to the redemption of Christ and to the proclamation of this redemption in the Word of the Gospel that we have been turned, brought back, literally turned ourselves back, from the ways of sin and death to God and life, by the power transmitted to us in the Gospel-call. In accepting God as our Father, we, at the same time, have turned to Christ, to the Bishop and Shepherd of our souls, to Him who, as the one Good Shepherd, brought us home out of the desert of sin and is now daily leading us in the green pastures of His gracious Word. Truly, the sheep of Christ are provided for in a wonderful way, they live secure under the guiding staff of Him who laid down His life for them ^■941 .

Summary

In continuing his admonitions, the apostle describes the true growth in holiness on Jesus Christ as the true Foundation, resulting in the spiritual house of the royal priesthood which the Christians form; he gives specific admonitions to be obedient to the government and to masters, holding up before his readers the inspiring example of Christ.

Verses 1-7

Exhortations to the married

Having spoken of the relation of citizens to their rulers and of servants to their masters, the apostle here addresses himself to those that are living in the holy estate of marriage, giving to both the wives and the husbands certain rules of conduct. Speaking to the wives first, he writes: In like manner you wives, be submissive to your own husbands, in order that, if some are disobedient to the Word, they may be gained through the behavior of the women without a word, if they observe your chaste behavior in fear. That is the first point that the apostle makes, the necessity for submissiveness, for subordination on the part of the wife. Not, indeed, as if the subjection and obedience of the wife were on the same level as that of the domestic slaves, since it is the result of mutual agreement and therefore is a relative obedience rather than an absolute subjection. But that is God’s order: the headship of the husband should be unquestioned in a Christian home. This point, moreover, was here broached with a good reason. For it happened comparatively often in those early days that Christian women had heathen husbands. In the case of these husbands particularly, though other witnesses are not excluded, it was true that they who were disobedient to the Word of the Gospel, who were unbelievers, might be influenced and put into a state of mind favorable to the acceptance of Christianity by the conduct and behavior of their wives, even if these should not speak a single word of reproach, remonstrance, or admonition. For the entire conduct of the Christian women was to be a powerful argument for the truth and power of Christianity. As the men noticed with what care these Christian women kept themselves unspotted from the prevalent sins of unchastity, with what meekness and diligence they did the work of the household, with what reverent deference they observed the will of the housefather, it was bound to make an impression on them. A man would then also argue from the existence of these wifely virtues to the power of the Christian faith, the result being that his interest in the Gospel might lead him to the acceptance of the Word. Thus he would be gained for Christ, and Christ Himself would be his gain.

To this end, however, Christian women were to remember: Whose adornment should not be the outward braiding of hair, and putting round golden jewelry, or putting on (showy) dresses, but the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible beauty of gentleness and of a quiet spirit, which is precious before God. Cp. Isaiah 3:17-23. The apostle mentions only a few of the evidences of worldliness and vanity which threaten women in particular. There was the elaborate coiffure which was built up with braids and golden combs, 1 Timothy 2:9 ^■942 , and nets and artificial aids; there was the putting on of golden ornaments, of rings and bracelets and pendants round the forehead, the arm, the ankle, the finger; there was the vesting in costly and showy garments — all customs affected by the fine society ladies of the world. Note that Peter does not inveigh against neat dresses and modest, simple jewelry, but against that show of dress and finery which indicates that the heart is taken captive by such transitory, vain baubles. The true ornament of a Christian woman is the hidden man of the heart, the new spiritual nature and life. This new, divine life will ever manifest itself in a disposition and in deeds of gentleness and meekness, in a quiet spirit, without pride, assumption, anger, and passionate boisterousness, Romans 7:22. These virtues will clothe a Christian woman better than the costliest mantle which this world can supply, and, what is more, such conduct is precious in the sight of God. Note: This lesson should be heeded especially by many of the foolish young women, married and unmarried, who in our days are following the example of the painted and gaudily dressed women of the world.

Christian women will always be ready to follow the example of the sainted women of the Bible: For so did also the holy women formerly adorn themselves, who hoped in God, being subject to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, of whom you have become children, if you do well, and do not yield to any sudden terror. The meek and quiet attitude which has been praised by the apostle will naturally be accompanied by that conduct which unhesitatingly acknowledges the headship of the man. This is the chief, the finest ornament of a wife professing Christianity, as the example of the women of the Bible shows. Their hope was directed toward God and His promises; they knew that the reward of God was greater than anything that the world might offer and give, if they should want to follow its vanities. The apostle singles out Sarah as an exceptional pattern in this respect, in her submission to her husband. She acknowledged, she called him lord, the head of the household. She was perfectly willing to occupy a subordinate position, to be a true helpmeet to Abraham, Genesis 18:12. And so Christian wives will become true children, true daughters of Sarah, if their entire life is spent in doing good, if they are continually active in good works, if they conduct themselves according to the will of God in their married state. At the same time they are to fear no terrors, not to yield to false fear in any matter. The reference is most likely to the incident related in Genesis 21:10, where Sarah did not hesitate to insist upon expelling the bondwoman with her son, since Isaac alone was the child of promise. Where the will of God, therefore, is clear, either in command or in prohibition, a Christian woman will not let a false dread keep her from obeying the Lord first of all.

