Lord Jesus Christ in 1Peter

Verses within this Study.

1:1 2, 3, 3-LJC, 7, 1:11, 13, 19; 19-Lamb, :25; 2:3, 5, 13; 13-King, 17, 21; 3:6, 12, 15; 16, 18, 21; 4:1, 11, 13, 14; 5:1, 5:3, 10, 5:13, 14.

Click on the following links to jump to a section within the study of this Bible Book: Lord only, Jesus only, Christ only, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, Lord Jesus, Lord Christ, Lord Jesus Christ, King, Son, Lamb

Home

Study Overview.

Christ is the most common name used for the Son of God in this book. Christ is used 19times, 10 times by itself (in 9verses). Lord Christ is never used by itself. Lord Jesus Christ is used only once. Lord is used 6 times by itself. Jesus is never used by itself. Lord Jesus is never used by itself. Christ Jesus occurs twice and Jesus Christ occurs 8 times. God is used 36 times. Father is used 4 times. Spirit is used 6 times. That is 35times that the Son of God is mentioned, 40 times that God the Father is mentioned and 6 times that the Spirit is mentioned. That's a lot of mentioning of God in this small epistle. However, most of those references also use the preposition of. If 1Peter was summarized into one sentence it would be the things of God that are given to us and what we are to do because of them. See, the true God of the Bible is a God Who says 'put up or shut up'. As the Bible says, we are saved by faith like Abraham's which was a faith that acted and not one that sat still and talked a good game. Peter tells us 'Here's all of the stuff of God that has given to you. Now act upon it'. An index of Peter's references to God's various names can be found in the Book Study on 1Peter.

Lord

1Peter 1:1 :25; 2:3, 13; 3:12, 15; 5:3.

Peter uses Lord for the ultimate power and authority in all of existence. Peter uses Lord for the One who will judge each and every one of us. Peter uses Lord for God the Father and for God the Son. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lord and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lord.

1Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Here Peter is concluding chapter 1 which mainly told us to look at events and circumstances in our lives from a spiritual point of view. Peter is talking to people that are being persecuted or are going to suffer persecution. The only way to endure persecution is by having a spiritual point of view on it. Peter concludes this chapter with verses 1:22-25.

Our verse is part of two sentences which are in 1:24-25. In fact, 1Peter 1:24-25 have three sentences in them, with the middle sentence split between the two verses. Unfortunately, instead of leaving these as three sentences, people chopped our clear word of God into confusing verses. All that this accomplished is to cause confusion to the reader, which I personally believe was the goal of the people who did this. However, we will try to restore clarity.

These sentences start with For, which means they give the reason for what Peter said in earlier within this chapter. That means that these sentences provide the conclusion of this chapter.

In 1:23, Peter reminds us that we were born again by an incorruptible word of God. In 1:24 Peter reminds us of how fragile and short human life is then he compares human life and weak and ineffective human opinion to the word of the Lord. Peter tells us But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. The difference between word of God and the word of the Lord is covered elsewhere, in detail, but can be simply explained. The word of God the lies of Satan but we are not to accept those as truth and are not to obey them. Unfortunately, some devil motivated people preach the lies of Satan as doctrine to be obeyed because they are recorded in the word of God. However, we are not to believe nor obey those lies and all that we are to obey is the word of the Lord. The difference is seen in the context, which is one of the reasons why we must pay attention to the context. Peter does not sat that the word of God will endure for ever and I personally believe God will remove the lies of Satan, and other such things, after He wipes away every tear and those things are no longer needed to warn us because no one will ever sin again in God's kingdom.

It is by the power of the Lord that Satan and all enemies are defeated. It is by the power of the Lord that we can rely on what is written, regardless of what circumstances come. One of the most basic things that make the Bible unique among all books on earth is detailed prophecy that's 100% accurate. Prophecy isn't there for us to tell the future but to prove that the prophet was giving God's word. The prophecy of Nostradamus can be interpreted at least 1,000 different ways. There's only one way to interpret Bethlehem of Judea. Every false prophet has less than 50% accuracy. With prophecy, God tells the entire world, Satan and all of the devils; put up or shut up. All of them together can't stop the Lord's prophecies or destroy the Lord's Word. All of them together can't replace the Lord's Word or make their prophecies any more reliable than God allows. They only have enough accuracy to provide fools a free will. This level of demonstrated power is what assures us that our Lord will keep His promises to us. Peter tells us that all of men have no more power than grass has, but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. This use of Lord is emphasizing our Lord's power. When added to Revelation 20:12, we also see the judgment of our Lord using this same Word that lost people reject. Peter is telling us to trust the power of our Lord who openly challenges all of creation to put up or shut up and gives them all of the time needed to prove their weakness beyond a shadow of a doubt.

All of this (and more) is included in the reasons (For) that Peter gives for us to do what he said in the prior sentence. Further, the rest of the epistle is going to expand upon what Peter wrote there. In that sentence, Peter started with Seeing ye have purified your souls. This is past tense. In the notes for 1:1-2 we showed that the elect, that Peter addressed this epistle to, are true Biblical Christians and does not include the lost or the spiritually immature. Peter assumes that his audience has purified your souls and done it on a personal basis (ye) because no one becomes the elect without purifying their souls.

With this assumption as his basis, Peter makes further remarks. First, he says how they purified your souls (what proof is required) when he says in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren. Notice that Peter didn't say that they did it on their own but did it by the power of (through) the (Holy) Spirit. The Spirit doesn't dump all truth on us at once because we can't handle it (1Corinthians 3:2) but the Spirit shows different parts of the Truth (John 14:6) as we are able to handle truth. Just like different children mature different ways and at different rates, so also do spiritual children. But as the Spirit shows us truth on a personal basis, and as we obey the truth through the Spirit, Peter says we will end up with the result (unto) of unfeigned love of the brethren.

This is the proof that we are part of the elect and part of Peter's audience. As part of the elect, Peter tells us to see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently. All that we have covered (in this paragraph about this part off the sentence) is made equivalent (by the colon) to Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. There is way too much that has been, and can be, preached about this phrase for me to go into it here. But please note that by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever is equivalent to through the Spirit because the word of God is spiritually alive and where Jesus is God the Son manifested in human flesh, the word of God is God the Son manifested in print (John 1:1-4, 14) and is Spiritually alive (not physically).

Just as Lord is only one of the roles of the Son of God, and therefore a subset of the Son of God, so also is the word of the Lord a subset of the word of God. While God keeps the word of God to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:9; 1Chronicles 16:15; Psalms 105:8), it is the subset that is the word of the Lord that is the basis of the gospel (And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you [1Peter 1:25 ].) We saw all through 1 and 2 Thessalonians that we should stop our sinning and serve God because we will be judged by our Lord. That is what Peter is telling us here. We should purify our souls, obey the truth through the Spirit and love one another with a pure heart fervently because judgment day is coming and we will answer for our works according to what God put into the word of the Lord.

In this chapter Peter warns us to keep in mind future judgment as we go through the manifold temptations. That judgment will be according the word of the Lord, which is why this note did a quick review of the chapter and how the various things mentioned within this chapter are related to the word of the Lord.

Home

1Peter 2:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

This verse is the Second Equivalent Section of a sentence that is in 2:1-3. It is divided by punctuation within the Book Study on 1 Peter and that note has all of the details about this sentence including how Peter tells us that the Lord is gracious within the First Equivalent Section of this sentence.

Our sentence uses Lord as the identifier of God the Father, Who is the member of the Trinity that Peter has been concentrating on so far. God the Father provided the plan of our salvation and the power for it. We also see Lord used for God the Father in: Acts 2:21, 2:47, 15:11, 16:31, Romans 10:9, 10:13 and other verses say that we will be saved by the Lord.

When the Lord saves us, He does not judge us but shows us mercy in that He does not give us the punishment that we deserve. But on top of that, He is gracious because He makes us His children and takes us to His home in Heaven and gives us His Holy Spirit and more. Then when we still sin against Him after our initial profession, he still does not judge us but shows us mercy in that He does not give us the punishment that we deserve but instead teaches us how to become like Him. God the Father has Christ bring us to spiritual maturity so that we can stop our sinning and do things that will get us rewards in Heaven. Peter told us all of these truths in the prior chapter and this verse is part of a sentence which tells us how to act based upon the truths of the prior chapter. This verse / Equivalent Section gives us the motivation for our required obedience. Peter starts this verse / Equivalent Section with the word if because some people have not tasted this truth. They are like a starving person who has a good meal given to them and they just stare at it in unbelief. Obviously, we should taste that the Lord is gracious.

After this sentence Peter is going to go into things that we are to do so that the Lord can reward us in Heaven. The things that Peter is going to talk about fall under the role of Lord. So there are several reasons that Peter uses Lord in this sentence.

Home

1Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;

1Peter 2:13and 2:14 form a single sentence which is divided by punctuation in the note for this sentence within the Book Study on 1Peter. Within this sentence, the first part of our current verse is the First Equivalent Section and the second half of this verse is the First Step within the Second Equivalent Section, with verse 2:14 being the Second Step within the Second Equivalent Section. Thus, once more, we see the verse format separating sentences in a way that causes confusion. This is not from God (1Corinthians 14:33.)

Please also see the related note for this sentence under king.

The First Equivalent Section of this sentence says to submit to laws and the Second Equivalent Section says to submit to the men who make and enforce the laws. It should be obvious that these two Sections are equivalent. So we will continue with how God wants us to submit. With this in mind, and with the knowledge that a more detailed explanation is in the Book Study on 1Peter, we will proceed to the use of Lord within our sentence.

Everyone, including government employees are to submit to the laws and the people in positions to make those laws. The main source of bad government is people in positions of power who are not willing to submit to the same laws as everyone else. It is not the type or form of government which is a problem, but people. With that in mind, please remember that Peter is writing to people who are under, or will be under, persecution because of bad people in government positions of power. With that in mind, realize that our sentence tells us to submit, even to a bad king.

Instead of worrying about bad people in power of authority we are to keep in mind that our Lord has greater power and authority than all of them combined. Anything that they do to us must be allowed by our Lord, just like Satan had to get permission to persecute Job, as seen in the book of Job. Therefore, we are to thank our Lord for His ultimate power and judgment with reward and thank Him for the results that we will get from His judgment.

Instead of supporting anarchy, we are to support the order that the God appointed government provides. Again, we see Lord directly linked to the Law and legal aspects of God. But more than that, look at the next sentence which starts with For (Here's the reason for what Peter just told us to do). There Peter tells us For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. I'll leave explaining this sentence to others who can do a far better job of it than I can other than to say that Peter gives some explanation (For) in the sentence of 2:21-24 (Please see the note for 2:21 under Christ). Between this sentence and that sentence Peter gives us some very blunt commands in the next few sentences and then, for the second time (two times is the basis for doctrine), tells us that it is thankworthy to endure grief, suffering wrongfully in verse 2:19. We are to thank our Lord when we endure grief, suffering wrongfully because He is worthy of thanks for His righteous judgment that He will give us at the end of this life in the flesh. As noted before, this is one of the main teachings of 1Thessalonians and 2Thessalonians which deal with the Lord more than any other role of the Son of God.

Home

1Peter 3:6 Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.

This verse is the Second and Third Equivalent Sections of a sentence which is in 1Peter 3:5-6. Here we see a lower-case lord used for Abraham because he is a man and not God. As a man, Abraham failed to fulfill his responsibilities as lord. God will never do the same and that is only one difference between God and man. Our sentence tells us that even though Abraham failed in his duties as lord, Sarah still recognized him as having this God-given position. If she had refused to recognize Abraham's God-given position, God would have refused her appeal to Him even though it was Abraham's failure which started the mess.

