Толкование на первое Послание св. Петра.

1 Pet. 1:6–8. It is not enough now, even if it is unfortunate, that you have been sorrowful in various adversities: but the temptation of your faith is more honorable than gold, perishing, but being tempted by fire, it will be found in praise and honor and glory, in the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom you have not seen. The righteous undergo troubles in order to be crowned; sinners undergo punishment in order to be crowned. But not all sinners are punished here, so that many resurrections are not rejected; and not all the righteous suffer, so that you do not consider evil worthy of praise and do not hate virtue. 1 Pet. 1:18–21. Knowing that it was not with corrupted silver or gold that the faithful fathers delivered you from your vanity of life, but with the honest blood of the immaculate and pure Christ, like a lamb, foreseen before the foundation of the world, appearing in the last years for your sake, for whose sake you believe in God. We are God’s creation, but through sin we have become (servants) of the devil; then the Savior redeems us (those who have given ourselves over) to the devil with His blood, that is, “natural purchase with price” (1 Cor. 7:23) - we are redeemed with honest blood. How a respectable and kind householder, not considering a worthless slave who has committed many misdeeds, is worthy of his good home and life together, passes it on to another to teach him, and then, when he sees him punished by a harsh master, and says: I will go to my first master, because I was better off then than now, restores him in honor and ransoms him to become special ( περιούσιος) people (λαός), - this is how God restores us. How can we be His property and not His property? As creations are (His) property; but as having become aliens as a result of sin, they are not property. Do not think that you are God's property if you become a sinner; (then) the devil gains you; you are his acquisition. A man of sin, the son of perdition, he buys you not with honest blood, but with dishonest blood, he buys you with sin, he buys you with adultery, because he is not pure; buys by murder, since he is a murderer: “a murderer... from time immemorial, and not worth it in truth” (John 8:44). This is his custom. 1 Pet. 2:7, 8. And to those who resist, the stone, which is carelessly built, will become the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling and a stone of temptation. These words refer to Christ, since in the Gospel He cites this prophecy, saying: “If any of you carried the stone that you built without care, this became the cornerstone” (Matthew 21:42). And after a few words: “the stone that ... is careless to build”; (by the latter) he means the Jews, scribes, Pharisees, who rejected Him, saying, “For you are a Samaritan and have a demon” (John 8:48), and also: “This man is not of God... but he flatters the nations” (John 9:16; John 7:12). 1 Pet. 3:10. And do not speak flattery with your lips. Flattery is a lie, deception, slander, accusations that do not contain the truth, but are pleasing to the enemy of truth, that is, Satan, the father of lies. He is a liar, says the Savior, “and does not stand in the truth” (John 8:44). The saints need to reject his acquisition, and rather (hold on to) what is characteristic of God, Who is the truth. 1 Pet. 3:11. Let him avoid evil and do good. It is not in our will to completely prevent anything like that from coming to mind; such thoughts often somehow come to him, but if someone is wise, he avoids them, and inclines to the best ones and those that contain a lot of useful things; this, I think, means: “turn away from evil.” 1 Pet. 4:9. Strangers towards each other, without grumbling. If you accept him as Christ, you will neither grumble nor be ashamed, but rather be exalted by it; but if you do not accept him as Christ, you will not accept him. “Those who accept you,” he says, “accept me,” (Matthew 10:40). If you receive it wrong, you have no reward. Abraham received passing people, considering them strangers, but did not provide everything to the slaves, and ordered his wife to knead the dough, although he had 318 household members. But he wanted to receive a reward together with his wife not only for expenses, but also for service. So we need to show kindness, doing everything ourselves, so that we can be sanctified. 1 Pet. 5:2, 3. Shepherd the flock of God within you... not even those who have rank. Christ says: “Whoever wishes to be first among you (Ό θέλων ἐν ύμῖν είναι πρῶτος), let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:26). “Those who... will humble themselves (δς γάρ ταπεινώσει ἑαοτὸν), will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). What do you say: if I humble myself, I will be high? Yes, he says; such is My power to achieve one through the other; I have mastery over the means and the art; don't be afraid; The nature of things obeys My will, and I do not follow nature. 1 Pet. 5:6. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, so that in time you may be exalted. He didn’t just say, “he will exalt,” but added, “in time,” teaching them to expect that true exaltation in the next century. 1 Pet. 5:14. Peace to you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. See how, suggesting what is to be fulfilled, he marks it with prayer, placing peace as a seal of what is stated.