That the husbands, according to this word, have no absolute power over their wives is indicated also in the next verse: You husbands likewise (give due honor to them), dwelling with the feminine, as with the weaker vessel, according to knowledge, giving honor to them as also fellow-inheritors of the grace of life, lest your prayers be hindered. The idea of giving due consideration and honor to every person in the station assigned to him by God governs the thought also here. Both the husband and the wife are vessels according to God’s creation, but the man is the stronger, the woman the weaker vessel. But now the husband should show that he appreciates the greater responsibility laid upon him by God in caring for the weaker vessel, his wife, in the proper manner, especially according to knowledge, with the application of Christian common sense. The husband should always be conscious of this fact and let this consideration govern his entire treatment, his entire attitude toward his wife, in all the conditions and circumstances of life. Cp. 1 Thessalonians 4:4. With all the intimacy that obtains between husband and wife, the former must never forget that he owes his helpmeet a measure of honor, namely, that which belongs to her as coheir of the grace of life. As Christians they both have their hope and faith set on the same salvation, and they should wander hand in hand to reach that glorious goal. If the husband does not observe this rule, but attempts to lord it over his wife in a manner for which he has no authority, then the sighing of his wife will be an obstruction in the way of his prayers, her groaning will accuse him before the Lord even before the words which he foolishly considers a prayer have reached the Throne of Grace. The love and wisdom which the married life requires, especially among Christians, should cause all those that have entered into the blessed state of matrimony to seek wisdom from on high in daily, fervent prayer.

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Verses 8-22

Exhortations to Christians in general, based on Christ’s work of redemption and His state of exaltation

True brotherly love:

Here the apostle in a few sentences indicates what the moral effect of Christianity is: Lastly, you must all be of one mind, sympathizing with one another, loving the brethren, compassionate, humble-minded, not returning evil for evil or malediction for malediction, but, on the contrary, blessing, since for this purpose you were called, that you might be heirs of the blessing. The apostle concludes with a summary which is directed to all, whether they be masters or slaves, women or men. Christians at all times should be of the same mind, held together by the bonds of true unity and harmony which are based upon the one foundation of faith, Romans 12:16; Romans 15:5; Philippians 2:2; Philippians 3:16. They should sympathize with one another, not only when their brother has need of compassion on account of some misfortune that has befallen him, but also when he is in good luck and would appreciate a cheering word, 1 Corinthians 12:26-27. They should be filled with brotherly love toward one another, since they are children of the same heavenly Father and are held together by the bonds of the most intimate love that can be conceived of. They should be compassionate or merciful, ever proving themselves friends in need; humble-minded, always ready to yield the honor to some one else instead of holding false ambitions. Even in their conduct with regard to the hostile world, Christians will not seek revenge, will not return evil in kind, will not become guilty of railing and scolding, Matthew 5:38-39; Romans 12:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:15. They are constituted in an entirely different manner, their behavior is the very opposite of such carnal conduct. For when people do them harm, they conquer the evil with good; they return blessing for cursing. And whenever it proves difficult for our old evil nature to follow the example of our Savior in this respect, we remember our calling, God having called us out of the world, away from its sins, in order to impart the fulness of His grace, of His blessing in Christ Jesus, to us. We who, as Luther remarks, are receiving nothing but blessings from God, will surely not feel any desire to wish evil to any person in the world, no matter what the provocation may be. With the gift of eternal life before our eyes, we cannot do otherwise than forgive heartily and gladly do good to those that sin against us.

In a statement which is half warning, half promise, the apostle adds: For he that desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him search for peace and follow after it. This admonition is addressed to Christians and must be understood as referring to the life of Christians only. If any Christian has a desire to enjoy his life in truth, to possess real, genuine happiness, to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty; if he wants to see good days, days of blessing, from the Lord, when all his earthly needs are provided for and he can lie down in peace and sleep the sleep of the righteous: such a one should guard his tongue and his lips, lest they speak evil and become guilty of deceit. If his enemies slander and provoke him, he should keep silence, and not become guilty of any sins against the Eighth Commandment; if his honor and good name are assailed, he must not lie or deceive in return. The best way of combating the evil, in this case, is that of turning away entirely from the evil, not to think about it, not to plan it, but rather to do good, to return good for evil, to gather coals of fire on the enemy’s head. The attitude of the Christian will be shown especially in this, that he makes every effort to keep the peace, Romans 12:18, not only in a passive, half-hearted way, but with all eagerness, pursuing it with all avidity, without ceasing. Cp. Psalm 34:13-17.

The Christians may act thus with all the greater confidence and quiet assurance: For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears toward their prayer, but the face of the Lord is directed upon those that do evil. That is a great source of comfort to the believers: He that keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. The Lord is keeping the most careful watch over His children, He hears and sees everything that their enemies are attempting against them. If any one harms them, His ear is quick to catch the faintest sighing; and His countenance is directed against those that spend their days in doing evil. Vengeance is His, He will repay; and therefore His children may freely and cheerfully put their life with all its vicissitudes into His care, knowing that He will always take care of their interests in a way that will redound to their temporal and eternal welfare.

The Christians as followers and defenders of good:

The Christians may sometimes have to bear evil for a season, but in reality all things work together for good to them: Who will do you wrong if you are zealous for that which is good? If the Christians at all times are zealous for that which is right and good, if they have a veritable passion for that which has the approval of the Lord, then nothing can really work lasting harm in their case, for they are under God’s care and protection. The only things which really will hurt us, in time and in eternity, are disobedience, deviation from God’s Word. But no enemy can take away from us the true, eternal blessings: God’s grace and mercy, forgiveness of sins, righteousness, peace with God, joy in the Holy Ghost.