Home

1Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

In our verse, Peter says for the eyes of the Lord , which means that he is giving us a reason (For) that comes from our Lord and tells us why we want to obey all of the previous commands. Peter gave us some commandments starting in 2:18 and continuing through our current verse. In addition, Chapter 2 ended with an explanation of why we should obey (For) that is based upon the Son of God's role as Christ. (Please see the note for 2:21 within this Study). Then in Chapter 3, Peter started giving us more commandments and gives us the reason in this verse (For) that based upon the Son of God's role as Lord. The major difference is that in Chapter 2 Peter is talking about our personal attitudes while in Chapter 3has Peter is talking about our testimony that is seen by lost people. God the Son deals with each of these areas of our life but He deals with them through different roles. In this sentence, Peter is warning of judgment. The Lord will give reward for the righteous acts of His people and the Lord will punish those who do evil. If we look at the next sentence, which is added to this one by starting with an And. There, we see Peter giving a remark that only makes sense from a spiritual point of view. This is consistent for this entire epistle and doctrinal error that is taught, based upon this epistle, is almost always due to people refusing to take a spiritual perspective and to their ignoring the restrictions of context. Peter says who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? Well, Peter himself was a follower of that which is good and he died a martyr's death. So Peter did have someone harm him in the flesh. However, they could not harm him spiritually. Much of Peter's epistle can only be understood properly from a spiritual point of view that says spiritual rewards far outweigh physical suffering that is required in order to receive the spiritual rewards.

With all of that said, the phrase the eyes of the Lord...and his ears lets us know that nothing is hid from the Lord. He will accurately record everything and everyone will face judgment for everything that He records unless it is a sin done by a saved person who confessed and forsook that sin. We can know that this judgment will happen because our verse also says but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. There are people that do evil and are not punished in this life. Therefore, their judgment and punishment will come when they look eye-to-eye with the face of the Lord.

Home

1Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

1Peter 3:14 through 3:16 is a single sentence which addresses God the Father as Lord God and God the Son as Christ. (Please also see the note for 3:16 under Christ.)

This sentence is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter. Within it are four Equivalent Sections which are also four different perspectives on the same thought. That is, every Equivalent Section tells us something about 'How to have the right attitude about physical suffering'. In addition, the next sentence (1Peter 3:17) starts with the word For, which means that next sentence gives the first reason for what Peter says in this sentence. Further, the sentence after that (1Peter 3:18-20) also starts with For, which means it gives another reason for what Peter says in this sentence. (Please also see the note for 3:18 within this Study.) Finally, our last sentence within this chapter (the next sentence in our series [1Peter 3:21-22]) starts with The like figure whereunto, which means that the doctrinal truth which it teaches uses these sentences for a like figure. That sentence is the source of much doctrinal error because people ignore the context even while the starting words of these sentences make it clear that context is critical to proper Biblical understanding of all of these sentences. Please consider all that is contextually related to this sentence while trying to understand the following explanation of this sentence.

We see four Equivalent Sections in this sentence, which teach us some interesting things. However, every one of them are not easy to do, which is why I included Peter's audience in the meaning of each part. Every one of these Equivalent Sections have immature and carnal saved people who claim to do some part of the instructions while ignoring the included requirements. When we consider the requirements from Peter, and say that people can't truthfully claim to do these things unless they meet the requirements, then it gets interesting. For example, in the first Equivalent Section of this sentence, Peter says But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Lots of saved people claim to do that, but they are not happy. If they are they are not happy with their own personal life (ye) and what the Lord God is doing in it then it is not possible that they truly sanctified the Lord God in their heart.

To sanctify the Lord God means to put God in a special position where no matter what He does, we believe (know) that it is righteous and good and for our personal good, not just for the general good of some group. Peter tells us to sanctify the Lord God when we personally (ye) suffer for righteousness' sake. This is what will make us happy on a personal level (ye). This is not easy to do and it takes spiritual maturity to look at events in this world from a spiritual perspective while you are personally suffering. I've been through enough personally to call anyone a liar to their face that disagrees with this doctrinal truth. Anyone who has personally suffered as much or more than I have (almost died because of a vow to God, etc) knows that without the spiritual maturity that only comes from experiencing God working in your personal life, no one can look at suffering in the flesh from a spiritual perspective.

Peter knew what he was talking about and he instructs us that, when we find ourselves suffering for righteousness' sake, we need to look at the suffering from a spiritual point of view. We need to see our Lord God sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up (Isaiah 6:1), and know beyond a shadow of doubt that He is in control and allowed this suffering into our personal life so that He can personally reward us, and we truly have faith in His promise of reward, we can be happy, as Peter tells us to be.

In the Second Equivalent Section of this sentence, Peter tells us to do this in your heart. There may be some people who can get their feelings in line with God's will and then their mind follows, but I personally find it easiest to see the truth in God's Word, get it firmly planted in my mind and them pray for God to make it real in my heart. However we do it, we need to get this faith (knowledge) in our heart to the point that we are not afraid of their (people in the world) terror, neither be troubled. Many preachers have preached that people have been lost by 18 inches because they believed the plan of salvation in their head but not in their heart. If we can not feel, on a personal level, the truth of be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled then we have not really sanctified the Lord God in our hearts. We might be doing it in our head, but we are truly doing this in our heart. Again, this requires a level of spiritual maturity that can only be found in Peter's true audience. They are true Biblical Christians (the elect).

In the Third Equivalent Section of this sentence, Peter tells us to do this and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. How many of us can truly act with meekness and fear (of our Lord) while we personally suffer for righteousness' sake? The person who is causing our personal suffering is often the one that we are required to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you. Again, this requires a level of spiritual maturity that can only be found in Peter's true audience, those who are true Biblical Christians (elect).

In the Fourth Equivalent Section of this sentence, Peter first tells us that we are to have a good conscience while they speak evil of you. This is not going to happen if we are defending ourselves and fighting back instead of acting like Christ. This is dealt with more in the note for 3:16 under Christ.

We see Peter using Lord God in this verse because he is talking about God the Father while Jesus and Christ are roles of the Son of God. Peter tells us to sanctify the Lord God because He is the greatest power that exists and while He is allowing people to do what they want to do in order to prove what they are really like. It is Lord God Who set the laws and ways of judging that God the Son will use when He judges every person who lives. Saved people claim to have faith in God by waiting upon His judgment and reward. Our true reaction to suffering is the proof of our true faith or lack thereof. We are expected to live a life which shows the difference between what we expect to receive from our Lord God and what we are receiving from man.

Home

1Peter 5:3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

This verse is part of Peter's opening sentence for chapter 5which is in 5:1-3. The sentence is divided by punctuation, and explained, in the Book Study for 1Peter. This chapter holds Peter's last remarks of this epistle. Within it he starts out addressing the elders and reminds them that he is also an elder and a lot more. Peter's instructions are simple: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. As an elder, Peter knows the particular sin temptation that is greatest to elders. However, Peter also was a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. As Paul and others have said, the sufferings that we experience here are not to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed. However, the elders will loose their glory if they fall into this sin. Therefore, Peters warns them not to be lords over God's heritage. A lord has certain rights and responsibilities related to that role. Because many people will deny that they are taking rights reserved to a lord, Peter specified which rights he is saying are given to the role of a lord that elders are to avoid taking. These include:

taking the oversight...by constraint
neglecting to Feed the flock of God which is among you
not having a willing attitude
serving for filthy lucre
not having a ready mind
Not being an ensample

Peter warns the elders because they can lose their reward by doing what they are told to not do or by failing to do what they are told to do.

Home

Jesus only

Jesus is not used by itself in this book. Click here for all of the Verses that use Jesus and here for the Summary on the name / role of Jesus.

Christ only

1Peter 1:11, 19; 2:21; 3:16, 18; 4:1, 13, 14; 5:1.

Peter uses Christ for the role of the Son of God that spiritually matures us after profession. In particular, this is the maturity required to accept suffering in order to share in the glory of Christ. Not all saved are given this option, which is why only Christ is used instead of Christ Jesus or Jesus Christ. Click here for all of the Verses that use Christ and here for the Summary on the name / role of Christ.

1Peter 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

Please see the Prophecy Fulfilled Section, within the Significant Gospel Events Study, for links, in the New Testament, to where we are told that Christ suffered.

1Peter 1:10 and 1:11 form a single sentence that is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter. In addition, to being one thought, 1Peter 1:10 and 1:11 are equivalent (because of the colon) and that means that neither can be interpreted properly without considering the other. In 1Peter 1:10, we find that the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets of old. Now, 2Peter 1:21 says For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Some people think these two verses are saying the same thing, but they are not. Christ is a role of the Son of God. The Son of God and the Holy Spirit are two different persons in the Trinity. Therefore, the Spirit of Christ and the Holy Ghost are not the same and these two verses are saying something different from each other. As we saw in Romans 8, Christ gets spiritual gifts from the Father and gives them to the Christian. Christ then works through the Holy Ghost to cause the Spirit of Christ to shine in the Christians life so that others see Christ in the Christian's life. As shown elsewhere in this study, the Bible teaches that there were saved people who are the enemies of the cross of Christ (Philippians 3:18-19). These people had the Holy Ghost, because they were saved, but they did not have the Spirit of Christ.

Think of a building. At night it gets dark. The lost person who doesn't believe in God lives in darkness like a person living in a building with no light (Matthew 4:16; John 3:19; etc). A religious lost person is like someone who gets a light fixture and claims to be saved because they have the outward manifestation of a light. But, they have no power (John 3:20-21). A saved person is like someone who connects their light to the power supply. When we get saved, we get the Holy Ghost permanently (Romans 5:5), which is like wiring the light into the power source. However, with that connection we receive a control that allows us to determine how much light we are going to let shine through our life / light fixture (John 8:12; 2Corinthians 4:16; Romans 6; etc). Those that have the Spirit of Christ not only are connected to the power source through the Holy Ghost, but they have the Spirit of Christ shedding light through their lives so that others can see spiritual things. Even then, our control is like a car starter switch. The starter has very little power running through it. It controls a solenoid that really has the great power needed to start the engine. We use our little faith (little power) to give the Spirit of Christ permission to use (great power) the faith of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22; Galatians 2:16; 3:22; Philippians 3:9; Revelation 14:12) and it is His faith that produces the glory that should follow.

In 2Peter 1:21 we are told that holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, much like you move a pen to write your name. In this verse (1Peter 1:10), we are told that these holy men lived a life that displayed the Spirit of Christ. We are also told in this verse that by displaying the Spirit of Christ, they learned of the sufferings of Christ. In Matthew 23:31, 34, 37 and many other places we learn of the suffering of these prophets. They learned of the sufferings of Christ through personal experience. However, we are also told that the prophets have inquired and searched diligently. If they found the answer, then they would not have had to continue (diligently) in their search. They were willing to be used by God and to suffer even though they did not understand it. Look at things that God told the prophets to do or look at Psalms. David prophesied of the sufferings of Christ based upon his personal (lesser) sufferings.

It took the Spirit of Christ to give the Old Testament prophets the spiritual maturity to understand why they suffered even though they did not understand the glory that should follow, which they also prophesied about. 1Peter 1:12 goes on to tell us that they suffered these things so that they could be an example to us and so that they could show us how to live by faith when we suffer without understanding why. Look at the story of Job. Look at Peter. The Lord let Peter mess up and deny the Lord and then, after Peter was converted (Luke 22:32), he was given the job to strengthen thy brethren. That is what this sentence is about.

These Old Testament prophets were spiritually matured by the Son of God through His role as Christ so that they could understand their own personal suffering, be able to prophesy of the sufferings of Christ, and be an example to us (Luke 1:12). Look at Luke 1:10, which is equivalent to this verse. These prophets were trying to understand the salvation that is given during the Church age. They were trying to understand the grace that comes to saved people. However, as we are told in Luke 1:11, our grace comes after our suffering, just like the grace that came to Christ followed His suffering. Look at the sentence in 1Peter 1:13-16 which starts out with Wherefore. That sentence is the result of what is said in this sentence and it explains the grace given to the spiritually matured saint. That is, when we are willing to suffer for the glory of God even though we don't understand it, God will give us the grace that should come unto you so that we can endure it. In addition, we are promised the glory that should follow. God gets the glory that should follow our suffering in this world because people see that we can endure the suffering only through the strength of God. However, we are also promised that we will also receive the glory that should follow, but our receiving glory does not happen until after we get to Heaven. See the notes in Colossians and Ephesians about glory.

