A Commentary on 1 & 2 Peter, Jude

Transcription

1 A Commentary on 1 & 2 Peter, Jude

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3 A Commentary on 1 & 2 Peter, Jude David P. Kuske

4 Fourth printing, XXXX Third printing, XXXX Second printing, XXXX All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise except for brief quotations in reviews, without prior permission from the publisher. ISBN Northwestern Publishing House 1250 N. 113th St., Milwaukee, WI by Northwestern Publishing House Published 2015 Printed in the United States of America ISBN

5 Contents 1 Peter Introduction to 1 Peter Peter Peter Peter Peter Peter Peter Introduction to 2 Peter Peter Peter Peter Jude Introduction to Jude Jude

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7 1 Peter

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9 Introduction to 1 Peter General Content and Outline of the Letter At the beginning of this letter, Peter sounds the theme that runs like a thread through all five chapters: We have a sure hope. The following outline indicates there are two key points about our sure hope that Peter combines throughout this letter: 1. Jesus saving work established this sure hope. 2. This sure hope strengthens and motivates us to live our lives for Christ as we pass through the trials of this world on our way to our heavenly inheritance. 1:1,2 Address 1:3-12 You have a sure hope, an inheritance in heaven. 1:3-5 God provides this sure inheritance through Christ and makes us sure heirs. 1:6-9 This sure hope gives us joy even when we experience painful trials because we know we are saved. 1:10-12 This salvation was carefully studied by the prophets and angels. 1:13 2:3 Live with one another as sharers of this sure hope. 1:13-16 Let our hope lead us in our lives to be holy in all we do. 1:17-21 Let the knowledge that God redeemed us by Jesus blood move us to live in godly fear. 1:22-25 Let our pure lives (into which we were born again by God s abiding Word) be characterized by love for one another. 2:1-3 Let us continually feed on God s pure Word so that we may continue to grow in Christian living. 2:4-12 Be priests who hold this sure hope before the world with our words and actions. 2:4-7a Jesus is the precious living stone on which we are built as living stones in a holy priesthood. 9

10 10 1 & 2 PETER, JUDE 2:7b-8 For the unbeliever, this living stone becomes a stumbling block and a death trap. 2:9-12 We are royal priests who proclaim God s goodness by our words and our actions. 2:13 3:7 Witness to your sure hope by submitting to those in authority. 2:13-17 We submit to government officials. 2:18-20 We submit to masters. 2:21-25 We submit, following the pattern left us by our suffering Shepherd. 3:1-6 A Christian woman submits to her husband as a witness to her hope. 3:7 A Christian husband does not let his wife s Godgiven role keep him from honoring her as a coheir of eternal life. 3:8-22 Witness to your sure hope by repaying evil with good. 3:8-12 It is God s will that we repay evil with good. 3:13-17 Answering evil with good shames those who slander us. 3:18-22 Look how Jesus, our exalted Savior, returned good for evil. 4:1-11 Witness to your sure hope through complete separation from paganism and complete harmony among yourselves. 4:1-3 God wants us to make a complete break with the pagan world because of what Christ has made us. 4:4-6 We don t concern ourselves with the judgments of those who laugh at us. 4:7-9 Let love be our bond with our fellow Christians. 4:10,11 Let us use our spiritual gifts to edify one another and to glorify God. 4:12-19 Suffering for Jesus is not strange for those who have this sure hope. 4:12-16 Suffering for Christ is a sure sign that we belong to him. 4:17-19 Let God s judgment of the unbeliever lead us to commit ourselves anew to doing God s will.

11 INTRODUCTION TO 1 PETER 11 5:1-11 This sure hope motivates both humble service to God and firm resistance of the devil. 5:1-4 God wants elders to be humble shepherds of God s flock. 5:5 God wants all of us to curb our pride and humbly submit to one another. 5:6,7 The key is to humble ourselves before God. 5:8,9 Resist the devil, who is trying with all his might to make us give up. 5:10,11 The same God who gave us this sure hope will also enable us to persevere. 5:12-14 Closing words Author, Date, Place, Recipients The author of this letter is identified in 1:1. It is Peter who was an apostle of Jesus Christ, one of Jesus twelve disciples. In his second letter (2 Pe 3:1), Peter indicates that he had written another letter at an earlier time. That earlier letter is 1 Peter. We can give only an approximate date of when Peter wrote this letter. There are several things that suggest it was written in the early A.D. 60s: (1) In this letter Peter speaks of the Christians to whom he was writing as undergoing a rather severe persecution (4:14-16; 5:8,9); (2) Nero ruled from A.D. 54 to 68, and the burning of Rome in A.D. 64 led to Nero s great persecution of Christians; (3) Peter s second letter, written not long after this first letter, seems to have been composed just before his death, toward the end of Nero s reign; and (4) Peter s acquaintance with all of Paul s prison letters (2 Pe 3:16), the last of which were written in the late A.D. 50s, suggests Peter did not write this letter any earlier than A.D. 60. Peter identifies the people to whom he was writing as the Christians scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (1 Pe 1:1). All five of these areas are located in Asia Minor. Why does Peter write to these people, some of whom were members of congregations established by Paul (e.g., Galatia and Ephesus)? There are a number of reasons. Every apostle had a responsibility for the spiritual welfare of all Christians (2 Co 11:28), not just those whom God brought to faith at the time of his personal ministry. Also, Paul was most likely far away in Spain at this time, and these people needed encouragement immediately. They were in the middle of a persecution. So Peter took up the pen to strengthen and encourage them in the trying times they were facing.

