1 Peter 1:3-25
Summary for 1Pet 1:3-9: 1:3-9 a In most New Testament letters, the greeting is followed by a section of thanksgiving or praise. Peter praises God that his mercy brings new spiritual life, which produces confident expectation about the future despite sufferings in the meantime. 1:3 b born again: New birth is a way of describing Christian conversion (cp. John 3:1-13 c; Jas 1:18 d; 1 Jn 2:29 e; 3:9 f; 4:7 g; 5:1 h, 4 i, 18 j). This Greek word, which occurs again in 1 Pet 1:23 k, brackets the message of 1:1-25 l.1:4 m The language of inheritance frequently refers to what God has promised his people. Originally applied to the land of Israel (see Deut 3:28 n), the inheritance came to mean the people of God and God’s presence with them (see Ps 33:12 o; Ezek 44:28 p). In the New Testament, the inheritance is the spiritual benefit and eternal salvation that God promises to his people (see Eph 1:11 q; Heb 9:15 r).
1:5 s until you receive this salvation: In the New Testament, salvation often refers to final rescue from sin and death at the time of Christ’s return. This hope encourages believers to persevere to the end (see also 1:9 t, 10 u; 2:2 v; 4:18 w).
• ready to be revealed: The future revealing of God’s salvation contrasts with the present hiddenness of God and his purposes (see also 1:7 x, 13 y).
1:7 z will show that your faith is genuine: Faith, like gold, is purified as it is tested.
• The NLT understands praise and glory and honor as being given by God to the faithful Christian. The phrase could also mean that a faithful Christian life brings praise and glory and honor to God.
1:9 aa salvation of your souls: The Greek word translated souls often refers to the whole person and not just to some part or aspect of the person (Matt 20:28 ab; Mark 8:35 ac). Salvation affects our whole person, not the inner person only.
Summary for 1Pet 1:10-12: 1:10-12 ad Our salvation is very great: The Old Testament prophets predicted it, and angels long to investigate it.
1:11 ae They wondered: Much was revealed about the future to the Old Testament prophets, but they did not know precisely when or how the salvation they predicted would come about.
• The Greek translated what time could also mean what person. The prophets knew that a Messiah would come and that he would suffer before he was glorified, but they did not know who that Messiah would be.
1:12 af eagerly watching: The same Greek word is used of the disciples when they peered into Jesus’ empty tomb (Luke 24:12 ag; John 20:5 ah, 11 ai).
Summary for 1Pet 1:13-21: 1:13-21 aj New birth and the hope of salvation require that Christians live as God’s people, separating themselves from the values of the world and emulating the holiness of God, who redeemed them. 1:13 ak prepare your minds for action (literally gird the loins of your mind): In Peter’s day, a man had to tuck the hem of his long robe into his belt before he could work or run.
Summary for 1Pet 1:15-16: 1:15-16 al “You must be holy because I am holy”: This is a common refrain in Scripture, that God’s people must be holy as God is holy (see Lev 11:44-45 am; 19:2 an; 20:7 ao; see also Ezek 20:12 ap; Eph 1:4 aq; 1 Thes 4:3 ar; Rev 22:11 as).
1:17 at Christians’ citizenship is in heaven (1:1 au; see Phil 3:20 av); they live in this world as “temporary residents” who are uncomfortable with its values and who long for their true home.
1:18 aw A ransom is paid for the release of a captive. Slaves could sometimes pay a ransom and be released from their master. Christ’s death is the price God paid to release people from captivity to sin (1:19 ax).
1:19 ay the sinless, spotless Lamb of God: The Passover Lamb had to be without defect (Exod 12:5 az); Christ, who fulfills the meaning of the Passover, was without defect or sin (cp. Heb 4:14-16 ba; 7:26-28 bb).
1:20 bc With Christ’s coming, Old Testament promises of redemption are being fulfilled and the last days have begun.
Summary for 1Pet 1:22-2:3: 1:22–2:3 bd Following his call for holiness (1:13-21 be), Peter specifies how believers must live in a loving way with fellow Christians. 1:22 bf must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters: Literally must have brotherly love. See study note on 5:9.
1 Peter 2:1-12
2:2 bg Believers, who have been “born again” (1:23 bh), are to be like newborn babies in naturally and regularly craving pure spiritual milk. Elsewhere in the New Testament, milk (in contrast to solid food) stands for elementary Christian teaching (1 Cor 3:2 bi; Heb 5:12-13 bj). This does not imply that Peter’s readers are new believers, however; here, it probably refers to God’s word in general.2:3 bk now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness: The words are taken from Ps 34:8 bl. Peter quotes this psalm again in 1 Pet 3:10-12 bm.
Summary for 1Pet 2:4-10: 2:4-10 bn Throughout the letter, Peter encourages the suffering believers by reminding them of their exalted spiritual status. In this paragraph, he presents the Christian community as the new temple built on the foundation of Christ, and as heirs of the blessings granted to God’s covenant people. 2:4 bo rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor: This is an allusion to Ps 118:22 bp, which is quoted in 1 Pet 2:7 bq.
2:5 br God’s people themselves constitute the spiritual temple where God dwells (1 Cor 3:16 bs). Jesus compared his body to a “temple” (John 2:19-22 bt), and the church is called the “body of Christ” (Eph 4:12 bu). God no longer manifests himself in a particular place but in the people who belong to him and praise his goodness (see 1 Pet 2:10 bv).
• As God’s holy priests in the new covenant, Christians offer not animal sacrifices but spiritual sacrifices such as praising God, praying, and doing good (see Rom 12:1 bw; Heb 13:15-16 bx).
Summary for 1Pet 2:6-8: 2:6-8 by The three Old Testament quotations in these verses each identify Christ as some kind of stone: the cornerstone on which the new temple is built (2:6 bz); the cornerstone that God, despite peoples’ rejection, has elevated to be the keystone of his redemptive plan (2:7 ca); and the stone that makes people stumble (2:8 cb). Jesus quotes Ps 118:22 cc (Matt 21:42 cd), and Paul quotes both Isa 8:14 ce and 28:16 cf (Rom 9:33 cg). Likely these three quotations were brought together very early as a combined Old Testament testimony to the nature and significance of Jesus the Messiah.
2:8 ch they meet the fate that was planned for them (literally for which they were appointed): It is not clear whether these people were appointed by God to unbelief or whether they were, because of their unbelief, appointed by God to suffer condemnation.
2:9 ci Peter applies descriptions of the Israelites in the Old Testament (see, e.g., Exod 19:5-6 cj) to his primarily Gentile audience, indicating that they—like all Christians—are truly God’s people in the new covenant era.
Summary for 1Pet 2:11-12: 2:11-12 ck These verses are transitional. They can be viewed as the finale to the first section of the letter or as the opening statement of the second section of the letter. They enunciate the letter’s central theme: Christians living in hostile territory need to live out the principles of the Good News so that they can win other people to the Lord. 2:11 cl “temporary residents and foreigners”: Believers belong not to this world but to the Kingdom of Heaven (see 1:1 cm, 17 cn).
2:12 co when he judges the world (or on the day of visitation): The phrase day of visitation is used in the Greek Old Testament to describe the time when God will visit his enemies to judge them (Isa 10:3 cp; Jer 6:15 cq).
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