ABOUT THE ELDERS
1 PETER 5
1 I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of Christ,

• Peter likely has in mind his own personal observation of Christ’s suffering on the cross though he could be referring to the suffering present in the church.

as well as one who shares in the glory about to be revealed:

• In contrast to the suffering existent in this life, there is a glory of which all Christians partake.
• This glory is our salvation in Christ.
• Salvation was Peter’s encouragement during the persecution he was enduring, and he wanted the church to find the same joy in the midst of suffering.
• The Christian possesses this glory in this life but will be revealed fully in Heaven.

2 Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but eagerly;

• Elders are to shepherd the flock of God.
• Peter's exhortation to his fellow elders was for them to care for those under their charge as a shepherd cares for his sheep (cf. John 21:16; Acts 20:28; Ezek. 34:1-16).
• In other words, elders are responsible for the pastoral work of the local church.
• A pastor is usually an elder who functions as a shepherd.
• The verb shepherd means to tend.
• Pastoring includes the duties of feeding, leading, guiding, guarding, and providing for the needs of those in the church—just like a shepherd does these same tasks for his sheep (cf. John 21:16).
• Notice that Peter sees the elders as a team not a solo act.
• No single individual can tend to the church.
• All elders must serve not because of pressure but out of pure willingness.
• This principle can be applied to any ministerial position.
• God is not strongarming us to serve but rather wants us to do so voluntarily.
• Motivation matters.
• We should never do anything in church that we are not eager to do.
• There is no place to “have to” do something in the kingdom.
• This is a law mentality.
• Instead, we are to wait on the Lord to motivate us to serve in whatever role we do in the church.

3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

• Peter is not referring to a specific reward earned by elders.
• The crown of glory is the full revelation of our salvation in Christ, and the glory referred to by Peter a few verses earlier (5:1).
• Every believer receives this crown.

5 In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because
God resists the proud
but gives grace to the humble.

• Peter encourages an attitude of humility to be expressed by believers.
• This humility is not the result of trying harder to live righteously or to follow religious regulations but rather arises as we understand the grace of God in Christ.

 
CONCLUSION
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

• In this context, Peter is not talking about false types of humility in which we try to humble ourselves through rigorous religious living.
• He has in mind a dependency on God in which we allow Him to carry our anxieties and stresses from life.
• Humility arises as we trust in God’s gracious nature.

8 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

• Peter encourages Christians to rest in Christ's indwelling presence during spiritual warfare instead of engaging the devil verbally or rebuking him.
• This is similar to Paul’s view of the armor of God (Ephesians 6).
• We are to be strong in the Lord, not in ourselves.
• As we are strong in the Lord, we can resist what Satan is doing.
• The enemy’s main goal is not to get people to do bad stuff.
• Rather, Satan is trying to encourage people to disbelieve in God just as he did in the garden.
• Satan is also the accuser of the brethren.
• He tries to convince believers that they are somehow far from God or that they are too wicked to be in a relationship with God.
• But the Gospel says the precise opposite.
• There is no longer a relational distance between the Christian and God because of Christ’s finished work.

9 Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.

• We often feel as if we are alone in our suffering.
• However, Satan makes a target out of all Christians.
• No single Christian is immune to persecution.

10 The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while.

• Though sufferings are not of God He does use them to establish us in the faith.
• God works within His children amid suffering to mature us in Christ.
• This does not necessarily mean that the externals will change, but it does mean that internally we will know the fruit of the Spirit more intimately and enjoy God’s love in greater magnitude.

11 To him be dominion forever. Amen.
12 Through Silvanus, a faithful brother (as I consider him), I have written to you briefly in order to encourage you and to testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!

• Peter encourages the church to know the true Gospel and to stand firm or resist false teaching.
• Just as is the case today, many false teachings were present in Peter’s time.
• Any teaching that violated Christ's nature or finished work was to be discarded.[1]

13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, as does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.[2]

• My peace is shallow... His peace is infinite...
• His peace > my peace
• His peace is the only peace that can break through the noise of this world.
• I don't understand how I can have peace in the middle of the storm... Unless it comes from Him.

My peace is His peace, or it's not peace at all.

[1] Farley, Andrew. www.BibleCommentary.com. 1 Peter 5.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Pe 5:1–14.

FOLLOWING CHRIST
1 PETER 4
1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same understanding—because the one who suffers in the flesh is finished with sin--

• Don’t forget where we left off last week with 1 Peter 3:18 – For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,[1]
• Christians will suffer in this world because they are inherently opposed to the world and sin.
• According to Peter, if we suffer because we are at odds with the world, then it means that we have ceased from sin.
• This does not mean that Christians do not or cannot choose to sin, but rather that they are no longer characterized by it.
• Christians are designed to live according to the will of God.