12 12 1 & 2 PETER, JUDE A question that is frequently posed about the author is this: Could Peter, an unschooled fisherman from Galilee, have written a letter in such a high literary style as is evident in 1 Peter? Several answers suggest themselves. Peter was an intense person, as we see from the glimpses we have of him in the gospels. This intensity may also have led him to be determined to learn the Greek language better. The time from Jesus ascension in A.D. 30 or 33 until the time Peter wrote this letter in the early A.D. 60s certainly gave him ample time to do this. Another possible answer is Peter s comment in 1 Peter 5:12. There Peter said that he wrote this letter with the help of Silvanus [Silas]. The words with the help of might indicate more than that Silvanus was merely a secretary writing down what Peter dictated. Perhaps the best answer lies in a combination of these two suggestions: Over the years Peter became more and more proficient in Greek, and Silvanus contributed some things to the style of 1 Peter as well. Occasion and Purpose The occasion was cited in the previous paragraphs: there was a persecution that was making life difficult for all the Christians throughout Asia Minor. In 5:12 Peter states his purpose for writing, namely, to encourage these Christians in their faith. He carries out this purpose by assuring them that God s undeserved kindness will not fail you (5:12b). In 2 Peter 3:1, Peter adds that there was a more general purpose in writing both 1 Peter and 2 Peter. He wanted to get the people to think clearly and correctly about the attacks on their faith by persecutions and false teachers. He was doing this through both letters by reminding them of all the things God had spoken to them through the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles. Simply stated, Peter s purpose was to assure them that, in spite of all the problems they faced, God will restore you, steady you, strengthen you, and support you (1 Pe 5:10). Exegesis-Based Interpretation The Bible Is God s Inspired Word The Bible is either all God s Word or none of it is God s Word. The minions of Satan introduce an insidious process into Bible interpretation by saying some of it is man s word. Theories that try to make the Bible partly God s Word and partly man s word eventually end up denying all the basic truths the Bible teaches. Galatians 5:9 says quite simply, A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.

13 INTRODUCTION TO 1 PETER 13 The theory that the Bible is partly man s word also flies in the face of what Scripture says about itself. First Corinthians 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:21 say that the biblical writers did not use any words that were man s words but only words given by the Spirit. Thus, 2 Timothy 3:16 declares, All Scripture is God-breathed. This truth is woven throughout the fabric of Scripture. One cannot read along in the Bible very far without coming across a declaration of, an allusion to, an implication about, or a reference to the fact that what one is reading is God s Word (e.g., Ro 1:2,16; 2:2,8,12,16,18,20,29; 3:2,10,19,21,31; etc. throughout Romans). This fact has two important implications for exegesis-based interpretation of Scripture. The first implication is that every word of a verse is important since every word is God-breathed. Doing an exegesis doesn t mean taking a couple key words from a verse and basing one s interpretation on those words. Rather, one needs to analyze every word so that one ends up neither saying more nor saying less than what God is saying in any given verse. The second implication is that one lets Scripture interpret Scripture. Interpretation dare not become what the interpreter thinks a verse means but is always and only what God says a verse means. After analyzing each word of a verse in the original language, each analysis is then used to interpret the other words. If a word has several possible meanings, the other words in the verse are used to determine which meaning fits this verse best. If a word or phrase modifies another word or phrase, one uses the modifier to help determine the meaning of the word or phrase it modifies. If the Greek syntax makes a phrase or clause a subordinate thought in a sentence, then the interpreter can t make it the main thought of the sentence. Once all the words in a verse have been taken into account in determining the meaning of the verse, then this meaning needs to be modified by any thoughts in the surrounding verses that are adverbial or adjectival modifiers. Also, any parallel or subordinate thoughts that are tied to this verse by a conjunction are important in determining the meaning of the verse. Finally, any parallel verse (i.e., a verse that is talking about the same thing in the same or slightly different words) in the wider context of the chapter, the book, or all of Scripture must be used in determining the final meaning of the verse at hand. Exegesisbased interpretation of this kind is a time-consuming and painstaking process. But it is the only way the interpreter can say when he is done with his exegesis, This is what the Lord says! Are there times when there are two possible interpretations of a verse? Yes, but not very often. If one of the two possible interpretations 13

