1 PETER

Commentary by Gary Jones

The only writings recorded in the Scriptures authored by Peter, the first leader of the Christian church, are two short letters.  Although these letters are profound and significant, most of what we know about Peter is what is written about him.  Traditions and controversy surrounds our references of Peter.  The book of the Acts of the Spirit contains many references of Peter, and Paul refers to Peter [Galatians 2:8, 9, 11, and 14], as well as Peter refers to Paul [2 Peter 3:15].  Peter was unquestionably the leader of the 1^st Centaury church. Peter’s letters are the most revealing evidence we have of his “positional” nature and his mature “condition” in God’s grace.  God’s Spirit used him mightily, this man, called Peter, and whose surname was Simon.  Jesus changed his name to foretell his significance in God’s plan.  Simon means “son of Jacob” while Peter means “a stone.”  This change in his name gives us a word picture of the transition in this man’s life, from one among many --- into a key building block in God’s temple.  His names represent two natures.  The old nature tied to this world and its heritage and the new nature given by God for a purpose.  In his transitions from dust blown by the wind, he becomes a solid rock destined to stand against the raging elements.

We know more about Peter’s shortcomings and strengths than we do about Paul’s life and temperaments.  We are told about how gullible and short-tempered Peter could be.  We are able to see him at his worst and at his best.  His early life as a fisherman causes some to assume he was an ignorant man, but his letters and his life attests to a person with deep intellect, even though he did not have the formal education of Paul’s. 

Peter plays a prominent role in all of the Gospels, in the book of the Acts, and in references by Paul as a mentor, an adversary, and as a friend.  The New Testament landscape would be significantly changed without this man called Peter.  His life after his writing is not mentioned in any Scriptural reference, however, Jesus does give us prophesy about Peter’s final days.  “I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”  Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.  [John 21:18, 19]  Much is written in traditional literature throughout the centuries about these latter days in Peter’s life.  The things we need to know about Peter are included in the Scriptures, and everything else is some level of speculation, while interesting does not contribute to our growth and development towards our primary purpose to be conformed to the image of the Son [Romans 8:28-30].  This first letter certainly qualifies as an important contributor towards this --- God purpose and plan for all His children.

1 Peter 1

¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

In a very narrow sense, only 13 men in the history of the world can legitimately make the claim that they are an apostle of Jesus Christ.  The original 11 plus Matthias, who was chosen to replace Judas and later the addition of Paul.  Judas was never an apostle, even though he was a member of Jesus’ twelve-disciple band, who was called to fulfill prophesy and God’s plan [Psalms 41:9, Luke 22:47, 48].  In order to qualify as an apostle, a candidate must be called and be a witness of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.  Judas does not qualify as an apostle.  Paul qualifies because he was called by Jesus, he saw Jesus resurrected, and undoubtedly, he was a witness to the crucifixion.  [1 Corinthians 15:9, 10]  The title apostle comes from the Greek word apostolos, meaning a messenger, one who is sent, or a teacher.  The term is more broadly applied to others such as Barnabas, Silas, and Timothy. 

To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,

Most modern interpretation of this passage makes it clear this letter is written to those who were chosen or elected by God to share in the new nature.  The Greek makes this election abundantly clear by using the word christos ekledtos, which means anointed or chosen by God.  Many commentaries avoid the statement that God did the choosing and express their biased opinion that the new nature is a product of individual choice.  To do this, the emphasis is placed on the next phrase “strangers in the world” because of their bias.  This is not what the verse says.  They are elected and this is what makes them strangers in the world.  These commentators turn the facts around to suit their assumption that this condition is a product of the individual’s personal election.  God is reacting, they are saying, to human volition or action, instead of the truth that we react to God.  The reasons they claim such distortion of God’s word runs deep in traditional beliefs, which is always emanating the sinful nature’s desire to be in control.

It is important to appreciate the reason they are strangers.  God is working through His elect to teach others about the new nature.  The presents of the new nature is contagious through the action of God’s Spirit to those who are called, and those who are called can be trained in God’s ways and His plan.  This is foundational to all real evangelism.  Training is subsequent to God’s action.  Many speculate and report that the scattering of these people were the result of persecution and suffering.  Such experiences are common in this life but these common human experiences are not the causative agent.  Confusion about the reason for any dispersion, or Diaspora, is not due to human actions or attitudes but due to the plan and the will of God.