2 in order to live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for God’s will.

• 'the flesh' is not used here or anywhere else in 1 Peter (it is used seven times; all but one of them are in 3:18—4:6) in the Pauline sense of the sinful nature in human beings (as, e.g., in Rom. 7—8), but in the normal Jewish sense of human existence as weak, fallen, and therefore subject to pain and death.
• In the New Testament, God’s will is ultimately Jesus Christ.
• The will of God is that we believe in Him and then allow Him to live through us daily (see also 1 John 3:23).
• This will of God is ultimately the opposite of the lusts of men or, in the context, the lusts of the Gentiles.
• Christians are no longer compatible with the sins of the Gentiles.
• The time of acting like this has passed because it no longer makes sense for those who have been born again.
• Warren Wiersbe - "We may not always understand what He [God] is doing, but we know that He is doing what is best for us. We do not live on explanations; we live on promises."

3 For there has already been enough time spent in doing what the Gentiles choose to do: carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry.

• It would seem that Peter is writing to a predominately Gentile audience.

4 They are surprised that you don’t join them in the same flood of wild living—and they slander you. 5 They will give an account to the one who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.

• We can take comfort in the fact that it is not our job to judge the world.
• God is the judge, and He will judge perfectly because He is perfect love and perfect goodness.

6 For this reason the gospel was also preached to those who are now dead, so that, although they might be judged in the flesh according to human standards, they might live in the spirit according to God’s standards.

• God has been proclaiming the good news of Jesus in one way or another since the beginning of time.
• The Gospel has been presented throughout the ages in different ways (Abraham being saved by faith, as an example).
• The finished work of Christ is not simply for the front end of Christianity.
• Jesus’ work is the entirety of Christianity.
• We cannot know God apart from His work, and within His work, the nature of God is revealed.
• Notice that considering this reality, Peter states that the Gospel is for believers and unbelievers.
• It is for believers because it is the revelation of the God in whom we now believe.
• But it is also for those who have not believed because God wants to save the entire world.

 
END-TIME ETHICS
7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be alert and sober-minded for prayer.

• We are to pray soundly and soberly.
• In other words, we should pray prayers that make sense and are biblical.
• We ought not to pray in a way that is contrary to the Gospel or the nature of God.
• God is not strongarming us into praying.
• Therefore, we can pray without feeling forced into a certain language.
• We are to pray according to how the Spirit leads us to pray.

8 Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.

• Jesus is producing love within all of His children in each moment.
• He is perfect love and loves us perfectly and empowers us to transmit this love to others in beautiful ways.
• There will be no sins committed when we are loving.
• And our love for others and their love for us covers any failings we may have.

9 Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.

• God’s grace has many layers and aspects.
• This grace is expressed through the various gifts given to believers.
• We have these spiritual gifts as a gift of grace and, therefore, ought to use these gifts to magnify the finished work of Christ.
• This is what God is empowering us to do.
• We are to live as if Christ lives within us and empowers us to serve in whatever way He has gifted us.
• This is what glorifies God.

11 If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

• The church is the body of Christ on Earth.
• We represent Him to the world in both word and deed.
• As we preach the Gospel of grace, we communicate the heart of God to people.

 
CHRISTIAN SUFFERING
12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you.

• Peter affirms that suffering is normal for the Christian.
• Because Christians are inherently opposed to the world, there is a natural predisposition to suffering and persecution.
• This does not mean that God is trying to break or crush us to mature us.
• God is not the author of this suffering.
• He does, however, use it to mature us.
• God is not testing His children.
• External circumstances such as suffering, and persecution test our attitudes and responses to suffering.
• God uses these responses, as well as the circumstances themselves, for our good.
• He uses it to deepen understanding of Christ’s love.
• Our place is to make the decision to trust in Christ in the midst of the trials.

13 Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed.

• We can respond to suffering in one of two ways.
• We can question God, become angry at God, and become victims.
• Or we could make a different choice despite our feelings and choose thankfulness.
• It is important to remember that if we are God’s children, He produces joy within us.
• So, we are not called to conjure up the Christian life on our own amid however the sufferings of Christ impact us.
• God’s glory is revealed within us in this way regardless of our sufferings.

14 If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

• Peter’s point is not that we ought to seek suffering in order that we may be blessed but rather that persecution proves that we belong to God.
• Because we belong to God, His Spirit rests upon us.
• The language of God’s Spirit resting on us speaks of what prophets and people like David longed for.
• Yet only in the New Covenant does God’s Spirit permanently rest upon us.
• Christians wear the Spirit of Christ amid this world and all reviling that occurs because of the world’s antagonism towards us.

15 Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a meddler. 16 But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in having that name.