14 14 1 & 2 PETER, JUDE provides a meaning that is in conflict with another part of Scripture, that interpretation is not a valid one. The Holy Spirit would not have led one of the writers to say something that would conflict with what the Spirit says elsewhere in Scripture. When the interpreter first considers a verse, he will at times see two possible valid meanings for the verse. But usually one of the meanings will be eliminated by a careful study of which meaning fits best with the preceding or following context of the verse. On rare occasions, both meanings will be allowed to stand if (1) they are both in agreement with the rest of Scripture and (2) they both fit the context equally well. Special Challenges in Doing Exegesis-Based Interpretation In many ways the Greek and English languages are alike. Both have subjects and verbs that form the main thoughts of sentences. Both use adverbial and adjectival modifiers. Both use conjunctions to indicate coordinate and subordinate thoughts. Both have verb tenses and moods. Both use frequent prepositional phrases. These similarities ease the task for the interpreter when he translates Greek to English or seeks to transfer a meaning from the one language to the other. Two slight differences complicate the interpreter s task a little. One is that a Greek writer often strings long sentences together with multiple conjunctions and/or the use of many adjectival or adverbial modifiers. Peter s writing is a typical example. For this reason each section of exegesis in this book will begin with a diagram to help the reader picture how each of the many parts of a sentence relates to another. A dashed line ( ) indicates a tie being made by a conjunction between what follows and what precedes. A small arrowhead with a dotted line ( ) indicates an adverbial modifier. A small arrowhead with a dashed line ( ) indicates an adjectival modifier. A larger arrowhead with a solid line ( ) indicates the direct or indirect object of verbal action. Another slight difference is the constant use of the genitive case as an adjectival modifier in Greek. It is easy to translate such genitives with a prepositional phrase beginning with of in English. But doing so does not always make the meaning clear since of phrases in English can mean many different things. Streets of gold indicates what the streets were made of, but soldiers of fortune gives a reason why a person might become a soldier. Spoils of victory tells what the results of victory are, but hope of victory suggests what a person looks forward to when entering a battle or during the battle. The many adjectival genitives in Greek pose the same problem as interpreting of prepositional phrases in English.

15 INTRODUCTION TO 1 PETER 15 Three major differences between Greek and English require special attention by the interpreter: (1) The three tenses of the verb used most often in Greek stress different types of action more than the time of the action. The present tense in Greek could more properly be called the continuing action tense; the aorist tense more properly called the it happened tense 1 ; and the perfect tense called the completed action with continuing result tense. Since the meaning of tenses is a key difference of Greek from English, in this book a comment will be made on the significance of the tense of almost every verbal form. Though in some verses these comments may not be critical to the meaning, it is helpful to see that the use of tenses is consistent in meaning. Then when one bases a conclusion on the use of a Greek tense (e.g., the perfect participle dedoxasmevnh/ in 1 Pe 1:8b), it will be clear that this is what the word really means rather than just being a whim of the interpreter. (2) Both the use of an article with a noun and the lack of an article are significant. Though there are other meanings of an article used with a noun in Greek (e.g., generic or indicating two nouns form one idea), most often the article stresses that the noun is specific/definite (i.e., the one and only, the well-known, the aforementioned, a possessive idea such as his or hers ). Though the lack of an article may indicate a noun is nonspecific/indefinite (i.e., some kind of...), most often it is qualitative. This is true when no article is used with a noun, but the noun is made specific/definite by the context (most often by an adjectival modifier). Then the writer or speaker is stressing the quality (the essence, the vocable meaning) of the noun. We might do the same thing in English by underlining a word, putting it in bold type or italics, or all three. An example would be cavri~. With the article (hj cavri~), the meaning is the one and only, the well-known undeserved kindness (of God). Without the article but modified by an adjectival genitive (cavri~ qeou'), the emphasis shifts to the quality of cavri~, the kindness of God that is totally undeserved. The meaning is not radically different, but there is a clear difference in what is being emphasized. In this book a comment will be made often about the use or nonuse of an article. Again, though the difference in emphasis may not always be critical, it 1 Some grammarians still say the aorist is the onetime action tense. It is true that when something happens, it usually happens only once. But there are so many examples of the aorist not being a onetime happening that this is not the best way to begin to interpret the aorist tense. There are several examples already in the first ten verses in 1 Peter 1 of aorists that are not onetime happenings: verse 6 luphqevnte"; verse 10 ejxezhvthsan kai; ejxhrauvnhsan.