²who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:

The same authors who make the claim that belief is the primary reason for persecution and suffering will acknowledge that God chose His family before any individual had an opportunity to choose Him.  The world causes one thing and God cause the other, “How can this be?”  This apparent contradiction is explained by some circler logic.  Yes, God chose us “in Him before the creation of the world” [Ephesians 1:4] but there must also be a repentance of sins and an acceptance of His gift of grace before salvation can be realized, it is claimed.  In other words, God is dependent upon human actions.  This is illogical; to believe that the same God who controls the universe, cannot manage something as critical as a human’s salvation.  This same God who can chose whom He calls, He justifies, and He glorifies [Romans 8:30] cannot manage His own property.  This line of reasoning is absurd.  We do not need to form a circler path around salvation just to include some humans in the loop.  God does it all according to His will and pleasure [Ephesians 1:5] and He does not requiring anything from us [Ephesians 2:8, 9].

“The sanctifying work of The Spirit” is a fulfillment of Jesus’ promise and commission to His Spirit [John 16:7-15].  This promise specifies the scope of The Spirit’s work in this world.  This commission includes (1) the exposure of sin in its true form, (2) the guidance of all believers along the true path towards righteousness, and (3) the advertising that all things are working towards God’s honor and glory.  There is no allowance for human intervention or volition within the bounders of this promise and commission.  The narrow parameter of this promise and commission indicates the management of the believer’s sanctification, or development, is strictly within The Spirit’s jurisdiction and scope of responsibility.  This leaves the believer in a sate of being trained, conformed, molded, and managed according to The Spirit’s predetermined specifications.  It leaves no room for human freelancing or self-determination.  Think about it!  Who is better equipped to make decisions --- selfish ignorant humans or God’s omniscient Spirit?

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

The product of obedience to The Spirit’s leading is awareness of God’s grace and a peace that passes all understanding [Philippians 4:7].  The more obedience develops more awareness and more feeling of peace.  Minds and hearts are both affect by such obedience.

Praise to God for a Living Hope

The Spirits presence and nature produces a view of God’s promises and a continual hope for the future.         

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Thanking God for His great mercy is a continuing blessing we can only experience in His grace.  We do not have to understand it, but we can thank Him for it anyway.  God gives mercy to whom He wants to give mercy [Romans 9:15].  God’s mercy is always given for His benefit and determined by His will.  The giving of the new birth is more that just the giving of mercy.  The gift of the new birth into a living hope comes only because of God’s grace [Ephesians 2:4-9].  Mercy and grace coexist for some, but they are separated states for others.  God gives to everyone some mercy before the judgment.  However, God’s grace is the provider of eternal justification.  Without mercy, there would be no life.  It is God’s grace, in addition to His mercy, that provides the gift of salvation.  God has arranged for those whom He elects and calls the right to be sons of God [Galatians 3:26] because of His grace through another gift we call faith, a work of God [John 6:29].  This faith then provides “the hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”  His election and His calling are also separate events.  The election occurs before the creation and the calling occurs at some time after the physical birth.  The Spirit makes this call at a time of His choosing and in His way [John 3:6-8].  This call is irrevocable [Romans 11:29] because the election has already taken place before time began [Ephesians 1:4-6].  Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord [Romans 8:37-39].  This nothing includes human will and stupid human decisions.  The sequence implied here are first mercy, then grace, the new birth, the gift of faith, and eternal justification.  If we do not mix this sequence up, as some do, we will find the remainder to the letter to flow much easier.

⁴and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you,

Part of this God given faith is this hope to enjoy God’s eternal promises.  Even though we cannot image or speculate about any details about the promise implied in this eternal inheritance, we are given through faith that it is all true and we will share in such an inheritance.  We are told it is reserved for those who believe Christ is our redeemer and Savior.  We cannot understand in any meaningful way what this means, but we believe it is true because of this God given faith.  This inheritance is different from any inheritance we can imagine because this inheritance is incorruptible and imperishable.  There is nothing in this life we can do to affect this promise in any way.  It has been fixed in eternity outside of our control.  This inheritance is related to our perfect position [Romans 8:1, 2] in Christ and independent from our temporal mortal condition   Remember “position” and “condition” are separate issues.

