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1 Peter 1:1. Peter, Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, chosen ones, 1 Peter 1:2. according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: He said “to strangers” either because they are scattered, or because all those who live according to God are called strangers on earth, as, for example, David says: “For I am a stranger with You and a stranger, like all my fathers” (Ps. 38:13). The alien's name is not the same as the newcomer's name. The latter means one who comes from a foreign country and even something more imperfect. For just as a foreign matter (πάρεργον) is lower than the present matter (τοΰ εργου), so a stranger (παρεπίδημος) is lower than a migrant (έπιδήμου). This inscription must be read with the words rearranged, exactly like this; Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, with sanctification from the Spirit, to obedience and sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Christ. The remaining words should be placed after this; for in them those to whom the epistle is written are designated. "According to the foreknowledge of God". With these words, the apostle wants to show that, with the exception of time, he is in no way lower than the prophets, who themselves were sent, and that the prophets were sent, Isaiah says about this: “I have sent Me to preach good news to the poor” (Is. 61:1). But if it is lower in time, then it is not lower in the foreknowledge of God. In this respect, he declares himself equal to Jeremiah, who, before formation in the womb, was known and sanctified and appointed: “a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5). And how the prophets, along with other things, foretold the coming of Christ (for for this purpose they were sent), he explains the ministry of the apostleship, and says: with sanctification of the Spirit I was sent to obedience and sprinkling with the Blood of Jesus Christ. Explains that the work of his apostleship is to separate. For this means the word “sanctification”, for example, in the words: “for you are a holy people to the Lord your God” (Deut. 14:2), that is, separated from other nations. So, the work of his apostleship is, through spiritual gifts, to separate nations submissive to the cross and suffering of Jesus Christ, sprinkled not with the ashes of a calf, when it is necessary to cleanse the defilement from communication with the pagans, but with the blood from the suffering of Jesus Christ. The word “Blood” simultaneously predicts the torment for Christ of those who believe in Him. For whoever humbly follows in the footsteps of the Teacher will, without a doubt, himself not refuse to shed his own blood for the One who shed His for the whole world. May grace and peace be multiplied to you. “Grace”, because we are saved freely, without bringing anything from ourselves. “Peace”, because, having offended the Lord, we were among His enemies. 1 Peter 1:3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has regenerated us to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:4. to an inheritance incorruptible, pure, unfading, He blesses God, thanking Him for all the blessings that He provides. What does He give? The hope, but not the one that came through Moses, about a settlement in the land of Canaan, and which was mortal, but a living hope. Where does it have life from? From the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. For just as He Himself rose again, He also gives those who come to Him through faith in Him the power to rise again. So, the gift is a living hope, an “incorruptible inheritance”, not laid down on earth, as for example, to the fathers, but in heaven, from which it has the property of eternity, which is superior to the earthly inheritance. With this hope there is also a gift - the preservation and observance of the faithful. Because the Lord prayed about this too when he said: “Holy Father! keep them” (John 17:11), “By force.” What kind of power? - before the appearance of the Lord. For if observance had not been strong, it would not have extended to such a limit. And when there are so many such gifts, it is natural for those who receive them to rejoice. kept in heaven for you, 1 Peter 1:5. being kept by the power of God through faith unto the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. If the inheritance is in heaven, then the opening of the millennial kingdom on earth is a lie. 1 Peter 1:6. In this you rejoice, having now grieved a little, if necessary, from various temptations, 1 Peter 1:7. so that your tested faith may be more precious than gold that perishes, although it is tested by fire, As the Teacher in His promise declares not only joy, but also sorrow, saying: “in the world you will have sorrow” (John 16:33); So the apostle added to the word about joy: “having grieved.” But as unfortunate as this is, he adds “now”, and this is in accordance with his Leader. For He also says: “You will be sad, but your sorrow will turn into joy” (John 16:20). Or the word “now” should be related to joy, since it will be replaced by future joy, not short-term, but