16 16 1 & 2 PETER, JUDE is important to see that the meaning of the use or nonuse of an article is consistent. Then, when a conclusion is based on this aspect of Greek grammar (e.g., Peter uses no articles with the four nouns in 2 Pe 2:9a), it will establish that the interpretation is not a whim of the interpreter. (3) The Greek uses participles in almost every sentence often multiple participles of different kinds. Some participles complete the idea of the verb (supplementary), some modify a noun in the sentence even though the participle is a verbal form (adjectival/attributive), and some participles modify a verbal action (adverbial/circumstantial). How does one sort through this problem and interpret properly? Probably the best way is to try English translations that help determine what kind of participle each is: a supplementary participle can be translated by a phrase that indicates how it completes the main verb ( he began to speak or he said that he is coming ); an adjectival/ attributive participle can be translated by a relative clause ( the Lord who sent his son ); an adverbial/circumstantial participle by an adverbial clause ( while he spoke... or because he spoke... or although he spoke..., etc.). But determining the kind of participle is only the beginning of interpretation. The next step is to spell out, especially in the case of the adjectival/attributive or adverbial/circumstantial participles, exactly how this participial modifier contributes to the meaning of the verse. Not surprisingly then, in this book a good deal of time will be devoted to interpreting participles. Establishing Which Variant Is to Be Used in Interpreting a Verse When the printing press enabled mass production of the Greek New Testament starting in the 16th century, the only witnesses of the Greek New Testament used to produce the Greek text were minuscules that had been copied in Byzantium from the 10th to the 15th centuries along with a few early translations. This text became known as the Textus Receptus, but the various editions were not a uniform text. There were various forms of the Textus Receptus (e.g., one in England, another in continental Europe). The editors in each case used the copies they had at hand, so there were variants from one form of the Textus Receptus to another. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries many more minuscules and early translations as well as quotations from the church fathers, lectionaries, and copies of the Greek New Testament going back to the 4th through 6th centuries (uncials) were found and used by editors in producing Greek New Testament texts. Unfortunately, rationalistic influence led to a theory that said the New Testament text was not a result

17 INTRODUCTION TO 1 PETER 17 of the Holy Spirit s inspiration. Instead, rationalists viewed the New Testament as having evolved over four or five centuries as humans chose to add to or subtract from the text. Westcott and Hort s theory said that uncials Aleph and B were the purest result of this evolution and that other witnesses were more tainted. This theory held sway at the end of the 19th century into the first half of the 20th century. The discovery of the papyri at the end of 19th century clearly indicated that there was no evolutionary process at work during the first centuries of the New Testament era. Early copies of the papyri dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries were so similar to New Testament copies from the 4th through 6th centuries that it was acknowledged by any unbiased observer that there could not have been an evolutionary process. Today, there are still some who adhere to the Textus Receptus text or the Westcott-Hort text. But the former text is based only on New Testament witnesses of the 10th through 15th centuries. Those who hold to the Textus Receptus theory do so mainly because they want to uphold the KJV or some derivative of the KJV text. The Westcott-Hort text is based on only a small number of uncials from the early centuries. Those who uphold the theory of Westcott-Hort do so mainly because they approach Scripture from a rationalistic viewpoint. Both are faulty approaches because, for a subjective reason, each uses only a portion of the total number of extant witnesses to the New Testament text. Let s use a simple example to illustrate the proper approach to textual criticism. A teacher of 30 high school students asks them to copy three pages of text while he dictates. After reading, he burns the original text he has in his hands. Can the original text be restored with any accuracy? Yes. How? By collecting all the copies the students made and comparing them with one another. The teacher can t just use three or four of the copies from one side of the room or three or four copies from the other side of the room. He may come pretty close to restoring the original if he takes only a portion of the copies, but he could be much more sure if he uses them all. Here and there one or two students might have misspelled a word or inverted words or omitted a word or changed a word. But for the particular sentence where one of these things happens, the copy or two with such a variant could be ignored and the other 28 or 29 copies that have the same wording could confidently be declared the same as the original. In the same way, the only objective way to work with the New Testament variants is to use all the witnesses of the text that God has preserved for us, taking into account the date of each witness and the