⁵who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

This faith is literally guarded by and under the control by the power of God.  The “power” here is dunamis, which means and inherent power to perform miracles, a mighty power, or the ability that comes from God.  This word is where we get the word dynamite.  This is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and that will resurrect all who have this faith [1Corinthians 6:14].  All power is in God and not in us [2 Corinthians 4:7].  This power is boundless and unfathomable we should always be amazed and thankful for such a wonderful grace.

This faith is what causes so much disagreement.  This faith is treated as if it was a commodity.  That can be acquired by saying some ritualistic prayer, or by making some public testimony, or deciding to believe God’s word.  This faith is flaunted as if it is a possession to be compared, to be boasted about, and to be claimed as an asset.  Such attitudes are foolish, arrogant, and idolatry in the presence of God’s nature and power.  If there were a sin that could cause God’s Spirit to grieve, it would be a person’s disrespect towards the power of faith.  Only God gives faith and only through faith grace flows into an individual’s life.  The advocacy of any doctrine or belief that deems faith as an acquired community is a deplorable form of sin.  When we hear someone make the comment that faith is something that pulled us through a difficult time or through some crises, this is an indication that the commodity disrespect is present.  There is a pervasive lack of understanding about the nature of faith.  Faith is life it cannot be acquired.  This is the essence of Christ’s indwelling power [Romans 1:17].  Faith cannot be turned on and off as the circumstance warrant.  Faith is the living water that only Christ can provide, and any other kind of faith is a counterfeit and a heresy against God’s nature and word.

Faith is the hope that God’s promises will soon be fulfilled.  It is not the hope that tomorrow will be better than today.  “Your will be done” is the prayer of faith and never “my will be done.”  God’s will is the only will that matters in the presence of real faith.  This kind of faith is not popular in the consensus of this world because it means that all of prophesy will come to pass sooner rather that later.  This kind of faith means that all of our dreams are lost in God’s “will” and plans.  We resist this kind of faith because of the implied pain and suffering we might have to endure, the changes we might have to make.  Being ready for the last time requires extensive preparation and the learning of many lessons.  This is where the “power” is helpful.  God manages this growth and preparation according to His plan and He knows exactly what we need.  God has tasked His Spirit to guide and manage this development and readying process [John 16:13]

⁶In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  ⁷These have come, so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

This verse certainly impresses us with the idea that this life is a  a time of preparation put in place by God for the purpose of getting us ready to become members of His family [Romans 8:29].  This verse is in direct opposition to those famous preachers who theorize that this life is some kind of a test to prove our worth in His family.  Neither is this life a stage where everyone plays a part as Shakespeare fantasized in the “Merchant of Venice.”  One of the signs that this preparation is on a growing and developing track is the amount of rejoicing that goes on about all that God is doing.  James in his typical succinct manner tells us we should consider our trails “pure joy” [James 1:2] because these trails are signs that God is working with us to grow us into the purpose He has for us.  God is handling this process and, therefore, we do not have to worry about it not being completed exactly as He had planned.  We may not like what He is doing it at times, but He knows what He is doing and we can rejoice in that.  Thinking that trials are blessings, is contrary to our world’s teachings.  We have to learn to look at these trials differently as a part of this preparation process.

Some commentators try to make the point that trials are different from tribulation, and persecutions.  The Greek word for trial is peirasmos, which can be used in a number of different contexts.  Generally, if it is a problem it is a pairasmos.  There is no utility in trying to invent different situations to differentiate between trial, temptations, or persecution. 

Part of the problem in interpretation is a statement made by James, who writes, God never tempts anyone.  The same Greek word is used here, in a different tense, but these verses do not stand in contradiction.  James context clearly identifies where this temptation is coming from --- our sinful nature and not from God.  This verse in Peter is saying, “we have to suffer grief in trials.”  This verse is not specifying the origin of these trials; therefore, we should not jump to the conclusion God is the origin.  We are by nature allowed to suffer so that we will be able to learn --- it is our sinful nature attacking us.  Many play games with these words to blame our problems on some superhuman creature, like Satan.  It is common to hear that Satan is tempting us and our problems are caused by such transcendental forces.  There is no Scripture to support such a theory, and the James 1:13, 14 passage certainly debunks this speculation. 