And should God permit some evil to strike us, the apostle again has a word of comfort: And even if you should suffer on account of righteousness, yet you are blessed. That is true enough, he means to say, it does happen that the malice of your enemies will reach a point where the very fact of your leading a blameless life will act as a spur to their hostile attitude, increase their bitterness, and make them all the more determined to harm you, to cause you suffering. But what of that? In the very midst of such sufferings the Christians are to be congratulated, for the blessing of the Lord rests upon them, and they are truly happy, Matthew 5:10-11. It follows, then: But their fear do not fear, neither be disturbed; but the Lord Christ sanctify in your hearts, always ready with a reply to every one who demands an account of you concerning the hope which is in you. It appears throughout the discussion that the conduct of the Christians in persecutions is not a matter of indifference, but is carefully regulated by the will of the Lord. This the apostle shows in a passage from the Old Testament, Isaiah 8:12-13. The enemies of Christ and of the believers will often resort to threats, in order to create fear in the hearts of the Christians, backing them up by such acts of meanness as to make life almost unbearable in certain instances. And yet the Christians should not let themselves be disturbed or filled with fear. It is true, their enemies can do much harm, they can even, with God’s permission, take the life of the believers, Matthew 10:28, but they must fall back in helpless anger before their inability to harm the soul, so long as the Christians cling to their allegiance, so long as they sanctify, hallow, Christ in their hearts as their Lord and Master, put their trust in Him and wait for Him to repay at His time. In the mean time they will also not overlook the necessity of confessing their Lord, of being ready with a proper reply for any one that may demand an account of them concerning the hope of their faith. This does not mean that every frivolous scoffer may make the Christians the butt of his untimely jokes; for that would be throwing pearls before the swine. What the Lord wants us to do is to be ready with an exposition of our hope of salvation and particularly of our expectation of the second coming of Christ in the case of every person that shows a real interest in the Christian doctrine as we profess it. Whether this be a genuine searching for the truth or a mere curiosity, it may pave the way for a proclamation of the Gospel that may save a soul. Such a testimony concerning Christ, as the apostle writes, must always be made in meekness and in fear. All personal bitterness must be put aside, a holy reverence for the Word of God must fill the heart, for it is the honor of the Lord which is at stake ^■943 .

There is one more factor that must not be missing at the time when such a confession is made: Having a good conscience, so that, in their very slander of you as of evil-doers, those that slander your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. Christians that are obliged to rise in defense of the Christian truths have particular need of being careful in their entire conduct, lest there be something in their life which will give their opponents a reason to scorn all instruction which they might be able to give. So clean, so beyond reproach the lives of the believers should be at all times that such as still presume to speak evil of them will find themselves without foundation for their statements and will thus heap shame and disgrace upon themselves, a fact which may again result to the advantage of the Christian religion.

The benefits of Christ’s work:

This paragraph is closely connected with the foregoing, the apostle apparently including suffering evil under the general heading of doing good for the sake of the Lord: For better it is to suffer while doing good, if the will of God should so decide, than for doing evil. The apostle here, as in the entire section, uses a very vivid description, personifying even the will and the patience of God. The opinion of the world may be that a person should avoid suffering at any cost, by any means. But the Lord’s standpoint in the matter is this, that suffering evil is sometimes necessary and therefore to be endured. One thing is certain, namely, that a Christian will not object to the will of the Lord if He permits suffering to strike His children. While it would be a calamity for them to be suffering as a punishment for evil-doing, it is no more than they may expect to be suffering for doing well, for it is the way of the world to be hostile to the children of God and to persecute them in every possible way; it is a part of the Christians’ calling as long as they are living in the midst of unbelievers.

It is here that the example of Christ should serve for encouragement: For Christ also died once for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might offer us to God. The example of Christ is of such great value to the Christians because He suffered and died, being altogether innocent, the Sinless One having the sins of all men imputed to Him, the Just and Holy One taking the place of the unjust ones. Thus Christ’s one death atoned for the transgressions of all men, His vicarious suffering reconciled all men to God the Father. By this act He offered, or brought, us to God, made it possible for us to become partakers of the glory of God. Our bodies, by virtue of the redemption, the glorification of Christ, will be made like unto His glorified body, and we shall see God face to face.

Just how the work of Christ made this possible is shown by the apostle: Having died, indeed, in the flesh, but having been quickened in the spirit, in which He also went and heralded to the spirits in prisons. Christ died, not according to His divine nature, although this was truly and inseparably united with His human nature also in death, but in the flesh, that is, in His fleshly, natural mode of existence, in which He lived and suffered in the days of humiliation. Thus the entire Christ, the God-man, was put to death in the flesh. This same Christ, so the apostle proceeds to tell us, after His death resumed life in the grave. He was quickened, made alive, in the sepulcher. This quickening was made in the spirit, or with respect to the Spirit, that is, in the new glorified state, in which Christ, in His transformed and glorified body, lived, acted, and moved about, came and went as a spirit. In this spirit, in this new spirit-life, glorified and exalted, Christ, the God-man, according to His soul and body, retaining His flesh and blood in a glorified form, went forth, as our triumphant Champion, into the abode of the damned and of the devils, and there proclaimed His victory to the spirits in prison, that is, in hell, specifically to those who are further described. It was a part of the punishment which came upon the condemned and upon the demons in hell that they saw and heard Christ proclaim Himself as the Victor over death and hell, and were obliged to tell themselves that they might have partaken of this glory of the great Hero of mankind, if they had not deprived themselves of this blessing by their revolt against Him and by their unbelief.

The last thought, so far as it concerns condemned human beings, is now elaborated: That had once been disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared. Among the spirits in prison to whom the victorious Christ manifested Himself in the manner shown above were also the souls of those people who in the days of Noah had refused to heed the warning preaching of this man of God, and probably jeered at him for building his big ship on dry land. For one hundred and twenty years the Lord had patience at that time, for one hundred and twenty years he had Noah preach repentance to his fellow-men. But they refused to heed his warning and have thus become an example to the unbelievers of all times, all of whom may expect to meet with the same condemnation. This factor stands out all the more strongly by way of contrast: In which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. Of all the men that lived on earth in the days of Noah, all rejected the preaching of Noah. And so finally he only with his family, a total of eight souls, was saved through water, the Flood being considered the means of saving these eight people with the animals that were with them in the ark; the water lifted them up and thus saved them from destruction.