• The name Christian repelled people during the days of the early church and does the same thing today.
• We have tried to make the term more palatable to people, but the name “Christ” in it is a stumbling block.
• All who suffer because of the name Christian ought to be proud that they have the best thing going on earth.

17 For the time has come for judgment to begin with God’s household, and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?

• This is not speaking of divine judgment.
• Peter is equating judgment with the persecution being faced by Christians.
• Christians are being judged in this world; however, unbelievers will be judged in the next life by God.
• But believers will never be judged by God because they have obeyed the Gospel.

18 And if a righteous person is saved with difficulty,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? (Proverbs 11:31)
19 So then, let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator while doing what is good.[2]

• While God possesses every one of His children, we still need to trust in Him consciously.
  
• This choice is often made despite the feelings we are experiencing. [3] 

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Pe 3:18.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Pe 4:1–19.
[3] Farley, Andrew. www.BibleCommentary.com. 1 Peter 4.

Crisis in the Churches of Northwest Asia

• The Christians throughout the Empire are suffering severe persecution.
• Peter has received word that the churches in northwest Asia are suffering massive attacks.
• They are distressed and in great need of encouragement.
• The persecution has become so bad that the Gentile Christians are being tempted to revert to their past pagan lifestyles to lessen the heat.
• Some believers are rebelling against local authorities because of the mistreatment and slander they are receiving from them.

PETER WRITES 1 PETER

• Year: A.D. 65
• From: Rome
• To: The churches in northwest Asia: Pontus, North Galatia, Cappadocia, and Bithynia.[1]
• 1) Set your hope (1:13)
• 2) Be holy (1:16)
• 3) Conduct yourselves (1:17)
• 4) Love one another (1:22)
• 5) Crave spiritual milk (2:2)

 
WIVES AND HUSBANDS
1 PETER 3
1 In the same way, wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, even if some disobey the word, they may be won over without a word by the way their wives live 2 when they observe your pure, reverent lives.

• In the previous chapter Peter was talking about submitting to leaders of different types because there is no point in revolting against leadership.
• Instead, we are to love and serve our leaders.
• Likewise, Peter is recognizing that wives ought to love and serve their husbands by allowing them to lead.
• This submissive attitude then impacts men in a positive way.
• If they are not believers, then perhaps they will be won over by the love of their wives.
• If they are believers, then they will feel respected and encouraged.

3 Don’t let your beauty consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes, 4 but rather what is inside the heart—the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

• Peter is not forbidding the wearing of Jewelry or any clothing that is attractive.
• Peter is talking about not making beauty merely an outward attribute.
• He is against making external beauty the big deal.
• Instead, women are to seek to know Christ and live from His Spirit.
• This type of beauty never ceases, even with the coming of old age, because it is internal.
• Thus, Peter wants women to find their worth not in that which is visible but in that worth which is spiritual and precious.
• When the focus is on this inner beauty, women may choose to dress nicely or wear Jewelry, but not in order to become something more than who they are in Christ.

5 For in the past, the holy women who put their hope in God also adorned themselves in this way, submitting to their own husbands, 6 just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.

• The women in the Old Testament wore submission to their husbands like clothes.
• The clothing of submission is a perfect fit for children of God.
• It is completely compatible with who wives, as well as husbands, are in Christ.
• Christians can choose to wear behavior that is not fitting for saints.
• But this will never yield peace and joy.
• Only the fruit of the Spirit is fitting for Christians.
• When wives express the fruit of the Spirit to men, then men will feel honored and valued.
• The fear that women carry with this type of lifestyle is based on not wanting to become doormats to their husbands.
• But Peter is clear: Women are co-heirs with their husbands.

You have become her children when you do what is good and do not fear any intimidation.
7 Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

• Husbands are to love their wives as one would love a weaker person.
• In other words, husbands are to be gentle with their wives.
• This is not a statement about women's value in marriage.
• Notice that they are fellow heirs of salvation with their husbands.
• Instead, Peter is speaking of physical strength.
• Obviously, in many marriages, the wife is the stronger person: emotionally, mentally, spiritually, morally, socially, and/or physically.
• Nevertheless, physically, the wife is usually weaker than her husband. Most men tend to choose as their wives women who are not as strong as they are.
• This pertains to physical force as well as emotional and verbal abuse.
• Peter likely also has in mind the emotional depth of women and how vulnerable this makes them.

 

• Hinder your prayers: This is a practical statement for couples who are not treating one another well.
• People will not want to pray with their spouses if they are being treated poorly.
• If, however, we express the fruit of the Spirit to one another, then nothing will get in the way of our prayer life.