¹³When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me.”  For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

The realization that we are the enemy focuses our attention on the problem and away from looking for excuses or blaming something or someone else.  Philosophy, psychiatry, sociology, and theology are sources of many theories about the origin and the cause of our “sin” problems.  The Bible tells us this “sin” problem is no mystery.  We are born with a sinful nature, which controls us until God’s Spirit is born into us.  We are influenced by this nature from the beginning of our physical life and to a varying degree until we die.  It is only through God’s grace and His continuing mercy that the presence of this nature does not consume us first and then systematically kill us.  We need to thank God every day for His grace and give Him the glory for what He is doing in our lives.  As we thank Him, we will begin to see and appreciate how the trials found in this life are helping us to grow in the wisdom given in His word. 

Praise, glory, and honor are three words we often hear in various types of inspirational speeches, but are we sure what these words mean?  Praise for example is much more than saying something nice about someone.  This word literally means we fully agree with the actions taken by the individual we are praising.  When this word is used in the context of faith, as it is in this verse, we saying in our praise that we approve of what God is doing even though we do not understand it and we may not even like what He is doing.  Praise is saying “Your will be dome” and not my will.  Glory is another word that is thrown around a lot in all sorts of contexts.  Glory is more than praise; it belongs solely to Christ reflected from the Father.  It is the essences of God, wisdom, judgment, His eternal goodness, personality, and a view of His plan.  Being in Christ touches God’s glory, whether we realize it or not.  This is something that will be revealed fully in the day of the Lord [Romans 8:18].  The use of this word should never be taken causally or out of the context of Christ’s gift of faith.  Honor is word that implies a price has been paid before it can be awarded.  Considering the context, the price that God paid for this honor was Jesus’ death, which is the reason we should rejoice in such an expression of God’s grace.   Christ resurrection from the dead is the worthy distinction He has over any conceivable honor.  In all of our thoughts and prayers, we should honor Christ for His gift, grace, and sacrifice.

Various interpretations of the Scriptures treat the order of these three words differently.  According to the Greek, the order is praise, honor, and glory.  This seems the most appropriate considering the context.

²⁰Yet he [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. [Romans 4:20, 21]

⁸Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

If faith came from our seeing, or from our temporal hearing for that matter, it would not be faith.  For the writer of Hebrews tells us that the certainty we have in Christ is not from sight [Hebrews 11:1].  It is argued by some that we gain faith from hearing God’s word and they quote Romans 10:17, however, this verse is not addressing the human ability to hear; it is about a spiritually given ability to hear.  The Greek in this verse for “word” is rhema, which refers to the living voice coming from The Spirit.  Such misinterpretation, creates questions and concerns about how ineffective our preaching and teaching tends to be.  The full context of this passage must be taken in to account, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear,” [Romans 11:7, 8].  “The Spirit give birth to the spirit.”  [John 3:6]  Therefore, when we feel disappointed with the results of our testimonies, we must remember that God is working in His way in His time [Ephesians 2:8, 9].

Our love for Him and our belief in His ways and promises are being developed according to The Spirit’s agenda.  We should be critical of any commentator or teacher who leaves the impression that we can conjure up love and rejoice in our particular set of circumstances.  God does not work this way.  We are training, all too slowly, through trials and suffering in the lessons we are supposed to learn.

Love, belief, and joy are products of growth and development that is managed by The Spirit [John 16:13].  Many new Christians sometimes feel like second-class citizens because such phrases like, “inexpressible and glorious joy” are outside of their personal experiences.  This type of self-creatism is caused primarily by those who desire such joy for themselves and pretend they have it.  The passage is not an avenue towards such joy.  When we read the whole passage, it can be seen that this is about “the goal of your faith,” when Christ is reveal.  First, it is a Now “position” that will be joined in our eternal “condition.”  This is beyond belief and faith; this is seeing Him face to face [1 Corinthians 13:13].  The claiming of this type of revelation in this world is commonly a gross misinterpretation, and it would be best that such hypocrisy is not for personal financial gain.  The Spirit does give us joy as we grow in our obedience to His commands.  As in the other dimensions in the fruit of The Spirit, we experience The Spirit’s works in a progressive and timely manner.  We receive only to the degree we are able to bare and in a time when we need His encouragement most, directed towards our eternal salvation.