The apostle now makes a splendid application of this incident: Which now saves also us as Baptism, its counterpart, not the removal of the dirt of the flesh, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The words of the apostle are so simple and so clear that the deliberate misunderstanding of their import by a great number of Christians is a mystery. Water is to us Christians a means of salvation. It is water that saves us, that transmits to us the salvation of Christ in Baptism, which is the antitype or counterpart of the Flood, as Peter has just shown. This salvation, of course, does not consist in washing off the dirt which may have gathered on the skin of the body, but it cleanses the heart of sins; it is a pledge, a contract of a good conscience toward God; it guarantees to us that we may have, by virtue of its application, a clean conscience before God, thus being enabled to lift up our eyes to Him without the slightest trace of fear. This is true because the spiritual gifts and blessings which are the result of the resurrection of Christ, the certainty that God has accepted the sacrifice of His Son and granted forgiveness of sins to the whole world, are transmitted to the believer in Baptism. Thus all Christians are, by reason of their baptism, happy and blessed people, having the certain hope of eternal life through the grace of God in Christ Jesus which they received in the water of Baptism.

In concluding this paragraph, the apostle adds this confession concerning Christ: Who is at the right hand of God, having gone to heaven, angels and authorities and powers being subject to Him. Here Peter briefly indicates how the exaltation of Christ was consummated. He ascended up on high, into heaven, He took His place at the right hand of God, entering upon the full and unrestrained use of His divine power and majesty, also according to His human nature. And He now rules in all eternity as the almighty Lord over all, every order of angels, of the blessed spirits, being subject to His command. There is nothing which has not been put under His feet. Cp. Hebrews 2:8; Psalm 8:6; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Romans 8:38; Ephesians 1:21. This Man at the right hand of God, Jesus Christ, our Savior, will guard and protect His Church on earth in the midst of all the tribulations and persecutions of these last days. He will deliver us from every evil and translate us into the kingdom of His glory. To Him be glory and power, both now and forever!

Summary

After an exhortation to wives and husbands the apostle summarizes his admonitions to the Christians in general, showing the need of true brotherly love, of following and defending that which is good, and basing the entire admonition on the benefits of Christ’s work as we have received them also in Baptism.

Verses 1-19

Admonitions in view of the second coming of Christ

Ceasing from sin:

The apostle here resumes the thought connection which he had touched upon in 1 Peter 3:18, that of the sufferings of Christ and its lessons: Christ, then, having suffered for us in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same disposition of mind; for he that suffers in the flesh has desisted from sin. When Christ assumed true human nature, when He became a man for our sakes, He was obliged to suffer a great deal in this flesh, not only during His ministry, but especially during His last great Passion. The idea of Christ’s acting as our Substitute is brought out also in this case, in order to give additional force to the admonition. We should arm, or shield, ourselves with the same disposition or state of mind, with the same intention and purpose. For he that suffers in the flesh, he that willingly takes upon himself the cross which is the lot of all true Christians in the world, thereby has desisted from sin. If Christians take their cross upon themselves and follow Christ, they have chosen the best way of combating and overcoming sin; in fact, they have left sin behind as a ruling power.

The purpose of being armed with the mind of Christ as with a weapon is now stated by the apostle: In order no longer to spend the remaining part of his life to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. If God inflicts a chastisement, sends some suffering, this will indeed be disagreeable, full of bitterness, to the flesh. But God is acting like a wise physician; for He thereby protects the Christians themselves. Their life, which would ordinarily have been spent in serving the lusts and desires in which the unbelievers delight, is now devoted to battling against the temptations to sin and in fulfilling the will of God. They give up the delights of this short life, but they gain the bliss of everlasting salvation as God’s gift of mercy.

This thought is now brought out with all the force of a strong contrast: For the time now gone past suffices that you worked the will of the heathen, conducting yourselves in acts of licentiousness, lusts, carousings, revelings, banquetings, and unlawful, idolatrous acts, in which they are taken aback that you do not run with them into the same overflowing of profligacy, blaspheming. This is a picture of the life of unbelievers when they give way to their natural desires and passions and live in every form of sensual sin, as most of the heathen Christians had done before their conversion. Peter reminds his readers that their behavior in their unconverted state certainly was sufficient and more than sufficient to pay the debt which they may have thought they were owing to the flesh. Note the irony in the words. A few of the sins of the flesh are now enumerated. They conducted themselves, they spent their life in acts of licentiousness, or sensuality, in giving free rein to all their lusts and desires. They were wine-bibbers, using intoxicating liquors to excess; they held night revels, with banquets where eating as well as drinking was carried far beyond the limits of decency; they became guilty of all the unlawful, heathen, idolatrous acts and practises whereby the proper honor was taken away from the living God. Of these acts of sensuality, of carnal-mindedness, of godlessness, the Christians to whom this letter was addressed were now heartily ashamed, and they were straining every nerve to spend the rest of their lives in such works as were well-pleasing to God. This change of attitude, of course, was a surprise to the heathen, it took them aback in a very unpleasant way. That these former boon companions of theirs should now no longer be willing to accompany them to the places where licentiousness and profligacy went beyond all bounds, that they considered an insult. That the Christians should now consider their former dissolute life with abhorrence and should do everything in their power to forget the indecencies of that period of their life, put them into such a fury of rage that they set out to curse and blaspheme the Christians. Also herein history repeats itself, as many a believer that was converted in adult life will be able to testify.

The apostle wants the Christians not to be intimidated or otherwise influenced by the attitude of the unbelievers: They shall have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. A time is coming, and that very soon, when the unbelievers will think of their blasphemous behavior with a regret which will be too late. For the Lord is prepared even now to return for the judging of the living and the dead, for the final Judgment; and from His sentence there will be no appeal. These heathen who now abuse the Christians will then have to answer for their hatred and persecution of the Christians, and since they cannot give an account that will satisfy the holiness and justice of God, their portion will be that of eternal damnation. This fact is a consolation to all believers that are subjected to such maledictions more or less.

