2Peter 1:8-11 comments: nearsighted Christians

8  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11  For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

If we have faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, Godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity we will grow in our understanding of our Lord.  If we lack those things we are nearsighted spiritually and can only see our immediate circumstances not realizing that we have eternal life in Christ and were purged from our old sins.  We will keep being devoured by them.

Peter calls Christians to make certain by possession of these traits that we are, indeed, Christians and belong to Christ. Paul also gives us proofs or fruit of having the Spirit of God inside of us.

Galatians 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26  Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Ephesians 5:8  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9  (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10  Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

Paul also tells us to examine ourselves and the proofs of our faith.

2Corinthians 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

James made a similar statement to Peter’s about the carnal Christian’s forgetfulness.

James 1:23  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 26  If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. 27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

It is amazing to understand this and then to see how many so-called conservative Christians are hateful, mean-spirited, greedy, materialistic, abusive, and selfish. Such Christians will regard their church attendance and how often they go “soul-winning” as an indication of how close they are to God and yet ignore these things the Bible clearly says they need. It is reminiscent of how the Jews considered their ritual observances as so important and missed what was important to God. Jesus said;

Matthew 23:23  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24  Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26  Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

This passage in 2Peter opens and closes with a call to diligence, serious and determined effort. See verse 5 previously mentioned.

2Peter 1:7 comments: love for the church from within

7  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

We can build on this foundation by adding brotherly kindness, being kindly affectioned toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. Doing kind things for your brothers and sisters in Christ and, indeed, to all men and women, is a fundamental standard of Christ for His followers.

Ephesians 4:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Of course, it is hard to be kind if someone keeps hurting you over and over again. It is difficult to express this kindness when there is a control freak or an abuser working in the congregation so it is good to confront those persons and, if they will not repent of their wickedness, require that they leave. Certainly don’t place them in positions of authority over others.

Since this is an issue for many congregations let me say that some people with control issues are simply fearful, not having a strong faith in Christ or willing to accept His will. They will overplay every bad experience that happens to them, imagine great conspiracies in every event, and sincerely believe that they have all the answers to life and that it is important to impose those answers on everyone else, for their own sake. These folks, with a twinge of narcissism and a dose of paranoia, are to be pitied, certainly. They are miserable, indeed. But, they should not be placed in positions of authority where they can drive people from the assembly. Keeping them from a position where they can do great damage is the job of the modern pastor in a fundamentalist congregation.

Back to the text, though, we are to be kind to each other, as Paul defined in Ephesians, chapter 4. God is even kind to the unthankful and to the evil.

Luke 6:35  But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

As we are called to be;

Colossians 3:12 ¶  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Charity is the highest expression of what God wants from us. Charity is the unfeigned love of your brothers and sisters in Christ and is, perhaps, the most difficult of this list to fake. As the passage in Colossians 3 goes on to say;

14  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

This love of your brothers and sisters in Christ was specifically commanded by Christ.

John 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Paul gives it an entire chapter it is so important. It is clear by And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor in verse 3 in the following that charity is not defined here as we do today.

1Corinthians 13:1 ¶  Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

    4 ¶  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

    8 ¶  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Sometimes, with other things being hard to bear, the only reason a Christian stays in the church in which they are serving is because they love the people there. Building a church where people genuinely love each other, like unit cohesion in the military, is essential. Studies of soldiers who have risked their lives to do heroic things have shown that in combat, soldiers don’t die for your freedom, for God, the flag, country, or Mom’s apple pie. They give their lives for the other soldiers in their unit. A church should revolve around its mission of loving, worshipping, and serving Christ but it will not stay together unless the congregation loves each other.

Building trust, love, and bonds of friendship and fellowship in a church body is fundamental to growing a church. In a church where people’s efforts are not appreciated, where they are belittled, suspected, ridiculed, or controlled there will be no growth or depth of doctrine or understanding.

Charity or love of the brethren is the highest standard that God sets for His church to act as a community of believers. Do you feel judged by others in your church, disrespected, or that some view themselves as more spiritual, wiser, or simply better Christians than you are? Then, there is a sickness, a wound in the body of Christ. Perhaps you need to find somewhere else to serve? Or better yet, pray for your church. Pray for God’s mercy and blessing to strengthen it and change the heart of any offender, who may even be hurt and wounded themselves.

2Peter 1:6 comments: Godly traits

6  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

First, God gives us faith. Second, we develop moral courage and power or virtue from that wanting and choosing to do right, and we desire to know Christ through His word to have knowledge of Him and His will. Then we come to temperance or self-control doing all things in moderation and under Christ’s authority.