The sentence in 1:17-21 starts with And, which adds it to the sentence of 1Peter 1:13-16 and that means that proper interpretation of it also dependent upon understanding this sentence. Please also see the note for 1:19 below.

This verse uses Christ for the role that the Son of God that fulfills prophecy when it talks about the sufferings of Christ. (Please use the link above to find related Bible references.) This verse also uses Christ for the role that the Son of God uses to bring personal spiritual maturity to the point that a person is willing to suffer so that the lost world can see the Spirit of Christ active in their personal life by the way that they personally respond to that suffering.

Home

1Peter 1:19 But with the precious blood of Jesus, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Please also see the note for this verse under Lamb. This verse is part of a complex sentence that goes from 1:17through 1:21 and is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter.

The first part of this sentence is 1:17 and starts with And, which means that this sentence is added to the prior sentence. In the prior sentence, Peter starts with the word Wherefore, which gives us a conclusion which is based upon the sentences prior to it. The main conclusion of that sentence is: Be ye holy; for I am holy. That sentence also told us that this was accomplished with the revelation of Jesus Christ within our current personal life. That is, based upon everything said so far, we are to be holy in the same way and amount as God is holy so that the revelation of Jesus Christ will occur in our present life.

Now, based upon that context, Peter says, if [for saved this is "since"] ye call on the Father...pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. Please note that it is not just saved but holy people that he gives this commandment to.

A lot of people have the mistaken belief that the child of God isn't supposed to fear anything. The Biblical truth is that they aren't supposed to fear man or the world or devils, but are commanded to fear God. I've found over 93places where the Bible tells the child of God to fear Him (God), including this verse. The purpose of the fear of God is to help the child of God to stop their sinning. So, in the first part of this sentence, Peter is basically saying that on top of being holy like God, we are to stop our sinning. Peter gives us the reason to stop sinning in the part of the sentence that I skipped. There, Peter tells us about God: who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work. In 2Corinthians 5:10-11 the terror of the Lord is linked to the judgment seat of Christ by Paul at the end of his ministry. This terror wasn't because Paul was afraid of losing his position in this world but was the consequence that saved people will get if they don't stop their sinning and obey the Lord.

So, the first part of this sentence is basically saying that we had better stop our sinning, on top of being as holy as God, because we are going to be judged and it doesn't matter who we are or what position we may hold. God judgeth according to every man's work without respect of persons. Stopping sinning requires letting the Son of God change us, as he does through His role as Christ when He applies the precious blood of Christ to the sins that we commit after our initial profession. Please see 1Peter 2:21-25 and related note for 2:21 Within this Lord Jesus Christ Study for more details about this doctrine.

Our work, within this life and for the kingdom of God, is supposed to provide the glory which is to follow the suffering of Christ as Peter told us three prior sentences. Our work is also to show that we are obedient children as Peter said in the prior sentences. Our work can only do these things if we let Christ live through us, we let Him apply the precious blood of Christ to the sins that we commit after our initial profession, and we allow Him to suffer (in our life [Galatians 2:20]) with the sins of others as He tries to lead them to the truth. God gets glory according to how much we let Christ live through us and God judges us according to how much glory He receives from our lives after he saves us.

As a side note, Peter equates Christ to a lamb without blemish and without spot, which is our perfect sacrifice. Please also see the note for this sentence under Lamb. In the Old Testament, one of the main ways that a lamb was equated with blood was Passover. It was also equated with sacrifices for sins done by God's people after they became His people. Christ shed His blood to pay the debt for our sins done after our initial profession. We don't pay for those sins. However, as children of God, God punishes us, when necessary, only to change our behaviour. That's one reason why two different people can do the same sin and one suffer worse than another. There is more related to the difference between forgiveness received from Jesus and between forgiveness received from Christ, but I won't go into it here.

Going on, in the Third Equivalent Section of our sentence, we are told that our faith and hope are to be in God because God planned and made available our salvation. Without going into details, we are to stop our sinning out of gratitude for our salvation and to prove our faith and hope. (Faith and hope are both action words in the Bible and anyone who claims either without backing actions are called a liar.) There is much doctrine in this part of the sentence, which is related to Christ and the interactions between Christ and God the Father, but I won't go into them here because I am not capable of stating them in a simple fashion. Let me simply point out that manifest in these last times for you is related to Galatians 4:4, and raised him up from the dead is related to Acts 2:24 and gave him glory is related to Acts 2:33. Please see those verses and related notes for more on this doctrine.

That leaves the Second Equivalent Section of our sentence, which contains the word Christ. There we are (basically) told that we were redeemed from our vain conversation received by tradition from our fathers. That is: 'We were redeemed from useless empty show lives that came from following the religious traditions that we were brought up in'. In order to prove that we have been redeemed...with the precious blood of Christ, we must have a changed life which shows the change brought by our redemption. We must stop relying on keeping religious rules, in order to be acceptable to God, and rely upon our personal relationship with God, that is through Christ, in order to be acceptable to God.

Further, the Second Equivalent Section of our sentence tells us that we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. This is related to all that Revelation says about a lamb and to Isaiah 53:3-10. In addition, 1John 1:7 tells us But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Walking is 'an ongoing process of taking small steps in order to change our position'. Further, being cleansed from sin and its effect on our everyday lives is an ongoing process. Yes, the blood of Jesus...redeemed us from sin when we made a profession in that it blotted out the record of our sin. But any honest Christian will admit that they still are troubled with ongoing sin that they can't seem to quit. That is where the blood of Christ cleanses us. As we mature spiritually through our relationship with Christ, his blood redeems us from the control of ongoing sin and, thereby, enables us to 'stop our sinning' as our sentence says we are to do.

Redeemed is defined as: Ransomed; delivered from bondage, distress, penalty, liability, or from the possession of another, by paying an equivalent' by Webster's 1828 dictionary. Although many try to deny it, most of the thousands in Reformers Unanimous know that they can be brought into bondage of sin addiction after their initial profession. They are (or were) saved addicts. But many have found that being in Christ makes them delivered from bondage (redeemed) by having the blood of Jesus Christ applied to their life and sin, which then cleanseth us from all sin, including those committed after our initial profession. Please also see the notes for 1Peter 2:21-25, which tells us the same thing as I just said.

Christ is used in this sentence for the role of the Son of God that provides everything that this sentence tells us that we have. Not all saved have everything that Peter tells us is available according to this sentence. Those that do have these things find that they have them in different quantities than other saved who have the same blessings. Also, all saved experience different amounts of these blessings at different times in their lives. For example, this sentence ends with that your faith and hope might be in God. I defy anyone to claim that they are honest before God and can claim that their faith in God never wavered no matter what the circumstances. All who are honest must admit that there are times and circumstances where our faith is stronger and there are times and circumstances where our faith is weaker. Furthermore, those people that have any significant amount of true faith and hope in God know that it has increased in direct proportion to their spiritual maturity that is a result of their personal relationship with Christ.

Home

1Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

Please see the Prophecy Fulfilled Section, within the Significant Gospel Events Study, for links, in the New Testament, to where we are told that Christ suffered.

This verse is the first part of a complex sentence that includes several references to Old Testament scriptures and goes from 2:21 through 2:24. This sentence is also the summary of 1Peter 2 where Peter is telling us to submit to God given Earthly authorities, even if they are lost. This sentence is referenced by several other notes within this chapter because it provides the main reason for all that Peter tells us to do that goes against our flesh. Peter ties these instructions in chapter 2 back to the reasons supplied in chapter 1. In particular, this is falling back on his arguments of 1:19, where Christ was used to identify God's fulfillment of Old Testament promises and helps us to personally grow (mature) spiritually. This sentence uses Christ for the same reasons. This sentence is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter

This sentence has six different Equivalent Sections that give us different reasons why we should live unto righteousness which include, according to Peter, that we should endure grief, suffering wrongfully and find it thankworthy. Obviously, there is a whole lot in the details of this sentence that can be preached, but I will only give it a summary explanation. But the most basic is that Christ fulfilled prophecy when He suffered. (Please use the link above to find related Bible references.) Christ also gave each of us a personal example of how we are to each personally live unto righteousness.

The First Equivalent Section of this sentence says For even hereunto were ye called. The For means 'here is the reason'. This First Equivalent Section is telling us: 'Here is the reason that you are called to submit and have a cheerful godly Spirit while suffering because you are being ordered around by evil lost people'. Read Matthew 16:24 and 1Thessalonians 3:1-4 and related notes for other places that tell us to do the same thing.

If you read 1Peter 2:1-20, you find a whole lot of instructions that most so-called Christians refuse to do or if they do it, they don't do it with the Spirit that Peter tells them to have. Peter has been an elder long enough to know people's spirit. Therefore, he is giving us reasons to submit with a cheerful godly Spirit. And by the way, every one of these reasons require spiritual maturity for the person to accept them. That is why Peter uses Christ in this sentence and why most so-called Christians refuse to obey 1Peter 2. They are spiritual babies and not true Biblical Christians (elect). This First Equivalent Section of the sentence gives us our first reason to submit to the commands of 1Peter 2:1-20. We were called (ordered) to by our Lord who will judge us and reward or punish us based upon our personal obedience to His command and example.

In the Second Equivalent Section of this sentence, Peter tells us because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. This is where I said that Peter refers back to what I covered in the note for 1Peter 1:19. Peter is also directly pointing to the suffering of Christ. Please see the note for Mark 14:21 for the prophecies of Jesus Christ being betrayed. Also see the note for Mark 8:31 for the prophecies of the suffering of Jesus Christ. A true Christian is a follower of Christ (Romans 6:16-23). If you read those referenced verses and related notes and consider all that Christ suffered and His attitude while he suffered, and then do as Peter says here and accept the example of Christ, you will grow spiritually and you will have your second reason for obeying all that is in 1Peter 2:1-20 and do it with a cheerful godly Spirit.

In the Third Equivalent Section of this sentence, Peter tells us Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Here, Peter is telling us that while Christ suffered, he never complained about it being 'not fair'. (Please see note for 1Peter 2:13 about 'fair'.) You should find that matches the definition from Webster's 1828. Guile is defined as: 'Craft; cunning; artifice; duplicity; deceit; usually in a bad sense or to disguise craftily' by the Webster's 1828.) Christ NEVER did anything to deserve punishment and while he was punished for our sins, he cried Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). We each did things that deserved punishment, even if it was at a different time than we are suffering now. We also told lies and complained and had a less than God-like attitude in the past. Peter's giving us our next reason to submit to the commands of this chapter when he writes that Christ concentrated of the Father and His will while suffering. If we look at the Father instead of this boss who is giving us a hard time, we might see that the Father is now giving us what we deserved earlier. The Father just waited until this punishment could teach us to become more Christ-like instead of making us bitter. Again, Peter is using the example from Christ as a reason for us to submit to the commandments and, thereby, grow spiritually.

The verse in 1Peter 2:23is the next Equivalent Section of this sentence with Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. This is a quote of Isaiah 53:7 and also refers the reader to all of Isaiah 53. In this verse, Christ didn't say 'what comes around goes around' while He suffered but left that to the Father. Our flesh demands vengeance but the spirit wars against the flesh (Galatians 5:17 and Romans 8:13). In this example from Peter writes that Christ refused to follow the desires of the flesh and followed the commands of God through the Spirit. Peter develops this point further in 1Peter 3:8-9. We see it developed further in Hebrews 12. Study those references and related notes to better understand Peter's fourth reason for submitting to the commands of 1Peter 2:1-20.

The Next Equivalent Section of this sentence is in verse 1Peter 2:24. It says Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness. This is the subject of Romans 6 and is developed there far batter than I could develop it here. Study Romans 6 and related notes to better understand Peter's fifth reason for submitting to the commands of 1Peter 2:1-20.