long-lasting and endless. And since talking about temptations produces confusion, the apostle indicates the purpose of temptations: because through them your experience becomes more obvious and more precious than gold, just as gold tested by fire is valued more dearly by people. He adds: “if necessary,” teaching that not every faithful person, nor every sinner, is tested by sorrows, and neither one nor the other is left in them forever. The sorrowing righteous suffer to receive crowns, and sinners suffer as punishment for their sins. Not all righteous people experience sorrow, lest you consider malice praiseworthy and hate virtue. And not all sinners experience sorrow - so that the truth of the resurrection would not be doubted if everyone here still received their due. to praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 1:8. Whom, having not seen, you love, and Whom, not having seen before, but believing in Him, you rejoice with unspeakable and glorious joy, 1 Peter 1:9. finally achieving through your faith the salvation of souls. With these words, the apostle indicates the reason why the righteous here endure evil, and partly consoles them with the fact that through sorrow they become more glorious, and partly encourages them with the addition “at the appearance of Jesus Christ”, that it is then that He, through the revelation of labors, will bring great glory to the ascetics. He also adds something else that entices us to endure sorrows. What is it? the following: “Whom, without having seen, you love.” If, he says, without seeing Him with your bodily eyes, you love Him by hearing alone, then what kind of love will you feel when you see Him, and moreover, appearing in glory? If His sufferings have so tied you to Him, then what kind of attachment should His appearance in unbearable splendor produce on you, when the salvation of souls is given to you as a reward? If you are about to appear before Him and be worthy of such glory, then now show the patience corresponding to it, and you will fully achieve the intended goal. 1 Peter 1:10. To this salvation belonged the investigations and investigations of the prophets, who foretold of the grace appointed for you, Since the apostle mentioned the salvation of the soul, and it is unknown and strange to the ear, it is testified by the prophets who sought and investigated about it. They sought the future, like, for example, Daniel, whom the angel who appeared to him called for this “the man of desires” (Dan. 10, 11)! They examined what and at what time the Spirit who was in them pointed. “For which,” that is, the time of fulfillment, “for what,” that is, when the Jews, through various captivities, reach perfect reverence for God and become capable of receiving the sacrament of Christ. Note that by calling the Spirit “Christ’s,” the apostle confesses Christ as God. This Spirit pointed to the suffering of Christ, speaking through Isaiah: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7), and through Jeremiah: “Let us put poisonous wood for his food” (Jeremiah 11:19), and to the resurrection through Hosea, who said: “He will revive us in two days; on the third day He will raise us up, and we will live before Him” (Hosea 6:2). To them, says the apostle, it was revealed not for themselves, but for us. With these words, the apostle accomplishes a double task: he proves both the foreknowledge of the prophets and the fact that those who are now called to the faith of Christ were known to God before the creation of the world. With a word about the foreknowledge of the prophets, he inspires them to accept with faith what was foretold to them by the prophets, because even prudent children do not neglect the labors of their fathers. If the prophets, who had nothing to use, sought and examined, and, having found it, put it in books and handed it over to us as an inheritance, then we would be unfair if we began to treat their works with contempt. Therefore, when we proclaim this to you, do not despise it, and do not leave our gospel in vain. Such a lesson from the foreknowledge of the prophets! And by the fact that believers are foreknown by God, the apostle frightens them so that they do not show themselves unworthy of the foreknowledge of God and the calling from Him, but encourage each other to become worthy of the gift of God. 1 Peter 1:11. examining to which and at what time the Spirit of Christ who was in them pointed, when He foretold the sufferings of Christ and the glory that would follow them. 1 Peter 1:12. It was revealed to them that it was not they themselves, but us, who served If both the apostles and prophets acted by the Holy Spirit, proclaiming some prophecies and others the Gospel, then obviously there is no difference between them. So, you must, says the apostle, have the same attention to us as their contemporaries had to the prophets, so as not to be subject to the punishment that befell those who disobeyed the prophets. It should also be noted that in these words the Apostle Peter reveals the mystery of the Trinity. When he said: “The Spirit of Christ,” he pointed to the Son and the Spirit, and he pointed to the