¹⁰Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, ¹¹trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

Our ability to see and hear is not the criteria or the means by which we become eligible for this salvation.  This was made clear in the previous verses.  This salvation is coming to us because of the “foreknowledge” of God [1:2], “He has given us new birth into a living hope” [1:3], and you are “receiving the goal of your faith” [1:9].  The context is not about what we do, but about what God is doing.  Twisting this message around into requiring some prerequisite of human volition is missing the point of this message “concerning this salvation.”  Some commentators pretend that this salvation is a reward for believing in God.  This verse and the previous verses do not say this.  This believing or faith is a product of God’s work [John 6:29].  The intense searching spoken of by the prophets was due to “the Spirit of Christ in them,” [1:11] and there is no implication that this was a self-generated action.  This searching and longing is all part of God’s plan since the beginning of time.

This completion of salvation bring to the end any reason for faith, or as it is written in Greek, komize ho telos ho pisis, is the literal end of faith because it is no longer needed when God has completed His plan.  The prophets were looking forward to this end of time, and they were curious when it would occur.  They did not see past Christ and the resurrection.  They interpreted the prophecies as pointing to a single coming and not as two comings.  To them, the coming of the Messiah was the day of the Lord.  We see now, these Old Testament prophecies were true, and we now can see through the teachings of Jesus and The Spirit’s guidance that God’s plan extended beyond the limits of the prophets vision into His plan for all those who are called to salvation by The Spirit. 

²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  ²⁴For in this hope we were saved.  But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what he already has?  ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.  [Romans 8:22-25]

¹²It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.  Even angels long to look into these things.

The prophets were dependent upon the movement of The Spirit in their hearts and the traditions they had been taught.  A common characteristic among all the prophets was their lack of susceptibility to the influence of the consensus.  This social incompatibility resulted in being ostracized, persecuted, and even executed.  The phrase “by the Holy Spirit” indicates that God’s Spirit was in these prophets a long time before the coming of The First Pentecost.  This indicates God was forming His family before The Advent.  These prophets were given divine insight into the future, which represents the truth because this view is coming from the Eternal Now, heaven.  The purity of this truth contrasts the contusion in this temporal domain to such degree that only conflict can result.  Out of this conflict come lessons necessary to grow and develop the nature God plants in the hearts of His children.  The prophet’s lives and their hardships actually form the foundation upon which God has built His Gospel.  Their hardships seemed to propel them and encourage them with a hope for the future time when the promised One would come.  In the words found in the book of Daniel, there is a mission statement that could reflect the thoughts of all of the prophets, “Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come."  [Daniel 10:14]

These prophets were given a view into the future that even the angles did not have.  This is an amazing thought.  Angles that live in the timeless domain with God, who are known to be able to travel back and forth between our space-time domain and God’s eternal domain, and are created with jurisdictions and powers greater than humans cannot see into the future.  In addition to being unable to see into the future, they seek and long to know what the future holds.  We can speculate how the angles study these prophesies and the all texts that God has given to us in their search for information.  We could assume from such thoughts that the angles are also being prepared for the final coming of The Anointed One.  The power and the mystery surrounding angles have created an aura of fantasy and an incentive to bypass the Scriptures in favor of legends and traditions.  We should be careful about what we believe about these created beings called angels.  They have a specific God given purpose, which is totally controlled and managed by Christ’s Spirit.  They never operate outside of God’s plan.  They are not omnipresent, omniscient, or omnipotent.  They are not perfect because it says they will be judged by God’s children [1 Corinthians 6:3]; you cannot judge perfection.  The worship of angels, in any way, is a sin [Colossians 2:18].  Above all, no angel has ever been called a son of God [Galatians 3:26].

Be Holy

¹³Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Therefore, since you have you have been “chosen” [1:2], since you have been given the “new birth” [1:3], since you are “shielded by God’s power” [1:5], and since you have been given the much anticipated grace [1:10-12] there is good reason to prepare your minds for action.  Older interpretations of this verse and the Greek give us a little different view of what this verse is telling us.  A metaphor is used, “to gird up”, anazonnumi, referring back to the practice of binding long garments up away from the feet just before starting out on a journey.  The idea of getting those things that inhibits moving performance out of the way before any serious walking could begin.  This metaphor is more colorful and immediately meaningful than preparing your minds.  How does one prepare minds for action?  If this preparation means we first get rid of our nonsense then the metaphor can have a special meaning.  If this preparation means to us that we are taking hold of our minds and being determined to keep our false beliefs then the original Greek does not make much sense.  The phrase “be self-controlled” has been added as an interpretation of the Greek phrase “be sober,” nepho.  These two phrases can be thought of as being similar, but the context is about “hope fully on grace” and this thought does not blend well with being self-controlled.  Rather, other definitions of the Greek would be more appropriate, such as being “calm,” “collected in spirit,” or being “circumspect,” all these definitions are more legitimate than “self-controlled.”  The point is --- this verse is about repentance and obedience and not about self-help practices.  The context is about getting rid of self-confidence growing in God-confidence.