Here, Paul uses a form of temperance in using an athlete as a type of Christian.

1Corinthians 9:24 ¶  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25  And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26  I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Temperance is the last listed in Galatians 5:22,23 and presumably highest of the fruit or proof or evidence of a Christian having the Spirit of God dwelling in them. Solomon wrote about this character trait.

Proverbs 12:16  A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.

Proverbs 15:18  A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

Proverbs 16:32  He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

Of course, temperance applies to such things, as well, as gluttony and drunkenness.

Deuteronomy 21:20  And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.

Proverbs 23:21  For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

But it is in the expression of anger, self-righteous judgment, and paranoia that the conservative Christian will often find the most danger in intemperance when dealing with his or her own family or the body of Christ.

Patience is synonymous with longsuffering, one of the fruits or evidence of a Christian having the Spirit of God in him.

Colossians 1:11  Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

Peter will emphasize the Lord’s longsuffering toward us as being why we have the opportunity for salvation later in chapter 3. We need faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, and patience. We must be patient to endure suffering. Many Christians in lands in the Middle East and Africa and Asia suffer horrible tribulation and persecution and must have great patience to endure as those in the Great Tribulation at the end of this age must have.

Revelation 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

To have godliness we must have built on the previous values. Do you have faith? Do you have the courage of your convictions to do right? Do you know Christ, and His will for your life? Do you have self-control and have you brought your flesh into a disciplined state? Do you have patience and longsuffering in waiting on God and trusting in His promises?

Godliness is the next listed. To live in a Godly manner is to possess Godliness. Many Christians think that Godliness is a negative trait, based on defining yourself by what you do not do. If they don’t swear, don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t watch certain TV and movies, and don’t do really bad things then they view themselves as Godly Christians. But, Godliness is defined more by what you do than what you don’t.

Godliness is manifested in how your religion is expressed.

James 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Godliness is revealed in how you treat others as shown in Jesus’ parable on the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, in the Sermon on the Mount, and in Paul’s writings in Romans 12 and other places. In fact, the Bible can almost be said to be a book on how to live in a Godly manner. This can be attained on one level by your will but on a deeper level it can only be attained by letting God speak to your spiritual heart through His words. Also, you cannot hope to live a Godly life if you aren’t willing to die for Christ, trusting in Him. Christians who live in a state of constant fear and paranoia do not trust Christ nor can they accept His will for their lives.

So, added to the faith God gives, is the moral courage of your convictions, the knowledge of Christ through the words of His Bible, self-control and moderation in temper and consumption, patience and a longsuffering attitude in waiting for Christ’s promises, and then living in a manner pleasing to God.

2Peter 1:5 comments: virtue

    5 ¶  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; (revised)

Believing is one thing but faith must put on flesh to have a usefulness in God’s plan. As James told Jewish Christians in his letter, faith without works is dead.

James 2:26  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Paul made it clear that we are called to something after we are saved.

Ephesians 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The evidence or fruit of having God’s Spirit in us, being saved, is also made clear by Paul.

Galatians 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Peter here begins building on the foundation of faith, given by God. He wants the Christian to do these things diligently, to cultivate these traits. First, adding to the faith given to us we seek virtue, the moral power of a changed life. Virtue is many things such as moral courage and the courage of your convictions, not standing on them for the purpose of forcing others to mirror you but the courage of living in the manner deliberately in which Christ has called you to live.

Romans 6:12  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

This is very difficult for young people driven by biology and a need for validation and love, for certain sub-cultures within our country who regard sexual desire as a mere physical need to be satisfied, and for older people who have become obsessed with sex as a symbol of youth and health. But, moral virtue is fundamental to being a Christian in practice with fornication underscored here next in the context of adultery with another person’s spouse.

1Thessalonians 4:3  For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4  That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; 5  Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: 6  That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. 7  For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 8  He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

Knowledge here, because of the context, must be linked to the knowledge of Christ in verse 3. This was a desire of Paul which he expressed in 1Corinthians and Philippians.

1Corinthians 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

 

Philippians 3:9 ¶ And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto [understand as in Psalm 139:6 and Proverbs 1:5] the resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect [complete in understanding as in Col. 4:12 and 2Chronicles 8:16]: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend [to know, as in contrast to know in verse 10] that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

 

The knowledge of Christ is attained by prayerfully reading the Bible and submitting to Him and His authority over you and by exercising your faith in the practice of virtue which requires a conscious rejection of sin and its hold over your body and your mind.