For the same reason the apostle adds: For to this end was the Gospel preached also to them that are (now) dead, that they might be judged in the flesh indeed after the manner of men, but might live in the spirit after the manner of God. This statement has no connection with the fact given in 1 Peter 3:19, but belongs into this connection. To certain people that are now dead the Gospel was preached during their life, they became partakers of its wonderful blessings, in order that they, although subject to the general curse of death according to their mortal body, yet might live in the spirit, so far as their soul was concerned, and that after the manner of God, that is, in a spiritual, divine, glorified existence, until the day when God would reunite their bodies with their souls. Thus the purpose of the preaching of the Gospel was realized in the case of those that died in the Lord. The connection of thought, then, is this: While death does not remove the blasphemer from the final Judgment and condemnation, it confirms the hope of the Christians that their souls, which are safe in the hands of God, will be reunited with their bodies on the last day and enjoy everlasting salvation and glory in the presence of God.

Christian virtues and works:

The apostle here guards against the danger of a false security which may follow his comforting assurances in the case of such as misunderstand the meaning of Christian liberty: But the end of all things has come near; be sensible, then, and vigilant toward prayer. As sure as redemption has been earned and salvation is ready for all men, as sure as the Judge of the living and the dead is prepared for the final Judgment and the apparent delay is only another gracious measure on His part to call men to repentance, so sure it is that the end of all things, of that which we commonly designate as heaven and earth, the visible world, is near. This consideration of the nearness of the end is a strong motive for the Christians to exert all diligence in using the time allotted them in the proper way. Their entire conduct should be one that agrees with sound Christian common sense, with that sober-mindedness which should be the strongest characteristic of the children of God. They must put aside all spiritual drowsiness and be wide awake, vigilant, with regard to prayer. In view of the nearness of the end they will be particularly diligent in their intercourse with their heavenly Father, lest the dangers and tribulations of the latter days overcome them. All the cares, joys, and sorrows of life must not be permitted to interfere with their relation toward God.

The conduct of the Christians toward their neighbors must likewise be in line with these considerations: Above all, have the love toward one another fervent, for love covers a mass of sins. That the apostle stresses this point with such emphasis may easily be understood, especially in view of the conditions as they now obtain in the world. Such is the power of selfishness in these last days that the idea of unselfish altruism, of true love, has practically been lost. It is talked about very extensively, even in the relation of states and nations toward one another, but is practised very little. Therefore all true Christians should distinguish themselves by making the love which they profess to feel an intense, an assiduous, a fervent, a real love, without a trace of selfishness, having only the welfare of their brother in mind. It is this love which is ready to cover and forget even a mass of sins, a feat which would not be possible if their love were of a kind that does not stand tests. Thus love preserves brotherly harmony and unity. It is not a question of magnanimously overlooking one or two little faults, but of forgiving even a multitude of sins, and in forgiving to forget them.

Another proof of this love is indicated in the words: Be hospitable toward each other without murmuring. This was necessary even more in those days of oppression and persecution than it is to-day, at least in our country. But as recent events abroad show, the time may well come also in this country when oppression will come upon us, making it necessary for us to open our homes to such as have been driven from their homes by persecution. But in any event Christians will be ready to show true hospitality, to receive their brethren and sisters with open arms whenever there is need of it. They will do this, moreover, not with an unwilling murmuring, but with a cordiality flowing out of true love.

A third admonition concerns the work in the congregation: Every one as he has received a gift of grace, — serve one another therewith, as good stewards of the various graces of God. Mark that the apostle expressly states that every Christian has received some gift of grace, some talent which he should employ in the service of the congregation, of the Church of the Lord. Whether this gift is one of preaching, or of teaching, or of praying, or of exhorting, or of organizing, it should be exercised by the Christian. No talent may be hidden away in the ground for specious reasons. But these gifts are not our own to use as we choose, especially not for selfish purposes, for the advancement of various ambitious schemes. In receiving gifts from God, we have become stewards of God, we are responsible to Him; our gifts, according to His will, should be exercised in serving one another, in proving ourselves useful in the work which we are carrying on at God’s command, to the praise and honor of God and to the benefit and salvation of our neighbor.

Two of such special gifts of grace, of the Holy Spirit, the apostle names: If any one speaks, let him do so as he who utters the words of God; if any one ministers, let him do so as out of the strength which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power forever and ever, Amen. If any one has received the gift of speaking, if he holds an office in which he is to declare the oracles of God, Romans 12:6; Numbers 24:4, he should adhere strictly to these revelations of God as they are contained in His inspired Word. For any man to proclaim himself a Christian teacher and then to preach his own human speculations, or only that which he chooses to consider true in the Bible, is an insult to the Lord. All frivolous handling of the Word also, as when a Christian teacher forgets the dignity of the subject which he is laying before the congregation, cannot be excused on any grounds. In a similar way those that are engaged in ministering, in almsgiving, in taking care of the poor and needy, in assisting in the work of Christian hospitals and hospices, in short, all Christians, as they take part in the work of charity carried on in their midst, should remember that it is, in the last analysis, the work of the Lord which they are doing as His stewards. They will, then, certainly not depend upon their own strength nor seek to further any private schemes in their work, nor will they permit their hands to be idle while there is so much work to do. That gift, that power which God has granted them, and which He wants to continue to supply, they are to use energetically, consistently. It is, in other words, the faithful, conscientious employment of the gifts which God has given to a Christian which he desires from every one of them. And the final aim and purpose will always be that God’s name may be glorified among men more and more. For it is from Him, as the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that we have received faith and the fruit of faith, and thus also the power to praise and magnify His holy name through the works which we perform in the building and maintaining of His kingdom. The power of God becomes operative through Jesus Christ, to whom we give all praise and power in all eternity ^■944 .