18 18 1 & 2 PETER, JUDE geographical region it represents. When one variant is recorded in copies that are early and represent many regions while the other variant is in copies that are either later or represent only one or two regions, the former can safely be considered the original. This will be the approach used in this book when considering variants in a verse. It must be added that the consideration of variants is never a very important part of exegesis-based interpretation. This is true because less than one tenth of one percent of the text has variants that are of any real significance for interpretation (an observation made by Westcott-Hort). And none of these few variants of significance have any doctrinal importance. For these reasons, though the Textus Receptus text and the Westcott-Hort text each use only a select portion of all the witnesses, one will not end up with differing doctrines solely because one used either of these texts. Having said this, it must also be stated that all variants of any significance should be given careful consideration on the basis of all the witnesses God has preserved for us. We are dealing with God s words, and we do not want to treat even one of those words lightly. The Translation Used in This Exegesis of 1 Peter In 2005, Northwestern Publishing House gathered five men to produce a translation of 1 Peter directly from the Greek text. This was done as part of a test project to see whether there was a desire in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod for a new translation of the New Testament done by conservative Lutheran translators. One of the results of this committee s work is the translation used in this exegetical commentary on 1 Peter. The aforementioned translation will be given at the beginning of each portion of 1 Peter, just before the Schema of that section. In the discussion of a verse or a part of a verse, a literal translation of the Greek will usually be given. This is done because a literal translation often helps lead into the explanation of the words under discussion. The reader should also note that sometimes the word order in a Greek sentence or phrase has been changed from the Nestle-Aland Greek text in order to line up in interlinear fashion with the literal translation. This was done only to help the reader see what literal English words translate the corresponding Greek words.

19 1 Peter 1 Peter begins his letter in the usual way that letters were written in his day. First, he identifies himself as the author. Then, he identifies the people to whom he is writing. And, finally, he greets these people with a prayer that God might multiply two of the spiritual blessings he gives. Translation of 1 Peter 1:1,2 1 This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I m writing to the people God chose who are scattered as temporary residents in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. 2 God the Father who knew you long ago chose to make you holy by the Spirit. He chose you so that you would obey Jesus Christ, and Jesus would sprinkle you with his blood. May his undeserved kindness and peace be yours more and more! 19

20 20 1 & 2 PETER, JUDE The use of the nominative case (Pevtro" = Peter ) here, as at the beginning of every Greek letter, identifies the person who is the author of this letter. The word ajpovstolo" ( apostle ) is an appositive. As such, it indicates that this is an important characteristic of the author of this letter. An apostle is a person who was chosen by a person in authority and sent out as his personal representative. The word ajpovstolo" is the noun form of the verb ajpostevllw, which means to send out. The word ajpovstolo" still retains this basic idea, but it also came to be a technical term denoting an office in the Christian church. An apostle is a church leader who has a responsibility for the spiritual welfare of the whole church (2 Co 11:28,29). As an apostle, then, Peter writes this letter (1) with the authority of the one who chose him for this office and (2) because he has a responsibility to encourage and strengthen these persecuted Christians. The genitive Ihsou' Cristou' ( Jesus Christ ) modifies ajpovstolo". The best understanding of this genitive doesn t seem to be possession. This would stress that Jesus Christ owns Peter. Rather, it seems best to take it as a subjective genitive. Jesus Christ is the one who chose Peter to be an apostle and sent him out as his personal representative. The word Ihsou' means Savior from sin (Mt 1:21), and the word Cristou' ( Anointed ) often refers to Jesus as the promised Messiah (Mt 2:4; 16:16-20). The meanings of these names form the message that Peter will use in this letter to comfort and strengthen his readers in the persecution they are suffering. The use of the dative case (ejklektoi'" = elect, chosen ) here, as in every Greek letter, indicates the people to whom Peter is writing this letter. The word ejklektoi'" means selected, chosen out of a group. Christian theology uses the technical term elect to translate this word.

21 1 PETER 1 21 The elect are those whom God chose before the creation of the world to belong to him (Eph 1:4). Why does Peter use this term in referring to readers of this letter? Most likely his purpose is to remind these people who are suffering persecution that they belong to God because he chose them long before they were ever born. As his elect, God will also make everything in their lives serve his goal of bringing them to the eternal glory he has prepared for them (Ro 8:28-30). Peter adds an appositive to focus on one important truth about the elect. The word parepidhvmoi" means staying for a while in a place where one really doesn t belong. The Christians to whom Peter is writing may be living in the five regions he mentions. But they are only temporary residents in these places. The real, permanent home of the elect is in heaven, as he will remind them shortly in verse 4 and again later in 5:4 (cf. also Heb 11:9f ). The descriptive genitive diaspora'" defines parepidhvmoi" further. A diasporav is a scattering, a dispersion. It is used here to make the point that the people to whom Peter is writing are not all living in one place. They are scattered over five different regions. The lack of an article with diaspora'" stresses the essence of this word, namely, that most of them live far apart from one another. Peter spells out the regions where they live. All five are genitive case, appositives to diaspora'". A quick glance at a map of the Roman provinces at that time reveals that all were regions in the western two-thirds of present-day Turkey. Pontus was in the north; Cappadocia, in the east; Galatia, in the south; Asia, in the west; and Bithynia, in the northwest. This is the first of three prepositional phrases that modify ejklektoi'" ( elect ). Peter often uses triads (three prepositional phrases, three synonyms, etc.) as part of his literary style. A basic preposition, katav, refers to two things that are placed alongside each other. The reader has to figure out from the context what is the relationship of the two (in line with each other, against each other, going from one to the other, both reaching the same level, etc.). Here the two things placed alongside each other