Added to the faith which came from God is virtue or a desire to do right by God and then seeking the knowledge of Christ and His will for your life. How can you know Christ if you hold His standard for your life in utter contempt by your behavior?

2Peter 1:1-4 comments: important things - revised

An epistle is a letter.

2Corinthians 7:8  For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.

This second epistle of Peter is substantially different from the first in that it deals with warnings and some complicated theological issues. There is also no stated secretary or amanuensis so Peter may have written it himself or the secretary just chose not to put his name on it. Perhaps it as still Silvanus or Peter’s protégé, Marcus.

1 ¶  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Starting with the last word of this passage, lust is to covet something that you do not have or that is not yours to possess.

Romans 7:7  What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

One of the greatest trials we face is not being satisfied with what we have and desiring something that we do not have. This comes from the focus of our satisfaction being on things and people rather than on Jesus Christ. We lust because we are ignorant or we are evil, neither thing being welcome.

We live in a culture, a world system, that values coveting above all other things. You should want more material possessions, more education, more money, a bigger home, a newer car, a better computer or cellphone, and you should want to be taller, more muscular, prettier, smarter, or more popular than you are. This is dictated to us in movies, TV, books, magazines, and the internet. We spend much of our lives chasing money to have more things and are never satisfied, as we are taught to not be. But, God’s way is not so.

Matthew 6:19 ¶  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

    25 ¶  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

1Timothy 6:6 ¶  But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

You may have read those things but you didn’t believe them. You weren’t thinking about them as you stood in line waiting to get into your favorite store on Black Friday. You weren’t thinking about them when you shopped for your last truck, your last home, or were teaching your children to covet and lust after material possessions at their last birthday party or Christmas.

The purpose of selling a product, whether it be a Christian college or a car, with an attractive young woman in the picture of the advertisement is to create covetousness. The purpose of a romance novel or pornography is to make you spend money because you want something you don’t have; which in reality is in the first case a fictional character rather than your husband or in the second  a disease-ridden young woman who may have trashed her life but looks good when her picture is airbrushed. You are being taught, by advertising and media and entertainment, to want something you don’t have.

Look at any professional athlete who has cheated on his beautiful wife or girlfriend and understand that the new thing doesn’t have to be better than the old thing, it just must be different. 

Coveting, lusting, is about wanting something you don’t have no matter how good what you do have is. It is the primary attitude a consumer society demands created by Sigmund Freud’s nephew, Ed Bernays, as the father of modern advertising or propaganda, as he called it, and detailed in the BBC documentary, The Century of Self. Face it, modern Christian, you’ve been had. You are mark, a sucker, a prime con candidate. You prove this every time you look longingly at a celebrity or even a television program on improving your house and garden. You just want more and you insist on teaching your children that wanting what you don’t have is the greatest thing.

Peter is speaking to his fellow believers who have received faith through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who is God. We don’t all receive the same measure of faith as Romans 12:3 indicates, but when we believe we are given faith.

Ephesians 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:   

Through the knowledge of Christ we can receive grace and peace and display glory and virtue. Through the knowledge of Christ we can obey God’s will. Through the knowledge of Christ we can have all things pertaining to life and godliness.  The knowledge of Christ comes through Him speaking to us through His word which Peter will mention later. I didn’t capitalize word because Word capitalized refers to Christ.

Believing and trusting in the promises that Christ has given us, the promise of lifelong communion with Him and the promise of eternal life, among others, can keep us from the corruption inherent in this world system through lust, desiring things we do not have or possibly should not have.

We are promised an escape from temptations we face.

1Corinthians 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

We are promised comfort in all of our trials and tribulations.

2Corinthians 1:3 ¶  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4  Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

We are promised joy in this life.

John 16:24  Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

We are promised eternal life with our Creator.

Revelation 21:1 ¶  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

There are many other promises but you won’t know about them unless you read God’s words.

1Peter 5:10-14 comments: called to eternal glory

10 ¶  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11  To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 12  By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. 13  The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. 14  Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Paul was called to be an Apostle.

Romans 1:1  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Christians are called to be separated to God and holy.

Romans 1:7  To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

God has called us to eternal glory by Jesus Christ. This particular calling is referred to by Paul.

Romans 8:26 ¶  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 ¶  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Peter prays that after these Christians have suffered a little while they are finished, completed, and perfected. In his next letter Peter spoke of growing in grace toward a goal of being a complete Christian.

