Religion Scripture Readings

James 5

How a Living Faith Lives
A. A rebuke of the ungodly rich.

1. (1-3) The rich and the illusion of wealth.

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.

a. Come now, you rich: James has developed the idea of the need for complete dependence on God. He now naturally rebukes those most likely to live independently from God: the rich.

b. Weep and howl: In the style of an Old Testament prophet, James tells the rich to mourn in consideration of their destiny (the miseries that are coming upon you). In the life to come, their riches will be revealed as corrupted, moth-eaten and corroded.

i. James probably refers to the destruction of three kinds of wealth. Stores of food are corrupted (rotted), garments are moth-eaten, and gold and silver are corroded. Each one of them comes to nothing in their own way.

c. Will be a witness against you: The corruptible nature of their riches will witness against them. On the day of judgment, it will be revealed that they have lived their lives in the arrogant independence James previously condemned, heaping up earthly treasure in the last days, when they should have been heaping up treasure in heaven (Luke 18:22).

2. (4-6) The sins of the rich are condemned.

Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

a. They have withheld the wages of their laborers. They have lived indulgently without regard for others (as the man in Jesus' story about the rich man and Lazarus, Luke 16:19-31). They have condemned and murdered from their position of power.

i. While Jesus counted some rich among His followers (such as Zaccheus, Joseph of Armithea, and Barnabas), we are compelled to observe that riches do present an additional (and significant) obstacle to the kingdom (Matthew 19:23-24), and that the pursuit of riches is a motivation for every conceivable sin (1 Timothy 6:10).

b. The term Lord of Sabaoth in James 5:4 should not be confused with the term Lord of the Sabbath. It is a translation of the idea behind the Hebrew term Lord of Hosts (compare Romans 9:29 with Isaiah 1:9), which means "the Lord of armies," especially heavenly and angelic armies. It describes God as the warrior, the commander-in-chief of all heavenly armies.

c. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you: Often, those who are poor and without power in this world have little recourse to justice. But their cries are heard by God, who guarantees, ultimately, to right every wrong and answer every injustice.

B. A call for patient endurance in light of the coming judgment.

1. (7-8) Imitate the patient endurance of the farmer.

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

a. Therefore be patient, brethren: James brought the issue of the ultimate judgment before us in his remarks about the ungodly rich and their destiny. Now he calls Christians (especially those enduring hardship) to patiently endure until the coming of the Lord.

b. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently: A farmer does not give up when his crop does not come to harvest immediately. He keeps on working even when the crop cannot be seen at all. Even so Christians must work hard and exercise patient endurance even when the harvest day seems far away.

c. Until it receives the early and latter rain: The pictures of the early and latter rain should be taken literally as James intends. He refers to the early rains (coming in late October or early November) which were essential to soften the ground for plowing, and to the latter rains (coming in late April or May) which were essential to the maturing of the crops shortly before harvest. There is no allegorical picture of an "early" and a "latter" outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church.

i. The Bible does explain that there will be a significant outpouring of the Holy Spirit in these last days (Joel 2:28-29, Acts 2:17-18); but this passage from James doesn't seem to be relevant to that outpouring.

d. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand: The soon return of Jesus requires that we have established hearts, hearts that are rooted in Jesus and His eternal resolution of all things.

e. For the coming of the Lord is at hand: There is a real sense in which the coming of the Lord wasat hand in the days of James as well as our own day today. One might say that since the Ascension of Jesus, history has been brought to the brink of consummation and now runs parallel along side the edge of the brink, with the coming of the Lord … at hand.

2. (9) Practicing patient endurance among God's people.

Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!

a. Do not grumble against one another: Times of hardship can cause us to be less than loving with our Christian brothers and sisters. James reminds us that we cannot become grumblers and complainers in our hardship - lest we be condemned even in our hardship.

b. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! Jesus comes as a Judge, not only to judge the world, but also to assess the faithfulness of Christians (2 Corinthians 5:10). In light of this, we cannot allow hardship to make us unloving towards each other.

3. (10-11) Following examples of patient endurance.

My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord; that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

a. Take the prophets … as an example of suffering and patience: James reminds us that the prophets of the Old Testament endured hardship, yet practiced patient endurance. We can take them as examples.

i. Jeremiah stands out as someone who endured mistreatment with patience. He was put in the stocks (Jeremiah 20:2), thrown into prison (Jeremiah 32:2), and lowered into miry dungeon (Jeremiah 28:6), yet he persisted in his ministry.

b. You have heard of the perseverance of Job: We are reminded of Job as an example of patient endurance. His story shows both the necessity of a constant trust through times of calamity, and God's compassionate and merciful resolution of seasons of hardship.

c. That the Lord is very compassionate and merciful: The compassion and mercy of God may seem far away in times of trial. But examples like Job encourage us to be those who, by our patient endurance, see the goodness of God in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13-14).

4. (12) An exhortation in light of the coming judgment before Jesus.

But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your "Yes," be "Yes," and your "No," "No," lest you fall into judgment.

a. Do not swear: The Jews of James' time made distinctions between "binding oaths" and "non-binding oaths." Oaths that did not include the name of God were considered non-binding, and to use such oaths was a way of "crossing your fingers" behind your back when telling a lie. It is these kinds of oaths that James condemns.

i. The Bible does not forbid the swearing of all oaths, only against the swearing of deceptive, unwise, or flippant oaths. On occasion, God Himself swears oaths (Luke 1:73, Hebrews 3:11, Hebrews 6:13).

b. Do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath: James again echoes the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:34-37). The need to swear or make oaths, beyond a simple and clear yes or no betrays the weakness of your word. It demonstrates that there is not enough weight in your own character to confirm your words.

c. Lest you fall into judgment: This lack of character will be exposed at the judgment seat of Christ. This motivates us all the more to prepare for that judgment by our speaking with integrity.

C. Exhortations for Christian care for one another.

1. (13-14) How to meet needs arising among Christians.

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

a. The suffering need to pray, the cheerful should sing psalms of praise to God, and the sick should call for the elders of the church, asking them to pray for their need.

i. James has the same advice for both the suffering one and the cheerful one: take it all to the Lord. In fact, the two commands could be reversed: sufferers should sing also, and the cheerful should also pray.

ii. James clearly puts the initiative on the person in need: let him call. The hesitancy of people to ask for or to seek prayer from the leadership of the church in such circumstances is a true mystery.

b. Let them pray over him: James also says that the elders of the church, as they pray, should anoint the sick person with oil in the name of the Lord. This anointing with oil has been interpreted as either seeking the best medical attention possible for the afflicted (oil massages were considered medicinal), or as an emblem of the Holy Spirit's presence and power.

i. Anointing the sick with oil is also mentioned in Mark 6:13. Luke 10:34 mentions the application of oil in a medicinal sense.

ii. The Roman Catholic Church mutated this command to anoint the sick into the "sacrament" of Extreme Unction, administered to someone to prepare them for death. Something James intended to heal was made into a preparation for death!

2. (15-16) God's answer to the prayers of His people.

And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

a. And the prayer of faith with save the sick: Many have wondered if James "guarantees" healing here for the sick who are prayed for in faith. Some have interpreted the idea behind save the sick as not specifically being healing, and raise him up as being a reference to ultimate resurrection. The reference to sins being forgiven adding to the idea that James is considering a spiritual work and healing, not necessarily a physical healing.

b. Yet, the context of the statement demands that James does not exclude physical healing as an answer to prayer, though he does seem to mean something broader than only a physical healing. We should pray for others in faith, expecting that God will heal them, then leave the matter in God's hands.

i. Clearly, God does not grant immediate healing for every prayer of faith, and the reasons are hidden in the heart and mind of God. Still, many are not healed simply because there is no prayer of faith offered. The best approach in praying for the sick is to pray with humble confidence that they will be healed, unless God clearly and powerfully makes it clear that this is not His will. Having prayed, we simply leave the matter to God.

ii. Often we do not pray the prayer of faith out of concern for God's reputation if there should be no healing. We should remember that God is big enough to handle His own reputation.

c. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed: James reminds us that mutual confession and prayer brings healing, both physically and spiritually. These free us from the heavy burdens (physically and spiritually) of unresolved sin, and removes hindrances to the work of the Holy Spirit.

i. To one another: Confession to another in the body of Christ is essential, because sin will demand to have us to itself, isolated from all others. Confession breaks the power of secret sin. Yet, confession need not be made to a "priest" or any imagined mediator; we simply confess to one another as appropriate. Confession is good, but must be made with discretion. An unwise confession of sin can be the cause of more sin.

ii. Sin should especially be confessed where physical healing is necessary. It is possible - though by no means always the case - that a person's sickness is the direct result of some sin that has not been dealt with, as Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 11:30.

iii. Hiebert on confess: "The root form means literally to say the same thing; hence, it means that in confession sin we agree to identify it by its true name and admit that it is sin."

iv. The one who hears the confession should have the proper response: loving, intercessory prayer, and not human wisdom, gossiping, or "sharing" the need with others.

d. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much: In writing about the need for prayer for the suffering, for the sick, and for the sinning, James points to the effective nature of prayer - when it is fervent and offered by a righteous man.

i. Much of our prayer is not effective simply because it is not fervent. It is offered with a lukewarm attitude that virtually asks God to care about something that we care little about. Effective prayer must be fervent, not because we must emotionally persuade a reluctant God, but because we must gain God's heart by being fervent for the things He is fervent for.

ii. Additionally, effective prayer is offered by a righteous man. This is someone one who recognizes the grounds of his righteousness reside in Jesus, and whose personal walk is generally consistent with the righteousness that he has in Jesus.

3. (17-18) Elijah as an example of answered prayer.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

a. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours: Elijah is a model of earnest prayer that was answered by God. His effectiveness in prayer extended even to the weather! Yet, this shows that Elijah's heart was in tune with God's. He prayed for the rain to stop and start only because he sensed it was in the heart of God in His dealings with Israel.

b. Prayed earnestly is literally prayed with prayer. To truly pray, by definition, is to pray earnestly.

c. If Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, then we can be men with the power of prayer like him.

4. (19-20) Helping a sinning brother.

Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

a. If anyone among you wanders from the truth: Having introduced the topics of sin and confession, James reminds us of the need to confront those who have wandered from the truth. Wanders from the truth is a good picture. Most people don't wander deliberately - it just sort of happens. Nonetheless, it still gets them off track and possibly in danger.

b. He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins: There is a blessing for the one who loves his brother enough to confront him, and who turns him from the error of his way. He has saved that soul from death and covered a multitude of sins.

c. James concludes with this because this is exactly what he has endeavored to do through this challenging letter - to confront those who have wandered from a living faith, endeavoring to save their souls from death, by demanding that they not only hear the word, but do it, because a living faith will have its proof

 

I don't understand why you just post these pieces of scripture. It seems like a forum like this would be better suited to post and then discuss. Nobody ever discusses any of it. I would expect the religious to talk about what the words mean to them, how they interpret it, how they are applicable to your lives or modern society. Just posting them with no discussion or contemplation seems lazy. If they mean that much to you, speak up and tell explain why.

 

Fair enough, but I wasn't even saying for me to participate, I would be interested to read how believers thought about some of these passages, and how much agreement there is among them. But fine, I'll go back into some other threads. But I pull this thread up now and again, always hoping for discussion instead of just a cut and paste.

By the way, any word on ABM?

 

1 Peter 1

1 PETER 1: REDEMPTION

v. 1 Peter's epistles weren't written to a specific church, but to the Jewish believers in general.

"Strangers" refers to the Jews who had been scattered abroad by the Diaspora.

Paul was considered the apostle to the Gentiles. Peter was the apostle to the Jews.

v. 2 Romans 8:29. "Sanctification" means "set apart for a sacred purpose or religious use."

v. 3 The phrase "begotten us again" means "born again". "Lively" means "living". John 14:19.

v. 4 Matthew 6:19-20.

v. 5 God's power keeps us from straying from Him.

v. 6-7 2 Timothy 3:12.

The testings God allows in our lives aren't to destroy us, but to prove our worth. The testings are important to our Christian development.

v. 8 Even though we've never seen Jesus, we love Him and rejoice in our belief in Him.

"Unspeakable" means "indescribable".

v. 10-12 The prophets didn't understand the diverse prophecies that were given to them concerning the Messiah.

God's grace and His plan of redemption are beyond the comprehension of the angels, too.

v. 17 "Fear" is "awe" or "reverence." We should be in awe of our glorious God!

v. 18-19 "Vain conversation" refers to an empty manner of living. The traditions of man can be bondage.