DO NO EVIL
8 Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble,

• Peter has in mind the whole church, men and women.
• Christians are to have mutual respect and love for one another regardless of gender.
• Males and females must be united under the lordship of Christ.
• This behavior verse and all others encourage Christians to live according to their new nature.
• Ultimately, these verses are timesavers.
• God simply wants us to save ourselves from turmoil which comes from choosing to live in a way that is no longer compatible with our natures.
• God has worked righteousness into us and, consequently, wants us to live in accordance with this nature.
• This will produce good days for the believer as they live from the Spirit and experience the unceasing joy Christ gave us.

9 not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing.

• Christians are not to fight back against opponents.
• Instead, they are to know the blessing of Christ’s indwelling life and to choose to love despite any insults that come our way.
• We can choose not to be concerned about our status, instead forgive insults, and live from the inner person that we are in Christ.
• If we understand God’s opinion of us, then the opinion of humans doesn’t matter.

10 For the one who wants to love life
and to see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit,

• The mouth determines the health of our relationships.
• Our words have the ability to sooth and edify people, or cause harm.
• Likewise, our tongues can tell truth or lies.
• Lies will always lead to distrust in relationships.
• Truth, however, always edifies.
• Speaking truth will reflect our new natures in Christ.

11 and let him turn away from evil
and do what is good.
Let him seek peace and pursue it,

•  Christians are to seek edifying relationships with one another and the world, even though it will always inherently resist the claims of Christ.

12 because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against
those who do what is evil.

• God is not in a swivel chair.
• God’s eyes are always on the eyes of His children.
• Likewise, His ears are always attentive to our prayers.
• His face, however, is against all who have rejected the Son of God.
• God hates sin and is forever against it.

 
UNDESERVED SUFFERING
13 Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them or be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy,

• Believers do not make Christ Lord.
• He is Lord.
• When we receive Christ as Savior, we also receive Him as Lord because we believe that He can save us and has the authority to save us.
• This is a recognition of His lordship.

ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.

• Peter is encouraging believers to be ready to give a reason or a defense of our hope in Christ to all who ask us.
• This means that our expression of the Gospel is to be to all who engage us.
• This means that we only tell the Gospel to those who are interested.
• Notice that Peter is not encouraging Christians to walk out onto the street and be belligerent.
• This would not be gentle and respectful of unbelievers.
• Our place is to be ready to engage those who engage us simply.

16 Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God.

• Christ’s sacrifice was so perfect that He only needed to die once for all of our sins-past, present and future.
• When we believe this finished work of Christ cleanses us perfectly.
• Peter encouraged Christians to suffer for adhering to this reality, and not for doing wrong.
• Our sins have consequences, and when we treat one another poorly, these consequences impact relationships with believers and unbelievers alike.
• Instead, believers are to love people and be ready to give a reason for this love they possess.
• If we suffer for believing the Gospel, then we share in Christ’s sufferings who died for our sins.
• He suffered for being the Son of God in the midst of worldly darkness.
• Likewise, Christians too will suffer in different ways.

He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 in which he also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison 20 who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. In it a few—that is, eight people—were saved through water.

• This is a particularly difficult passage to interpret.
• Some believe it means that Christ went to hell to preach to those who were there after the time of Noah’s flood.
• This could certainly be true; however, it is more likely that this is speaking of previous expressions of Christ throughout history.
• The passage specifically speaks of those who were alive when the ark was being built.
• So, it stands to reason, that Christ proclaimed the Gospel through Noah to those who are now currently in spiritual prison.

21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not as the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

• Peter is speaking of being baptized spiritually into Christ at faith in Jesus, not a physical baptism.
• Notice Peter’s language: The baptism that saves does not remove dirt from the body.

22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.[2]

• Christ is seated at the right hand of God because His salvific work is complete.
• He has removed our sins past, present, and future.
• This means that there is no longer a sacrifice needed for sin.

His work as a High Priest is, therefore, finished. [3]

[1] Viola, Frank, The Untold Story of the New Testament Church. Destiny Image, Shippensburg, PA, 2004. 166-167.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Pe 3:1–22.
[3] Farley, Andrew. www.BibleCommentary.com. 1 Peter 3.

Crisis in the Churches of Northwest Asia

• The Christians throughout the Empire are suffering severe persecution.
• Peter has received word that the churches in northwest Asia are suffering massive attacks.
• They are distressed and in great need of encouragement.
• The persecution has become so bad that the Gentile Christians are being tempted to revert to their past pagan lifestyles to lessen the heat.
• Some believers are rebelling against local authorities because of the mistreatment and slander they are receiving from them.

PETER WRITES 1 PETER

• Year: A.D. 65
• From: Rome
• To: The churches in northwest Asia: Pontus, North Galatia, Cappadocia, and Bithynia.[1]
• 1) Set your hope (1:13)
• 2) Be holy (1:16)
• 3) Conduct yourselves (1:17)
• 4) Love one another (1:22)
• 5) Crave spiritual milk (2:2)

 
THE LIVING STONE AND A HOLY PEOPLE
1 Peter 2
1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.