The phrase “hope fully on the grace to be given you” is an interesting concept.  The way this modern interpretation is worded, it is assumed, by most who read this verse that Peter is speaking of some future gift.  Such an assumption is in error.  The verb “given,” phero (fer’-o), first is in the present active tense, and secondly, this word means, “to bring,” “to bear up,” “to uphold,” and “to preserve.”  Therefore, this phrase is about how God’s grace is being preserved now, not in the future, and is being brought fully intact into the time that Christ is revealed.  There are respected theologian that maintain that this verse is about some future condition and not the literal translation of the verse.  It is assumed that the reason for doing this is maybe a way to create questions open about the perseverance of those who have been called; they should examine the context and other Scriptures [Romans 8:37-39].  Christian should not live with concerns about future expectations, but with present thanksgiving.  The grace we have today is the same grace we will have forever. 

¹⁴As obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  ¹⁵But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

Not conforming to the acts of the inherent sinful nature is how obedience is defined here.  This is the negative side of obedience contrasted with obedience to God’s commands as the positive side.  The sins of commission and omission boundaries are our challenges in this life.  Jesus is our standard in these challenges.  There is something also lost in the interpretation of this verse.  The Greek speaks of a time when the disobedient was ignorant of current feelings.  This is different from no knowing the difference between right and wrong.  Being oblivious to our current motivation is not the same thing as being convinced that some hypothetical action is wrong.   We often judge others for wrongdoing, even when we are guilt of similar actions.  The whole game of blaming is tie to the relative interpretation of sins.  We tend to play this game by making some sins worst than others.  We turn this around and make some actions better than someone else’s actions.  Most likely, our measurement of these relative judgments is directly related to our perception of control, and this masks our own motivations. 

The underlining assumption is --- if I did it then it was better than if someone else did it, good or bad.  This verse in the original language is calling for us to interpret first our understanding of right and wrong before we can adequately measure our evil desires.  When we are ignorant of our personal evil desires, not someone else’s, we cannot judge whether we are conforming to our evil nature.  True obedience is being conformed to the image of God’s Son.

Christ’s Spirit is who called us, and He is in the process of conforming us to His standard.  When we notice the old desires begin to fall away we can then feel some confidence God is working in our lives.  Becoming holy in all we do is not an automatic event; it is a process taking time and it is always associated with pain.  The word Holy comes from hagios meaning to be pure, clear of wrong actions, free from sin, being separated for anything common or debase, and simply being like God in thought and deed.  Certainly, this is not following the consensus and being politically correct.  God’s Spirit is tasked to change His child into a state of holiness, being different from the world.  This state of holiness represents an equivalency of being in God’s will and being lead by His Spirit.  This transition, out of the world into His holiness, is the primary function and purpose of this life.  Seeking happiness is not our purpose [Romans 8:29].  Inside of God’s boundaries is holiness, and such a state may or may not be considered happiness to someone else.  The pursuit of happiness drags a child of God away from holiness.  It is always good when enjoying some happiness to examine our personal state of holiness.  In addition, when in a state of unhappiness it is good also to examine our personal state of holiness.

¹⁷Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.

Since we call God “Our Father,” we are implying we are related with the same nature.  This implication is true if we are “in Christ.”  This relationship initiates certain responses from God’s Spirit’s actions.  This relationship promotes the knowledge that sin is punished, even if it is not understood or acknowledged.  God disciplines His children for their own good [Hebrews 12:10].  “If you are not disciplined then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.”  [Hebrews 12:8]  For those who are called, discipline is a worthy sign that The Spirit is working all things for our good [Romans 8:28].  The realization that God is working in our lives and that our troubles are actually helping us to grow in our faith is a reason to consider discipline as a source of joy [James 1:2].  Too often, we look upon our problems as attacks from outside forces bent upon our destruction.  Such an attitude is non-scriptural; it is motivated by selfishly contrived theories and mythologies.  The Scriptures must be studies, particularly in time of distress, in order to following The Spirit’s leading away from the world’s nonsense.