22 22 1 & 2 PETER, JUDE are God s election of Peter s readers and God s foreknowledge (provgnwsin) of them. The word provgnwsi" speaks of knowledge one has prior to a given time. The lack of the article stresses this basic essence of the word. Later, in verse 20 of chapter 1, Peter uses this word in reference to God s knowledge of Christ. There he identifies the time Christ was chosen as being prior to the creation of the world. Ephesians 1:4 also identifies the time of God s election of believers as prior to creation. Romans 8:29 explains how God s foreknowledge and election are in line with (katav) each other. There Paul says that God s election of believers was based on God s foreknowing them. It would be wrong to say that God s foreknowledge identified something better in these people than in others and that is why God elected them. Ephesians 1:5 says clearly that God s election was completely a matter of his will and so is another demonstration of his undeserved kindness. The genitive qeou' ( of God ) is subjective. God is the one who knew those beforehand whom he then elected. The appositive patrov" identifies the Father, the first person of the triune God, as the one who did the foreknowing and then also the electing. Why does Peter add the katav prepositional phrase as a modifier of the idea of election? Because it highlights all the more the comfort he wants his readers to take from their election. God knew them before the world began and chose them to be his own. In Romans 8:33ff Paul summarizes the comfort this gives: Those whom God knew from eternity and has chosen to be his own can know that nothing not trouble, hardship, or persecution can ever separate them from the love of God. This is a second prepositional phrase modifying ejklektoi'" ( elect ). The preposition ejn indicates that God s election took place only in connection with the work of the Holy Spirit. The connection between the two is that God already had the call to faith by the Spirit in mind when he chose the elect.

23 1 PETER 1 23 The subjective genitive pneuvmato" identifies the Spirit as the one who makes God s elect holy. The word ajgiasmov", when used together with the Holy Spirit, refers to the Spirit making people holy by bringing them to faith. Second Thessalonians 2:13 also speaks of the connection between God s choosing people from eternity and this work of the Spirit: In the beginning God chose you to be made holy by the Spirit (GWN). Romans 8:29,30 adds that the call to faith by the Spirit is the third step that follows naturally out of the first two steps of God foreknowing us and predestining us to be his own. The lack of the article with ajgiasmov" emphasizes the basic meaning of this word, namely, to make people holy. The next prepositional phrase in this triad will expand on this thought. The preposition eij" used with the two verbal nouns, ujpakoh;n and rjantismo;n, expresses result. Like the two previous prepositional phrases in this triad, this phrase also modifies ejklektoi'" ( elect ), giving the result of God s election. Just as there was a connection in thought between the first and second phrases, there is also a connection in thought between the second phrase and this phrase. Thus, one can also say that these verbal actions are the two results (coordinate kai; = and ) of the Spirit making the elect holy. The first of the two verbal nouns, ujpakoh;n, means obedience. When we read the word obedience, our thoughts might turn quite naturally to the idea of living a sanctified life. However, we already noted that this phrase is connected to the previous phrase, namely, the Spirit s making the elect holy by calling them to faith. This fact together with the connection of ujpakoh;n with rjantismo;n ai{mato" ( sprinkling of blood ), indicated by the coordinating kai;, suggest a different meaning for ujpakoh;n here. In Romans 1:5 and 16:26, Paul uses the appositional genitive pivstew" ( faith ) to explain what he means by ujpakoh;n ( obedience ). In Romans 15:18 Paul uses ujpakoh;n without any modifier