The last Equivalent Section of this sentence is in verse 2:24. It says by whose stripes ye were healed. Ye means 'each and every one of you personally'. are is a plural present form of the verb being. healed includes the idea of removing all damage and consequence of sin. We don't get that upon profession but through an ongoing relationship with Christ after profession. As they say in Reformers Unanimous, 'The truth doesn't set you free but the truth makes you free through an ongoing personal relationship to the Son of God'. As His final reason for us submitting to the commandments of this chapter, Peter tells us that Christ personally suffered at least 39Stripes that he somehow spiritually uses to make you free and completely remove all damage to you due to your own sin. If Christ is going to remove all of the damage, we don't need to worry about the damage caused by lost sinful bosses.

In many of these reasons, we see references to Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled by Christ. In every one of these reasons we see spiritual maturing for the saint that comes through the personal ministry of Christ. That is why Peter uses God the Son's role of Christ in this sentence.

Home

1Peter 3:16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

1Peter 3:14 through 3:16 is a single sentence which addresses God the Father as Lord God and God the Son as Christ. (Please also see the note for 3:15 under Lord.) It is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter. (Please be sure to also see that note for important details.) Within it are four Equivalent Sections which are also four different perspectives on the same thought. That is, every Equivalent Section tells us something about 'How to have the right attitude about physical suffering'. This verse is the Fourth Equivalent Section of the sentence and can not be properly interpreted without also considering the rest of the sentence and the context within this epistle. In addition, the next sentence (3:17) starts with For, which means it gives the first reason for what Peter says in this sentence. Further, the sentence after that (3:18-20) also starts with For, which means it gives another reason for what Peter says in this sentence. (Please see the note for 3:18 under Christ.) Finally, the sentence after that (3:21-22) starts with he like figure whereunto, which means that proper understanding of it requires proper understanding of all that Peter says in the sentences which start with this sentence. Since there is much doctrinal error taught which is based upon taking that last sentence out of context, proper doctrinal interpretation requires proper understanding of all of the supporting sentences. Consideration of these reasons should help the reader to understand the following explanation of this sentence.

Peter directed his epistle to the elect, which are spiritually mature true Biblical Christians. This entire chapter in this epistle is telling us how to act as we spiritually mature by accepting the changes that God makes in our personal lives through His role as Christ. The phrase, within our sentence which we are considering, is: your good conversation in Christ Conversation in the Bible means 'lifestyle '. In addition, what the Bible calls good is: 'what comes from God'. It is impossible to have a 'lifestyle that comes from God' unless we receive it through the personal ongoing ministry of Christ. Our good conversation in Christ is the changed life that God provides after salvation and varies from one believer to another.

Ephesians 2:10 and many other places in the Bible tell us that it is God who produces the good works by working in and through us. Please see the verses which use the phrase in Christ which can be accessed from the Relational Prepositions Study. Please also see the verses which use the phrase in Christ Jesus within the same Study. Both of these phrases are used in this epistle, including in our current sentence, and how these phrases are consistently used throughout the Bible is an important doctrine.

Peter uses only Christ, within our verse, because only some saved people will spiritually mature to the point that they have a good conversation (God controlled lifestyle ) and only some saved people will spiritually mature to the point that they can do the things that Peter tells his readers to do in this sentence and especially within this Equivalent Section of this sentence. In this sentence, Peter first said to sanctify the Lord God (the Father) in your hearts and in this Equivalent Section of the sentence Peter is telling what should happen in the future (they (people who false accuse us) may be ashamed). This will happen when these people that speak evil of you, as of evildoers face judgment by the Truth (John 14:6). (Some people should be ashamed now but may be too foolish to realize it. Thus, Peter says they may be ashamed not they will be ashamed). In this sentence, Peter is dealing with Judgment when he uses Lord God and when he is speaking about that subject in each Equivalent Section of this sentence. Saved people are judged for what we do with the ministry of Christ in this life. That is the main (not only) reason that Peter uses Christ in this verse. The other point to be brought out here is that Peter says we will have a good conscience if we have a good conversation (lifestyle ) in Christ. People who have their conscience bothering them, or that have a seared conscience (1Timothy 4:1-5) need to correct their conversation (lifestyle ) in Christ because if their conscience isn't good then neither is their conversation (lifestyle ) in Christ be good.

Home

1Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

Please see the Prophecy Fulfilled Section, within the Significant Gospel Events Study, for links, in the New Testament, to where we are told that Christ suffered.

1Peter 3:18-20 is a single sentence that causes a lot of doctrinal arguments because of part of what it says. Since our sentence starts with the word For, we can know that keeping it in context is critical for proper interpretation. All of the doctrinal error, which claims to be based upon this sentence, requires people to ignore the context and the structure of the sentence. The contextual considerations, and the proper interpretation, are covered in detail within the note for this sentence within the Book Study on 1Peter. Part of the contextual consideration is how what Peter says in this sentence also matches what he says elsewhere including: 1Peter 4:1-2 and 1Peter 4:6. Further, 1Peter 3:20 limits this sentence to people who lived before the flood. We must understand what Peter is telling us about them before we make application to people of today. Further, Peter tells us his intended application in the next sentence which he starts with The like figure whereunto. Any other application, which is contrary to Peter's application, is wrong. Finally, as shown all through the Book Study on 1Peter, everything within this epistle must be understood from a spiritual perspective. All doctrinal error which claims to be based upon this epistle take a physical perspective of comments which are intended to be understood spiritually. With that understanding in mind, we can proceed to how Peter uses Christ within this sentence.

Both this sentence and 4:1-2 say Christ hath suffered for us. Here we are told why Christ did it and 4:1-2 tells us what God expects us to do in response. Please see the note for 4:1-2 below.

This sentence starts with For which means it is giving another reason for Peter telling us that we are to be happy when we suffer for righteousness' sake (3:14-16). This reason is added to the prior reason of: For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. Our sentence tells us that Christ did what Peter is telling us to do so that we can also be quickened by the Spirit and have Christ bring us to God. Doing this makes Christ happy. This should be obvious since we all become happy when we accomplish a difficult task.

Next, please notice that Peter says Christ...suffered...that he might bring us to God and relates this to quickened by the Spirit. We find the permutations of quicken in Psalms 71:20; 80:18; 119:25, 37, 40, 50, 88, 93, 107, 149, 154, 156, 159; 143:11; John 5:21; 6:63; Romans 4:17; 8:11; 1Corinthians 15:36, 45; Ephesians 2:1, 5; Colossians 2:13; 1Timothy 6:13 and 1Peter 3:18.

In the Bible, we find that it is God's Holy Spirit Who does quickening and that he does it with God's Word. We also see that quicken means to make the flesh responsive to the promptings of God's Spirit. In the context of this definition and of the rest of 1Peter, this phrase of that he might bring us to God is not the initial bring to God that happens when we first make a profession but it is an ongoing bringing our every-day living closer to how God wants us to live by our daily walk and response to the Spirit of God. Think about it. Christ tells us to do certain things and when we obey it brings us (closer) to God. Once we move closer, God uses His Holy Spirit to quicken us, which means that He makes us more spiritually alive and more able to respond in the flesh to what God's Holy Spirit tells us to do. Spiritual babies have trouble knowing what God wants them the do while spiritually mature people have less trouble. Further, we do not suffer in order to be initially get saved, but we often must suffer in order to spiritually mature. Our sentence tells us that suffering is a necessary part of out spiritual maturing. Our spiritual maturity brings us closer to God.

As mentioned in the note for 1Peter 2:21, the God's Holy Spirit wars against the flesh (Galatians 5:17; Romans 8:13) and prompts us to act differently than we would when following the lusts of the flesh. In order to become dead to the flesh (unresponsive to the prompts of [Romans 6]) and alive to the Spirit (quickened), we need to grow spiritually. Part of God the Son's role as Christ is to be sure that we have the experiences which will cause this growth. Put together, we see that Peter is telling us that Christ earned the right to change our lives, bring our every-day lives closer to God, make us unresponsive (put to death) to the flesh and responsive (quickened) to God's Spirit in our every day walk. Peter tells us that Christ earned this right because he hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust. This matches the verses that tell us about the cross of Christ and the death of Christ which were to change the behaviour of saved people after their initial profession. Peter uses Christ in this verse for the role that the Son of God uses to spiritually mature us after profession. Please also see the note for 1Peter 4:1 which also tells us this with different words.

Having dealt with the meaning of the First Equivalent Section of this sentence (as determined by context and Biblical definition of words), we come to the Second Equivalent Section of this sentence. In it Peter is telling us that Christ preached unto the spirits that lived in flesh days of Noah. Our sentence does not say that He did this while He was in the heart of the earth for the three days and three nights between His crucifixion and resurrection. Our sentence tells us that He did this, but not when. People have made all sorts of crazy claims about this phrase and Peter's comments in 1Peter 4:6 (Christ preached the gospel unto (these spirits) that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit). As explained in the note for this sentence within the Book Study on 1Peter, Christ did this preaching during the time of Noah and a close look at the context supports this claim. This has nothing to do with getting someone getting physically dunked in water (baptized) now so that some ancestor who lived a wicked life after the flood can get out of Hell and into Heaven. This sentence tells that these spirits are currently in prison, which they would not be if they were truly saved after death. Further, our sentence tells us that these spirits lived the days of Noah. Therefore, they can not be the ancestors that some religion is trying to get out of Hell by baptizing some person living today. Various religions twist these phrases to all kinds of other wild interpretations including the claim that 1Peter 3:21 teaches salvation from Hell comes from immersion baptism. The salvation of 1Peter 3:21 is not a soul being saved from Hell. Peter specifically states that he is not talking about physical immersion (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh) but is talking about a changed life (the answer of a good conscience toward God). Please see the note for 1Peter 3:21. Please be careful to study what these sentences are truly saying, within the context where they are presented, so that you can avoid the doctrinal error taught about them.

Home

1Peter 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

Please see the Prophecy Fulfilled Section, within the Significant Gospel Events Study, for links, in the New Testament, to where we are told that Christ suffered.

This verse and the next form a single sentence that starts by (essentially) repeating part of 1Peter 3:18. Both this sentence and 3:18-20 say Christ hath suffered for us. In 3:18-20 we were told why Christ did it and here Peter tells us what God expects us to do in response. In 3:18-20 we were told Christ also hath once suffered for sins...that he might bring us to God. In our current sentence we are told Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind...That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. That is: we are to have the same mind as Christ and evidence of having that mind is that we will stop our sinning (no longer should live the rest of (our) time in the flesh to the lusts of men) and should make doing the will of God the only purpose of our life. It should be obvious that everyone gets cleaned up before going to see an important person. Likewise, Christ cleans us up before bringing us to God the Father so that we are found acceptable by God the Father. Also, when presented to our ruler and head of state, we are expected to agree to serve to state. Likewise, when Christ...brings us to God, we are expected to do the will of God. Thus, with these two sentences we see what Peter tells us about why Christ suffered and God's expected result of that suffering.

This sentence is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter. In addition, to considerations based upon sentence structure, that note also explains context and provides many links for other considerations related the sentence that this verse is part of. Those additions include word definitions as well as other study aids

The two Equivalent Sections of this sentence give us the same message because it takes the mind of Christ to cease from sin (to stop doing the lusts of men). Further, it takes the mind of Christ to do the will of God. Likewise, if we have the mind of Christ we will cease from sin and will do the will of God. The First Equivalent Section of the sentence gives us the cause of our changed life and the Second Equivalent Section gives us the result that always comes from this cause and does not come from any other cause.

Moving on, since our sentence starts with Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered, we can know that what Peter says in this chapter is based upon what he said since 3:18-20. There we were told how Christ paid the debt so that He might bring us to God. We were also told that we were to have the answer of a good conscience toward God. In this chapter Peter is going to give us detailed instructions on how to accomplish these goals for our life. While we will see this truth as we analyze the remaining sentences, we can also see it within our current sentence. The first command of this sentence is arm yourselves likewise with the same mind. The word arm, of course, means get ready for spiritual war. This spiritual war is for our mind and we can win it only if we take and use our weapon that is the same mind as Christ had when He went into the suffering and death of the cross. In the Second Equivalent Section of this sentence, Peter tells us for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men. With this phrase I believe that Peter is referring to his personal experience of denying the Lord and being restored to service (John 21). When Peter says that he...should live the rest of his time in the flesh...to (do) the will of God, Peter is telling us to follow his example of service after Jesus Christ restored him. Yes, Peter still messed up but those times occurred less and less and he actively sought the changes to his life that would enable him to be better at doing the will of God.

Basically Peter is saying that you can learn to stop sinning the hard way like I did (he that hath suffered in the flesh) or you can get Christ to spiritually mature you and give you His mind. With His mind you can learn these lessons quicker and easier. Since we are going into spiritual warfare, there is no doubt that we will suffer if we do not arm ourselves with the same mind as Christ had when He went into His suffering. In this sentence Peter uses Christ for the role of the Son of God that spiritually matures us after profession.

Please also see the note for 1:13 under Jesus Christ where we were told to stop fashioning ourselves according to the former lusts. Also see the verses and associated note for Romans 12:1-2, which tells us the same thing in a different way.

Home

1Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Please see the Prophecy Fulfilled Section, within the Significant Gospel Events Study, for links, in the New Testament, to where we are told that Christ suffered.

1Peter 4:12 and 4:13form a single sentence and tell us the same thing as Romans 8:17-18 and the same as James says in the beginning of his epistle. This sentence is the start of several related sentences which finish this chapter and explain why the saved must suffer. All of these sentences must be considered together in order to truly understand what Peter is saying.

This sentence is divided by the punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter and the contextual considerations, word studies and links to related parts of the Bible are found in that note.

This entire chapter in Peter is telling us how to handle suffering and comparing the results of someone who suffers after being righteous to someone who suffers for something that he did. Peter is basically telling us that Christ suffered for the glory that he received and we will also receive glory for our suffering but only if we don't deserve the suffering and we handle it with the mind of Christ (1Peter 4:1 and note). Peter told us about the sufferings of Christ in 1:11; 3:18; 4:1, 13 and 5:1). We also see a similar thought from Paul in Colossians 1:24 where he says Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church.

Peter tells us to not wonder or be surprised when we suffer after doing right. In John 15:18-23 Jesus explained what would happen and why. In our current sentence Peter takes up that lesson and tells us that our suffering is to prove that we truly are a disciple of Jesus Christ. Those people who claim to be a disciple but refuse to suffer like He did are not using the truth to rebuke sin like He did. Such are not true disciples and will not receive the reward which is reserved for true disciples. God wants us to personally have glory like Christ received glory for His suffering. When Peter says rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, we need to remember that it's not us doing the spiritual work but Christ in us. Since it is really Christ in us doing the work, it is also Christ in us suffering because of that work. Thus, Peter tells us that we are partakers of Christ's sufferings. He does the work through our lives in the flesh, He takes the spiritual suffering while we partake of the physical sufferings and we are to rejoice because God gives eternal spiritual rewards for this suffering that we partake for the cause of Christ.

Again, Peter's instructions are only possible after we spiritually mature by accepting the changes that God makes in our lives through His role as Christ.

Home

1Peter 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

As said in the note for 1Peter 4:13, this verse says the same thing as 1Peter 4:12 and 4:13, only our current verse says it a different way. Please also see the note for 1Peter 4:13.

The exact phrase of name of Christ only occurs in 2Timothy 2:19 and 1Peter 4:14. 2Timothy 2:19 tells us Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity and the verses surrounding 1Peter 4:14 tell us the same thing. Thus the name of Christ is directly linked to two things:

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his tells us the same thing as for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. We can be positive of our eventual residence in Heaven because The Lord knoweth them that are his and those that are his will be with Him for eternity. In addition, we can be sure that the righteous Lord and Judge will be sure to give us glory for eternity in proportion to the amount that the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. We have seen this here in 1Peter and in other places in the Bible like 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity says the same as 1Peter 4:15 which says But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Peter goes on to say Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. Thus we find in the Bible the name Christian directly linked with the name of Christ. Since Christ is God (the Son of God), and the '10 Commandments' include Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11, which say Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Thus, to claim to be a Christian is to take the name of Christ (God). To claim to be a Christian and refuse to act like Christ by continuing these sins that we are warned to stop in 2Timothy and 1Peter is to take the name of the LORD thy God in vain and will bring judgment of the Lord upon us because we were warned for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain in the '10 Commandments'.

In addition, to these two verses that use the exact phrase of name of Christ, we also find the concept of the name of Christ (not the exact phrase) included with other roles of the Son of God in Mark 9:41; John 20:31; Acts 2:38; 3:6; 4:10; 8:12; 15:26; 16:18; 1Corinthians 1:2, 10, 13; 5:4; Ephesians 5:20; 2Thessalonians 1:12; 3:6; 1 John 3:23. These other verses include all that is taught in these first two verses but also add other considerations due to the other roles of the Son of God. Please see those verses and associated notes for further information.

The phrase of name of Christ means 'the power and authority of that name'. Since the Biblical doctrine associated with the name of Christ is: 'the power and authority to make saved people spiritually mature', our phrase is identifying saved people who are reproached because of the spiritual maturing which is caused by Christ. These people are called 'goody two-shoes' and other things because when they stop their sin they point out the wrong behaviour that others engage in.

This whole section in 1Peter is summarized by Peter in his last verse of the chapter where he says Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. Our Creator knows how that the things which we experience make us suffer but wants us to recognize that these circumstances and experiences are the will of God and He wants us to commit the keeping of our souls to him in well doing because we trust Him to be faithful with our souls because all of creation witnesses that he is faithful.

Home

1Peter 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

Please see the Prophecy Fulfilled Section, within the Significant Gospel Events Study, for links, in the New Testament, to where we are told that Christ suffered.

The first three verses of this chapter form a single sentence which has two Equivalent Sections and a single message which is expressed two different ways In our sentence, Peter is exhorting the leaders to cause the church to grow spiritually. This sentence is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter.

In this sentence, Peter is pointing out that Christ is our example of how to lead God's heritage. Just as Jesus Christ gave evidence of His authority to tell God's people what to do, so also is peter doing in this sentence. Peter starts with Biblically approved type of evidence and not just religious credentials. While Jesus refused to answer those who challenged His authority, in John 5 (and other places), we see that even the Son of God submitted to demands that he provide witnesses to back His claims. He called John the Baptist, the Father and His godly works as His witnesses. Peter is doing the same here. Over and over we have seen that positions of authority among men are given by the Lord. Peter is reminding his readers that he has a God given position as elder, and therefore, he has God the Father as his witness that he has the right to speak.

The first witness that Peter calls is his position as an elder, which everyone knew that he had that position. Over and over we have seen that positions of authority among men are given by the Lord. Peter is reminding his readers that he has a God given position as an elder and therefore, he has God the Father as his witness that he has the right to speak. The second witness that Peter calls, as did Jesus Christ, are other godly men when he says that he is a witness of the sufferings of Christ. Peter is reminding them that he was one of those who were with Jesus Christ through His Earthly ministry and those others who were with Jesus Christ through His Earthly ministry had, and would, back Peter's right to speak with authority. Please see the note for Mark 14:21 for the prophecies of Jesus Christ being betrayed. Also see the note for Mark 8:31 for the prophecies of the suffering of Jesus Christ. Peter and the others were there in the Garden and afterwards when they found out found out that Jesus suffered to fulfill Old Testament prophecies that would prove that he was God's Christ. Jesus Christ then returned to Heaven and has spoke through the apostles (Ephesians 2:19-22) as His representatives and God also required them to suffer in order to prove thqat they relied upon God even though He made them suffer. Thus, Peter has the authority to speak and the others are his witnesses of his authority because they had seen the testimony of his personal life.

The third witness that Peter calls, as did Christ, are the works of God in his life when he says that he is also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. In the past Peter was was on the Mount of Transfiguration and partook of the glory at that time. Please see Matthew 16:28 - 17:12 and Mark 9:1-13 and Luke 9:27-36 and related notes about this incident. Before the Mount of Transfiguration Jesus said there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. Since true Biblical Christians (elect) are seeking the kingdom of God and Jesus chose Peter as one of His personal witnesses who saw the kingdom of God come with power, Peter has that as his witness to speak.

After establishing his witnesses that Peter leads as Christ led (in the first equivalent part of this sentence), Peter gives instructions to these other elders that they are to leads as Christ led (in the Second Equivalent Section of this sentence). While there is a message here, I won't detail it but just list the points that Peter gives to these elders. Peter says they are to:

Feed the flock of God (5:2)
taking the oversight thereof
not by constraint, but willingly
not for filthy lucre
but of a ready mind (ready to receive and pass on the mind of Christ)
Neither as being lords over God's heritage (5:3)
but being ensamples to the flock
Wait for when the chief Shepherd shall appear to get your reward (5:4)
Keep faith in the promise that each of you personally (ye) shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away and that that he may exalt you in due time (5:6)
Always remember that God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God (5:6)
Cast all your care upon him because he careth for you (5:7)
Be sober (5:8)
be vigilant
Remember that your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour
resist (the devil) stedfast in the faith (5:9)
Remember and know that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world
Trust that the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus shall, after that ye have suffered a while: (5:10)

make you perfect
stablish you
strengthen you
settle you

In this sentence, Peter uses Christ as the role of the Son of God who fulfilled Old Testament scriptures and also for the role of the Son of God that personally matured Peter spiritually to the point that he was the head of the Apostles. He also uses Christ as there ultimate example to follow and the example that all elders are to personally follow as they feed the flock of God and do the other things of the ministry that God gave them and that God will judge them for how they do His ministry.

Home

Jesus Christ

1Peter 1:1, 2, 3, 7, 13; 2:5; 3:21; 4:11.

Since the subject of Peter's book is God working in our lives today, the ministry of Jesus (initial profession of salvation) is not considered separately from the impact upon our lives today. Notice that 5out of 8 verses that use Jesus Christ are in the first chapter, which introduces Peter's topic. Christ is used 10 times by itself in this book, but only twice in the first chapter. Peter starts with what is familiar to the believing audience and goes from there into what may be new teaching based upon a familiar foundation. In each of the other 3verses that use Jesus Christ, Peter is teaching a doctrine that will be new to some people. In these cases, he uses Jesus Christ to identify the Son of God so that the believer has a familiar basis, even if it is only in the title used for the Son of God. Click here for all of the Verses that use Jesus Christ and here for the Summary on the name / role of Jesus Christ.

1Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

Verses 1:1 and 1:2 form a single sentence which can be divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter. Peter's opening is very similar to that often used by Paul to a church or group of people. Grace and peace are offered from God the Father and Jesus Christ but mercy is not included. As an apostle of Jesus Christ, Peter has the right to offer these things from God. Peter has special privileges in representing God because he is an apostle. Peter says that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ primarily because the identifier of Jesus Christ is the identifier of the Son of God that was most known by the early church and because Peter represented the Son of God in both of His roles; as Jesus and as Christ. Peter also is addressing his letter to those who are saved through God's role as Jesus and who are growing spiritually through God's role as Christ. Peter calls them strangers because he is writing to the non-Jewish believers and Peter is a Jew. Strangers are addressed in Matthew 17:25-26; 25:35, 38, 43-44; 27:7; Luke 17:18; 24:18; John 10:5; Acts 2:10; 7:29; 13:17; 17:21; Ephesians 2:12, 19; 1Timothy 5:10; Hebrews 11:13; 13:2; 1Peter 1:1; 2:11; 3John 1:5. Peter had been used of God to lead the first non-Jew to salvation (Cornelius [Acts 10]) and then had got involved in discrimination against non-Jews within the church. After he was openly rebuked by Paul (Galatians 2), Peter started treating them correctly and wrote this epistle.

Please also see the note for 1Timothy 5:9-10 about the word strangers. It has the definition from The Morrish Bible Dictionary along with links from other commentators. The rest of the notes about this sentence are under 1:2.

Home

1Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

Verses 1:1 and 1:2 form a single sentence which is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter. In this part of the sentence, we see that Peter calls his audience the Elect.. unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Elect is found in (Isaiah 42:1; 45:4; 65:9, 22; Matthew 24:22, 24, 31; Mark 13:20, 22, 27; Luke 18:7; Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12; 1Timothy 5:21; 2Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1; 1Peter 1:2; 2:6; 2John 1:1, 13) and election is found in (Romans 9:11; 11:5, 7, 28; 1Thessalonians 1:4; 2Peter 1:10). While I will not expand thee term here, a study of these verses will show that this term matches the Biblical definition of Christian. This is not just anyone who has made a profession but someone who has evidence of spiritual maturity and a changed life that only comes from allowing Christ to live through them. The New Testament definition, of the word elect, is: 'saved and living a life that is a testimony of the changes which the ministries Jesus Christ cause'.

We can also see that in what Peter says about the Elect. Peter tells us they are Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. Foreknowledge means known beforehand and we have seen in this study that before the world was created, God the Father created the plan of salvation and knew that some saved (but not all and in varying amounts) would let Christ work through their lives and change them. God the Father made the plan of salvation to include eternal rewards linked to allowing Christ work through our lives. In order for Christ to work through our lives, we have to receive sanctification of the Spirit and we have to be obedient, as Peter says in this verse.

In addition, to our being willing to let Christ work through our lives and our being obedient and our receiving sanctification of the Spirit, we have to have the stain of sin removed before we are vessels fit for His use. That's why Peter includes and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. As we have learned, the blood of Jesus removes the record of our sin at our initial profession but it takes the blood of Christ to remove the stain and control of sins done after our initial profession. I won't go into all of the verses that support what I just said, but (Genesis 9:4-5; Leviticus 17:11, Deuteronomy 14; 12:23; 1Samuel 19:5; Ezekiel 3:18; Jonah 1:14; John 6:53-54) all link (and equate) blood to life. When the blood of Jesus Christ is applied to the sins of the saved, His life is being applied and it is while His life works through our bodies that His life removes the stain of sin (Galatians 2:20). All stain removing agents have to be given time and movement to work. All that is involved in letting Christ work through our lives and our receiving rewards in Heaven is part of our election and it is all done by God but only to those saved people who are willing to receive it. (Things that the Bible says are in Heaven include the Father, the Holy Ghost, the Son of man, His blood, angels / powers / creatures, men, armies, joy, peace, hope, wonders, voices, God's will, our reward / treasure, our conversation [lifestyle ], records, doors, thrones, Temple of God [Matthew 5:12, 16, 45, 48; 6:1, 9-10, 20; 7:11, 21; 10:32, 33; 12:50; 16:17, 19; 18:10, 14, 18-19; 19:21; 22:30; 23:9; 24:30; 28:18; Mark 10:21; 11:25, 26; 12:25; 13:25, 32; Luke 6:23; 10:20; 11:2; 15:7; 18:22; 19:38; John 3:13; Acts 2:19; 1Corinthians 8:5; Ephesians 1:10; 3:15; 6:9; Philippians 2:10; 3:20; Colossians 1:5, 16, 20; 4:1; Hebrews 10:34; 12:23; 1Peter 1:4; 1John 5:7; Revelation 4:1, 2; 5:3, 13; 8:1; 11:15, 19; 12:1, 3, 7, 8, 10; 13:6; 14:17; 15:1, 5; 19:1, 14].)

That's why Peter's letter is directed to the elect and it tells us about so many things that are of God and given to us and how we are to properly respond to these things. Look at the rest of this epistle from Peter and see how the things that are expected from the elect are things which require spiritual maturity beyond salvation. Consider the note for 1:6 (second next sentence) if nothing else. The lost and spiritually immature can't handle the things that Peter talks about. But, for those who can handle it, Peter opens with a greeting of Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

Home

1Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Please also see the note for this sentence that is under Lord Jesus Christ. Verses 1:3-5form a single sentence which is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter.

In this verse, Peter says God and Father which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again...who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. If you look under Verses - Saviour in the Lord Jesus Christ Study, you will find many places where the Bible says that God the Farther is our Saviour. Although this sentence does not use that word, it certainly says that doctrine. In truth, the Bible teaches that God the Farther, God the Son in each of His roles as Lord Jesus Christ and God the Holy Spirit are all our Saviour. This is much like a mother and a father are both 'parent'. Saviour is like 'parent' and is a role of the person of the Trinity and each role of God the Son performing a different function in our initial spiritual birth (salvation) and in our spiritual growth (sanctification). God the Father provided the plan and power, God the Son executed the plan and God the Holy Spirit keeps us secure from the time of our initial profession until the end of our fleshly life here. This verse tells us that that we are kept by the power of God (the Father) unto salvation. That means that this sentence provides doctrinal support for our salvation being dependent upon the power of (power 'belonging to') God (the Father). It also tells us according to his (here's how God the Father provides salvation) abundant mercy hath begotten us again (saved us) by the resurrection (death, burial and resurrection all included) of Jesus Christ (no man cometh unto the Father, but by me John 14:6). God the Father provides the power for salvation only through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It is not by any other means or person but Jesus Christ but it also requires the resurrection from the dead.

As Romans 6 teaches us, Jesus Christ walked in newness of life (Romans 6:4) and we are to do the same. People who claim salvation by Jesus and reject the newness of life have not met the requirements from God the Father in order to receive the power of salvation. In this verse, Peter tells us that we are begotten us again (born again) unto a lively hope by the resurrection. This exactly parallels Ephesians 2:8-10 which tells us that we are saved by faith and not anything we do, and that we are saved unto good works which are a result of his (God's) workmanship. We have no more effect upon the things that we get at salvation through the ministry of Jesus than a baby has upon the traits that they are born with due to DNA. However, the unto good works of Ephesians 2:8-10 and the unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood in 1Peter 1:2 both are accomplished after salvation by God through the ministry of Christ and vary from believer to believer.

All parents 'hope' that their children will live up to their potential and find out that each child varies in how much of their potential they actually achieve. Even so, God has a lively hope for our growth through the ministry of Christ, even as He realizes that we will each have varying degrees that we respond to that lively hope. As noted elsewhere, Jesus Christ is used to identify God's role in blessings that start with salvation but which also require spiritual maturity after salvation. Hope can be found in this epistle in 1:3, 13, 21; 3:15. This first time that Peter uses hope he calls it a lively hope. Something that is called lively is constantly moving. This is not something received or done one time but is an ongoing ever changing hope. The reason that it is ever changing is because as hope is realized, it is no longer hope. However, a lively hope that is realized leads to a new and greater hope. Just like our spiritual maturity, our hope is to be ever growing as we receive the blessings of the ministry of Christ after our initial profession.

The amount of blessing that each believer receives, from the ministry of Christ, is directly proportional to how much and how well they respond to the ministry of Christ in their lives. That can be seen in the middle part off this sentence, which has been neglected until now. In the middle part of this sentence, we are told that God (the) Father according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you. There has been a lot preached (and that could be preached) about an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away. However, after acknowledging this promise, and that it came from God (the) Father and that it was given according to his abundant mercy, I want the reader to notice that we are told that it is reserved in Heaven for you. We don't get it here. In fact, Peter's letter basically says that we get it in Heaven only if we let Christ live through our lives here and the amount of inheritance is proportional to the amount that we let Christ live through our lives here. Further, we see Peter tell us about the longsuffering of God in 3:18-22 and the sufferings of Christ in 1:11; 3:18; 4:1; 5:1. These verses should show us that if Christ is living through our physical lives and He is sufferings then we should expect some sufferings in our physical lives. However, just to be clear, Peter tells us that we should be happy to suffer in 3:14-17 and 4:13 tells us But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. (Please see the note for that verse under Christ.) Peter tells us ye (each and every one of us personally) may be glad also with exceeding joy because the inheritance'reserved in Heaven for you is given in direct proportion to the amount that we suffer for Christ while in this flesh. However, God only counts that suffering if we do it God's way. That's why we need to understand the rest of Peter's epistle.

Home

1Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Verses 1:6 through 1:9form a single sentence that is divided by punctuation within the Book Study on 1Peter.

While Jesus Christ is only in one of four Equivalent Sections, Jesus Christ is involved in what we are told within each Equivalent Section because of the equivalency and because no other roles of the Son of God are mentioned within our sentence. Each Section of this sentence is equivalent in that each is presenting a different view of a testimony of a saved person who is greatly rejoicing in trials because of the rewards in Heaven laid up for them. This truth can be hard to accept unless we keep the context in consideration. The first sentence, of our epistle, told us that this epistle was written to the elect and the note for 1:1, within this Study, brought out that elect meant a Biblical Christian. That person is spiritually matured beyond initial profession and would have this type of testimony. The second sentence, of our epistle, told us that these people had a lively hope and that they were kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation which tells us that they have this testimony because it is the power of God that enables them to have this testimony. Certainly people couldn't go through the type of trial that first century Christians went through without the power of God in their lives.

Please notice that this sentence starts with Wherein ye greatly rejoice. That is, true Biblical Christians are to greatly rejoice in (Wherein) the power of God in their personal lives (ye). Peter goes on to say that sometimes (if need be), for a limited time (for a season), we are personally (ye) in heaviness through manifold temptations. Yet, in spite of this (though) we are able to greatly rejoice because we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. No matter how bad it seems to get here and now, I can rejoice in how God is showing His power in handling the problem and I can rejoice in the fact that I am going to go to Heaven and receive rewards in proportion to the amount of glory that I give God by my life, especially during times of manifold temptations. However, my rejoicing is limited if I only think that this is how God treats all saved people the same. However, our sentence lets us know that this is part of our personal relationship that is through Jesus Christ. Thus, I can rejoice in what God is doing through my personal relationship with Him regardless of what is going on with other people or what is happening around me and in the world.

Peter continues this sentence with the Second Equivalent Section where he tells us that the trial of your faith.. at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Whether we die or we are 'Rapture'd, we are going to meet Jesus Christ when we leave this world. In addition, we will appear with Jesus Christ when He returns to this Earth to rule and reign. When we appear with Him, God will get praise and honour and glory for what He did to save us and how He changed our lives after our initial profession. Those who have gone beyond mere salvation (Jesus) and developed their relationship with Christ will give God more praise and honour and glory than those who make a profession but don't live for God. As a result, God will also give true Biblical Christians additional rewards. Look at where Peter says That the trial of your faith is (being) much more precious than of gold that perisheth. The trial is more precious because it is directly proportional to the eternal rewards that we will receive. The eternal rewards are more precious than of gold that perisheth because they are eternal and we won't loose them like we will loose gold that perisheth. There would be absolutely no reason to rejoice in going through manifold temptations unless God's praise and honour and glory (and our rewards) were directly linked to the temptations. This linking is done through the ministry of Christ (Romans 8:17; Galatians 6:12; Philippians 1:29-30) and is based upon, but after, the salvation provided by Jesus. The praise and honour and glory that God gets (and the reward received by the saved person) also varies from one saved person to another.

Moving on to the Third Equivalent Section of this sentence, where we said that Peter told us that the testimony of the elect (true Biblical Christian) is that they each personally believe and love a Jesus Christ whom they have not seen which causes them to rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Much has been preaches about this phrase (rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory) and I won't try to match it here other than to point out that Peter says the source of this rejoicing is Jesus Christ Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing. This requires looking at the world and our circumstances in life from a spiritual point of view so much and so often that the spiritual becomes more real to us than the physical. Some people think I'm nuts but I really equate this physical world to 'God's video Game'. In a video game, we have a character that represents us and goes through circumstances and wins or looses, but in the end we walk away from the game with only memories. The Bible clearly teaches that what is the real us is our spirit. It is attached to this physical world at conception and is detached at death. While we are in this physical reality we develop our soul ( 'the long-term way that we think, that we make decisions of our will and react emotionally to the circumstances of life'). When we die our spirit takes our soul with it to where we end up (in Heaven or the lake of fire).

The things of this world, like gold that perisheth, are nothing more than game pieces. What matters is that we choose to become God's child (John 1:12-13) and secure our place in God's household. That is what our Fourth Equivalent Section (Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls) is talking about. It is Jesus Christ Who is saving our soul right now in this present world by changing how we think, how we make decisions and how we react to the circumstances of life. (Please see the Message called Body, Spirit and Soul Salvation for more details.

This world ( 'God's video game') is a training ground for God's children to learn to be like Jesus Christ. The more we become like Jesus Christ, the higher our eternal position in God's household will be. We can rejoice in these manifold temptations because they require the power of God in our lives where living without trials doesn't require the power of God. It is the power of God in our lives that brings God glory and the more glory that we give God in this life, the more glory He gives us for eternity. Not only that, but we can experience His joy unspeakable (our joy isn't unspeakable) as He is able to accomplish His purpose through our lives. This is part of Peter's basic message.

God wants to apply all the things (that Peter tells us are of God) mentioned in this epistle to our lives. As we allow Him to do that, and respond as Peter tells us to in this epistle, we experience God's joy unspeakable and full of glory in this life, we can know of eternal rewards (reserved in Heaven for you'ready to be revealed in the last time) and this spiritual perspective will cause us to greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.

All of this is summarized in Peter's last Equivalent Section of this sentence where he tells us Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Several times in this study we've seen that true Biblical salvation is 'God's life in us' and that life isn't just the DNA given at time of profession but it also includes all of the training of our souls ( 'the long-term way that we think, that we make decisions of our will and react emotionally to the circumstances of life') that we receive as God directs our lives in this world. The salvation of your souls includes the training and results of these manifold temptations as Peter tells us in this sentence and throughout the rest of this epistle. We also see Peter say a similar thing as he starts his next sentence with Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently. Please see the note for 1:11 under Christ for more on the next sentence.

Home

1Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Verses 1:13through 1:16 form a single sentence which is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter.

The two Equivalent Sections of this sentence both tell us to learn about God then act like God by being obedient and holy. Only the details of how we are to do that differ between the two Sections of the sentence. Thus, as with all equivalencies, we have the same message said two different ways.

This verse starts out with Wherefore which means based upon what was said in all of the previous verses. Please see all of those notes, especially the ones for 1:7 and 1:11, which tie the most into this sentence. In addition, the next sentence (1:17-21) starts with And, which adds it to this sentence. Therefore all of these sentences need to also be considered in order to keep this sentence within context. As part of that context, the note within this Study on 1:19 is also part of the explanation of the next sentence and should also be considered. Further, in this sentence, we are concentrating upon Peter's comments about the revelation of Jesus Christ. (This is the theme of the entire book of Revelation 1:1. Please also see that epistle and all related notes for more details on this phrase in 1Peter.)

While Jesus Christ will definitely be revealed to us when we die or are 'Rapture'd, as noted for 1:7, we also can receive God's grace here and now as Jesus Christ is revealed in our life and God receives praise and honour and glory. We can not learn of God until we have the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14; 1Corinthians 2) which we receive when we believeth in Jesus (Romans 3:26). After that (Romans 8:11), the mind of Christ (1Corinthians 2:16) teaches us how to be holy in all manner of conversation for I am holy ( 'because God is holy'). We are to act as obedient children, which is different than the acts of unsaved people (not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance). It takes the ministry of Jesus and the ministry of Christ for us to learn and obey what Peter tells us to learn and obey in this sentence. For example, it takes the ministry of Jesus to give us the Spirit of God which enables us to be not fashioning ourselves according to the former lusts. However, having the ability and applying it on a consistent basis are two different things. In this same epistle Peter tells us that the ministry of Christ gives us the mind to do what we need to do on a consistent basis in order to stop fashioning ourselves according to the former lusts. In addition, Romans 12:1-2 tells us the same thing in a different way. Thus we see that this same concept is presented in other places within the Bible

Within our sentence we see that Peter is talking about 'the here and now'. Peter is telling us the basic attitude that we need to keep as we face problems of life based upon (Wherefore) all that God the Farther has prepared for our salvation and all off the power of God that is available to us, and all the promises of eternal rewards that are part of our salvation and all that Jesus Christ and the prophets have suffered to be an example and show us how to live in the flesh by the power of God in order to give glory to God.

Our sentence promises grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As I tried to explain, this revelation of Jesus Christ is not just the 'Rapture' not just the 1,000 years reign of Jesus Christ on this Earth. No, this is a promise that we will receive grace every time that we revel Jesus Christ in and through our personal life.

Home

1Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Verses 2:4 and 2:5 form a single sentence. 2:6 starts with Wherefore, which connects it to the sentence which this verse is part of. Then the sentencer after that gives us more details about what this sentence says. Thus, we must consider all that is related by context in order to properly understand why Peter uses Jesus Christ in this sentence.

We each personally (ye) have our position of priest because Jesus died for us and made us righteous before God and because Christ is our advocate before the Father. Under the Law (enforced by God's position as Lord) we would be condemned for taking the position of priest unless God Himself gave us that position. As in any religion, those with the position of priest must also learn the duties that go with the position. We receive the position when we get saved through Jesus but learn the duties through the ministry of Christ. Further, the spiritual sacrifices that we are called to offer up are often our own suffering in the flesh (2Corinthians 1:5 and other places within the Bible). In addition, the Old Testament Levite, who would be a priest, had to have matured and not have a blemish in order to be accepted for the priesthood. We will not be accepted as God's priest without the spiritual maturing, and spiritual cleansing, that the Son of God provides through His role as Christ.

Peter uses Jesus Christ in this verse because both of the roles of the Son of God are involved and because this responsibility is given to all saved but our ability to fulfill the responsibility requires spiritual maturity after our initial profession.

Home

1Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

3:21 and 3:22 form a single sentence which is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter.

A lot of people take this sentence out of context and twisted in order to try to justify the erroneous doctrine called 'baptismal regeneration'. They can only try to do this by ignoring Peter's first few words of The like figure. Quoting part of the Bible while taking it out of context is what Satan did whe4n tempting Jesus. Therefore, we can know that this false doctrine comes from a devil.

A figure is a picture. A picture is not the real thing. Therefore, Peter is saying that baptism is a picture of salvation and not salvation itself. Please read about baptism in Romans 6 and then this explanation might make more sense. Peter is saying the same thing as Paul said there only Peter is using less words. When Peter says the like figure he is specifically linking this figure of baptism to his comments of 3:18-21. He is linking this picture to what he has just said about following Christ and being willing to suffer in the flesh in order to gain spiritual rewards. Peter is saying that baptism is a picture of the way we are going to live and of our willingness to follow the example of Christ that Peter has just given (like figure).

Continuing this context, Peter uses even for an even balancing scale or equal. That is, the picture (like figure) of baptism saving us is equal to a changed life due to Christ bringing us to God that we might be quickened by the Spirit. (Please see the notes for 3:16 for more details on this doctrine.) When Peter says that baptism doth also now save us, he is not talking about soul salvation from Hell but being saved from problems in the flesh due to the consequences of sin. Remember, when Peter said Lord, save me in Matthew 14:30 he was drowning. Peter wasn't worried about soul salvation then (or now) but wanted to be saved from problems in the flesh (drowning).

In Ephesians 5 we are told that marriage is a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:32). Likewise, the marriage ceremony is like baptism in that both are a public declaration of a personal intimate relationship. Now imagine some man wanting all of the privileges of marriage but refuses to have a marriage ceremony or publicly acknowledge his relationship with the woman. Only a very foolish woman would agree to such a relationship and our God is not a fool. Mark 8:38 and Luke 12:8-9 tells us that Jesus said Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. The devil accuses the saved before God's throne (Revelation 12:10) just like he accused Job. And, just like with Job, he wants permission to cause us problems in the flesh. God the Father asks Jesus if protection should be given to this person who denieth me (Jesus) before men and Luke tells us that he shall be denied before the angels of God. Peter is telling us that if we want to be saved from problems in the flesh caused by devils, we better stop denying me (Jesus) before men and get baptized and start showing a changed life due to our being quickened by the Spirit.

Continuing on, Peter also specifically says that he is not talking about immersion (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God). Since Peter specifically eliminates immersion, he also eliminates their claim that immersion provides salvation from Hell. When Peter says but the answer of a good conscience toward God, he is talking about a changed lifestyle whereby the person stops sinning (a good conscience 2:19; 3:16, 21). That changed lifestyle (your good conversation in Christ 3:16) starts with a public profession for Jesus Christ in the form of immersion baptism (Romans 6). In this verse, Peter specifically says that our being saved is by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into Heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. The authorities and powers that have been made subject unto him include the devil who accuses us before God. Hopefully the reader can see how my explanation matches what Peter tells us here and what Paul tells us in Romans 6. We need the saving ministry of Jesus if we want to be claimed before God and saved from problems in the flesh caused by devils (authorities and powers) but we also need to publicly acknowledge our intention to accept the ministry of Christ by getting baptized or Jesus Christ says we shall be denied before the angels of God.

Home

1Peter 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

This verse is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter.

This sentence finishes Peter's comments that started in 4:1 where he started with Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, and continued with what we are to do as a result of all that Christ went through to make us able to bring glory to God. The Forasmuch means 'as a result of what Christ did that I just finished telling you about'. Peter then goes on to explain how that Christ suffered to enable us to stop acting like we used to act before we were saved. Since He suffered to make us free from sin, we are to:

act like Christ and live according to God in the Spirit (4:6).
We are to live aware of coming judgment (the end of all things is at hand [4:7 ]),
to each personally (ye) be sober (1:13; 4:7; 5:8),
and watch unto prayer (4:7)
and have fervent charity among yourselves (4:8)
and hospitality one to another without grudging (4:9)
and speak as the oracles of God (4:11)
and minister as of the ability which God giveth (4:11)

All of this is that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. I'm sure that many preachers and teachers can expand these points into a message / lesson if they desired, but I will not do so. The main point is that if we aren't doing all of these things according to what the Bible says (as opposed to what our religion or flesh says) then we will not be giving God glory through Jesus Christ but will be trying (and failing) to do it through our religion or flesh. If we could give God glory through our religion or flesh, then there was no reason for Christ to have suffered, as Peter explained that He did in the chapters before this. (Please see prior verses and related notes about the suffering of Christ because those notes include references to other places in the Bible that tell us the same thing.)

In addition, when we go through something we have a barrier that enter on one side and come out on the other side. Think of a tunnel through a mountain and this should be easier to understand. John 14:6 says Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.. Thus Jesus Christ is a barrier to reaching God the Father. In order to go through Jesus Christ we must enter His ministry and obey Him when He tells us how to act in the flesh and how to grow spiritually. It is only after this that we get through Him to reach the blessings from God the Father. Please see the verses listed under through Jesus Christ, within the Study on Relational Prepositions, to find other things which the Bible tells us are only obtained through Jesus Christ. Our phrase says that God the Father is glorified through Jesus Christ. Our own efforts will not glorify God. However, when we submit to the ministry of Jesus Christ then God gets glory and that is one of the main reasons why God saves us before He is ready to take us to Heaven.

Peter warns us to live aware of coming judgment (the end of all things is at hand) where we will answer to God for how we personally glorified God through Jesus Christ.

Home

Christ Jesus

1Peter 5:10, 14

Christ Jesus is used by Peter to tell us about blessings that are only given to saved (Jesus) but which also vary depending upon how much we obey the ministry of Christ. Since these blessings are more dependent upon the ministry of Christ after our initial profession of salvation, Christ Jesus is used instead of Jesus Christ. Click here for all of the Verses that use Christ Jesus and here for the Summary on the name / role of Christ Jesus.

1Peter 5:10 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.

Please see the Prophecy Fulfilled Section, within the Significant Gospel Events Study, for links, in the New Testament, to where we are told that Christ suffered.

This verse clearly is talking about spiritual maturity that occurs after salvation when it says after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect... It also says that we are called us unto his (God's) eternal glory by Christ Jesus. That means that we will not get his eternal glory any way except by Christ Jesus. The Bible also says for many be called, but few chosen (Matthew 20:16; Matthew 22:14). All saved are called unto God's eternal glory, but only those that God has made perfect, bt Christ Jesus are chosen for this glory. The Son of God's title as Christ Jesus is used here because people must be saved (Jesus) to be called, but they must also have the more important ministry of Christ to be chosen and to have Him make them perfect ('spiritually mature'). Again, Christ Jesus is used for blessings that vary between saved and which God wants to give to all saved but which are only given to those who are willing to let the ministry of Christ spiritually mature them after their initial profession.

Within the Bible the word by is used to tell us 'how you get from one place to another'. Within our current verse we see that we will be moved from our current lack of glory to the place of receiving God's glory and that being accomplished by Christ Jesus. The Bible uses the phrase by Christ Jesus only in Ephesians 3:21 and in Philippians 4:19 and in 1Peter 5:10. The Bible uses the phrase by Christ only in 2Corinthians 1:5 and in Galatians 2:17. Please see those verses, and their attached notes, for more details and to understand the Biblical doctrinal difference between the use of by Christ Jesus and the use of by Christ.

Home

1Peter 5:14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Peter concludes his letter with a wish for his readers to receive peace. However, since Peter is writing his letter to people that are, or will be persecuted, he knows that they will have the peace that they need only though the ministry of Christ that comes after our initial profession. God wants this peace to go to all saved but it is impossible to have the level of peace needed unless people personally experience the ministry of Christ in their personal lives. That's why Peter limits his blessing of peace to all that are in Christ Jesus.

Home

Lord Jesus

Lord Jesus does not occur in this epistle. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lord Jesus and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lord Jesus.

Lord Christ

Lord Christ does not occur in this epistle. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lord Christ and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lord Christ.

Lord Jesus Christ

1Peter 1:3

Lord Jesus Christ is linked to salvation provided by God the Father because God the Father works through each and every role of the Son of God as He provides the power unto salvation. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lord Jesus Christ and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lord Jesus Christ.

Please also see the note for this sentence which is under Jesus Christ. Verses 1:3-5form a single sentence which is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter. It also provides information not provided here.

Peter starts out this letter saying that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ and in the next sentence says Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This use of two different titles for the Son of God is not wrong. Peter used Jesus Christ in the opening of his letter because Jesus and Christ are the roles that the Son of God uses to deal with us on a personal level and Peter's letter is about how we are to personally apply the things which God gives to us in order to deal with problem circumstances of life. He also does so because that was the most common identifier for our God that was used by the early church and because Peter represented the Son of God in both of His roles; as Jesus and as Christ. Paul does he same in several letters. Peter then uses Lord Jesus Christ when identifying His relationship to God the Father and because the Son of God will use His role as Lord when judging us for our obedience to the personal commandments given to us through His roles as Jesus and as Christ

The combination of God with the Lord Jesus Christ occurs 30 times in the New Testament and therefore is not accidental. With that many occurrences, we can easily take a doctrinal stand on this combination. In the Old Testament, people had to come to God the Father through the Jewish priests. In the gospels, we are told that God the Father said This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. (Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35). Then, Hebrews tells us that Jesus is now our high priest. Also, Peter says in 2Peter 1:15-21 that God the Father said to hear our Lord Jesus Christ and the scriptures, which God tells us is our only authorized picture of Jesus in this world (John 1:1, 14). Finally we have John 14:6 which says Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Therefore, we can take a stand on the doctrine that we can only approach God today through the Lord Jesus Christ. Also, God the Father relates to us, in the New Testament dispensation, only through the Lord Jesus Christ. We also have our judgment and all other legal matters with God going only through the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as we can not approach a foreign head of state on legal matters except by going through the official channels, so also we can only approach God the Father through our official channel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why, in the New Testament, almost every time that we see access to God the Father, we also see that the access is through the Lord Jesus Christ. God is telling us, over and over again, that our Lord is Jesus Christ and not Him.

In addition, to the doctrinal matter of Jesus Christ being our Lord, Peter is going to deal with persecution and why God allows it. Part of the reason that God allows persecution of the saints is that He is our Lord and that is part of the right of a Lord. Jesus died for our sins and wouldn't do that to us. Christ gives us blessings on this earth and in Heaven and punishes sin on this earth. It is mainly in the role of Lord that God tells us to accept persecution with the right attitude while on this earth and to wait until after we die to be rewarded for submission (obedience with the right attitude). Notice that within the same verse Peter says that we are begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He left out Lord here. Our hope of Heaven is through the ministry of Jesus and our hope of reward is through the ministry of Christ, but the law, and the reward for law keepers, is from the Lord.

Home

King

1Peter 2:13, 17

Peter uses king for a human king that we are to treat as God's appointed person regardless of how they act. Click here for all of the Verses that use King and here for the Summary on the name / role of King.

1Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;

Please also see the related note for this sentence under lord.

The main use of king in this sentence is to say that a king is supreme. That is, a king can make any rules and laws that he wants. This is what we have seen throughout the entire New Testament when it comes the Biblical use of king. In addition, by saying that a king is supreme, Peter is acknowledging that a king is above a lord, which is also what we have seen throughout the entire New Testament.

In our sentence we see that the lower-case king is below the upper-case Lord, in power and authority, because the lower-case king is a man while the upper-case Lord is God and man is God in power and authority. As a result, the Lord sets up (a man) to be king, as we see in 1Samuel 15:11 and in 2Samuel 3:10. With this in mind we can see that someone might start out as a good king and turn bad afterwards or they might be a bad king to begin with or they might be a good king to begin with. When the Jews demanded a king God used Samuel to warn them against their demand but gave them their heart's desire (Psalms 21:2, etc). God can preserve a king and give him wisdom, like Salomon had, or God can let the king follow the lusts of the flesh and doctrines from devils, like the son of Solomon did. In every case, God gives His people their heart's desire. Ultimately, who is king is determined by our Lord and is the result of our true heart's desire.

Home

1Peter 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the King.

This verse is the conclusion of what Peter has said since 2:1.However, 2:1 starts with Wherefore, which means it is based upon what was said in chapter 1. In 1Peter 1, Peter told us that our salvation is spiritual and not based upon the things of this world. In 1:3-4 Peter told us that we have a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead To an inheritance'reserved in Heaven for you. Therefore, our hope is not in this world but in Heaven. Peter then goes on and tells us that in this world we will have the trial of your faith (1:7) and that we are to hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1:13). The phrase at the revelation of Jesus Christ means not until death or 'Rapture' for each of us. Peter goes on and tells us be ye holy in all manner of conversation (1:15) because the more that our lifestyle (conversation) shows the holiness of God, the greater will be our reward in Heaven. So chapter 1 essentially tells us the expect to suffer here for rewards in Heaven. Then 2:1 says based upon that perspective (Wherefore), put aside all of the negative fleshly reactions to suffering in this life and As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby (2:2). It requires spiritual growth through the sincere milk of the word to be able to live the conversation that Peter told us to live in chapter 1. Peter then tells us that our Lord was disallowed indeed of men , but chosen of God, and precious (2:3-4) and that our Lord is precious (2:7). In 2:1-10 Peter shows us the differences between us as saved people and the lost people of the world. Then in 2:11-17 Peter tells us to be strangers and pilgrims. That means don't set down roots and don't get involved in the things of this world . Peter's conclusion of this section is our verse. We are to Love the brotherhood because they're who we will spend eternity with and they are who will help us in this world. We are to Fear God so that we stop our sinning and so that we keep our eyes on God and not the 'threats' of this world. We are to Honour all men and to Honour the king for several reasons but the simplest is because someone you are giving Honour to is less likely to give you a hard time. Peter already gave us our perspective in 1:3 when he mentioned the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In John 19:1-16 Pilate (who was less than a king and forced to act because of his fear of his king) tried to threaten Jesus with Death. Jesus answered in John 19:11 with Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. Therefore, our perspective is also to be that our king couldest have no power at all against [us], except it were given thee from above.

Peter is telling us to Honour the king because God tells us to and because he has his position given to him by God. Don't fear the king but Fear God. Don't get upset about what the king does in this world because our hope is not in this world but in Heaven. If we're getting too upset about what the king is doing in this world to give him honour then we are too involved in this world and are not keeping our eye on our hope, which is in Heaven. Peter already told us to expect manifold temptations (1:6) and a trial of your faith (1:7). That includes the possibility of having the king threaten us with death like they did to our Lord. Like Him, we are to treat any such threat as being powerless unless God allows it and plans on rewarding us for responding properly. Therefore, there should be nothing in this world which can make us disobey this command to Honour the king. The king rules as he wishes in this world but our hope is not in this world but in Heaven.

Home

Son

1Peter 5:13

Please see the note below. Click here for all of the Verses that use Son and here for the Summary on the name / role of Son.

1Peter 5:13 The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.

It is speculated that this in John Mark who wrote the gospel of Mark, and was involved in the early church (Acts 12:12) and went on a missionary trip with Paul and Barnabas (Acts 12:25) and ran away because he thought that non-preachers were not as important as preachers on the mission field (Acts 5:37-41). Paul was so mad at his action that he split from Barnabas for his second missionary trip rather than take Mark again. However, Paul later said that Mark was profitable to Paul (2Timothy 4:11). We can speculate (not be doctrinal) that Peter personally ministered to Marcus and caused the change in him because Peter had also denied the Lord (Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13; 18) and ran (John 21:1-4) and had been turned around (John 21:5-19). Since every place that the Bible uses son the son has the same character and spirit as the father, there is reason to believe that our speculation in this verse is true and that Mark received his spirit for ministry from Peter.

Home

Lamb

1Peter 1:19.

Please see the note below. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lamb and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lamb.

1Peter 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Please also see the note for this verse under Christ. This verse is part of a complex sentence that goes from 1:17through 1:21 and is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Peter.

We find lamb used in the New Testament in Luke 10:3; John 1:29, 36; 21:15; Acts 8:32; 1Peter 1:19; Revelation 5:6, 8, 12, 13; 6:1, 16; 7:9, 10, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8, 11; 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:9, 14, 22, 23, 27; 22:1, 3. As can be seen by this list, most references are in Revelation and every reference in the New Testament is a direct or indirect reference to the Son of God. Of course, every reference to lamb, which is used symbolically for the Son of God, is dealing with His sacrifice to take away our sin. Further (as shown elsewhere in this study), every reference to the blood of Christ is dealing with sins we do after our initial profession. Basically, as explained in the for this verse under Christ, it took a sacrifice of a lamb without blemish and without spot to remove the consequences of our sins even after we became a child of God. Even as a child of God we still sin and those sins must bbe paid for. However, Christ shed His precious blood so that we wouldn't have to spend our saved life paying for our sins but could spend it letting Christ live through us.

Obviously, lamb is used symbolically here, and in every place that this word is applied to the Son of God. We know this because He obviously was not a physical lamb and because our verse literally says as of a lamb. The word as gives us the meaning of: 'having similar characteristics while not being exactly the same'. I hardly ever had a pet and then only for a short time. Therefore, I will leave it to others to identify the characteristic of a lamb which apply here. However, we can say that our verse does qualify this symbol by saying without blemish and without spot.

Obviously, it is possible for a lamb to have a blemish or spot. Such things made the lamb unacceptable to God. As pointed out in the note for Christ, the precious blood of Christ is used to cleanse us and make us without blemish and without spot (1John 1:6-10). If we refuse to maintain our ongoing personal relationship with Christ then He can not cleanse us and make us without blemish and without spot. Therefore, we will not be acceptable to God and, while we might get into Heaven, we probably will not be acceptable in His presence. Christ became a lamb (that is) without blemish and without spot to be our example of how to become acceptable to God. We are to become the same and this interpretation of the symbolism matches the general message of this epistle.

Home

Verses within this Study.

Study Overview.

Contact: Webmaster@LJC1611KJV.com. Member of Tower Road Baptist Church, Abq., NM, U.S.A., 87121. Copyright 2009 Lord Jesus Christ in the 1611KJV. All rights reserved. Revised: 10/31/24.