Fearing God is a good and natural product coming out of a growing faith.  A person who claims they have faith but does not respect and fear God’s discipline as God’s work has a questionable faith.  Anyone who considers God as just a loving Father who does not participate in the finest details of childrearing misunderstands the Scriptures.  “When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world” [1 Corinthians 10:32].  Much of the emphasis we hear placed upon God’s love and a corresponding lack of focus on discipline may stem from poor definition of two words: condemnation and discipline.  Both of these words are representatives of God’s love.  This verse from 1 Corinthians gives us an example of the two words being used as divine actions.  We are condemned, or judged, by the Lord before we are disciplined for our own good.  This cycle is part of our development process.  In order to escape the confusion these words may cause, we must separate in our minds the difference between the ways God looks at us in Christ, which is without condemnation [Romans 8:1], and the child-like condition we are living [Romans 7:18-20].  When we separate our perfect position in Christ from our current condition in this world, it is easier to see how God condemns us for our actions and then disciplines us for these actions.  We need to fear God for His discipline by being lead by His Spirit into a life more in conforming to His holiness, even when such a life interferes with our desires for happiness.  This life is about being holy not being happy.

¹⁸For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

Such knowledge as this is certainly not compatible with any consensus or the world’s view.  The wisdom of this world teaches very explicitly and in all its propaganda messages that wealth is the key to happiness, and happiness is the objective for a meaningful life.  It does not seem to matter that there is overwhelming evidence contrary to this world’s wisdom and that the Scriptures give such compelling arguments against it.  It is true the love of money is at the “root of all kinds of evils” [1 Timothy 6:10].  The contrast is evident between the empty way and the fullness of life in Christ.  Despite the historical support and Scriptural proof, this truth seems to surface only through personal experience.  This knowledge comes only after a lot of resistance, trial and error, and some painful lessons.  Peter is making an assumption here, that we have learned this lesson, which is more the exception than the rule now days.  In fact, it more common to believe our traditions handed down from our “forefathers” than to believe the second verse in this letter.

Redemption through the precious blood of Christ is such an esoteric concept to most of us it is very hard to appreciate.  We have heard this rational for redemption so often that it becomes even less meaningful.  The blood sacrifice of lambs for the forgiveness of sins is a subject beyond our modern day cognitive experience or understanding.  A careful academic study of the Old Testament does not help very much in understanding God’s reasoning in killing poor defenseless lambs.  We can find this concept repugnant yet it was introduced in the very beginning of the Scriptures; God killed some animal to make tunics of skin to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness, the symbol of sin [Genesis 3:21].  The spilling of blood is linked some way to sin from the very beginning.  God is responsible for the drawing of this correlation between sin and blood.  As we move through the Scriptures we find that sin is a direct product of our nature [James 1:15], which is the cause of death.  Later, there was the Passover lamb, which was to symbolize God’s mercy and salvation from slavery [Exodus 12:3, 13].  The significance of a spotless lamb is to symbolize the most innocent.  The metaphor expands from sin, to blood, to innocence, and to redemption (the payment given for procuring a slave).  The principle seems to say the guilt of sin can be covered by innocent blood.  This is the principle God established in His scheme of things.  This is the way it is, which does not give us the reason why He did it this way.  His reason is always His reason and it does not have to make sense to us [Romans 9:18].

²⁰He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

The plan was put into motion before the creation.  Christ was chosen to go through the whole indignation of leaving the throne room and the absolute seat of power, to become a man and die.  Such a transition was deemed necessary in God’s plan because God want to build a family.  This plan and this decision were made before there were any such things as humans.  Such a plan and decision as this is called predestination.  We cannot image or conceive of the meaning of this in our time-limited domain.  Peter, through the leading of The Spirit, is giving us a peak into something we cannot really understand for a purpose.  It seems he is telling us --- God works beyond our influence and even beyond our understanding.  We resist this message because of our inherent and taught impression of our own power to control. 

This verse is not a favorite of those preaching self-determination and positive thinking.  The theologians typically will classify this verse as one of those foreknowledge examples, and pass over it rather quickly.  Passing over this verse, we miss thinking about some interesting implications it implies.  This verse tell us that God thought very carefully about the design of these humans He was about to create.  The sacrifice He was about to make.  The enormous price He would have to pay for His family He would gain and for the family He would have to lose.  God could see the total impact of all of history from His vantage point. 