• Peter is addressing behavior that is proper for Christians.
• However, he is not giving us a behavior verse in a vacuum.
• The key is found in the text prior to this section.
• Because we have been purified by the Gospel (1 Peter 1:17-24), we are empowered to live righteously.
• Notice that this is not “thou shalt not” language.
• Instead, this is about laying aside all that is not natural for the Christian.
• In the Old Covenant, there was no ultimate victory over sin.
• However, in the New Covenant God has provided a solution to the sin problem.
• When we believe we are given a new nature (see 2 Peter 1:3-4 - 3 His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.[2]).
• We can, therefore, act in a manner which fits our identity.

2 Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation,

• Peter is not talking about growing through Christian activity.
• Activity does not grow a person.
• The word of God, the Gospel of grace, grows the believer.
• As we form a better understanding of the finished work of Christ, we will mature.
• But the Gospel must be pure, without man-made religion added to it, or we will not grow.
• God has not designed us to grow spiritually under spiritual law.
• Instead, we are called to know the pure milk of the finished work of Christ.
• We will grow as we become more acquainted with God’s nature revealed in Christ.
• But we cannot let false gospels taint our understanding of the true Gospel.

3 if you have tasted that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8)

• God’s kindness is what leads us to repentance.
• God is not mean or belligerent.
• He has kindness and gentleness towards us.
• He is a living and breathing being with infinite love and this love is directed to the world.
• Believers have tasted God’s kindness and have been changed as a result.
• And the more we embrace the kindness of God, the more we will grow.

4 As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God--

• Everyone on the planet looks at Jesus in one of two ways.
• He is either the most precious gift given to us, or He is the most offensive thing in existence.
• But Jesus is the same towards both groups.
• He is the living stone.
• All creation points to Him.
• Our salvation is in Him whether we believe or not.

5 you yourselves, as living stones,

• Believers are also considered living stones.
• Whatever righteousness Jesus possesses, we also possess by grace through faith (2 Corinthians 5:21).
• We are as pure and valuable as Jesus Christ Himself.
• The entire Trinity is pleased with us.
• Because He is pleased with us, He seeks to build us up using His kindness and love.
• The enemy uses legalism and judgment to tear people down. But God uses grace.

a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood

• Whereas the Old Covenant only allowed priests in the line of Aaron and Levi, in the New Covenant all who believe have been made holy or set apart as priests.
• This is due to the fact that believers have unending access to God because He lives within them.
• Therefore, there is no longer a need for the priest to enter the Holy of Holies on behalf of God’s people.
• In the New Covenant, we are the Holy of Holies.

to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

• Peter is an apostle to Jews.
• He is telling his fellow Jews that they are being built up into a holy priesthood.
• Historically, priests have been one person at a time.
• But now he’s saying that all believers are priests.
• Furthermore, he argues that sacrifices are no longer physical, as in the Old Testament, but now spiritual.
• And the sacrifice that God wants is for His children to simply present themselves as the living and holy people that they already are because of Christ.

6 For it stands in Scripture:
See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and honored cornerstone, (Ephesians 2:20)
and the one who believes in him
will never be put to shame. (Isaiah 28:16)

• Will not be put to shame: The Gospel does not disappoint believers.
• If our Christianity is disappointing, then it is not true Christianity.
• Whatever we long for and need from God, we have been given in the Gospel.
• God will never judge us, and He will never abandon us.
• Christ’s work is too perfect for this.

7 So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving,
The stone that the builders rejected--
this one has become the cornerstone, (Psalm 118:22)

• God took Jesus, the one rejected by humanity, and made Him the cornerstone of all creation.
• He is eternal life itself.
• Notice that the cornerstone of the faith is not doctrine or theology.
• It is a person. Jesus Christ is the foundation for Christianity.

8 and
A stone to stumble over,
and a rock to trip over. (Isaiah 8:14)
They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this.

• Before creation, the Trinity planned to save people through Christ.
• He is the cornerstone and the only way to the Father.
• However, God also determined that all who reject Christ will face judgment.

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, (Exodus 19:5-6) a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises (Isaiah 43:21) of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

• God’s people are holy.
• We are not becoming more holy progressively.
• By one sacrifice we have been made perfectly cleansed (see also Hebrews 10:14).

 
A CALL TO GOOD WORKS
11 Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul.

• Peter is encouraging believers to avoid sin, not in order to become more holy, but because they are holy.
• Believers are foreigners and strangers to sin now that they have been redeemed in Christ.
• These fleshly lusts wage war against our souls which are designed for righteousness.
• Believers have the mind of Christ and therefore are no longer designed for sin.

12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits.