24 24 1 & 2 PETER, JUDE to express the idea of faith. In the present verse, it also seems best to take Peter s use of ujpakoh;n as a reference to faith. In what sense can faith be characterized as obedience? Numerous passages speak of faith in terms of obeying the truth (Gal 5:7; Ro 2:8; 1 Pe 1:22) or obeying the gospel (Ro 10:16; 2 Th 1:8; 1 Pe 4:17) or obeying the word (1 Pe 3:1). Note that Peter uses all three of these expressions for faith in this letter. The context in each of these passages implies a contrast between rejecting and accepting God s free gift of salvation. So obedience becomes almost equal in thought to accepting the gospel/truth/word. The lack of the article underscores this basic idea of ujpakoh;n, namely, obeying rather than rejecting. This obedience/accepting is not our decision but is always the work of the Spirit in our hearts as Peter clearly says in one of the passages previously cited (1 Pe 1:22). To the sequence of God s foreknowledge, the Spirit s work of making holy, and obedience/believing, Peter adds a fourth and final point, namely, sprinkling with the blood (rjantismo;n ai{mato") of Jesus Christ. This sprinkling is tied closely to obedience/believing by the coordinate kai; ( and ). The sprinkling of blood takes us back to the Old Testament where this action was the sign of the outward purification (Heb 9:13,19,21) of people and also of items in the tabernacle. Hebrews 12:24 stresses that it is only the sprinkled blood of Jesus that really purifies. It is the sprinkling of his blood on the hearts of New Testament believers that cleanses their guilty consciences. That is the point Peter is also making here by using this picture for his readers. Obedience is the acceptance by faith of the truth that God sprinkled Jesus blood on them, removing all their sins. Ai{mato" ( blood ) is an objective genitive. It is what God has sprinkled on believers through the Spirit s sanctifying work. And Ihsou' Cristou' ( of Jesus Christ ) is a possessive genitive, stating whose blood God sprinkled on believers. The third item at the beginning of most letters at Peter s time was a prayer for the reader(s) of the letter. The verb plhqunqeivh is aorist passive optative. So it is a prayer that expresses

25 1 PETER 1 25 what Peter is eager (optative) to have happen (aorist) to his readers (passive). This verb means to increase greatly, to multiply. The readers of this letter are believers who already have the two things that are the subjects of this passive verb. Peter s prayer is that they may have these things in an ever-increasing abundance. Cavri" is God s grace or undeserved kindness. God provided salvation as a free gift. So this word expresses not only what God did but that he did it because he simply chose to do it not because anyone had earned it. Grace is the cause of our salvation. Eijrhvnh is the peace believers have with God. Because of our sin, we were under God s judgment and doomed to eternal punishment. When God in his undeserved kindness removed our sin through Jesus redeeming work, our relationship with God was completely changed. We no longer fear God but can come to him as dear children come to their dear father. Peace is the result of our salvation. These two blessings are accomplished facts, and so the blessings themselves can t really be increased. When Peter prays that undeserved kindness and peace be increased, the dative ujmi'n (indirect object) indicates in what way the increasing would take place. The increase would be a growing appreciation of these two blessings on the part of the readers of this letter. This growing appreciation is important at all times, but it was especially important at this time in the lives of the persecuted believers to whom this letter is addressed. To know God s undeserved kindness and peace better and better would steady and strengthen them (1 Pe 5:10) in the face of the attacks being made on their faith. Summary and Application of 1 Peter 1:1,2 Peter begins his letter by reminding his readers of their election. With a triad he underscores what their election means for them: (1) God knew them before the world was created, chose them as his own, and now guides everything for their good; (2) God s election led to the Spirit working faith in their hearts; and (3) that faith is an obedience that accepts the truth of the gospel and brings the purifying sprinkle of Jesus blood on them. Now, as they face persecution, Peter pleads with God to strengthen them in their faith by constantly increasing their appreciation of God s undeserved kindness and peace. We too are God s elect. Think of what that means. God knew us from eternity and so nothing can separate us from his love during our lives.

26 26 1 & 2 PETER, JUDE The Spirit worked faith in us to carry out God s intention in choosing us. Now we, as a result of God s election, obey/accept the truth of the gospel and have our hearts cleansed of all guilt by the sprinkling of Jesus blood. May we continue to grow in our appreciation of God s undeserved kindness and peace through faithful use of the means of grace! Translation of 1 Peter 1:3-5 3 Praise God who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us a new birth by raising Jesus Christ from the dead. Therefore we have a living hope 4 an inheritance that does not decay or spoil or fade away. God has made this inheritance secure for you in heaven. 5 Now God s power protects you by faith until the end of time. Then God will reveal the salvation he has ready for you.