The Christians partakers of Christ’s sufferings:

This section marks the beginning of the third and last part of the letter, in which the apostle once more returns to the theme of the suffering of the Christians: Beloved, do not think it strange because of the ordeal which is in your midst for your testing, as if something strange befell you. St. Peter purposely addresses his readers in the language of intimate friendship, in order to make his words all the more impressive. They should not be surprised or taken aback, they should not look upon it as unusual or strange, that they were just then passing through an ordeal which tried them very sorely. It was just as though the heat of tribulation had become so great in their midst as to cause a fierce fire, an experience which certainly was unpleasant to the flesh. For in reality these experiences were not foreign or strange to them, but were necessary for the proper testing of their faith.

And even more the apostle expects of them: But in the measure as you are partakers of the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, in order that also in the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. The sufferings of the Christians which come upon them as Christians are the same sufferings which struck their Lord and Master, since they are hated and persecuted by the children of the world. For a Christian it is a mark of distinction, and therefore a reason for rejoicing and being happy, to know that he has been counted worthy to follow in his Master’s footsteps also in this respect, Acts 5:41. The Christians should have this feeling, that their inner happiness must increase to the very point of exultation as their sufferings increase, the culmination being reached on the day when their Lord will be revealed in glory and their everlasting enjoyment of His glory in heaven will begin. This was the secret of the patience, of the steadfastness, of the endurance of the martyrs, this was the power which sustained them in the midst of the most cruel and inhuman sufferings, their joy in the Lord, their certainty that they would become partakers of His glory on the last day.

From the revelation of the last day the apostle returns to the consideration of the present situation: But if you are reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you, for the spirit of glory and of God Himself is resting upon you; with them He is blasphemed, but with you He is glorified. That is the fate of the believers in this world: they are denounced, they are reproached because they bear the name of Christ, because they belong to Him, Matthew 5:11. This scorn and contempt of the world is often more difficult to bear than oppression and persecution. The Christians are ostracized and regarded as narrow-minded fools, whose low state of intelligence does not permit men of learning to associate with them. And yet the Christians are blessed in the sight of God, and should consider themselves fortunate, because the Spirit of Glory, the Spirit of God Himself, has made His abode with them, is resting upon them. This Spirit had been promised by the Lord as the great Comforter, who was to give the disciples that assistance which they needed over against the enmity and hatred of the world, John 15:26-16:4. The Spirit, whom we have received by faith, in Baptism, rests upon us like a protecting hand, which reduces, in a measure, the fierceness of tribulation. He is the Spirit of Glory and therefore always increases the assurance of the believers with regard to their eventual possession of the heavenly glory, Romans 8:23; Ephesians 1:14. And He is the Spirit of the Father, He knows the heart and mind of the Father, He assures the Christians ever and again that God is still on their side. Thus it is a blessed advantage which the Christians have from their sufferings in the world, and they are brought into closer communion with their heavenly Father with every new day, praising the Holy Spirit as their Comforter and Friend, even though He be blasphemed by the children of the world.

Suffering as Christians:

Having shown what advantages the Christians enjoy in the very midst of suffering, the apostle now teaches, in a paragraph full of warning, that only genuine Christians are included in this category of blessed people: For let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evil-doer or as a pryer into other men’s matters. If any one calling himself a Christian and belonging to the Christian community should become guilty of actual wrong-doing, it would be impossible for him to claim martyrdom. Such sins as murder, or theft, or deliberate performing of evil, or the assuming of authority or oversight in matters which were none of the Christians’ concern would very naturally and properly bring punishment upon the perpetrator, and such a person was but obtaining the just reward of his deeds. Note: It is a foolish and dangerous thing for Christians to meddle into affairs for whose administration they are not called, functions of the government, of some other church-body, etc. Such behavior will not only cause bitterness, but will usually frustrate even the good intentions which such a meddler may have had.

On the other hand, it remains true, and the apostle here repeats: But if as a Christian, he need not feel ashamed, but let him praise God in this name. Cp. Mark 9:41. If disagreeable things strike the believer in his capacity as Christian, for the reason that he is a Christian, because of his confession of the name of Christ, because he lives up to the precepts of God’s holy will, then he has nothing to be ashamed of, then that which would under other circumstances be a disgrace to him becomes a matter of pride to him. Incidentally, the Christian will in no way seek his own glory in a case of this kind, in order to have his name extolled as that of a martyr for the cause of Christ. His attitude will rather be such as to give all glory and honor to God alone.

In a very solemn statement the apostle adds the reason for the Christian’s equanimity in sufferings: For the time is come that the Judgment be held, beginning with the house of God; but if first with us, what will be the end of those that are disobedient to the Gospel of God? Even now the Judgment of God, the judgment of condemnation upon the unbelievers, whose culmination will be reached on the day when the Lord will return in glory, is beginning. It is in the house of God, in the Church of God, in the sufferings of the children of God, that it is seen. But what for the Christians is a judgment of refining, to test out their faith, what they accept as a beneficial chastisement at the hands of God, will, as directed toward the unbelievers, be a punishment of wrath unto everlasting damnation. For, as St. Augustine writes, if the sons are being chastised, what will happen to the slaves? What will be the fate of the unrighteous, if God does not even spare the righteous, His intention being to instruct and train them? The believers are hardly, but certainly saved; those, however, that have refused to be obedient to the Gospel, that were unbelievers from choice, will miss the salvation of Christ, will go away into everlasting destruction, Revelation 17:11. That is what the apostle calls out in impressive warning: If the righteous is hardly saved, where will the godless and the sinner appear? Evidently all the hopes which people of that kind have had are futile, have no foundation, as they will find out to their terror.