• God will return and show off His precious children.
• Because we are precious and excellent, we are to keep our behavior excellent.
• The world will see this behavior and, hopefully, glorify God upon His return.

13 Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the emperor as the supreme authority 14 or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. 15 For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.

• Submission to earthly rulers is for the Lord’s sake, or for the advancement of the Gospel.
• The world is to see our living in peace with one another, and loving those in authority, and believe in Jesus as a result.
• Peter is not saying that earthly leaders are correct about every opinion they hold.
• He is saying that they are in a position in which they punish evil doers.
• This is the position we are to respect even if we have disdain for their beliefs.

16 Submit as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but as God’s slaves.

• There is a spiritual freedom underlying Peter’s word.
• There is nothing that can shake the salvation of the Christian because we are completely free in Christ.
• This is the true source of freedom for the Christian.
• To be sure, this freedom can be used in a negative way, but this is unfitting for believers.
• We are to use our freedom as bondslaves of God.
• Bondslaves have a choice.
• We are slaves to freedom and righteousness in Christ, and we have a choice to express this new propensity or not.

17 Honor everyone. Love the brothers and sisters. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

• Nothing good has come from mistreating people.
• Therefore, Peter is trying to save the Christian time and energy.
• Loving people is always the right decision.
• We have nothing to lose from honoring one another.
• 1 Timothy 2:1 - First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.[3]
  
  

SUBMISSION OF SLAVES TO MASTERS
18 Household slaves, submit to your masters with all reverence not only to the good and gentle ones but also to the cruel. 19 For it brings favor if, because of a consciousness of God, someone endures grief from suffering unjustly.

• Peter is not asking believers to lead political revolutions.
• Instead, he is teaching Christians the importance of resting in their identity in the midst of whatever governmental context exists.
• The Gospel is trans-circumstantial meaning it applies in every context, but it does not guarantee a change in circumstance.

20 For what credit is there if when you do wrong and are beaten, you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer, if you endure it, this brings favor with God.

• Suffering for doing what is right and for the sake of the Gospel is different than suffering as a result of sin.
• There are negative consequences when we sin.
• However, believers are inherently opposed to the ways of the world.
• As we live as lights we will suffer because who we are is in direct contradiction to the world system.

21 For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

• Peter is not encouraging seeking out pain and suffering for being a Christian.
• There is plenty of pain and suffering that will happen simply by virtue of being a Christian in this fallen world.
• This is Peter’s point.
• If we suffer because we are opposed to the ways of the world, then we are true believers who are intimately associated with Jesus in this life.
• Titus 3:1-2 - Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people.[4]
• Daniel
• Joseph
• Paul & Peter

22 He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth; 23 when he was insulted, he did not insult in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.

• Just as Jesus trusted in His Father unto death, so are we to trust in God in the midst of our sufferings.
• Peter is not encouraging Christians to try and overthrow the government or change their circumstances in some forceful way.
• Instead, he is saying that regardless of whether circumstances change or not, we are to entrust ourselves to God, our Shepherd and Guardian.

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness.

• Peter is speaking of the certainty of the Christians death to sin in Christ.
• Therefore, the word might is not speaking of a hypothetical outcome.
• It speaks, rather, of a promised outcome for all who believe.
• Dying to sin is not a surface level action in which we become moralists.
• Instead, it is an inner reality in which Christ has changed our nature.
• We no longer thrive under the reign of sin.
• Christians are no longer compatible with anything but righteousness.

By his wounds you have been healed.

• Peter is speaking of the spiritual healing which occurred for all in Christ.
• When we believe we are healed spiritually from sin.
• This is not a verse guaranteeing physical healing.
• Miracles of physical healing are a reality but there is a difference between God acting in a miraculous way through physical healing and what has been achieved by the death and resurrection of Christ.

25 For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.[5]

• Peter is communicating the importance of knowing our safety in God.
• God is our eternal shepherd and guardian; he keeps us safe from the evil one and the world.
• When we believe we are forever saved and reunited with God.
• We are hidden with Christ in God and are therefore safe (Colossians 3:3).
• The Gospel, therefore, is designed to bring in rest and security for the Christian.
• False gospels promote fear which in turn encourages religious rules and regulations to be obeyed in order to earn somehow or keep God’s favor.[6]

[1] Viola, Frank, The Untold Story of the New Testament Church. Destiny Image, Shippensburg, PA, 2004. 166-167.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 2 Pe 1:3–4.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Ti 2:1–2.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Tt 3:1–2.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Pe 2:1–25.
[6] Farley, Andrew. www.BibleCommentary.com. 1 Peter.