27 1 PETER 1 27 A verb such as the optative ei[h (3rd singular present of eijmiv = to be ) needs to be supplied with eujloghto;". Peter is encouraging his readers to speak well (the basic meaning of the Greek words eu and log) of God. The word implies that a person has done something special for which he is to be spoken well of or praised. In verses 3 and 4 Peter will explain what God did that was worthy of praise. The word path;r ( Father ) is joined with qeo;" ( God ) as a single thought (one article used with two words joined by kai;). Peter wants his readers to think of God as their dear Father one who loves them, watches over them, and cares for them. Tou' kurivou ( the Lord ) is a possessive genitive. Strictly speaking, the Father is not owned by the Lord Jesus. Rather, the possessive genitive is one of the ways in the New Testament of expressing the close unity of the persons of the Trinity. The word kuvrio" means one who is in control. In Ephesians 1:22 Paul explains that the Father put everything under Jesus control for the good of the church. Jesus guides and controls everything in the interest of God s saving plan to bring the elect safely to their heavenly home. The possessive genitive hjmw'n ( our ) adds the comforting thought that believers can claim the One who controls all things (kuvrio") as their very own. They do not stand apart from him in fear, but they embrace him as the One who now is guiding everything for their eternal good. The appositives Ihsou' Cristou' ( Jesus Christ ) emphasize that the One who controls all things for the good of believers is their Savior from sin ( Ihsou') and the One whom God promised and sent (Cristou') for this very purpose. This adds even more comfort to the fact that he is their kuvrio". The attributive (adjectival) participle oj ajnagennhvsa" ( who gave new birth ) points to a special characteristic of God the Father.

28 28 1 & 2 PETER, JUDE God gave Peter and his readers (hjma'" = us ) a second birth, the spiritual birth of faith. The aorist tense indicates that this happened it is a fact. The verb ajnagennavw is used only one other time in the New Testament later in verse 23 of this same chapter. There Peter states how this second birth is brought about, namely, through the Word of God. The meaning is the same as in John 3:3 where Jesus tells Nicodemus that unless he is born again (gennavw + a[nwqen = be born from above ), he can t enter God s kingdom. Using the picture of birth for coming to faith underscores the idea that the person who believes doesn t bring about the spiritual life of faith in himself. It is all God s doing. The prepositional phrase kata; to; polu; aujtou' e[leo" ( according to his great mercy ) is one of three prepositional phrases modifying the participle oj ajnagennhvsa" (cf. Schema). This is another example of the use of triads in Peter s literary style. Here, as in verse 2a (cf. the note on kata; there), God s giving of a second birth and his mercy (e[leo") are placed alongside each other by the preposition kata;. The relationship between the two is simply that what God did was an act of mercy. e[eleo" refers to a person seeing someone else in dire need of help and then acting to give the help the person needs. The adjective polu; ( much, great ) indicates that the situation which Peter and his readers were facing was so bad that they needed a lot of help. They were spiritually dead as a result of their sins (Eph 2:1), but God in his mercy made them spiritually alive (Eph 2:4,5). The article makes e[leo" specific, as explained by the genitive aujtou' ( his ). Aujtou' refers to God the Father and identifies him as the One who showed mercy (subjective genitive) in the time of Peter s and his readers need. Summary and Application of 1 Peter 1:3a,b What Peter says about himself and his readers is also true of us. We were in a terrible spiritual condition. Our sins condemned us in God s sight, and we could do nothing on our own to believe in Jesus the Savior from sin. But God saw our great need and sent the Holy Spirit to work faith in our hearts (Ro 5:5). Peter urges his readers to praise God for the mercy he showed them. Certainly this is also a reason for us to praise God with both our lips and our lives!

29 1 PETER 1 29 The second and third prepositional phrases in Peter s triad give the result and the means by which God gave Peter and his readers a new birth. The preposition eij" used with a verbal noun expresses result. When God gives a person a second birth, that person has hope (ejlpivda). The lack of an article with ejlpivda gives special emphasis to the basic meaning of hope. Hope is something special to look forward to in the future. In verse 4 Peter identifies this hope as a wonderful inheritance in heaven. The adjective zw'san describes this hope as living. This hope is living in the sense that it really exists rather than being dead, not real. The adjectives in verse 4 describing the inheritance will explain this thought further. The means (dia; with the genitive) by which this hope was established as real was Jesus resurrection from the dead. ajanastavsew" and nekrw'n are both without the article, highlighting the basic meaning of each, namely, coming back to life (ajnastavsew") and so separated from (ejk) the other dead corpses (nekrw'n). Christ s resurrection assures all believers that he will also raise them from the dead (Jn 14:19), transform their bodies to be like his glorified body (Php 3:20,21), and give them life forever with him in heaven (1 Th 4:17). That is their living, real hope. Summary and Application of 1 Peter 1:3c God s giving us the second birth of faith has an amazing result. We have a wonderful future to look forward to. It is not the kind of hope a sad lady expressed when her husband died: I hope he is where I know he ain t. No, this is a real hope. We are sure of this hope because Christ s resurrection proved that he conquered death. We know death can t hold us in its cruel grip. When Christ comes in glory, death will have to yield to his command (1 Co 15:57) so that he can take us to the heavenly home he has prepared for us (Jn 14:3).