Father when he said: “from heaven.” For the word “from heaven” should not be understood about a place, but primarily about God sending the Son and Spirit into the world. what has now been preached to you by those who preached the gospel through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, into which the angels desire to penetrate. An exhortation is here offered, derived from the high dignity of the subject. The research of the prophets about our salvation served us, and the work of our salvation is so wonderful that it became desirable for the angels. And that our salvation is pleasing to the angels is evident from the joy they expressed at the Nativity of Christ. They sang then: “Glory to God in the highest” (Luke 2:14). Having said this, the apostle gives the reason for this and says: since this salvation of ours is dear to everyone, not only to people, but also to angels, then you do not treat it with neglect, but concentrate and take courage. This is indicated by the words: “having girded his loins” (1 Pet. 1:13), which God commanded Job to do (Job 38:3, 40:2). What loins? “your mind,” says the apostle further. Prepare yourself in this way, stay awake, and fully hope for the joy that is coming to you, the joy at the second coming of the Lord, about which he spoke a little before (1 Pet. 1:7). 1 Peter 1:13. Therefore, (beloved), having girded the loins of your mind, being watchful, have complete hope in the grace given to you at the appearing of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:14. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts that were in your ignorance, 1 Peter 1:15. but, following the example of the Holy One who called you, be holy in all your actions. 1 Peter 1:16. For it is written: Be holy, for I am holy. The apostle calls being "conformed" a passion for present circumstances. For even now some madmen say that one must adapt to circumstances. But since it is frivolous to surrender oneself to the will of circumstances, the apostle commands that they, whether in knowledge or in ignorance, adhere to this hitherto, but from now on conform to Him who called them, Who is truly Holy, and they themselves become holy. 1 Peter 1:17. And if you call Father the One who impartially judges everyone according to their deeds, then spend the time of your pilgrimage with fear, 1 Peter 1:18. Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, silver or gold, from the vain life handed down to you from your fathers, 1 Peter 1:19. but by the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, Scripture distinguishes between two types of fear, one is initial, the other is perfect 1 . Initial fear, which is also the main one, is when someone turns to an honest life out of fear of responsibility for their deeds, and perfect fear is when someone, in order to perfect love for a friend, for jealousy of a loved one, is afraid not to remain in debt to him for anything that is required by strong love. An example of the first, that is, initial fear is found in the words of the psalm: “Let all the earth fear the Lord” (Ps. 32:8); that is, those who do not care at all about heavenly things, but only fuss about earthly things. For what will they have to endure when the Lord “rises up to crush the earth” (Isa. 2:19, 21). An example of the second, that is, perfect, fear can also be found in David, for example in the following words: “Fear the Lord, [all] His saints, for there is no poverty for those who fear Him” (Ps. 33:10). and also in the words: “the fear of the Lord is pure and endures forever” (Ps. 18:10). The Apostle Peter convinces those who listen to him to live in such perfect fear and says: by the ineffable mercy of the Creator God, you have been accepted as one of His children; Therefore, let this fear always be with you, since you became such by the love of your Creator, and not by your own deeds. The apostle uses many arguments when persuading. He convinces, firstly, by the fact that angels take a sincere and living part in our salvation; secondly, by the sayings of Holy Scripture; thirdly, by necessity: for whoever calls God Father, in order to retain the right of adoption, must necessarily create something worthy of this Father; and, fourthly, by the fact that they received countless benefits through the price paid for them, that is, the Blood of Christ, shed as a ransom for the sins of people. Therefore, he commands them to have this perfect fear as a companion throughout their lives. For people who strive for perfection are always afraid, lest they be left without some kind of perfection. Take note. Christ said that the Father does not judge anyone, but “has given all judgment to the Son” (Jn. 5:22), but the Apostle Peter now says that the Father judges. How is this possible? We also answer this with the words of Christ: “The Son can do nothing of Himself unless he sees the Father doing it” (John 5:19). From this we can see the consubstantiality of the Holy Trinity, the perfect identity in It, and the peaceful and undisturbed harmony. “The Father judges” is said indifferently, because everything that anyone says about One of the Three Persons