We were redeemed as though purchased in a slave market by Christ. He didn't pay for us with gold or silver, but with His own blood.

A "spot" is an inherited, congenital defect. A "blemish" is an acquired defect.

v. 20 The plan of redemption existed before the foundation of the world was laid.

v. 22 "Unfeigned" love is love without hypocrisy.

v. 23 John 1:12-13.

"Being" also means "having been."

1 PETER 2: CHRISTIAN CONDUCT

v. 1 "Guile" is covering one's true feelings.

v. 2 To grow up spiritually we must be fed the Word of God.

v. 5 Hebrews 13:15.

v. 6-8 Jesus is the cornerstone on which our faith is built.

v. 9 The world thinks Christians are peculiar, because we praise and love Jesus Christ and spend hours at Bible studies instead of doing worldly "fun things."

v. 11 We're not a part of this world anymore. We're pilgrims longing for a new land.

v. 21-23 Christ is our example of the way we should respond when persecuted.

v. 24 Isaiah 53:4-7.

1 PETER 3: MORE ON CHRISTIAN CONDUCT

v. 1-2 "Conversation" means "behavior."

v. 3-4 True beauty is in the heart, not in the outward appearance.

v. 7 Nothing will hinder our prayer life more than problems in our marriage relationship.

v. 10-12 These are the rules for a long and happy life:

(1 ) Keep the tongue from speaking evil.

(2) Keep the lips from speaking deceitfully.

(3) Avoid evil.

(4) Do good.

(5) Seek peace.

God's eyes are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers.

v. 15 "Sanctify" is "consecrate." "Fear" means "reverence."

We should be conducting ourselves so that people in the world are compelled to ask what makes us different. When they ask, we should be ready with a sound and reasonable answer.

v. 18 "Quickened" means "made alive."

v. 19 Christ descended to hades after His death on the cross. He preached to

the souls there until His resurrection (Isaiah 61:1; Acts 2:22-36; Ephesians 4:8-10; Hebrews 11:39-40).

v. 20-21 The true baptism is in the heart. Unless we've allowed the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts, baptism is a meaningless ritual.

v. 22 There are rankings of angels in authority, power, principalities, and might.

1 PETER 4: PERSECUTIONS

v. 1-4 People speak evil of Christians, because we don't follow the same empty pursuits as the world.

v. 8 "Charity" means "love."

v. 11 We should minister so that the glory goes to Jesus Christ, not to ourselves.

v. 12-13 As soon as a trial comes, we begin to question why we have to suffer. Instead, we should rejoice-not at the trial, but because we're partakers in Christ's suffering and will also share in His glory.

v. 14 Matthew 5:10-12.

v. 18 We often forget that it's a miracle that God chose to give the gift of salvation to sinful mankind.

v. 19 1 Peter 2:23

1 PETER 5: EXHORTATION TO THE ELDERS

v. 1-2 This commission to the elders is the same one Jesus gave to Peter: "Feed the flock of God" (John 21:15-17). Feeding builds a strong flock. A ministry with a strong emphasis on money should raise questions about the motivations of the minister.

v. 3 Ministers are to be examples to the people, not "lords" over them.

v. 7 God wants us to give all our burdens to Him.

v. 8-9 The Bible never tells us to yield to Satan or to give up, but to resist him in the faith (James 4:7).

v. 14 The love ("charity") Peter speaks of is spiritual love (agape).

 

Living like You are Born Again
A. A greeting from the Apostle Peter.

1. (1) The writer and the intended readers of this letter.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

a. Peter: He was not merely an apostle, but there is a sense in which he was the leader of the apostolic group. Peter was an important and an influential man in the early church. This letter would have been received with a sense of importance.

i. Peter's name is mentioned in the gospels more than anyone else's except the name of Jesus. No one speaks as often as Peter, and Jesus speaks more to Peter than to any other individual.

- Jesus rebuked Peter more than any other disciple.
- Peter was the only disciple who dared to rebuke Jesus.
- Peter confessed Jesus more boldly and accurately than any other disciple.
- Peter denied Jesus more forcefully and publicly than any other disciple.
- Jesus praised Peter more than any other disciple.
- Peter alone among the disciples was addressed by Jesus as Satan.
ii. Since Peter is so prominent in the gospel records, it is worthwhile to remind ourselves of some of the important mentions of Peter in the four gospels.

- When Jesus woke up early in the morning, to pray before the sun came up, Simon Peter led the other disciples on a hunt to find Jesus to tell Him what He should do (Mark 1:35-39)
- He put his nets out at the direction of Jesus to bring in a massive catch of fish (Luke 5:1-11).
- He went on a unique outreach trip with the other disciples (Matthew 10:1-42).
- He stepped out of the boat during a raging storm and walked on the water with Jesus (Matthew 14:24-33)
- He was the one who said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also, we have come to believe and to know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (John 6:68-69)
- He saw Jesus transfigured in glory, together with Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:1-9)
- He was the one who asked Jesus how many times should we forgive a brother that sins against us, quoting the high number of "seven times" (Matthew 18:21-35)
- He was the one who asked Jesus, after the encounter with the rich young ruler, what the disciples would receive for giving everything up to follow Jesus (Matthew 19:27-30)
- He was the one who insisted that Jesus would not wash his feet; then commanded Jesus to wash his whole body! (John 13:6-10)
- He heard Jesus predict that he would deny Him three times (Matthew 26:30-35), and Peter replied, "Even if I have to die with you I will not deny You!" (Matthew 26:35), and the rest of the disciples agreed.
- He was the one who cut off the right ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest, when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus (John 18:1-11).
- He denied Jesus three times, cursing and swearing that he did not even know "the Man," refusing to even name the name of Jesus (Matthew 26:69-75)
- He was the one who ran with John the disciple to the tomb on the morning of the resurrection, after hearing the report of the women that the body of Jesus was not in its tomb (John 20:1-10)
- He was the one who received a personal visit from the resurrected Jesus on the day of the resurrection (Luke 24:34).
- He received a public restoration of Jesus in front of the other disciples, after the resurrection of Jesus (John 21).
iii. Significantly, Peter introduced himself as an apostle. "The supreme importance of the apostles is suggested by the fact that the phrase of Jesus Christ is attached to no other New Testament office: we do not read of teachers of Jesus Christ or prophets of Jesus Christ or evangelists of Jesus Christ, only of apostles of Jesus Christ." (Grudem)

iv. Peter did nothing to explain or justify his apostleship, and did not add a phrase like "by the will of God" as Paul did on some occasions (1 Corinthians 1:1, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Galatians 1:1, Ephesians 1:1, and so on). "Unlike Paul, Peter's apostolic status was never questioned. This brief phrase indicates Peter's authority." (Hiebert)

b. To the pilgrims: The idea behind the word pilgrims is of someone who lives as a temporary resident in a foreign land. Pilgrims are sojourners and travelers, and pilgrims live in constant awareness of their true home.

i. The early Christian writing The Epistle to Diognetus gives the idea of what pilgrims are. "They inhabit the lands of their birth, but as temporary residents of it; they take their share of all responsibilities as citizens, and endure all disabilities as aliens. Every foreign land is their native land, and every native land a foreign land … they pass their days upon earth, but their citizenship is in heaven." (Cited in Barclay)

c. To the pilgrims of the Dispersion: Peter is clearly writing to Gentiles (see 1 Peter 1:18, 2:10, and 4:3). Yet he calls them pilgrims of the Dispersion, a name that was applied to the Jews. He calls them this because he sees the Christians of his day as being "sprinkled" throughout the world as the Jewish people were in the Dispersion after the fall of Judah and Jerusalem when it was conquered by the Babylonians.

d. Pontus , Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia: These specific areas were places Christianity had extended to in the first several decades after the beginning of the church. It was probably the route that the original courier of Peter's letter would follow in distributing the letter. This was not written to any one congregation, but intentionally written to all Christians.

2. (2) Peter's description of his readers and all Christians.

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

a. Elect according to the foreknowledge: Peter first describes his intended readers as elect. This means simply that they are chosen, chosen by God in a particular and unique sense.

i. "The opening characterization of the readers as elect was meant to strengthen and encourage them in their affliction. The doctrine of election is a 'family truth' intended to foster the welfare of believers." (Hiebert)

b. According to the foreknowledge of God: This describes the nature of their election. God's choosing is not random or uninformed, but according to His foreknowledge, which is an aspect of His omniscience. This foreknowledge includes prior knowledge of our response to the gospel, but is not solely dependent on it.

i. Though God's election is according to … foreknowledge, there is more to His foreknowledge than His prior knowledge of my response to Jesus. Election is not election at all if it is only a cause-and-effect arrangement between my choosing and God's.

c. In sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience: An essential result of election is sanctification and obedience. While some would like to think that election has only to do with going to heaven or hell, Peter reminds us that it touches earth also. A claim to be elect is doubtful if there is no evidence of sanctification and obedience.

d. And sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: However, since all the elect fall short of perfect sanctification and obedience, there is cleansing from sin provided for them through the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.

i. There were three circumstances in the Old Testament where blood was sprinkled on people.

- At the establishment of Sinai or Old Covenant (Exodus 24:5-8).
- At the ordination of Aaron and his sons (Exodus 29:21).
- At the purification ceremony for a cleansed leper (Leviticus 14:6-7).
ii. The sprinkling of the blood of Jesus on us accomplishes the same things. First, a covenant is formed, then we are ordained as priests to Him, and finally we are cleansed from our corruption and sin. Each one of these things is ours through the work of Jesus on the cross.

e. God the Father … the Spirit … Jesus Christ: Peter's effortless way of combining the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in our salvation displays the New Testament approach to the Trinity. It is not detailed as a specific doctrine, but woven into the fabric of the New Testament.

i. Jesus has a Father, but not in the sense of being higher than He who gave Him existence. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have existed together throughout eternity, and each is equally God. Father and Son are terms used to describe the relationship between these first two members of the Trinity.

f. Grace to you and peace be multiplied: Peter brings a greeting that had become common among the Christians, combining elements from Greek culture (Grace) and Jewish culture (peace).

B. What it means to be saved and to live saved.

1. (3-5) Thanks to the Father for His work of salvation.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

a. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: When Peter considered the salvation of God, all he could do is praise Him. This is especially because the motive for God's work is found in Him, not in us (according to His abundant mercy).

i. Hiebert says of the extended passage 1 Peter 1:3-12: "This beautiful passage is the outpouring of an adorning heart. Only one who has devoutly contemplated the greatness of our salvation could utter such a magnificent paeon of praise, one that prepares and encourages the suffering soul to steadfastly continue the spiritual battle."

ii. All His goodness to us begins with mercy. "No other attribute could have helped us had mercy refused. As we are by nature, justice condemns us, holiness frowns upon us, power crushes us, truth confirms the threatening of the law, and wrath fulfils it. It is from the mercy of our God that all our hopes begin." (Spurgeon)

b. Has begotten us again: The wording of begotten us again is different from born again (John 3:3), but the meaning is the same. Peter's idea is that when a person is saved, they are made a new creation (as in 2 Corinthians 5:17).

c. To a living hope: We are born again to a living hope, because we have eternal life in a Savior who has conquered death Himself. The hope lives because it is set on an inheritance incorruptible, which can never fade away because it is reserved in heaven. This is a significant contrast to any inheritance on this earth.

i. "It is also called a 'living hope,' because it is imperishable. Other hopes fade like withering flowers. The hopes of the rich, the boasts of the proud, all these will die out as a candle when it flickers in the socket. The hope of the greatest monarch has been crushed before our eyes; he set up the standard of victory too soon, and has seen it trailed in the mire. There is no unwaning hope beneath the changeful moon: the only imperishable hope is that which climbs above the stars, and fixes itself upon the throne of God and the person of Jesus Christ." (Spurgeon)

d. Incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away: Peter doesn't really describe our inheritance. All he can tell us is what it is not. What our inheritance actually is is something too great for him to describe. Yet we can know that our inheritance can't perish, it can't spoil, and it can't fade away.

i. Our inheritance is like the inheritance of Aaron (Numbers 18:20) and the inheritance of the Psalmist (Psalm 16:5-6), which is the gift of God Himself. Since God gives Himself to us now, our inheritance begins here and now.

ii. We cannot experience this inheritance unless we are born again. It would be like rewarding a blind man by showing him the most beautiful sunset or taking him to an art museum. Unregenerate man does not have the capacity to enjoy this inheritance.

iii. In speaking with those who don't know Jesus, we shouldn't just tell them of the agonies of hell they will experience, but also of the glories of heaven they will miss.