Paul also wrote;

Romans 5:1 ¶  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Silvanus is the secretary, called an amanuensis, by which Peter dictated this letter. Often, the Bible authors dictated to a ready scribe who would write down what they said.

Romans 16:22  I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.

For instance, Moses had to have someone write his own words as this person recorded Moses’ death.

Deuteronomy 34:5  So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD…7  And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

Peter is having this written from Babylon, which was a thriving center of Jewry at this time and later after Roman persecution dispersed Jews from Israel, from which the Babylonian Talmud came. There is no historical evidence that Peter ever saw Rome, however, we have his word here that he wrote from Babylon. There is no literal, physical reason from the point of view of this evidence to say that Babylon is a symbol for Rome. However, one might make the argument that Babylon means Rome because of the references written by John in Revelation, chapters17 and 18.

The identity of that Babylon with Rome is based on the mention of seven mountains, or hills.

Revelation 17:9  And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

However, if it must be understood that Jerusalem is also said to be set on seven hills.(9)

Regarding the kiss of charity, that is not a custom in the present United States. Men would feel uncomfortable with that practice and it would seem inappropriate, typically, although certainly not in every circumstance. This calls us to remember that before we insist a New Testament practice must be exercised by the church for the church to be Biblically correct we must determine if the practice is based on the culture of the time or if it is a command for all Christians. Charity, or love for the brethren, is required for all Christians everywhere but things like kissing each other in charity, long hair on women, or men wearing robes are cultural practices in context. Use proper discernment and, if you have a conviction be wary of trying to impose it on others.

Is this Marcus the Mark who wrote the gospel with that name on it? We don’t know. That Mark is also thought to be John Mark of Acts. However, that Mark is closely associated with Paul, being last mentioned in 2Timothy 4:11. It is an interesting point to ponder, though.

(9) Ernest L. Martin, “The Seven Hills of Jerusalem,” on Associates for Scriptural Knowledge, http://askelm.com/prophecy/p000201.htm. (updated February 1, 2000).

I hope you have enjoyed studying 1Peter as much as I have and that you will also study it on your own. Let me know if you have any comments or questions.

1Peter 5:5-9 comments: humility

5 ¶  Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Here, Peter calls for the younger Christian to be respectful of the older. Then, going on he tells all of them to subject themselves to each other, in humility. God opposes the proud but gives the humble person grace. Paul also expresses this command from the Holy Spirit.

Romans 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Ephesians 5:21 ¶  Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Our submission to each other is therefore voluntary in submission to Christ, in an orderly fashion that does not violate God’s restrictions on the proper nature of our relationships with each other. We must keep in mind that in the church Christ has eliminated all distinctions of ethnicity or race, social class, and gender regarding whether or not one is more important than the other to God.  

Galatians 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

So, for those men in the church whose pride will not let them assist a woman who has been given a task to complete I would ask, would you humble yourself if Paul asked you directly?

Romans 16:1 ¶  I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: 2  That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.

We humble ourselves under God’s authority and, in due time, we will be exalted or lifted up.

James 4:10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

We put our cares and concerns and worries on Him, because He cares for us. This also allows us to empathize with the sufferings of others.

2Corinthians 1:3 ¶  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4  Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

    8 ¶  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

It is important that the Christian be alert to Satan’s presence and not fall into the traps he lays. He, like a lion on the prowl, seeking his prey, is a real, ever-present threat, although limited by God’s permission, as we saw in the book of Job. Here is an interesting verse about where an actual lion receives its prey. In the narrative God is asking rhetorical questions of Job that teach us a great deal about the reality we experience. In the following verse it is implicit that God provides a lion’s prey, and it is not accident.

Job 38:39  Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions, 40  When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?

Satan is like the lion that roars for its prey, but who, as a careful reading of Job shows, only obtain its prey with God’s permission.

Psalm 104:21  The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.

We are told to beware and to resist Satan in the faith given to us. God permits Satan to attack and gives us the power to resist. Remember, the faith given to us is given to us by God and we did not generate it ourselves. Every person has the capacity to believe and once they believe faith is a gift from God.

Romans 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Ephesians 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

We need that faith from God for without the faith God gives us we cannot please Him.

Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Paul tells us how to resist the Devil.

Ephesians 6:10 ¶  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Peter tells these Christians that what they are up against is not something unique to them alone. The troubles they face are problems all Christians, and indeed, all people face in this world.

1Corinthians 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.