St. Peter, therefore, concludes: Wherefore let also those that suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to Him, as to the faithful Creator, in doing good. Because the Judgment has begun in the house of God, because the last time of suffering has begun for the Christians, therefore all those that are suffering in conformity with this will of the Lord should not despair, but should deposit their souls into God’s care, entrust them to the protection of the Lord. This is an instance where the Christians show their confidence in the Lord as the almighty Creator of the universe, as the faithful Provider for all their wants. They know that He will not tempt them above that they are able, 1 Corinthians 10:13. But they do not sit down in supine carelessness, waiting for His promises to come true, but they are diligent in the exercise of good works; that is the sphere in which they move, in which they conduct themselves. As Luther says, God, having created our souls without our worry and assistance, is surely able also to keep them safely to the end. That is our comfort in life and in death.

Summary

In view of the nearness of the end, the apostle admonishes the Christians to cease from sins, to be diligent in Christian virtues and works, to be partakers of Christ’s sufferings, but to be sure that this is done in all Christian sincerity.

Verses 1-14

Final admonitions and concluding greetings

An exhortation to pastors:

Having referred to various stations among the Christians in the first part of his letter, the apostle here addresses words of precept to the pastors, or elders, of the congregations which this epistle would reach: Elders, therefore, among you I, a fellow-elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory which is about to be revealed, exhort. Therefore, since God expects from all Christians simple faithfulness and devotion in the midst of the sufferings, the persecutions of these latter days, they should be assiduous in the duties which their station demanded of them. In a threefold capacity Peter is addressing these elders, or bishops, or pastors, of the Christian congregations in Asia Minor. He is a fellow-elder; although not a resident pastor, he belonged to those men whom God had made the teachers and leaders of the entire Church, and therefore had a right to give instructions in the individual congregations. But note that Peter does not assume absolute authority over these pastors, nor does he stress hierarchical power. He calls himself, in the second place, a witness of the sufferings of Christ. The redeeming work of Christ was the theme of Peter’s sermons; the Savior was the power which inspired him. Of this he had given evidence also in being a partaker of the sufferings of Christ, in imprisonments and stripes. But for this reason he is, lastly, certain of obtaining and enjoying the future glory, the glory which was soon to be revealed. Thus the designations which the apostle gives to himself, are in themselves a hearty encouragement to all pastors to base their preaching of the Gospel on the inspired writings of the apostles, to proclaim the redemption through the blood of Christ without fear, to bear any sufferings which may strike them without flinching, and confidently to expect the future glory.

The admonition itself is short and to the point: Be shepherds to the flock of Christ in your charge, not with constraint, but willingly, nor yet for sordid gain, but zealously, neither yet as lording it over your charges, but become patterns for the flock. The Greek word used by St. Peter to denote the work of the pastors is one which describes the entire labor of faithful shepherds, not only the feeding, but also the tending, the watching, all the duties which the pastors assume in accepting a charge. For the flock is not their own to rule and to handle as they please, but belongs to the great Lord and Shepherd above, to whom they will have to render an account on the last day. They should discharge the office of bishops, or shepherds, in the employ of the Lord, not with constraint, as being pressed to the work, performing only just so much as the situation absolutely requires, but willingly, with a true interest in, and with a cordial love for, the souls; not for the sake of gaining great temporal advantages, to come into possession of money and goods, making that the sole object of their labor, but freely, with a mind that has no other interest but just to serve to the best of ability; not in the sense that they should set themselves up as the lords and masters of God’s heritage, of the congregations which belong to the Lord alone, their duty rather being to be examples, patterns, to the souls entrusted to their care, in love, in the spirit, in faith, in purity. Cp. 1 Timothy 4:12; Titus 2:7; 2 Thessalonians 3:9; Philippians 3:17. This is a short, but exhaustive pastoral theology, which incidentally teaches also the members of the congregations the responsibilities which are attached to the pastoral office.

A splendid reward is held out to the faithful pastor: And when the supreme Shepherd has appeared, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. The chief Shepherd, the Lord of His Church, is Christ. His manifestation is imminent; we may expect at any time that He will return in glory, both for the Judgment and for the reward of those that have given evidence of their faith in a faithful discharge of their duties. It is He who will, on the last day, as a reward of grace, press upon the brow of all faithful shepherds, or pastors, an unfading crown, or wreath, of glory. The service, the battle here on earth, is but of short duration, but the reward will last throughout eternity. Cp. Daniel 12:3.

To the admonition addressed to the elders the apostle adds another: Likewise you younger, submit yourselves to the elders; but all bind upon yourselves toward one another humble-mindedness, for God resists the proud, but to the humble He gives grace. This word is intended to curb the false idea of independence which is liable to take hold of the hearts of the younger members of the congregation. They should remember that they owe obedience to the office of the elders, that they should submit themselves to the teaching, to the instructions which the pastors give them from the Word of God. But in the final analysis it is the duty of all Christians to be humble-minded toward one another, literally, to bind around, to put upon themselves, humble-mindedness like a vestment, a part of a garment, Ephesians 5:21; Galatians 5:13. All of them should at all times be mindful of the word which the Lord has recorded in Proverbs 3:34 ^■945 , saying that He will steadfastly resist the proud, and therefore finally bring all their pride down into the dust, but He gives grace to the humble, showing him such favor as will finally redound to his lasting benefit.

Humility and vigilance enjoined:

The lesson which the apostle opened in the first paragraph he here concludes with an urgent appeal: Humble yourselves, then, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in His time. The reference is to the suffering which He sends His Christians. The pride of the human heart is inclined to resent this chastisement, to murmur, and to grumble. But true Christians will repress this tendency, will willingly bow themselves under the chastening hand of their almighty Lord and Master, will cheerfully bear all the misfortunes which He thinks it best to inflict. If this is the case, then God, in His mercy, will also lift up them that are His out of the slough of despondency which threatens to engulf them, and will make them feel the fulness of His goodness in Christ Jesus.