e. Who are kept by the power of God through faith: The promise of our inheritance is certain, because we are kept by the power of God, ensuring that we will endure through faith until the coming of Jesus.

i. "God's power is the garrison in which we find our security." (Hiebert) We are kept by the power of God, but it is through faith, meaning our faith. The person who is kept is a person abiding in a continuing relationship of faith with God. We could say that faith activates the preserving power of God in the life of the Christian.

ii. "To have been told, as in the preceding verse, that our inheritance was reserved in heaven could have yielded us little comfort, unless that assurance had been followed and capped by this, that the heirs also are being kept for its full enjoyment." (Meyer)

2. (6-9) The purpose of trials for those who are saved.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith; the salvation of your souls.

a. In this you greatly rejoice: We especially rejoice in God's keeping power when we are grieved by various trials, knowing that He will keep us as our faith is tested by fire.

i. If need be, you have been grieved: Sometimes Christians imagine that trials and temptations are our present lot, and there is nothing we can do about them; yet, the true strong Christian will never be grieved in a trial. They think that a Christian should be like Superman, and though bullets may be shot at Superman, they will all bounce off of his chest. Yet Peter here tells us that there is a "need be" not only for the various trials, but more especially that there is a "need be" for being grieved itself. God has a purpose not only for the trial, but for the heavy grief we feel in the trial.

ii. Various trials: "Literally, it means 'many-colored' and was used to describe 'the skin of a leopard, the different-colored veinings of marble, or an embroidered robe.'" (Hiebert)

b. Faith … tested by fire: Our faith isn't tested because God doesn't know how much or what kind of faith we have. It is tested because we often are ignorant of how much or what kind of faith we have. God's purpose in testing is to display the enduring quality of our faith.

i. "Indeed, it is the honor of faith to be tried. Shall any man say, 'I have faith, but I have never had to believe under difficulties'? Who knows whether thou hast any faith? Shall a man say, 'I have great faith in God, but I have never had to use it in anything more than the ordinary affairs of life, where I could probably have done without it as well as with it'? Is this to the honor and praise of thy faith? Dost thou think that such a faith as this will bring any great glory to God, or bring to thee any great reward? If so, thou art mightily mistaken." (Spurgeon)

ii. Much more precious than gold that perishes: If gold is fit to be tested and purified by fire, how much more our faith, which is far more precious than gold? God has a great and important purpose in testing our faith.

iii. Faith is tested to show that it is sincere faith or true faith. Faith is tested to show the strength of faith. Faith is tested to purify it, to burn away the dross from the gold.

iv. Gold is one of the most durable of all materials. Yet it too will one day perish, but our faith will not.

c. Receiving the end of your faith: The end of your faith is the return of Jesus and the ultimate salvation of your souls. Testing and trials are inevitable as long as we are on this side of the end of your faith. As long as we do not see the God we serve, we must endure through trials, and face them with faith and joy.

i. Whom having not seen you love: Peter knew that though he had seen Jesus, both before and after the resurrection, most every Christian in the early church had not seen Jesus. Yet they loved Him. Jesus was no less real simply because they had not seen Him.

ii. "In short, there is an equality between the believers in the present time, and those who lived in the time of the incarnation; for Christ, to a believing soul, is the same to-day that he was yesterday and will be for ever." (Clarke)

iii. The word translated "joy inexpressible" "occurs only here in the New Testament, and describes a joy so profound as to be beyond the power of words to express." (Grudem) "Their joy was no ordinary, earth-born joy." (Hiebert)

3. (10-12) The prior revelation of the salvation experienced by Christians.

Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven; things which angels desire to look into.

a. Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully: It was important to Peter - and all the New Testament writers - to demonstrate that their teaching was no novelty, but that it was testified beforehand by the prophets. Understanding this made salvation so much greater in the mind of Peter's afflicted readers.

i. "Peter did not seek to prove the truth of his teaching about salvation by showing its agreements with the prophets; rather, he sought to encourage his afflicted readers by demonstrating the importance and comprehensive grandeur of the salvation for which they were being afflicted." (Hiebert)

b. Prophesied of the grace that would come to you: The prophets of the Old Testament longed to see exactly the grace of the New Covenant to come. Prophesying by the Spirit of Christ, they knew something of His sufferings and glories, but far less than they longed to know.

i. One may only imagine how excited Isaiah would have been to read the Gospel of John. The Old Testament prophets knew so much; yet much was hidden to them, including the character of the Church (Ephesians 3:4-6) and the very essence of life and immortality (2 Timothy 1:10).

c. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering: The prophets understood that they were ministering to people beyond them, as well as to people in their own day. These things the prophets predicted were reported as fact by the apostles (the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel).

i. Because we know the Who (Jesus) and the when (Jesus' day) of these Old Testament prophecies, they should be of far more interest to us than they were even in the day of the prophets.

d. Things which angels desire to look into: The unfolding of God's eternal plan is something that angels desire to look into. Angels observe our conduct (1 Corinthians 4:9), making it necessary that Christians conduct themselves properly (1 Corinthians 11:10).

i. Part of God's eternal purpose is to show His wisdom to the angelic beings through His work with the church (Ephesians 3:10-11). God wants the angels to look in on what He does in the church, and the idea is that the angels are bending over with intense interest and desire to learn.

ii. Therefore, they desire to see and learn. This word "Denotes a strong interest or craving. The present tense portrays a present, continued inner yearning to comprehend. The term does not imply that the desire cannot or should not be fulfilled, but it does mark an enduring angelic effort to comprehend more of the mystery of human salvation." (Hiebert)

iii. "The longing must therefore include a holy curiosity to watch and delight in the glories of Christ's kingdom as they find ever fuller realization in their lives of individual Christians throughout the history of the church." (Grudem)

iv. "1 Corinthians 4:9, Ephesians 3:10, and 1 Timothy 3:16 likewise picture the supernatural world eagerly observing God's program of human redemption. The concept seems grounded in Jesus' words in Luke 15:7, 10 where angels are said to rejoice over one repentant sinner." (Hiebert)

4. (13-17) The conduct of the saved.

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;

a. Therefore gird up the loins of your mind: Living the way God wants us to means that we must gird up the loins of our mind. The idea in this phrase is of preparing for action, much like our phrase "rolling up your sleeves." Then, we must also be sober, which means the ability to take a serious look at life.

i. To gird up the loins of your mind is to get rid of loose and sloppy thinking; to bring the rational and reflective powers of your mind under control. It means to control what you think about, what you decide that you will set your mind upon.

ii. Be sober: "It denotes a condition free from every form of mental and spiritual loss of self-control; it is an attitude of self-discipline that avoids the extremes." (Hiebert)

b. Rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ: Peter has told us a lot about God's grace. He greeted us with grace (1 Peter 1:2). He told us of the grace that came to us in Jesus, predicted by the prophets of old (1 Peter 1:10). Now he goes further, writing of the grace that is to be brought to you when Jesus comes back. The only way we will be able to stand before Jesus on that day is because of the unmerited favor He gives and will give to us.

i. Grace isn't just for the past, when we first gave our lives to Jesus. It isn't only for the present, where we live each moment standing in His grace (Romans 5:2). It is also for the future, when grace will be brought to us. God has only just begun to show us the riches of His grace.

ii. "Grace is the unmerited love of God, stooping to save and bless; the source of all those bright and holy gifts which come from his infinite heart." (Meyer)

c. As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance: Fulfilling God's call to holiness requires that we, as obedient children, break off with the lifestyle of the world (characterized by lusts and ignorance).

d. But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy": The main idea behind holiness is not moral purity but it is the idea of "apartness." The idea is that God is separate, different from His creation, both in His essential nature and in the perfection of His attributes. But instead of building a wall around His apartness, God calls us to come to Him and share His apartness. He says to us, "Be holy, for I am holy."

i. When we fail to see God's apartness, we begin to believe that He is just a "super-man." Then we don't see that His love is a holy love, His justice is a holy justice, and so on with all of His attributes. Holiness is not so much something we possess, as it is something that possesses us.

ii. In this, the God of the Bible is radically different from the pagan gods commonly worshipped in New Testament times. "Heathenism scarcely produced a god whose example was not the most abominable; their greatest gods, especially, were paragons of impurity." (Clarke)

e. And if you call on the Father: If we, as Christians, call on a holy God (presumably for help), we must understand we call on a God who shows no partiality - and will so judge our conduct, making a working, sober, holy walk all the more important.

5. (18-21) The motivation for godly living.

Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

a. Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things: The high call for godly living makes sense in light of the price that was paid for our redemption. We weren't saved by the precious blood of Jesus to then live as if we were garbage.

b. From your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers: Peter describes a justification by law way of thinking as aimless conduct. It seems to have an aim - gaining merit before God by works - but it is in fact aimless because it cannot succeed.

c. A lamb without blemish and without spot: Peter here speaks in reference to the completely sinless character of Jesus. If He were not without blemish and without spot, He would not have been qualified to be our Redeemer.

d. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world: The work of Jesus was not a plan developed late in the course of redemption. It was foreordained before the foundation of the world, though it was made evident in these last times.

e. For you who through Him believe in God: The entire plan of redemption is for those who believe in God, though even their belief is through Him. Those who believe in God are not disappointed, because their faith and hope has been substantiated by Jesus' resurrection from the dead.

6. (22-25) The necessity for love among the saved.

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

a. Love one another fervently: Holy living is incomplete if it is not accompanied by love. To be a Christian means to have a sincere love of the brethren, but we are encouraged to exercise that love fervently.

b. Love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again: Such love is only possible (and only to be expected) of those who have been born again by the eternal word of God.

i. Again, Peter does not use the same wording for born again as is found in John 3; but he does use the exact same idea.

c. Through the word of God which lives and abides forever: We are born again … through the word of God. But it doesn't only give us new life. It also tells us to love one another. If the word of God is as Isaiah 40:8 says it is - the word of the Lord which endures forever, then we are both obligated by it, and empowered by it, to live out the kind of love and holiness Peter speaks of.

d. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the LORD endures forever: Peter here quoted from Isaiah 40:6-8. The word of the LORD certainly has endured. It has survived centuries of manual transcription, of persecution, of ever changing philosophies, of all kinds of critics, of neglect both in the pulpit and in the pew, of doubt and disbelief - and still, the word of the LORD endures forever!

i. In 303 A.D., the Roman Emperor Diocletian demanded that every copy of the Scriptures in the Roman Empire be burned. He failed, and 25 years later, the Roman Emperor Constantine commissioned a scholar named Eusebius to prepare 50 copies of the Bible at government expense.

ii. "A thousand times over, the death knell of the Bible has been sounded, the funeral procession formed, the inscription cut on the tombstone, and committal read. But somehow the corpse never stays put." (Bernard Ramm, Protestant Christian Evidences)

iii. "God's Word never dies, God's Word never changes. There are some who think we ought to get a new gospel every few years or even every few weeks, but that was not Peter's notion. He wrote, and he was divinely inspired to write, concerning 'the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.'" (Spurgeon)

iv. Since this eternal, always potentially fruit-bearing seed is in us, we have both the obligation and the ability to have a sincere love of the brethren. Perhaps we could say that if we need more love to others, it begins with having more of the incorruptible seed set in our hearts and allowed to grow.

e. Through the word of God … Now this is the word: Some people try to draw a sharp distinction between the two Greek words most often translated word, which are the ancient Greek words rhema and logos. But here, Peter uses both words (logos in 1 Peter 1:23 and rhema in 1 Peter 1:25) to refer to the exact same idea. The two words sometimes have subtle differences, but not significant differences.

 

1 Peter 2

The Glory and the Duty of God's People
A. Coming to Jesus through His word.

1. (1-3) How to respond to the eternal word of God.