Jesus knew from the moment of His decision what would happen.  He designed the human just the way He did, according to His pleasure and will.  He could see all of the pain and death destined to occur in the course of completing this plan.  If we pause too long then speculation runs wild.  Lurking in the background is the mystery about the problem of evil.  Did evil precede or follow this decision to go ahead with this creation?  There is no way to know the answer, but it really does not matter anyway.  An omniscient Sovereign God would have considered this problem, in any event, when He designed humans.  The implication of this speculation is that the human design is intentionally predestined and vulnerable to the influence of evil.  Such logical wandering in areas where we have no information only causes more unanswerable questions.  If nothing else such speculation as this brings into question some longstanding theories about the perfection of Adam.  It is clear from the Genesis account Adam was not perfect and was susceptible to the influence of evil.  All Scriptures attests to God’s Sovereignty, and, therefore, the design of Adam’s nature was meant to follow is infamous course.

²¹Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

Notice that belief is “through Him” and not coming from some human quality of goodness inherently implanted in all individuals.  Belief is not an inherent resource.  It is not something developed from listening or gained due to some knowledge.  It is from God’s Spirit, which is independent from our effort and desires; it is a gift from God [Ephesians 2:8, 9].  Our belief is not a human resource or an acquired attribute; it from God’s nature from which He shares as He sees fit.  God is doing it all without human approval or participation.  God is responsible for all the elements of Jesus’ resurrection, assumption of authority, and His power over all things [Colossians 1:15-20].  Our faith in Christ is a product of God’s plan and creation of the new life in Christ.  Our expectations are founded in the transfer of this belief coming from God’s nature into our new nature.

²²Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart 

Truth and obedience is an avenue leading into holiness.  The combining of truth and obedience is an interesting and rare formulation of realities.  We hear a lot about truth and obedience separately.  The combination gives us a different perspective concerning both truth and obedience.  Truth is defined as one of Jesus’ attributes [John 14:6].  This is an absolute quantity, which cannot be improved upon.  All the truth that we may think we know is but a small fragment of God’s truth.  Most of what we know is but a poor reflection of this absolute truth [1 Corinthians 13:12].  Perhaps, with much effort, we will increase our level of knowledge about Jesus and His truth, but in the end, we are still lacking any real grasp of this truth.  One of the advantages in expending this effort, however, is a growth in an appreciation for the subject of obedience.  Therefore, the combination of these two qualities becomes complimentary of each other in a progressive march towards God’s purpose for us.  We learn the truths, our faith grows, and with God’s guidance, then we apply these truths in our lives.  This cycle of truth, stronger faith, and greater obedience ever increases our appreciation for God is doing in our lives.

God channels this development into love for others, and this love encourages others to experience the same cycle of growth.  Thus, our God given belief becomes the ground where others are developed and nourished.  This is how God builds His family.  Belief, trust, obedience, and love are linked together in a learning experience, all under the guidance of God’s Spirit.  It all becomes a living vine of growing and producing branches living on God’s love [John 15:1-17]. 

²³For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

The new birth comes about because of the work of the living word [John 3:6].  The word of God is not written with ink but by The Spirit and not written on paper but in the minds and hearts of God’s children [2 Corinthians 3:3].  The message is not heard through human ears but through the word of Christ, the living word [Romans 10:17].  This is a spiritual message beyond the counterfeit and superficial preaching of perishable humankind.  This Spirit dwells in God’s child [Romans 8:9] and guides the believer into the truth [John 16:13].  This massage is critical “Because those who are led by The Spirit of God are sons of God,” [Romans 8:14] and only God’s Spirit can manage this life in The Spirit.  The child of God knows this message is true because The Spirit bears witness to these truths [Romans 8:16].  The Kingdom of God is where The Spirit resides, where there is righteousness, peace, and joy [Romans 14:17].  The child of God is justified and sanctified by The Spirit of Christ [1 Corinthians 6:11].  Even testimonies are screened and permitted according to the will and management of The Spirit [1 Corinthians 12:3].  It is God who works in us to form our will into His so that we can be conformed to the life He has planned according to purpose [Philippians 2:13].

²⁴For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;  the grass withers and the flowers fall,  ²⁵but the word of the Lord stands forever."  And this is the word that was preached to you.

This applicable quote taken from Isaiah 40:6-8 and is alluded to by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount to convey the assurance of God’s loving care. 

²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

²⁸"And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin.  ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  ³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.  ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.  [Matthew 6:27-34]