In thus bearing the misfortunes, and even the chastisements which fall to their lot, with meekness and patience, the apostle suggests to the Christians: Casting your every care upon Him, for He cares for you. All the cares and worries of this present life, everything that bothers the Christians, in its entirety, and once and for always, they should simply cast upon their heavenly Father, making a recurrence of foolish care and worry impossible. Cp. Psalm 55:23; Matthew 6:25-34. If Christians thus, by the prayer of faith, put everything that worries them into the care of their heavenly Father, they will realize and experience the truth of His many promises; they will find out that God takes a personal interest in every one of them, that without His will or permission not a hair of their head will fall to the ground.

But while yielding to God’s almighty hand, we should stand firm against the attacks and blows of Satan: Be sober, be vigilant; your adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion, is walking about, seeking whom he may devour: to whom offer resistance, firm in the faith, knowing that the selfsame sufferings are befalling your brotherhood in the world. That is the attitude of mind, the disposition, which we must find in the Christians at all times, to keep a clear mind, unclouded with the cares of this life, to be on the lookout against dangers and enemies all the time, never to slacken in vigilance for so much as a moment. For the most powerful enemy, the most mighty adversary, is the devil, the murderer from the beginning. Just as the roaring of the lion is intended to terrorize and intimidate the animals, as he goes forth to seek his prey, making them cower before him in cringing helplessness, thus the devil makes use of similar schemes. By the enmity and the threats of the children of the world he tries to reduce the Christians to a state of helpless terror, when they will be unable to resist his attack and will become a prey to him and to eternal damnation. He does not easily attack an entire congregation, but he singles out such as seem to offer the best chance for a successful onslaught. And it is the culmination of his joy if he succeeds in drawing some poor soul down into his kingdom of darkness. There is only one approved way for the Christians, individually and collectively, to save their souls at such a time, namely, by offering unyielding resistance, by being firm in the faith. For faith clings to Christ and to His Word, knowing that a single word taken from God’s eternal truth is sufficient to fell Satan with all his power. And in this resistance another thought will serve to strengthen the believers, namely, that the very same kind of sufferings is being accomplished in the case of the entire brotherhood, the entire Christian Church in the world. This world is the devil’s stamping-ground, here he exercises his power; hence we may expect that he will try with all his might to regain control also of our souls. The consciousness, therefore, that others are in the same condition, that all the other children of God in the world are suffering and battling in the same way as we are, will serve to comfort and to strengthen us.

Greetings and benediction:

That the battle against the might and the guile of Satan is not a matter of man’s own strength and wisdom is a truth of which Christians must be conscious at all times. It is for this reason that the apostle adds his fervent prayer: But the God of all grace, He that called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself, after you have suffered for a little, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, ground you. That is the source of the Christian’s strength. He, the God of all grace, who is so immeasurably rich in His mercy toward men, in Christ Jesus, He that always does more than we ask for or understand, He has called us to His eternal glory, He has brought us to the communion of His dear Son, His object being finally to lead us to His eternal glory. It is true that we, in our calling as Christians, must suffer for a short while, as long as the few years of this earthly life endure, Acts 14:22. But it is true also that we have His promise to bring us to final perfection, to realize His purpose in us, Philippians 1:6; 1 Corinthians 1:8-9; 1 Thessalonians 5:24. To this end He Himself will establish, confirm us, that our feet may not become uncertain; He will strengthen our faith, He will set us on the firm foundation of His Word unto the end. Thus our ability to resist the adversary, to cling in firm faith to Christ and to His Word, is the work of God in us. And this fact is our guarantee that He will also continue to strengthen and keep us, in spite of all temptations and tribulations, unto our end. Therefore we say with the apostle: To Him be glory and power forever and ever. We acknowledge His power, we give all honor to Him, both now and in that glorious future which awaits us at the end of time. This is most certainly true ^■946 .

The apostle now adds some personal remarks: Through Silvanus, a faithful brother in my opinion, I have written to you briefly, admonishing and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you are standing. Silvanus, or Silas, the companion of the Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey, was a valued assistant in the missionary work of the early Church, personally known, moreover, to many of the readers of this letter. Not only Paul, but also Peter considered him a faithful brother in Christ. The letter, as the apostle here remarks, is only brief, but it certainly contains enough of admonition and of testimony to convince any believer that his faith in the grace of God, as assured to him in the Gospel-message, was not an imaginary, futile thing, but was a solid foundation, on which he might well continue to stand.

In conclusion, St. Peter writes: The congregation at Babylon, elected together with you, greets you and Mark, my son. With the common personification of the Church as we find it in the early letters, the apostle says, literally, that she who is elected together with you in Babylon (Rome) salutes you. The members of the congregation at Rome were elected and called by the same Lord, in the same manner as those in Asia Minor. They were therefore united by the bonds of the same faith and hope and love, hence the brotherly greeting. Mark was Peter’s spiritual son, standing about in the same relation to this apostle as Timothy did to Paul. The apostle, in closing, bids the members of the congregations greet one another with the kiss of love, a custom which was observed for a number of centuries at a certain point in the communion service, the men saluting the men and the women the women. His very last word is that peace, true peace, based upon the love of God in Christ Jesus, on the reconciliation earned through His obedience, might be with them all. Christ is our Peace: with this thought we may well close this letter and with it close our eyes in death ^■947 .

Summary

The apostle exhorts the pastors to be faithful in their oversight of the Lord’s flock, admonishes all Christians to show humility, vigilance, and steadfastness in resisting the devil, and closes with greetings and a benediction.

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