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

a. Therefore: Peter has just demonstrated the glory and eternal character of God's word. Now, therefore, in light of what God's word is to us, we should receive the word, and receive it with a particular heart.

b. As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word: The word desire is strong. In the Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, it is used for man's deepest longing for God: As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God (Psalm 42:1). It speaks of the desire each believer should have for the word of God.

i. Babes … desire: A healthy new baby has an instinctive yearning for its mother's milk. When things are right, you don't have to tell it to want the milk.

ii. The failure to either desire or to receive this pure milk of the word is the reason for so many problems in both individual Christian lives and in congregations. "The sickly condition of so many Christians sets forth a lamentable complaint of the food with which they are supplied. To say nothing of strong meat, they do not even get milk. Hence the Church of God too much resembles the wards of a children's hospital." (Meyer)

c. That you may grow thereby: The word of God is necessary for the growth of the Christian. We should all desire the pure milk of the word, even though Paul rebukes the Corinthians for being able to only receive milk (1 Corinthians 3:1-2), the Christian should never get tired of the simple truths of the gospel simply presented.

i. Who are the newborn babes? In a sense, we all are. "The most advanced among us, in knowledge and attainment, are, in comparison with what they shall be, only as babes." (Meyer)

ii. "To drink the milk of the Word is to 'taste' again and again what he is like, for in the hearing of the Lord's words believers experience the joy of personal fellowship with the Lord himself." (Grudem)

d. Laying aside all malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking: This described the attitude of heart that receives the word and grows by the word. This is a humble, honest, heart, willing to do what the word of God says.

i. Evil speaking: This ancient Greek word has more the idea of spicy, hurtful gossip than the idea of profane speech.

e. If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious: If we have received from God, if we have tasted (personally experienced) that the Lord is gracious, then we have all the more reason and responsibility to receive the word in the enthusiastic way that babies receive their milk.

2. (4-5) Coming to Jesus.

Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

a. Coming to Him as to a living stone: Peter's picture here is that God is building a spiritual temple (a spiritual house) using living stones (Christians), those who have come to the ultimate living stone (Jesus).

i. This spiritual house shows that as much as Israel had a temple, Christians also have one. But the Christian's temple is spiritual, and they themselves are the temple.

ii. Jesus is first called the living stone; then we are called living stones. We live because we are connected with Him who is the source of life. "It is in union with him that they live, and answer the end of their regeneration; as stones of a building are of no use but as they occupy their proper places in a building, and rest on the foundation." (Clarke)

b. Chosenby God and precious: As much as Israel was chosen by God, so is the church. As much as they had a priesthood, so Christians are a holy priesthood. And as much as they have sacrifices, so Christians offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.

i. A holy priesthood: The believer is his own priest before God. He does not need any mediator except his great High Priest, Jesus. "There can no longer be an elite priesthood with claims of special access to God, or special privileges in worship or in fellowship with God." (Grudem)

ii. Peter's idea isn't that God has abandoned Israel or that they have no place in His redemptive plan, but that Christianity is in no way inferior to Judaism

c. To offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ: God does the work of building (being built), but we do the job of offering sacrifices pleasing to Him, as we come to Jesus as who we are - living stones, made by Him.

i. Even a living stone cannot build something great for God as it sits all on its own. What God does in us together is important. He is building something out of us together.

ii. We can only serve as priests as we do it through Jesus Christ. In ourselves, we have no priestly authority, but only in Jesus.

3. (6-8) The glory of the Chief Cornerstone.

Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

a. Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone: If we are being built into a spiritual house, there is no doubt who our Chief Cornerstone is. Even though men rejected Him, He has become the Chief Cornerstone in the work of building the church.

i. Jesus is the cornerstone of Psalm 118; the stumbling stone of Isaiah 8; the foundation stone of Isaiah 28; the supernatural stone of Daniel 2; and the rock that gave Israel water in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:4).

b. Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious: Though this chief cornerstone is rejected by the disobedient and unbelieving, undeniably He is precious to those who believe. One way to know if a person has truly Biblical faith is to see if Jesus is truly precious to them.

i. When Charles Spurgeon was 16 years old, he preached his first sermon in a village cottage to a handful of poor people, and he chose for his text 1 Peter 2:7: Unto you therefore which believe he is precious. Spurgeon said that he didn't think he could have preached on any other Bible passage, "but Christ was precious to my soul and I was in the flush of my youthful love, and I could not be silent when a precious Jesus was the subject." (Spurgeon)

ii. "Is Jesus precious to your soul? Remember, on your answer to this question depends your condition. You believe, if he is precious to you, but if he is not precious, then you are not believers, and you are condemned already because you believe not on the Son of God." (Spurgeon)

- Christ is precious intrinsically.
- Christ is precious positively.
- Christ is precious comparatively.
- Christ is precious superlatively.
- Christ is precious suitably to the need of the believer.
iii. This is true; though G. Campbell Morgan preferred the Revised Version translation: For you therefore which believe is the preciousness. "The declaration is not that believers know the preciousness of Christ; it is rather that they share it.... The qualities of Christ that create His preciousness, His honour, are placed at the disposal of the believer."

iv. "The honour is to you who believe; i.e. the honour of being in this building, and of having your souls saved through the blood of the Lamb, and becoming sons and daughters of God Almighty." (Clarke)

c. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone: Those who reject the Chief Cornerstone, refusing to build on Him, instead stumble over Him. Instead of being their salvation, Jesus becomes to them a rock of offense.

i. Jesus quoted this passage from Psalm 118 in regard to Himself (Matthew 21:42). A chief cornerstone is the starting point of a building; everything is laid out according to its connection to the chief cornerstone. Because it stands at the corner, the same stone is the starting place for two walls.

ii. Thus Jesus set out the course for both Jew and Gentile to be joined together into one glorious house for God. This, in itself, was a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense for the Jews, who thought that Gentiles should not have equal share with the Jews into God's great house.

iii. In the thinking of many Jews of that time, God should not have built a new building with both Jew and Gentile. He should have simply renovated the structure of Judaism at the time (adding Jesus as the Messiah) and invited Gentiles to come into that structure. But God did something different, and it was a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense for many first-century Jews.

iv. Therefore, these great titles of 1 Peter 2:9-10 now apply to all believers, Jew and Gentile alike; whereas before they only applied to the Jewish people as God's covenant people.

d. They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed: It is appointed that those who are disobedient to the word should stumble over Jesus. When Jesus spoke of Himself as the stone of Psalm 118, He spoke of what those who rejected Him are appointed to: And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder. (Matthew 21:44)

4. (9-10) The privileged place of God's people.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

a. But you are a chosen generation: The things that once exclusively belonged to Israel - their election (chosen), priesthood, and calling, are now no longer the property of Israel alone. These are now the property of every Christian, and we have them in a greater, spiritual sense.

i. We are a royal priesthood. The offices of royalty and priesthood were jealously separated in Israel, but Jesus, who is our King and Priest, has brought them together for His people.

b. His own special people: We are special because we belong to God. A museum may be filled with quite ordinary things: hats, canes, shoes, and so forth; but they are significant because they once belonged to someone famous. God takes ordinary people, and because He has taken them, they are special.

i. These same titles were applied to Israel (Exodus 19:5-6, Deuteronomy 4:20, Deuteronomy 7:6, and Isaiah 43:20-21). Now, in Jesus, we belong to God as His own special people.

ii. "The description of the Church is systematic and exhaustive. It is a race, and this suggests its life principle. It is a priesthood, and so has right of access to God. It is a nation, and so is under His government. It is a possession, and so is actually indwelt by Him." (Morgan)

c. Who once were not a people but are now the people of God: We once were without these privileges, and were not even a people before God. We had not seen the mercy of God, but now have obtained mercy.

i. In our culture, with its Christian foundations, we don't understand the tremendous sense of privilege and relief that came to Gentiles as they were able to share in the New Covenant with the God of Israel. Peter's message is nonetheless wonderful: "You didn't used to belong, but now you belong to God and among God's people."

d. That you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light: The purpose for these high privileges is not so we can grow proud, but so that we can proclaim the praises of Him who has done such great things for us.

i. Since it is true that believers have a new life principle (chosen generation), a new access to God (royal priesthood), and a new government (holy nation), and a new owner (His own special people), it will affect the way the believer lives. That effect is described in the following verses.

B. How those who have come to Jesus are to live.

1. (11-12) When we come to Jesus, we are to abstain from fleshly lusts.

Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

a. Abstain from fleshly lusts: We can only abstain from fleshly lusts as we live as sojourners and pilgrims, as those who recognize that this world is not their home, and that they have a home and a citizenship in heaven.

b. Which war against the soul: Peter understands that these fleshly lusts … war against the soul. To be a Christian means to fight against the lusts of the flesh, and the battle continues as long as we live in this flesh.

i. It is easy for us to see how the pursuit of fleshly lusts can destroy our body physically. Just ask the alcoholic dying of liver disease, or ask the sexually immoral person with AIDS or one of the 350,000 people on this earth who contracted a sexually transmitted disease in the last 24 hours. But Peter reminds us that fleshly lusts also war against the soul. Some escape disease in the physical body when they sin, but the disease and death of the inner man is a penalty that no one given over to the flesh escapes.

c. Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles: This kind of godly living makes our conduct honorable among those who don't know God yet. Though we can expect that they will speak against you as evildoers, they can still be brought to glorify God by seeing our godly conduct.

i. Christians were falsely accused of great crimes in the early church. Pagans said that at communion Christians ate the flesh and drank the blood of a baby in a cannibalistic ritual. They said that Christian "agape feasts" were wild orgies. They said that Christians were antisocial because they did not participate in society's immoral entertainment. They said that Christians were atheists because they did not worship idols.

ii. But over time, it was clear that Christians were not immoral people - and it was shown by their lives. "The striking fact of history is that by their lives the Christians actually did defeat the slanders of the heathen. In the early part of the third century Celsus made the most famous and the most systematic attack of all upon the Christians in which he accused them of ignorance and foolishness and superstition and all kinds of things - but never of immorality." (Barclay)

d. The day of visitation: This is probably a reference to their ultimate meeting with God, either when they go to meet Him, or when He comes to meet them. The idea is that they might be persuaded to become Christians by seeing the lives of other Christians, and that they would glorify God when they meet Him instead of cowering before His holy judgment.

i. "That the day of visitation means a time in which punishment should be inflicted, is plain from Isaiah 10:3: And what will ye do in the DAY of VISITATION, and in the desolation which shall come from afar? To whom will ye flee for help? And where will ye leave your glory?" (Clarke)

2. (13-17) When we come to Jesus, we are to show proper submission to the government.

Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men; as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

a. Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man: As Christians, we should be good citizens, submitting to government. This was very different groups of zealous Jews in that day who recognized no king but God and paid taxes to no one but God.

i. Peter wrote this in the days of the Roman Empire, which was no democracy and no special friend to Christians. Yet he still recognized the legitimate authority of the Roman government.

ii. "The meaning of St. Peter appears to be this: the Jews though it unlawful to obey any ruler that was not of their own stock; the apostle tells them that they should obey their civil magistrate, let him be of what stock he may, whether Jew or Gentile, and let him exercise the government in whatsoever form." (Clarke)

b. For the Lord's sake: This is why we obey the government. Since governments have a rightful authority from God, we are bound to obey them - unless, of course, they order us to do something in contradiction to God's law. Then, we are commanded to obey God before man (Acts 4:19).

i. "God, as their supreme governor, shows them that it is his will that they should act uprightly and obediently at all times, and this confound the ignorance of foolish men, who were ready enough to assert that their religion made them bad subjects." (Clarke)

c. As to those who are sent by him: Peter also insists that governors are sent by him, that is, sent by God. Governments are sent by God for the punishment of evildoers and for the recognition of those who do good.

i. God uses governing authorities as a check upon man's sinful desires and tendencies. Governments are a useful tool in resisting the effects of man's fallen nature.

ii. The greatest offense government can make is to fail to punish evildoers, or to reward evildoers through corruption.

d. That by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: Peter knows that our conduct is a way to defend the gospel. He knows that those who never read the Bible will read our lives, so it is by doing good that we put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.

e. Yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God: We are warned against taking the liberty we have in Jesus as an excuse for sin. Instead, we use our liberty in Jesus to show the kind of love and respect that Peter calls for.

3. (18-20) When we come to Jesus, we are to show proper submission to our employers.

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.

a. Servants, be submissive to your masters: The command to submit to masters isn't just to those who work for masters who are good and gentle, but also to those who are harsh. If we must endure hardship because of our Christian standards, it is commendable before God.

b. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? To be punished for our wrongs is no credit to us. But when we are punished for doing good, and endure it patiently, we are complimented before God.

i. "It appears from this that the poor Christians, and especially those who had been converted to Christianity in a state of slavery, were often grievously abused; they were buffeted because they were Christians, and because they would not join with their masters in idolatrous worship." (Clarke)

ii. "Our case is like that of a criminal who had better bear quietly a sentence for a crime he has not committed, lest by too much outcry he induce investigation into a list of offenses, which are not charged against him, because they are not known." (Meyer)

4. (21-25) The example of Jesus.

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: "Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth"; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

a. Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example: Jesus is our example as someone who endured punishment unjustly. When He was reviled, Jesus did not revile in return, but in His sufferings, He committed Himself to the Father.

i. "He suffered, but not on account of any evil he had either done or said. In deed and word he was immaculate, and yet he was exposed to suffering; expect the same, and when it comes bear it in the same spirit." (Clarke)

ii. "Which hour do you think of the sufferings of the Lord, from Gethsemane to Golgotha, would be most deeply engraved upon the memory of Peter? Surely it would be that space of time in which he was mocked and buffeted in the hall of the high priest, when Peter sat and warmed his hands at the fire, when he saw his Lord abused, and was afraid to own that he was his disciple, and by-and-by became so terrified that, with profane language, he declared 'I know not the man.' So long as life lingered, the apostle would remember the meek and quiet bearing of his suffering Lord." (Spurgeon)

b. Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree: The suffering of Jesus is clearly an example for us; but it is far more than an example. He also bore our sins as sin-bearing substitute, and provided for our healing (by whose stripes you were healed).

i. Peter clearly meant the cross of Jesus when he mentioned the tree (literally wood). Jesus bore our sins in His own body on the wood - the wood of the cross. He states it here both to constantly remind Christians of the great work of Jesus on the cross, and to show them that even as the suffering of Jesus accomplished much, so their own suffering can be used of God.

c. That we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness: Peter reminds us that when Jesus died on the cross, we also died to sins. Our life is permanently changed by our identification with Jesus on the cross, even as the Apostle Paul described in Romans 6.

i. We have died to sins in the sense that our debt of sin and guilt was paid by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. When we died to sins with Jesus on the cross, it means that He paid our debts. We do not trouble ourselves over debts that are paid. "He who bore my sins in his own body on the tree, took all my debts and paid them for me, and now I am dead to those debts; they have no power over me. I am dead to my sins; Christ suffered instead of me. I have nothing to do with them. They are gone as much as if they had never been committed."

ii. We have died to sins in the sense that now a greater passion fills our life; a passion for the Lord Jesus Christ that is greater than our previous passion for sin. A miser may be dead to many pleasures and allurements of this world; but he is alive to the love of money. So we should be dead to sin but alive to Jesus.

d. By whose stripes you were healed: Peter quotes Isaiah 53:5, which primarily refers to spiritual healing, but also definitely includes physical healing. The provision for our healing (both physically and spiritually) is made by the sufferings (stripes) of Jesus. The physical aspect of our healing is received in part now, but only completely with our resurrection.

i. In context, we see that Peter's main point is that if we are treated unjustly by a master, we don't fear whatever harm he causes. We can be healed and restored by Jesus' suffering for us.

e. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls: If not for Jesus' patient endurance under the persecution of the ungodly, we would still be going astray. But because of His work for us, we have returned to our Shepherd (pastor) and the Overseer (bishop) of our souls

 

Nice copy/pastes on here.

 

Peter 4
Serving God in the Last Days
A. Attitudes for end-times believers.

1. (1-2) In the last days, Christians should have an attitude of commitment.

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

a. Since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind: The commitment God calls us to have is nothing greater than the commitment Jesus had in enduring suffering for our salvation. In the last days, we need to have a commitment to God that will endure through great struggles.

i. Jesus communicated the same idea when He told us that anyone who would come after Him must take up his cross and follow (Matthew 16:24). Taking up the cross meant that you were committed and not looking back!

ii. Arm yourself with the same mind: Many of us are defeated in our battle against sin because we refuse to sacrifice anything in the battle. We only want victory if it comes easily to us. Jesus called us to have the kind of attitude that would sacrifice in the battle against sin (Matthew 5:29-30).

b. He who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin: When a person has suffered physical persecution for the sake of Jesus, it almost always profoundly changes their outlook regarding sin and the pursuit of the lusts of the flesh. He is more likely to live the rest of his time in the flesh notfor the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

i. "Whoever has suffered for doing right, and has still gone on obeying God in spite of the suffering it involved, has made a clear break with sin." (Grudem)

ii. Hiebert observes that the phrase has ceased from sin "Depicts the spiritual state of the victorious sufferer. It carries a note of triumph; he has effectively broken with a life dominated by sin. It need not mean that he no longer commits any act of sin, but that his old life, dominated by the power of sin, has been terminated."

iii. If we have not physically suffered for following Jesus Christ, we can still connect ourselves by faith to Jesus, who has suffered for us in the flesh. "I beg you to remember that there is no getting quit of sin - there is no escaping from its power - except by contact and union with the Lord Jesus Christ." (Spurgeon)

c. He no longer should live the rest of his time: Peter gave us two time references that are helpful in having the right attitude in our following of Jesus Christ.

- First, no longer should we live in sin, and we should answer every temptation and sinful impulse with the reply, "no longer."
- Second, we should carefully consider how to live the rest of our time. God has appointed us some further days on this earth; how must answer to Him how we live this time.
2. (3-6) In the last days, Christians should live with an attitude of wisdom.

For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles; when we walked in licentiousness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

a. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles: Peter realized we all spent enough time living like the world. Now we are called to live like Christians. It is a profound, and foolish, waste of time for Christians to live like the world, and we must simply stop being double-minded and start living as Christians.

i. Sadly, many Christians (in their heart of hearts) think that they have not spent enough time doing the will of the ungodly. They want to experience more of the world before they make a full commitment to godliness. This is a tragic what a mistake, and takes a path that leads away from eternal life.

b. Licentiousness: This word begins a list of sins that Peter understood should only mark the past life of Christians, and not the present. This word means to live without any sense of moral restraint, especially in regard to sexual immorality and violence. It "denotes excesses of all kinds of evil. Involving a lack of personal self-restraint, the term pictures sin as an inordinate indulgence of appetites to the extent of violating a sense of public decency." (Hiebert)

i. When we look at this list (lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries), we see just how little fallen man has progressed in the last 2,000 years. These problems have not been solved in the time since Peter wrote this letter.

c. They think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation: When the world looks at our godly living, they think it strange that we do not follow them in their flood of dissipation (wastefulness). If life lived after the flesh is anything, it is a waste.

i. Speaking evil of you: When we don't participate in the sin around us, we convict those who practice their sin, and they don't like that - so they speak evil of us.

ii. "It does not matter how your good deeds are received by men. If you are like God, you will find them received with contempt and ingratitude." (Meyer)

iii. "Since heathen religious ceremonies were part and parcel of ordinary life (e.g., all civic and national activities were bound up with them) the Christians were compelled to avoid what would have seemed to their fellows a wholly innocuous co-operation and to go much further than merely separate themselves from actual heathen worship." (Best, cited in Hiebert)

d. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge: When this account is required, the magnitude of their foolishness will be easily seen. Even if one seems to live the "good life" living by the world's rules, their life will be a waste in the measure of eternity.

e. For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead: Peter also says that because of this eternal judgment the gospel was preached to the dead. The righteous dead know, and live in constant awareness of, the reality of eternity - and are rewarded by this understanding as they live according to God in the spirit.

i. Peter has already told us that Jesus preached to the spirits in prison, preaching a message of judgment (1 Peter 3:19). Apparently during this same time, Jesus also preached a message of salvation to the faithful dead in Abraham's Bosom (Luke 16:22) who anticipated the work of the Messiah for them. This preaching to those who are dead was not the offer of a second chance, but the completion of the salvation of those who had been faithful to God under their first chance.

ii. In doing this, Jesus fulfilled the promised that He would lead captivity captive (Psalm 66:18; Ephesians 4:8) and would proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound (Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18).

iii. It may also be that Peter here referred to those in the Christian community who had already died, perhaps even dying as martyrs. If this is the case, Peter used their heroic example as a way to encourage his suffering readers to also be faithful.

3. (7) In the last days, Christians should live with an attitude of serious prayer.

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

a. The end of all things is at hand: If we really believe that we live in the last days, it is all the more appropriate that we give ourselves to prayer (therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers).

i. "The assertion that the end of the age does indeed stand near and may break in at any time well represents the view of the early church." (Hiebert)

ii. Many Christians who believe that Jesus is coming soon based on prophecy charts and political events fail to apply that belief in the proper way. They fail to apply themselves to more diligent prayer.

b. Therefore be serious … in your prayers: We must give ourselves to serious prayer. As we see the weight of eternity rushing towards us, we dare not take the need for prayer lightly.

c. Therefore be … watchful in your prayers: We must give ourselves to watchful prayer, primarily having our hearts and minds watching and ready for the return of Jesus Christ. But this also means watching ourselves and watching this world, measuring our readiness for Jesus' coming.

4. (8-11) In the last days, Christians should live with an attitude of love.

And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins." Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

a. Above all things have fervent love for one another: If these are the last days, how much more important is it to love those you are going to spend eternity with? In light of eternity, we must have fervent love for one another.

b. For love will cover a multitude of sins: Love does cover a multitude of sins, both the sins of the one loving and the sins of the one who is being loved.

i. "Where love abounds in a fellowship of Christians, many small offences, and even some large ones, are readily overlooked and forgotten. But where love is lacking, every word is viewed with suspicion, every action is liable to misunderstanding, and conflicts about - to Satan's perverse delight." (Grudem)

c. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling: Love will show itself in hospitality. Christians should often open their homes to others and doing it all without grumbling.

i. " 'Without grumbling' is a frank recognition that the practice of hospitality could become costly, burdensome, and irritating. The Greek term denotes a muttering or low speaking as a sign of displeasure. It depicts a spirit that is the opposite of cheerfulness." (Hiebert)

d. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another: Love will show itself as we give to the church family what God has given us as gifts. As we do so, we are good stewards of the many-faceted (manifold) grace of God given to us.

i. In 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul makes it clear that he was what he was only by God's grace. But at the same time, His grace toward me was not in vain because Paul put his own God-inspired efforts to work with God's grace. The idea is that if we are bad stewards of the manifold grace of God, it is as if that grace was given to us in vain. That grace is wasted, because it only comes to us, and doesn't move through us.

ii. "Manifold grace is many-coloured grace. As when a ray of light breaks into a spray of many hues, so each of us receives God's grace at a different angle, and flashes it back broken up into some fresh colour." (Meyer)

e. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies: Every part is important; each has its job to do. A man was rebuilding the engine to his lawn mower, and when he finished, he had one small part left over, and he couldn't remember where it went. He started the engine and it ran great, so he figured that the part was useless - until he tried to stop the lawn mower, and it wouldn't stop! Even the smallest, seemingly least important part of the body of Christ is important.

i. As we serve one another, we do it with the strength God provides, the ability which God supplies - so that to Him belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever.

B. Understanding your time of trial.

1. (12-13) Enduring trials with the right attitude.

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

a. Concerning the fiery trial which is to try you: Instead of thinking of trials (even fiery trials) as strange occurrences, we see them as ways to partake of Christ's sufferings. And if we partake of His sufferings, we will also partake of His glory and joy.

i. Peter once told Jesus to avoid the suffering of the cross (Mark 8:32-33). "Once it seemed strange to the Apostle Peter that his Master should think of suffering. Now he thinks it strange that He could have imagined anything else." (Meyer)

b. Partake of Christ's sufferings: We can only partake of Jesus' sufferings because He partook of our humanity and sufferings. He became a man and suffered so that our suffering wouldn't be meaningless. It is good to share anything with Jesus, even His suffering.

c. Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy: Our tendency is to embrace the glory and the joy, and to avoid any sharing of Jesus' suffering. Or, we morbidly fixate on the suffering and forget that it is but a necessary prelude to the glory and joy.

i. We should never deny the place of suffering in building godliness in the Christian life. Though there is much needless pain we bear through lack of knowledge or faith, there is also necessary suffering. If suffering was a suitable tool to teach Jesus (Hebrews 5:8), it is a suitable tool to teach His servants.

ii. To the extent implies a measure. Those who have suffered more in Jesus will rejoice more at His coming in glory.

2. (14-16) The difference between suffering as a Christian and suffering as an evildoer.

If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.

a. If you are reproached for the name of Christ: Suffering for the name of Christ is a blessing, because it shows that we really are following Jesus, and that we suffer because we are identified with Him.

b. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified: We expect the world to blaspheme Jesus. But He should always be glorified among Christians.

c. Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody: Suffering as an evildoer is deserved and brings shame to the name of Jesus. Peter recognizes that not all suffering that Christians experience is suffering in the name of Jesus.

i. We understand when Peter writes about the suffering that might come to the murderer, the thief, or the evildoer. Yet we shouldn't be surprised that he also includes the busybody in other people's matters. Such people do suffer a lot of grief and pain, but not for the sake of Jesus!

d. If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed: Suffering as a Christian is nothing to be ashamed about, even through the world may despise the suffering Christian. Instead, we should glorify God in these matters.

i. We don't glorify God for suffering. But we do glorify Him in suffering, and we glorify Him for what He will accomplish in us and through us with the suffering.

ii. "The name 'Christian' (Christianos), built on the name Christ with the suffix ?ianos, a Latin formation (-ianus), denotes a partisan follower.... Christian categorized the followers of Christ as 'members of the Christ-party,' not 'little Christ' as some popular explanations would have it." (Hiebert)

iii. Christians were first known as "disciples," "believers," "the Lord's disciples," or "those who belonged to the Way" before they were known as Christians, first at Acts 11:26. This is the first of three places in the New Testament where the followers of Jesus are named Christians.

- In Acts 11:26 it tells us the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
- In Acts 26:28 Agrippa told Paul, You almost persuade me to become a Christian. This shows that between Acts 11:26 and 26:28 Christian had become a popularized name for the followers of Jesus.
- In 1 Peter 4:16 the idea is that some are suffering because they are identified as Christians. This shows that the name had become very widely used, so much so that one could be persecuted for being numbered as a Christian.
3. (17-19) Committing your soul to God in the midst of suffering.

For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

a. For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God: In the context of suffering, Peter tells us that judgment begins at the house of God. God uses suffering as a judgment (in a positive, purifying sense) for Christians (the house of God) now.

i. It is right for judgment to begin at the house of God. "There is equity in it; for Christians profess to be better than others, and so they ought to be. They say they are regenerate, so they ought to be regenerate. They say that they are a holy people, separated unto Christ; so they ought to be holy, and separate from sinners, as he was." (Spurgeon)

ii. Now is our time of fiery trial (1 Peter 4:12); the ungodly will have their fire later. The fire we endure now purifies us; the fire the ungodly will endure will punish them. Yet we always remember that there is never any punishment from God for us in our sufferings, only purification. For the Christian, the issue of punishment was settled once and for all at the cross, where Jesus endured all the punishment the Christian could ever face from God.

iii. The same fire that consumes straw will purify gold. The fire is the same, but its purpose in application is different, and its effect is different upon the straw and the gold. Even so, Christians do suffer some of the same things the ungodly do, yet the purpose of God is different, and the effect is different.

b. If it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Peter's sobering application is clear: if this is what God's children experience, what will become of those who have made themselves His enemies? How can they ever hope to stand before the judgment and wrath of God?

i. Christians can rejoice that the sufferings they face in this life are the worst they will ever face, throughout all eternity. We have seen the worst; those who reject Jesus Christ have seen the best of life their eternal existence will ever see.

c. If the righteous one is scarcely saved: Since this is true - that the salvation of the righteous does not come without difficulty - then it should make us pause if we ourselves or others seem to have an "easy" salvation.

i. It isn't that our salvation is difficult in the sense of earning it or finding a way to deserve it; it is all the free gift of Jesus Christ. Yet our salvation is hard in the sense that the claims of discipleship challenge us and demand that we cast away our idols and our sins. Real discipleship; genuine following after Jesus Christ is sometimes a hard thing, so we understand why Peter quoted the passage from Proverbs, the righteous one is scarcely saved.

d. Those who suffer according to the will of God: Peter again draws a distinction between those who suffer according to the will of God and those who suffer otherwise. Not all suffering is the will of God.

e. Commit their souls to Him: The word "commit" is a technical one, used for leaving money on deposit with a trusted friend. Such a trust was regarded as one of the most sacred things in life, and the friend was bound by all honor to return the money intact. It is the very word Jesus used when He said, Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit. (Luke 23:46)

i. So when Christians commit their souls to Him, they leave their souls in a safe place. God is a faithful Creator, and we can give ourselves to Him as pliable clay in His hands.

f. Faithful Creator: So much of the agony we put ourselves through in times of trial and suffering has to do with our disregard of God's faithfulness, or of His place as Creator. He is our sovereign Creator, with the right to do with us as He pleases. Yet He is faithful, and will only do what is ultimately best for us

 

1 Peter 5

For Shepherds and Sheep
A. Elders should be faithful shepherds.

1. (1) A call to elders.

The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:

a. The elders who are among you I exhort: Peter will give a word of exhortation to the elders who are among the Christians reading this letter. These elders had special responsibilities that Peter addressed.

i. The idea of the elder came into church life from Jewish culture (Exodus 3:16, 12:21, 19:7). The word "elder" simply speaks of the maturity and wisdom that an older person should have, making them qualified for leadership. In its application, it is more about wisdom and maturity than age.

ii. It was the practice of Paul and Barnabas to appoint elders in the churches they had founded (Acts 14:23). There was also the development of the office of pastor, who was essentially a teaching elder (1 Timothy 5:17) who appointed and guided elders and other leaders (1 Timothy 3:1-13, 2 Timothy 2:2, Titus 1:5-9).

b. I who am a fellow elder: Peter was qualified to speak because he is a fellow elder. Though Peter was clearly the prominent disciple among the twelve, he claims no special privilege or position, such as the "Pope" of the early church. Instead, Peter saw himself only as one fellow elder among all the elders in the church.

i. "It will always be our wisdom, dear friends, to put ourselves as much as we can into the position of those whom we address. It is a pity for anyone ever to seem to preach down to people; it is always better to be as nearly as possible on the same level as they are." (Spurgeon)

c. A witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Peter was qualified to speak because he was a witness of Jesus' sufferings when he saw Jesus' torture and perhaps the crucifixion; and he was a partaker of Jesus' glory, probably referring to when he saw the transfiguration of Jesus.

i. "He was with Christ in the garden, he was with him when he was apprehended, and he was with him in the high priest's hall. Whether he followed him to the cross we know not." (Clarke)

ii. "The gospels do not state that Peter was personally present at the crucifixion; only John is specifically said to have been there. Peter (and other apostles) may well have been among 'all his acquaintances' who observed the event from afar (Luke 23:49)." (Hiebert)

iii. Considering that Peter may have - or likely did - witness the sufferings of Jesus on the cross, the remembrance of that would make his exhortation to fellow elders all the more powerfully. It would be as if he said, "You are leaders of the people for whom Jesus Christ suffered and died, and I saw Him suffer."

iv. Yet we also consider that many saw Jesus suffer, and it did not affect them the way it affected Peter and others who saw with faith. "There were thousands who were eyewitnesses of our Lord's sufferings who, nevertheless, saw not the true meaning of them. They saw the Great Sufferer besmeared with his own blood; but into his wounds they never looked by faith. Thousands saw the Savior die, but they simply went their way back to Jerusalem, some of them beating on their breasts, but none of them believing in him, or really knowing the secret of that wondrous death." (Spurgeon)

2. (2-3) What leaders in the church must do.

Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;

a. Shepherd the flock of God: This was the first aspect of leadership. Peter seemed to remember Jesus' three-part commission to him in John 21:15-17. In that passage, Jesus told Peter to show his love for Jesus by feeding and tending Jesus' sheep.

i. A spiritual shepherd does his job in two main ways. The first job is to feed the sheep. Jesus emphasized this to Peter in John 21:15-17. Another aspect of the job is to tend the sheep, which means protecting, guiding, nurturing, and caring for the sheep.

ii. The most important "tool" to shepherd the flock of God is a heart like the heart of Jesus, one that is willing to give one's life for the sheep, and who genuinely cares about and is interested in them (John 10:11-14).

b. Serving as overseers: For Peter, the job of being a shepherd could also be understood as being an overseer. This word for leadership comes to the church from Greek culture, and it meant someone who watches over, a manager, or a supervisor (Acts 20:28, 1 Timothy 3:1-2, Titus 1:7).

c. Not by compulsion but willingly: Shepherds should not do their job by compulsion, as if they were being forced into a task that they really hated. Instead, they should serve God and His people willingly, from a heart that loves sheep and wants to serve.

i. "None of God's soldiers are mercenaries or pressed men: they are all volunteers. We must have a shepherd's heart if we would do a shepherd's work." (Meyer)

d. Not for dishonest gain but eagerly: Shepherds should not do their job for dishonest gain. The gain is dishonest because it was their motive for serving as shepherds. Instead, they should serve eagerly, willing to serve apart from financial compensation.

i. "Could the office of a bishop, in those early days, and in the time of persecution, be a lucrative office? Does not the Spirit of God lead the apostle to speak these things rather for posterity than for that time?" (Clarke)

e. Nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock : Shepherds should not do their job as lords, because the sheep do not belong to them. The sheep are entrusted to them. Instead, shepherds are to serve by being examples, not dictators.

i. Nor as being lords shows that in the mind of Peter, shepherds had significant authority in the early church. If the office of shepherd was so powerless that a shepherd didn't rule and lead, then there was little potential for being lords. But because Peter gives this warning, it shows there was the potential for lording over.

ii. The sobering fact is that pastors are examples to the flock, whether they intend to be or not. It is interesting to see how a congregation takes on the personality of its pastor in good ways and bad ways.

iii. Those entrusted to you: "That noun means 'a lot,' and then 'that which is assigned by lot,' a portion or a share of something . . . . God has assigned the various portions of His precious possession to their personal care." (Hiebert) The idea is that God has entrusted the responsibility of the spiritual care of certain individuals to particular shepherds.

3. (4) The reward for leaders in the church.

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

a. When the Chief Shepherd appears: Peter reminded shepherds in the church that they would answer one day to their Chief Shepherd, who will want to know what they did with His flock.

i. It is important for shepherds - pastors - to realize that they lead Jesus' sheep. He is the Shepherd, He is the Overseer (1 Peter 2:25). In this sense, the Christian shepherd doesn't work for the sheep, he works for the Chief Shepherd.

b. You will receive a crown of glory: Faithful shepherds are promised a crown of glory, but not like the crown of leaves given to ancient Olympic champions. This crown will not fade away.

i. Crowns are not only for shepherds, but for everyone who was faithful to Jesus and who did what He called them to do (1 Corinthians 9:25, 2 Timothy 4:8, James 1:12).

B. Everyone should be humble and watchful.

1. (5-7) A promise for the humble.

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

a. Likewise you younger people: Peter began this word of humility to you younger people, in contrast to the elders he has just addressed. But he soon realized that it is of application to all of you. This word to be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility applies to everyone, but perhaps especially to the young.

b. Clothed with humility: Humility is demonstrated by submission. It is the ability to cheerfully put away our own agenda for God's, even if God's agenda is expressed through another person.

i. Yes, all of you means that this is for all, both elders and younger. "Strive all to serve each other; let the pastors strive to serve the people, and the people the pastors; and let there be no contention, but who shall do most to oblige and profit all the rest." (Clarke)

c. Be clothed with humility: The phrase "be clothed" translates a rare word that refers to a slave putting on an apron before serving, even as Jesus did before washing the disciple's feet (John 13:4).

i. Some marks of humility:

- The willingness to perform the lowest and littlest services for Jesus' sake.
- Consciousness of our own inability to do anything apart from God.
- The willingness to be ignored of men.
- Not so much self-hating or depreciation as self forgetfulness, and being truly others-centered instead of self-centered.
d. For "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble": Humility is essential to our relationship with God. If we want to walk in God's grace (His unmerited favor) then we must lay aside our pride and be humble - not only to Him but also to one another.

i. Resists: "The verb vividly pictures God as one who places Himself in battle array against such individuals." (Hiebert)

ii. Grace and pride are eternal enemies. Pride demands that God bless me in light of what I think I deserve. Grace will only deal with me on the basis what is in God (love), not on the basis of anything in me.

iii. "Pride is one of the most detestable of sins; yet does it find lodgment in earnest souls, though we often speak of it by some lighter name. We call it - independence, self-reliance. We do not always discern it in the hurt feeling, which retires into itself, and nurses its sorrows in a sulk … We are proud of our humility, vain of our meekness; and, putting on the saintliest look, we wonder whether all around are not admiring us for our lowliness." (Meyer)

iv. "If you are willing to be nothing God will make something of you. The way to the top of the ladder is to begin at the lowest round. In fact in the church of God, the way up is to go down; but he that is ambitious to be at the top will find himself before long at the bottom." (Spurgeon)

e. That He may exalt you in due time: If God has us in a humble place at the present time, we must submit to God's plan. He knows the due time to exalt us, though we often think we know that time better than God does.

f. Casting all your care upon Him: True humility is shown by our ability to cast our care upon God. It is proud presumption to take things into our own worry and care about things that God has promised to take care of (Matthew 5:31-34).

i. If we would heed the command of 1 Peter 5:6 and truly humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, we would have far fewer cares to cast upon Him as invited in 1 Peter 5:7. Worries about covetousness, ambition, popularity, all evaporate under the command to humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.

ii. Spurgeon used the illustration of a man who came to move your furniture, but he carried a huge and heavy backpack of his own. He complains that he finds it difficult to do the job of moving your furniture; would you not suggest that he would find it easier if he laid his own burden aside so that he could carry yours? In the same way, we cannot do God's work when we are weighed down by our own burdens and worries. Cast them upon Him, and then take up the Lord's burden - which is light burden, and a yoke that fits us perfectly.

iii. There are many anxieties that we cannot cast upon God, and Peter's word here purifies us of these ungodly anxieties.

- "I am worried that I will never be rich."
- "I am burdened that others enjoy sinful pleasures and I do not."
- "I am worried that I am not famous or even popular."
- "I am burdened that I cannot get revenge on those who wronged me."
iv. "All cares of covetousness, anger, pride, ambition, and wilfulness must be cast to the winds; it would be criminal to dream of casting them upon God. Do not pray about them, except that God will redeem you from them. Let your desires be kept within a narrow circle, and your anxieties will be lessened at a stroke." (Spurgeon)

v. Casting is a rather energetic word. He doesn't say, "Lay all your care upon Him," because we have to do it more energetically than that. Throw it away from you. The pressures and the burdens of your life are so heavy and difficult that it takes great concentration of effort to put them on Jesus.

vi. This work of casting can be so difficult that we need to use two hands to do it: the hand of prayer and the hand of faith. "Prayer tells God what the care is, and asks God to help, while faith believes that God can and will do it. Prayer spreads the letter of trouble and grief before the Lord, and opens ail its budget, and then faith cries, 'I believe that God cares, and cares for me; I believe that he will bring me out of my distress, and make it promote his own glory.'" (Spurgeon)

g. For He cares for you: At their best moments, the religions of Greek culture could imagine a God who was good. Yet they never came to the place where they believed in a God who cared. The God of the Bible - the God who is really there - is a God who cares for you.

i. "It is the belief that God cares that marks off Christianity from all other religions, which under all varieties of form are occupied with the task of making God care, of awakening by sacrifice or prayer or act the slumbering interest of the Deity." (Masterman, cited in Hiebert)

ii. We often judge the parents by the children. When a child of God is full of worry and fear, doesn't the world have reason to believe that their Father in heaven doesn't care for them? Our worry and fear reflects poorly - and unfairly - upon God.

2. (8-9) Be watchful for the devil.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

a. Your adversary the devil walks about: Peter exhorts us to remain clear-headed (sober) and watchful (vigilant), because Satan has not yet been bound and restrained for 1,000 years as Revelation 20:1-2 says he will be. At the present time, the devil walks about.

i. "He walketh about-he has access to you everywhere; he knows your feelings and your propensities, and informs himself of all your circumstances; only God can know more and do more than he, therefore your care must be cast upon God." (Clarke)

ii. The devil certainly walks about; though he is a finite being and can only be in one place at one time, his effort, energy, and associates enable him to extend his influence all over the world and in every arena of life.

b. Like a roaring lion: For Christians, Satan is a lion who may roar but who has been de-fanged at the cross (Colossians 2:15). Yet the sound of his roar - his deceptive lies - are still potent and he has the power to devour souls and rob Christians of effectiveness.

i. Psalm 91:3 suggests that Satan may come against us like a fowler, one who captures birds. The fowler is always quiet and secretive, never wanting to reveal his presence. 2 Corinthians 11:14 tells us that Satan can come as an angel of light, appearing glorious, good, and attractive. Yet other times, Peter tells us, Satan comes against us like a roaring lion, loud and full of intimidation.

- He roars through persecution.
- He roars through strong temptation.
- He roars through blasphemies and accusations against God.
ii. We note Satan's goal: seeking whom he may devour. He isn't just looking to lick or nibble on his prey; he wants to devour. "He can never be content till he sees the believer utterly devoured. He would rend him in pieces, and break his bones and utterly destroy him if he could. Do not, therefore, indulge the thought, that the main purpose of Satan is to make you miserable. He is pleased with that, but that is not his ultimate end. Sometimes he may even make you happy, for he hath dainty poisons sweet to the taste which he administers to God's people. If he feels that our destruction can be more readily achieved by sweets than by bitters, he certainly would prefer that which would best effect his end." (Spurgeon)

c. Resist him, steadfast in the faith: The secret of spiritual warfare is simple, steadfast, resistance. As we are steadfast in the faith, we resist the devil lies and threats and intimidation.

i. "Scripture urges believers to flee from various evils (1 Corinthians 6:18; 10:14; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22), but nowhere are they advised to flee from the devil. That would be a futile effort." (Hiebert)

ii. Resist comes from two ancient Greek words: stand and against. Peter tells us to stand against the devil. Satan can be set running by the resistance of the lowliest believer who comes in the authority of what Jesus did on the cross.

iii. "Resist. Be more prayerful every time he is more active. He will soon give it up, if he finds that his attacks drive you to Christ. Often has Satan been nothing but a big black dog to drive Christ's sheep nearer to the Master." (Spurgeon)

d. Knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world: We also take comfort in knowing that we are never alone in our spiritual warfare. Our brothers and sisters in Jesus have fought, and are fighting, the same battles.

i. "The outlook is on the whole conflict of the saints. It is seen as one. No soul is fighting alone. Each one is at once supporting, and supported by, all the rest." (Morgan)

3. (10-11) A prayer for their spiritual strengthening.

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

a. May the God of all grace … perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you: Peter, knowing the suffering and danger Christians face, can only conclude with prayer. He asks God to do His work of perfecting, establishing, strengthening, and settling.

i. These things are God's work in us and through us. Peter personally knew the futility of trying to face suffering and danger in one's own strength. His own failure taught him the need for constant reliance on God's work in our lives, so he prays for his dear Christian friends.

ii. After you have suffered a while: We almost want to ask Peter, "Why did you say that?" But the truth remains. We are only called … to His eternal glory … after you have suffered a while. We wish we were called to His eternal glory on the "no suffering" plan. But God uses suffering to perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us.

iii. We are called us to His eternal glory; but what does this glory entail?

- It is the glory of purified character.
- It is the glory of perfected humanity.
- It is the glory of complete victory.
- It is the glory of being honored by a King.
- It is the glory of reflecting the glory of God.
- It is the glory of the immediate and constant presence of God.
- It is the glory of the enjoyment of God Himself.
b. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever: The God who can do this great work in our lives is certainly worthy of our praise.

4. (12-14) Conclusion to the letter.

By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

a. By Silvanus … I have written to you: This portion was probably written by Peter's own hand, after he (according to the custom of the day) had dictated the bulk of the letter to Silvanus. This man Silvanus was probably the same one known as Silas in many of Paul's letters.

b. This is the true grace of God in which you stand: Peter summed up his message as an exhortation to understand and recognize the true grace of God in which you stand. We must understand not only what God's grace is, but that grace is our place of present standing before Him.

c. She who is in Babylon … greets you: She probably refers to the church, which in Greek is in the feminine. Peter apparently writes from Babylon. This may be the literal city of Babylon (which still existed in Peter's day), or it may be a symbolic way of referring to either Rome or Jerusalem. These were two cities that in Peter's day were famous for their wickedness and spiritual rebellion, just like ancient Babylon. In any regard, this is one church greeting another.

i. There was of course, the literal city of Babylon on the Euphrates. There was also a place known as Babylon in Egypt, and it was a Roman military fortress near the present city of Cairo. Yet many think that Peter meant "Babylon" in a symbolic sense to represent the city of Rome. As a Biblical concept, "Babylon" as the city of this world stands in contrast to "Jerusalem" as the city of God. He may have meant Rome as Babylon as "the center of worldliness."

d. So does Mark my son: This verse connects Mark with Peter, apparently the same Mark of Acts 12:12, 12:25, and 15:37-39. When the style and perspective of the Gospel of Mark are taken into account, many to believe that Peter was Mark's primary source of information for his gospel.

e. Greet one another with a kiss of love: Peter concludes with a command to greet and display God's love to one another, and by pronouncing a blessing of peace. These two things - love for each other and peace - are especially necessary for those who suffer and live in dangerous times.

i. "It should be noted that the apostles did not originate that form of greeting; the custom already prevailed. They sanctioned its use as a sincere expression of Christian love." (Hiebert)

 

2 Peter 1

The Sure Christian Life
A. An encouragement to know God and what He has done for us.

1. (1) Introducing a letter from Peter, to believers.

Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

a. Simon Peter: The Apostle called himself Simon Peter. Perhaps, since he wrote this letter later in life, he still didn't want to forget where he came from, and that sometimes he was still more like the old Simon than the new Peter.

i. We remember that Simon was his given name at birth; Peter was the special name given to him by Jesus, to call this man to "rock-like" thinking and behavior.

ii. Some have said that Peter didn't write this letter because the subject and style is somewhat different than 1 Peter. Yet the purpose of the two letters are quite different. 1 Peter was written to encourage Christians under the threat of violent persecution; 2 Peter was written to warn those same believers of the danger of false teachers and harmful influences.

iii. "Convinced that the best antidote for heresy is a mature knowledge of the truth, Peter exhorts his readers to have a proper appreciation for prophecy, to live holy and godly lives while awaiting Christ's coming and to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord." (Kirby)

b. A bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ: The order of these titles is important. Peter considers himself first a bondservant, and then an apostle. His standing as a bondservant was more important to him than his status as an apostle.

c. To those who have obtained like precious faith: Peter wrote to those who had the same salvation he had experienced, which he called "a like precious faith." This faith was obtained, and not by the efforts of man, but by the righteousness of our God.

i. "He tells us too, that faith is 'precious;' and is it not precious? For it deals with precious things, with precious promises, with precious blood, with a precious redemption, with all the preciousness of the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (Spurgeon)

ii. Like precious faith probably speaks to the fact that the Jews and Gentiles enjoyed the same faith, and therefore the same benefits in Jesus. "God having given to you - believing Gentiles, the same faith and salvation which he had give to us - believing Jews." (Clarke)

d. Our God and Savior Jesus Christ: The grammar of the ancient Greek proves that Peter said that Jesus Christ is our God and Savior. "The expression God and our Saviour is in a construction in the Greek text which demands that we translate, our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the expression thus showing that Jesus Christ is the Christian's God." (Wuest)

i. "The grammar leaves little doubt that in these words Peter is calling Jesus Christ both God and Savior." (Blum) "It is an absolute proof that St. Peter calls Jesus Christ GOD, even in the properest sense of the word." (Clarke)

2. (2-4) A greeting expanded into an understanding of the value of the knowledge of God.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

a. Grace and peace by multiplied to you: Peter indicated that grace and peace - those two most precious of gifts - are ours in the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. As we know God we gain these essentials foundations for living.

b. His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness: However, not only grace and peace - but all things that pertain to life and godliness are ours through the knowledge of Him. Knowing God is the key to all things that pertain to life and godliness.

i. These things come to us through His divine power. "Divine power! What stupendous issues are grasped in that term, divine power! It was this which digged the deep foundations of the earth and sea! Divine power, it is this which guides the marches of the stars of heaven! Divine power! it is this which holds up the pillars of the universe, and which one day shall shake them, and hurry all things back to their native nothingness." (Spurgeon)

ii. We are willing to try almost anything except the knowledge of Him. We will trust in the schemes and plans of men instead of the knowledge of Him. We will try knowing ourselves instead of the knowledge of Him. We need to come to the same place the Apostle Paul did, when he said that I may know Him (Philippians 3:10).

iii. According to Blum, the ancient Greek word knowledge doesn't refer to a casual acquaintance. It means an exact, complete, and thorough knowledge.

c. Through the knowledge of Him: We come to knowledge of Him as we learn of Him through His Word, through prayer, and through the community of God's people. It is true that we need God alone, but God does not meet us only in our "aloneness" but also in the community of His people.

d. Who called us: This knowledge of God comes to those who are called. It is knowledge, but it is not mere intellectual understanding or intuition. It is the knowledge that comes by experience - the experience God's people have of God Himself.

e. Who called us by glory and virtue: It is Jesus' glory and virtue that motivated Him to call us, and it is His glory and virtue that draw us to Him.

f. By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises: This explains the value of the glory and virtue of God that calls us. By these He gave us exceedingly great and precious promises. This means that the promises of God are based upon His glory and virtue, and therefore perfectly reliable because God would never compromise His glory and virtue.

i. Psalm 138:2 reminds us that God honors His word even above His name. We never have to doubt any promise of God. Instead we should let God be true but every man a liar (Romans 3:4).

ii. For these reasons, God's promises are both exceedingly great (in the sense of being large and imposing), and they are precious, in the sense of being valuable. "Many things are great which are not precious, such as great rocks, which are of little value; on the other hand, many things are precious which are not great-such as diamonds and other jewels, which cannot he very great if they be very precious. But here we have promises which are so great, that they are not less than infinite, and so precious, that they are not less than divine." (Spurgeon)

iii. "It was of considerable consequence to the comfort of the Gentiles that these promises were made to them, and that salvation was not exclusively of the Jews." (Clarke)

g. That through these you may be partakers of the divine nature: This explains the value of these great and precious promises. Through these promises, we are partakers of the divine nature. Peter's idea is similar to Paul's idea of our glorious status as adopted sons and daughters of God (Galatians 4:5-7).

h. Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust: God is above and beyond the corruption of this world. It should also be that way with those who are the partakers of the divine nature. The corruption that is in the world expresses itself through lust - the ungodly desires of this world.