Crisis in the Churches of Northwest Asia

• The Christians throughout the Empire are suffering severe persecution.
• Peter has received word that the churches in northwest Asia are suffering massive attacks.
• They are distressed and in great need of encouragement.
• The persecution has become so bad that the Gentile Christians are being tempted to revert to their past pagan lifestyles to lessen the heat.
• Some believers are rebelling against local authorities because of the mistreatment and slander they are receiving from them.
• There is conflict in the home; husbands and wives are bickering.
• In some of the churches, the elders are exercising too much control in their attempt to keep the believers faithful during the pressure.

PETER WRITES 1 PETER

• Year: A.D. 65
• From: Rome
• To: The churches in northwest Asia: Pontus, North Galatia, Cappadocia, and Bithynia.
• Provocation: Peter encourages his Jewish and Gentile brethren in their suffering, which is being shared by their fellow Christians everywhere (5:9).
• He exhorts the Gentile brethren not to revert to the lifestyle they lived as pagans.
• He exhorts the church to yield to their local authorities and gives practical instructions to family members about how to treat one another.
• Peter also charges the elders to lead by example rather than by force.
• Throughout the letter, Peter uses the general Greek word for suffer (pascho) twelve times—more than in any other NT letter.
• Given its excellent Greek style, the letter was scribed by Silas (Silvanus), who was with Peter in Rome.
• Peter is a Galilean fisherman. While he no doubt could speak and write a little Greek for business purposes, his Greek writing skills were minimal.
• Peter closes the letter by sending greetings from John Mark and the church in Rome.
• He calls Rome by its code-name “Babylon.”
• Peter sends the letter with Silas who reads it to each of the churches.[1]

 
GREETING
1 Peter 1
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ:

• Peter had quality time with Jesus.
• He was able to watch Jesus live and teach.
• This is the prerequisite for being an apostle.
• Even Paul, who never knew Jesus during His earthly ministry, is considered an apostle because he met Christ on the Damascus Road.

To those chosen,

• The letter of 1 Peter was circulated throughout various Christian churches or various groups whom God chose.
• Here, Peter is not speaking of election in a Calvinistic sense where God chooses some individuals to believe and others for eternal punishment.
• He is generally speaking about the church being God’s elect group. The New Testament clarifies that this group includes Gentiles (see also Romans 9:30). 

living as exiles dispersed abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,

• God had a plan for salvation before time began. Peter has this in mind with his use of the term “foreknowledge.”
• He is not speaking of an individualistic view of election or foreknowledge.
• God had a plan of redemption, a foreknowledge of what He would do and what would happen.
• This foreknowledge was a call for all to obey Jesus.
• Christ by receiving the Gospel.

through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient

• In this context, obeying Jesus Christ is believing in the Gospel.
• All who believe are sanctified, or set apart, by the Holy Spirit for God.
• Believers are reserved to display God’s grace.
• This would be an encouraging truth for these believers to think about during the persecution they were experiencing under Nero. 

and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ.
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
 
A LIVING HOPE
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

• Believers are cleansed from their sins by the death of Christ but made new creations through the resurrection of Christ.
• Because of the resurrection, we are given new natures completely compatible with God (see 2 Peter 1:3-4).
• If the resurrection is not central to our theology, we will only have half of the Gospel.
• We will understand that Christ died for our sins, but we will not understand that the life of Christ saves us.
• Our inherent regeneration happens because of Christ’s resurrection.

4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

• Christians cannot lose their salvation because it is inherently imperishable.
• Christ’s work was so perfect that nothing we do can make it void.
• Furthermore, Christians have a new heart that inherently believes in Jesus (see Romans 6:17).
• As a result, our salvation is reserved in Heaven.

5 You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

• God protects His children, though not always physically.
• While we face trials and tribulations during life on earth, persecution that may even lead to our deaths, our spirits are kept safe and will be preserved into the afterlife.

6 You rejoice in this,

• Joy is the natural outcome of understanding God’s grace in Christ.
• If our beliefs are not producing joy, then we are misunderstanding the Gospel or forgetting our cleansing from sin (see 2 Peter 1:9).

even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials

• Christians are not immune to the negative impacts of the world.
• Christ did not die and rise again to somehow obtain earthly victory for His children.
• Instead, Christ gives us salvation forever untouched by persecution and other worldly trials.
• As we focus on this, we will find joy in our lives during the most distressful times.
• Peter is giving us a place to go in faith, allowing us to process life emotionally in light of the truth. 

7 so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

• The evidence and outcome of true faith is priceless.
• It may not amount to much in this life, but has eternal value and will result in praise, glory, and honor at Christ’s return.
• This is especially pertinent to Peter’s context.
• The church was experiencing a great deal of persecution, some of which resulted in death.
• In fact, Peter was likely killed under this persecution from Nero.
• Therefore, the Christians were to keep a heavenly perspective during earthly turmoil and find joy in the truths of the Gospel, which are forever untouched by the ways of the world. 