must apply generally to all of them. On the other hand, since the Lord calls the apostles “Children!” (John 13:33) and says to the paralytic: “Son, your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2:5), then there is no inconsistency in the fact that He is also called the Father of those whom He revived, imparting holiness to them. 1 Peter 1:20. Predestined even before the creation of the world, but appearing in the last times for you, 1 Peter 1:21. who through Him believed in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, Having spoken about the death of Christ, the apostle added to this the word about the resurrection. For he fears that the converts will not again bow down to unbelief due to the fact that the sufferings of Christ are humiliating. He also adds that the sacrament of Christ is not new (because even this outrages the foolish), but from the beginning, before the creation of the world, it was hidden until its proper time. However, it was also revealed to the prophets who sought it out, as I said a little above. And now he says that what was intended before the creation of the world has now been revealed or accomplished. And for whom did it happen? For you. For for you, he says, God raised Him from the dead. What is it for you? So that, having purified yourselves by obedience to the truth through the Spirit, you may have faith and trust in God. Why "cleansing"? Because by believing in Him who laid the foundation for your incorruptible life through the resurrection from the dead, you yourself must: “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4), following the example of Him who called you to incorruption. Do not be embarrassed by the fact that here the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul repeatedly say that the Lord was “raised” by the Father (Acts 13:37, 31). This is what he says, using the usual image of teaching. But listen to how Christ says that He raised Himself. He said: “Destroy this church, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). And in another place: “I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it up again” (John 10:18). It is not without purpose that the resurrection of the Son is assimilated to the Father; for this shows the united action of the Father and the Son. so that you may have faith and trust in God. 1 Peter 1:22. By obedience to the truth through the Spirit, having purified your souls to unfeigned brotherly love, constantly love one another from a pure heart, Having said that Christians are reborn not from a corruptible seed, but from an incorruptible one, by the word of God that lives and abides forever, the apostle exposes the insignificance and extreme fragility of human glory, thereby encouraging the listener to adhere more strongly to the previously taught teaching, since it is constant and extends forever, while earthly things soon decay in their very essence. To confirm this, “grass” and “flower on the grass” are given here, weaker in existence than “grass”; David likens our life to them (Ps. 102:15). Having shown the little value of our glory, the apostle again returns to the explanation of what exactly revived them by the word of God, living and abiding forever, and says: this is the word that was preached to you. He affirms this. word that it endures forever, because the Lord Himself said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). You should know that the words “toward unfeigned brotherly love” must be read in this order: from a pure heart, love one another constantly, to unfeigned brotherly love. For the end of a matter usually follows what was done for it. And how constant love for each other from a pure heart is followed by unhypocritical brotherly love; then it is fair that the words “from the bottom of my heart” and others should come first, and the words “unhypocritical brotherly love” after them. It should also be noted that the preposition “to” (είς) should be taken instead of the preposition “for reason, for” (διά). 1 Peter 1:23. as being regenerated, not from corruptible seed, but from incorruptible, from the word of God, which lives and abides forever. 1 Peter 1:24. For all flesh is like grass, and all the glory of man is like the flower of the grass: the grass withered, and its flower fell away; 1 Peter 1:25. but the word of the Lord endures forever; and this is the word that was preached to you. The apostle showed the advantage of spiritual rebirth over carnal birth, and exposed the low value of mortal glory, namely, that birth is associated with corruption and uncleanness, and glory does not differ in anything from spring plants, while the word of the Lord experiences nothing of the kind. For all human opinion soon ceases, but the word of God is not like that, it has eternal abiding. For this purpose, he added: “the word that was preached to you.” “There are two fears: one initial, and the other perfect, and one is characteristic, so to speak, of those beginning to be pious, the other is the fear of perfect saints who have reached the measure of perfect love.” Avva Dorotheus. “Soulful teachings and messages”, 4. You might be interested in: