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The First Epistle of Peter is addressed to believers among the dispersed of
Israel found in those provinces of Asia Minor Which are named in the first
verse; the Second Epistle declares itself to be a second addressed to the
same persons: so that the one and the other were destined for the Jews of
Asia Minor (that is, to those among them who had the same precious faith as
the apostle).
The First Epistle is founded on the doctrine of the heavenly calling (I do
not say of the assembly on earth,[see note #1] which is not brought before us here)
in contrast with the portion of the
Jews on the earth. It presents Christians, and in particular Christians
among the Jews, as pilgrims and strangers on earth. The conduct suited to
such is more largely developed than the doctrine. The Lord Jesus, who was
Himself a pilgrim and a stranger here, is presented as a pattern in more
than one aspect. Both epistles pursue the righteous government of God from
the beginning to the consummation of all things, in which the elements melt
with fervent heat, and there are new heavens and a new earth, in which
righteousness dwells. The first gives the government of God in favour of
believers, the second in the judgment of the wicked.
Nevertheless, in presenting the heavenly calling, the apostle necessarily
presents salvation- the deliverance of the soul in contrast with the
temporal deliverance of the Jews.
The following is the description which the Spirit gives of these believers.
They are elect, and that according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.
Israel was a nation elected on the earth by Jehovah. Here, it is those who
were foreknown of the Father. The means by which their election is carried
out is sanctification of the Holy Ghost. They are really set apart by the
power of the Spirit. Israel was set apart by ordinances; but these are
sanctified unto the obedience of Jesus Christ and for the sprinkling of His
blood, that is to say, on the one hand to obey as He obeyed, and on the
other to be sprinkled with His blood and thus to be perfectly clear before
God. Israel had been set apart for the obedience of the law, and for that
blood which, while it announced death as the sanction of its authority,
could never cleanse the soul from sin.
Such was the Christian's position. The apostle wishes them grace and
peace-the known portion of believers. He reminds them of the blessings with
which God had blessed them, blessing God who had bestowed them. Believing
Israelites knew Him now, not in the character of Jehovah, but as the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That which the apostle presents as the fruit of His grace, is a hope beyond
this world; not the inheritance of Canaan, appropriate to man living on the
earth, which was the hope of Israel, and is still that of the unbelieving
nation. The mercy of God had begotten them again for a living hope by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from out of the dead. This resurrection shewed
them a portion in another world, and the power which brought man into it,
although he had been subjected to death: he would enter it by resurrection,
through the glorious triumph of the Saviour, to share an inheritance that
is incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away. The apostle is not
speaking of our resurrection with Christ; he views the Christian as a
pilgrim here, encouraged by the triumph of Christ Himself in resurrection,
which animated him by the consciousness that there was a world of light and
happiness before him, and a power which would bring him into this world.
Consequently the inheritance is spoken of as "reserved in heaven.'' In the
Epistle to the Ephesians we are seated in the heavenlies in Christ, and the
inheritance is that of all things of which Christ Himself is heir. But the
Christian is also in fact a pilgrim and a stranger on the earth; and it is
a strong consolation to us, in our pilgrimage, to see this heavenly
inheritance before us, as a certain pledge of our own entrance into it.
Another inestimable consolation is added. If the inheritance is preserved
in heaven for us, we are kept by the power of God all through our
pilgrimage that we may enjoy it at the end. Sweet thought!-we are kept here
below through all our dangers and difficulties; and, on the other hand, the
inheritance there, where there is no defilement or possibility of decay.
But it is by moral means that this power preserves us (and it is in this
way that Peter always speaks), by the operation in us of grace, which fixes
the heart on objects that keep it in connection with God and with His
promise. (Compare 2 Peter i. 4.) We are kept by the power of God through
faith. It is, God be praised, the power of God Himself; but it acts by
sustaining faith in the heart, maintaining it in spite of all temptations
above all the defilement of the world, and filling the affection with
heavenly things. Peter, however, always occupied with the ways of God
respecting this world, only looks at the share that believers will have in
this salvation, this heavenly glory, when it shall be manifested; when God
will, by this glory, establish His authority in blessing on the earth. It
is indeed the heavenly glory, but the heavenly glory manifested as the
means of the establishment of the supreme government of God on earth for
His own glory and for the blessing of the whole world.
It is salvation ready to be revealed in the last times. This word "ready"
is important. Our apostle says also that the judgment is ready to be
revealed, Christ is glorified personally, has conquered all His enemies,
has accomplished redemption. He only waits for one thing, namely, that God
should make His enemies His footstool. He has taken His seat at the right
hand of the Majesty on high, because He has accomplished everything as to
glorifying God where sin was. It is the actual salvation of souls-the
gathering together of His own, which is not yet finished (2 Pet. 3:9 &
15); but when once all they who are to share it are brought in, there is
nothing to wait for as regards the salvation, that is to say, the glory in
which the redeemed will appear; [see note #2] nor consequently as regards the
judgment of the wicked on earth
which will be consummated by the manifestation of Christ.[see note #3] All is
ready. This thought is
sweet for us in our days of patience, but full of solemnity when we reflect
upon the judgment.
Yes, as the apostle says, we rejoice greatly in this salvation, which is
ready to be revealed in the last times. We are waiting for it. It is a time
of rest, of the earth's blessing, of the full manifestation of His glory
who is worthy of it who was humbled and who suffered for us; the time when
the light and the glory of God in Christ will illumine the world and first
bind and then chase away all its evil.
This is our portion: abundant joy in the salvation about to be revealed and
in which we may always rejoice; although, if it be needed for our good we
may be in sorrow through divers temptations. But it is only for a very
little while-only a light affliction which passes away and which only comes
upon us if it be needful in order that the precious trial of faith may have
its result in praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ
for whom we are waiting. That is the end of all our sorrows and trials;
transitory and light as they are in comparison with the vast result of the
excellent and eternal glory towards which they are leading us according to
the wisdom of God and the need ofour souls. The heart attaches itself to
Jesus: He will appear.
We love Him although we have never seen Him. In Him, though now we see Him
not, we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. It is this which
decides and forms the heart, which fixes it and fills it with joy however
it may be with us in this life. To our hearts it is He who fills all the
glory. By grace I shall be glorified, I shall have the glory; but I love
Jesus, my heart pants for His presence-desires to see Him. Moreover we
shall be like Him and He perfectly glorified. The apostle may well say "
unspeakable and full of glory." The heart can desire nothing else: and if
some light afflictions are needful for us we endure them gladly since they
are a means of forming us for the glory. And we can rejoice at the thought
of Christ's appearing; for in receiving Him unseen into our heart we
receive the salvation of our soul. This is the object and the end of faith;
far more precious than the temporal deliverances that Israel enjoyed
although the latter were tokens of the favour of God.
The apostle goes on to develop the three successive steps of the revelation
of this grace of salvation-the full and entire deliverance from the
consequences, the fruits, and the misery of sin: the prophecies; the
testimony of the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; the manifestation of
Jesus Christ Himself when the deliverance that had been already announced
should be fully accomplished.
It is interesting to see here how the rejection of the Messiah according to
Jewish hopes, already anticipated and announced in the prophets,
necessarily made way for a salvation which brought with it that of the soul
likewise. Jesus was no more seen; the earthly portion was not realised by
His first coming; salvation was to be revealed in the last times. But thus
a salvation of the soul was unfolded the whole extent of which would be
realised in the glory about to be revealed; for it was the spiritual joy of
the soul in a heavenly Jesus who was not seen and who in His death had
accomplished expiation for sin and in His resurrection, according to the
power of the life of the Son of God, had begotten again to a living hope.
By faith then this salvation was received-this true deliverance. It was not
yet the (glory and the outward rest; that salvation would indeed take place
when Jesus appeared but meantime the soul already enjoyed by faith this
perfect rest, and in hope even the glory Itself.
Now the prophets had announced the grace of God which was to be
accomplished for believers and which even now imparts to the soul the
enjoyment of that salvation; and they had searched into their own
prophecies which they had received by inspiration from God, seeking to
understand what time, and what manner of time, the Spirit indicated, when
He testified beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that
should follow. For the Spirit spoke of them both by the prophets, and
signified consequently more than a temporal deliverance in Israel; for the
Messiah was to suffer. And they discovered that it was not for themselves
nor for their own times, that the Spirit of Christ announced these truths
with regard to the Messiah, but for Christians. But Christians, while
receiving the salvation of the soul by the revelation of a Christ seated in
heaven after His sufferings and coming again in glory, have not received
those glories which were revealed to the prophets. These things have been
reported with great and divine plainness by the Holy Ghost sent down from
heaven after the death of Jesus: but the Spirit does not bestow the glory
itself in which the Lord will appear; He has only declared it. Christians
have therefore to gird up the loins of their mind, to be sober, and hope to
the end for the grace that (in effect) will be brought to them at the
revelation of Jesus Christ; Such are the three successive steps in God's
dealings: the prediction of the events relating to Christ, which went
altogether beyond Jewish blessings; the things reported by the Spirit; the
accomplishment of the things promised when Christ is revealed.
That, then which the apostle presents, is a participation in the glory of
Christ when He shall be revealed; that salvation, of which the prophets had
spoken, which was to be revealed in the last days. But meantime God had
begotten again the believing Jews to a living hope by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from among the dead; and by means of His sufferings had made
them comprehend that even now, while waiting for the revelation of the
glory, realising it in the Person of Jesus, they enjoyed a salvation of the
soul before which the deliverances of Israel faded away and might be
forgotten. It was indeed the salvation "ready to be revealed" in all its
fullness; but as yet they only possessed it in respect of the soul. But,
being detached from the manifestation of the earthly glory, this salvation
had a yet more spiritual character. Therefore they were to gird up their
loins, while waiting for the revelation of Jesus, and to acknowledge with
thanksgiving that they were in possession of the end of their faith. They
were in relationship with God.
When announcing these things by the ministry of the prophets, God had
Christians in view, and not the prophets themselves. This grace was in due
time to be communicated to believers; but meantime, for faith and for the
soul, the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven bore testimony to it. It was to
be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus
Christ, which was the guarantee of the accomplishment of all the promises
and the power of life for their enjoyment, had begotten them again unto a
living hope; but the right to enjoy the effect of the promise was founded
on another truth. To this the exhortations conduct us. They were to walk as
obedient children, no longer following the lusts that had led them in the
days of their ignorance. Called by Him who is holy, they were to be holy in
all their conversation, as it is written. Moreover, if they called on the
Father, who, regardless of man's pretension to respect, judged according to
every one's work, they were to pass the time of their sojourn here in fear.
Observe, here, that he is not speaking of the final judgment of the soul.
In that sense " the Father judgeth no man, but has committed all judgment
to the Son." The thing spoken of here is the daily judgment of God's
government in this world, exercised with regard to His children.
Accordingly it says, "the time of your sojourn here." It is a judgment
applied to christian life. The fear spoken of is not an uncertainty as to
salvation and redemption. It is a fear founded on the certainty that one is
redeemed; and the immense price, the infinite value of the means employed
for our redemption-namely, the blood of the Lamb, without blemish and
without spot-is the motive for fearing God during our pilgrimage. We have
been redeemed at the cost of the blood of Jesus from our vain conversation:
can we then still walk according to the principles from which we have been
thus delivered? Such a price for our deliverance demands that we should
walk with circumspection and gravity before the Father, with whom we desire
to have intercourse both as privilege and spiritual relationship.
The apostle then applies this truth to the Christians whom he was
addressing. The Lamb had been ordained in the counsels of God before the
world was made; but He was manifested in the last days for believers: and
these are presented in their true character, they believe in God by
Jesus-by this Lamb. It is not by means of the creation that they believe:
although creation is a testimony to His glory, it gives no rest to the
conscience and does not tell of a place in heaven. It is not by means of
providence, which, even while directing all things, yet leaves the
government of God in such profound darkness. Nor is it by means of the
revelation of God on Mount Sinai under the name of Jehovah and the terror
connected with a broken law. It is by means of Jesus, the Lamb of God, that
we believe; observe that it is not said, " in Him," but by Him in God. We
know God as the One who, when we were sinners and dead in our trespasses
and sins, loved us, and gave this precious Saviour to come down even into
the death in which we were, to take part in our position as lying under
this judgment, and die as the Lamb of God. We believe in God who by His
power, when Jesus was there for us-in our stead- raised Him up from the
dead and gave Him glory. It is in a Saviour-God therefore, a God who
exercises His power in our behalf, that we believe by Jesus, so that our
faith and our hope are in God. It does not say in something before God, but
in God Himself Where then shall any cause for fear or distrust arise as
regards God, if our faith and hope are in Himself ? This changes
everything. The aspect in which we view God Himself is entirely changed;
and this change is founded on that which establishes the righteousness of
God in accepting us as cleansed from all sin, the love of God in blessing
us perfectly in Jesus, whom His power has raised from the dead and
glorified-the power according to which He blesses us. Our faith and our
hope are in God Himself.
This places us in the most intimate of relationships with the rest of the
redeemed: objects of the same love, washed by the same precious blood,
redeemed by the same Lamb, they become-to those whose hearts are purified
by the reception of the truth through the Spirit-the objects of a tender
brotherly love, a love unfeigned. They are our brethren. Let us then love
one another fervently with a pure heart. But this is based on another
essentially vital principle. It is a new nature which acts in this
affection. If we are redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb without
spot, we are born of the incorruptible seed of the word of God, which lives
and abides for ever. For the flesh is but grass, the glory of man as the
flower of grass. The grass withers, its flower falls, but the word of the
Lord abides for ever. This is the word of the gospel which has been
preached unto us. It is an eternal principle of blessing. The believer is
not born after the flesh to enjoy temporary rights and blessings, as was
the case with a Jew, but of an incorruptible seed, a principle of life as
unchangeable as the word of God Himself. The prophet had told them so, when
comforting the people of God; all flesh, the nation itself, was but
withered grass. God was unchangeable, and the word which by its immutable
certainty secured divine blessings to the objects of God's favour, wrought
in the heart to beget a life as immortal and incorruptible as the word
which is its source.