8 Though you have not seen him, you love him;

• Notice that Peter is not telling these believers to love God.
• He is recognizing that they have an inherent and natural love for God.
• This is the result of Christ’s resurrection and our new righteous natures.
• So, Christians do not need to love God more- we already love God from the cores of our beings.
• This is the beauty of the New Covenant.
• The people were not faithful to God under the Old Covenant, so God fixed the problem. 

though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy,

• The joy produced by the Gospel is inexpressible because human words fail to express the amazing truths of God.
• Even the Bible, God’s written word, is written in human languages.
• Therefore, we need power from the Holy Spirit to grasp the grand nature of God’s love in Christ. 

9 because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

• The salvation of our souls is the outcome of our personal faith.
• This is the plan God had before the foundations of the earth.
• He has elected the world to hear the Gospel.
• Our place is to respond and obtain salvation.

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that would come to you, searched and carefully investigated.

• The prophets from the Old Testament who prophesied of the grace to come were seeking wisdom from the Holy Spirit to know the details of God’s plan of redemption.
• They sought to know when the Savior would arrive and precisely how this Gospel would impact people.
• There were glimpses of the New Covenant in the Old Testament (see Ezekiel 36:26-27; Jeremiah 31:31-34), but not until the death of Jesus did the New Covenant become a reality (Luke 22:20).

11 They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified in advance to the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

• Most believe, based on the big picture of Scripture, that the Spirit of Christ came upon Old Testament saints but did not live in them permanently.
• Not until Pentecost did the Spirit of God dwell permanently within believers.
• Therefore, Peter is likely talking about not a permanent indwelling in the Old Testament but a temporary dwelling or anointing.
• The preposition within can be translated as both in or on.
• It makes sense, therefore, that in the Old Testament the Spirit of Christ was on people but not indwelling.

12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—angels long to catch a glimpse of these things.

• The prophets were announcing that which was fulfilled in Christ.
• The prophets spoke of the New Covenant, something so beautiful that angels long to look at it.
• Thus, there was an immense amount of anticipation among the prophets and the heavenly beings for unleashing God’s grace upon the world.

 
A CALL TO HOLY LIVING
13 Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

• Grace is not simply a unique movement of God.
• It is the movement of God.
• Grace is not merely about being saved; we live by grace as saved individuals.
• It doesn’t matter what book of the Bible we study.
• Each book is pointing us to Jesus Christ and nothing else.
• This is what Christians are to focus on.
• We are to not return to our lifestyles pre-Christ.
• Instead, we are to live from Christ by focusing on grace.

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. 15 But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; 16 for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy. (Leviticus 20:7)

• The word holy is used primarily in two different ways.
• First, it speaks of believers as people.
• All believers are holy.
• We have all been sanctified and set apart at faith in Christ.
• But here, Peter has in mind a second use of the term.
• Christians are to be holy in behavior because we have been saved and equipped to live righteously.

17 If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers.

• God, our Father, is the judge of the universe.
• He will evaluate whether something is a work of the Spirit or the flesh.
• However, this does not mean that He will judge Christians.
• Peter is not encouraging believers to live as if they will be judged but rather in light of their Abba, who accepts them perfectly as judge of the universe.
• This is a genuinely humbling reality.

18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold,

• God’s enduring word, the Gospel, purifies the souls of all who believe in Jesus.
• This salvation creates a sincere, indwelling love for the family of God.
• Peter is also clear on the permanence of this salvation: It is imperishable.
• The salvation accomplished by Jesus and perfected in all who believe can never be lost.
• Whereas that which is of earth eventually fades and dies, that salvation which is of Heaven endures forever.

19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.

• Because God is the judge and has saved us in Christ, we can relax when we show up to the judgment.
• The precious blood of Jesus forever speaks in our defense.

20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for you. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth, so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other, from a pure heart love one another constantly,

• Christians have been washed and cleansed from all sin and set free from its power.
• Therefore, we are to live lives of love towards one another with God's same love for us in Christ.

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

• The world cannot touch our salvation and cannot be interrupted by our actions.
• We are born again of unperishable seed, God’s seed.
• Because God is the author of our salvation, we can rest securely in all He has done for us in Christ.

24 For
All flesh is like grass,
and all its glory like a flower of the grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever. (Isaiah 40:6-8)
And this word is the gospel that was proclaimed to you.[2]

• God’s truth endures into eternity.
• In the context, Peter has in mind the Gospel.
• The Gospel is the eternal truth of God revealed in Christ.

Because the eternally finished work of Christ saves us, our salvation is permanent and secure.[3]

[1] Viola, Frank, The Untold Story of the New Testament Church. Destiny Image, Shippensburg, PA, 2004. 166-167.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. 2020. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Farley, Andrew. www.BibleCommentary.com. 1 Peter.