3. (5-7) How to live as a partaker of the nature.

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

a. Giving all diligence: We are partakers of the divine nature, but once we are made spiritual sons and daughters, growth in the Christian life doesn't just happen to us. We are supposed to give all diligence to our walk with the Lord.

b. Add to your faith virtue: We begin our walk with the Lord with faith, but faith progresses into virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love - love being the capstone of all God's work in us.

i. Add to your faith: Literally in the ancient Greek, "Lead up hand in hand; alluding, as most think, to the chorus in the Grecian dance, who danced with joined hands." (Clarke)

ii. The scope of the list demonstrates that God wants us to have a well-rounded Christian life, complete in every fashion. We can't be content with an incomplete Christian life.

iii. Of the word self-control, the Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest says the Greeks used this word self-control to describe someone who was not ruled by the desire for sex.

c. Giving all diligence: These beautiful qualities are not things that the Lord simply pours into us as we passively receive. Instead, we are called to give all diligence to these things, working in partnership with God to add them.

4. (8-9) How to use these qualities to measure our Christian walk.

For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

a. If these things are yours and abound: If we have these things, and abound in these things, it is evident to everyone that we are not barren nor unfruitful in our knowledge of Jesus.

i. The words barren and unfruitful characterize the lives of many Christians, who lack these qualities because they lack in their knowledge of God - knowing Him relationally in an increasingly fuller and deeper sense.

ii. Abound: Some may feel good that these qualities are seen in us from time to time. But Peter says they should abound in us.

b. He who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness: If we lack these things, it shows we have "eye trouble." We are shortsighted, unable to see God, only ourselves. This makes us virtually blind, showing we have forgotten that we were cleansed from his old sins.

i. "Such a man sees the things of time, and fails to discern those of eternity … he sees himself and his fellowmen, but not God. This nearsightedness is destructive of a true Christian experience, and therefore makes advance impossible." (Morgan)

ii. The reason for this condition is also stated; such a one has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. "That is to say, he has failed to respond to all the enlargement of life and vision which came to him when he received the cleansing of his nature at the very beginning of his Christian life." (Morgan)

iii. Perhaps this one has forgotten how bad he was, and how much he needed this cleansing. Perhaps this one has forgotten the great cost of this purging of sin's dirty stain. Perhaps this one has forgotten how great and complete the cleansing is, making a once guilty sinner now as pure and as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).

5. (10-11) Making our call and election sure.

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

a. Be even more diligent to make your call and election sure: How can we be sure that God called us, and that we are His elect? By doing these things spoken of in 1 Peter 1:5-7 (faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love). As we see these things in our life, we know that our lives are becoming more like the nature of Jesus. It shows that we are being conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).

i. It is possible for an unsaved person to do many moral and religious duties. But the "these things" Peter wrote of are matters of the heart, and should be evident in anyone born again. Simply put, if we are called, if we are elect, then we are born again - and if we are born again, it shows in the way that we live.

ii. "It will be asked however, why is calling here put before election seeing election is eternal, and calling takes place in time? I reply, because calling is first to us. The first thing which you and I can know is our calling: we cannot tell whether we are elect until we feel that we are called. We must, first of all, prove our calling, and then our election is sure most certainly." (Spurgeon)

b. For if you do these things you will never stumble: In pursuing these things we keep from stumbling. Continual growth and progress in the Christian life is the sure way to keep from stumbling.

c. Entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: Peter here reminded his readers of the great reward of a calling and election madesure. They would enter heaven gloriously, not as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:15).

i. "There are two ways of entering a port. A ship may come in, waterlogged and crazy, just keep afloat by continual working at the pumps; or it may enter with every sail set, her pennon floating at the mast-head. The latter is what the apostle desires for himself and those who addresses. He desired that an entrance abundant should be ministered unto them." (Meyer)

ii. F.B. Meyer also wrote that the idea of an "abundant entrance" was really a choral entrance. The idea was of a Roman conqueror coming into his city, welcomed by singers and musicians who would join him in a glorious, happy procession into the city.

iii. "Will your entrance into heaven be like that? Will you enter it, save so as by fire, or to receive a reward? Will you come unrecognized and unknown, or be welcomed by scores and hundreds to whom you have been the means of blessing, and who will wait you?" (Meyer)

iv. Will be supplied: "Just one thought more. It is said that the entrance is to be 'ministered to us.' That gives me a sweet hint that, I find, is dwelt upon by Doddridge. Christ will open the gates of heaven, but the heavenly train of virtues - the works which follow us - will go up with us and minister an entrance to us." (Spurgeon)

B. The need to be reminded.

1. (12) Peter explains why he writes about things they have heard before - the basics of Christian living.

For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.

a. For this reason: Peter just wrote about the promise of entrance into the everlasting kingdom of God (2 Peter 1:11). Because coming to that kingdom is so important, it is helpful and necessary for Peter to remind you always of the basics of the Christian life.

b. I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know: Even though his readers were did know the truth, in light of what was at stake - their eternal destiny - it is worth it to go over theses things again and again.

i. A sports team going for the championship will practice the same fundamentals over and over again. They do this, even thought they know the techniques, because they know what is at stake.

ii. For this reason, Christians should never get tired hearing the basics of the Christian life. We should rejoice every time Jesus Christ and His gospel and plan for our lives is preached.

c. Established in the present truth: Established is the same word translated strengthen in Luke 22:32, when Jesus told Peter "when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." Here, Peter fulfilled that command of Jesus. He would establish and strengthen us by reminding us of the basics of the Christian life.

2. (13-14) The urgency in Peter's heart.

Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.

a. I think it is right: Because of what is at stake, Peter knew it was right to remind people constantly, especially because he knew that the days of his earthly life were soon coming to an end.

b. Shortly I must put off my tent: Peter considered his body no more than a tent. A tent is a temporary place to live. Tents should be taken care of, but you wouldn't invest large resources into fixing up a tent. You save your real resources for a more permanent place to live. Our more permanent place to live is heaven, and we should invest more in heaven than in our tent.

i. How did Peter know that shortly I must put off my tent? Perhaps it was because Peter was simply getting old. Perhaps it was because the flames of persecution were getting hotter around him. Church history tells us that Peter did die a martyr, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed him (John 21:18-19).

ii. This shows that Peter believed that the prophetic words of Jesus were to be fulfilled literally. Jesus showed Peter that he would die a martyr, and he believed it - even if he might have wished it were only symbolic.

3. (15) Peter prepares for the future.

Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.

a. I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder: Peter put this reminder in a letter, so that we could have a constant reminder even after his departure.

b. After my decease: Peter seemed aware of the significance of the passing of the apostles, and the need to preserve the authoritative teaching of the apostles and prophets. This, the written teaching of the apostles and their associates, is the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20) preserved by God for all generations.

C. The sureness of apostolic testimony.

1. (16-18) The evidence of the transfiguration.

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

a. We did not follow cunningly devised fables: Peter solemnly declared that the testimony of the apostles - testimony they endured torture and gave their lives for - was not based on clever fables or even half truths, but on eyewitness testimony; that they were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

i. Fables translates the ancient Greek word mythos. Some people think the gospel and the Biblical record are just ancient myths. They may admire their power as myths, but Peter rightly insists that his message was no myth - it was history, seen by eyewitnesses.

ii. We can reliably reconstruct historical events from the testimony of eyewitnesses, who must be checked to see if they are telling the truth. The apostles and writers of the New Testament have been checked for centuries and have been found truthful.

b. Eyewitnesses of His majesty: When did Peter eyewitness the majesty of Jesus? There were many occasions, but one probably stuck out in his mind: the transfiguration of Jesus, recorded in Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:1-9, and Luke 9:28-36. We know this because Peter quotes here what God the Father said to Jesus at the Transfiguration: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

i. At the transfiguration, Jesus was transformed in glory before the apostles, not merely changed in outward appearance. The effect was extremely striking; Jesus became so bright in appearance that it was hard to look at Jesus. He shined like the sun (Matthew 17:2).

ii. One may saw that this shining glory was not a new miracle, but a "pause" in an ongoing miracle. The real miracle was that Jesus, most of the time, could keep from displaying His glory.

c. This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: At the transfiguration, the Father spoke from heaven to declare His approval of and joy in God the Son. As Peter wrote this, we sense the words were still ringing in his ears, because at the transfiguration he made the mistake of making Jesus equal with Moses and Elijah, who appeared along with Him.

i. Those words from heaven were important, because Jesus had just told His disciples that He would have to be crucified and His followers would also have to take up their cross to follow Him (Mark 8:31-38). His disciples needed this word of assurance to keep trusting in Jesus, and needed to hear that Jesus was still well pleasing to the Father, even though He said He would be crucified.

ii. The words from heaven also clearly put Jesus above the Law and the Prophets. Jesus was not merely another, or even a better law giver or prophet, He was and is the beloved Son.

iii. Essentially, the voice from heaven was a rebuke to Peter (Mark 9:7). Yet now, what was once a rebuke became a sweet memory.

iv. Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus because they represented those caught up to God (Jude 9 and 2 Kings 2:11). They represented the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). Moses and Elijah also figure together in prophecy, with a strong connection to the witnesses of Revelation 11:3-13.

d. And we heard this voice which came from heaven: It was awesome for Peter and the disciples to see the transfigured, glorified Jesus. It was awesome for them to hear this voice … from heaven. Yet the experience itself did not transform their lives. Only being born again by the Spirit of God did that, giving them boldness beyond measure. The transfiguration was awesome, but it was a passing experience until they were born again.

2. (19) The evidence of fulfilled prophecy.

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;

a. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed: Peter's experience at the transfiguration was amazing. But even more sure than Peter's personal experience was the testimony of God's word about who Jesus is. The fulfillment of the prophetic word confirmed is a certain, reliable testimony of the truth of the Scriptures.

i. "Taken according to the common translation, it seems to say that prophecy is a surer evidence of Divine revelation than miracles; and so it has been understood." (Clarke)

b. Which you do well to heed: When we consider the prophetic testimony to Jesus, we do well to heed it. There are at least 332 distinct Old Testament predictions regarding the Messiah that Jesus fulfilled perfectly. The combination of this evidence together, from a simple statistical perspective, is absolutely overwhelming.

i. Professor Peter Stoner has calculated that the probability of any one man fulfilling eight of these prophesies is one in 100,000,000,000,000,000 (10 to the 17th power). That number of silver dollars would cover the state of Texas two feet deep. Stoner says that if you consider 48 of the prophecies, the odds become one in 10 to the 157th power.

c. As a light that shines in a dark place: No wonder Peter could say that the prophetic word is confirmed, and that it is as a light that shines in a dark place, something we should cling to until the day dawns and Jesus returns.

3. (20-21) Principles for prophetic assurance.

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

a. No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation: Even in Peter's day, enemies of Jesus were twisting Old Testament prophecies, giving them personal and bizarre meanings so as to exclude Jesus from their fulfillment. But Peter says that prophecy is not of any private interpretation, but its meaning is evident and can be confirmed by others.

i. Though Peter here speaks of prophecy of Scripture, the same principle is true for the gift of prophecy today. There must be sober confirmation of any prophetic word, and that not through another prophetic word, but through the Scriptures. In the gift of prophecy, God never speaks to only one person, and always provides confirmation.

b. Prophecy never came by the will of man: It is wrong and invalid to twist prophecy to our own personal meaning, because prophecy does not come from man, but from God, though it comes through holy men of God - but only as they are moved by the Holy Spirit.

i. "Far from inventing the subject of their own predictions, the ancient prophets did not even know the meaning of what themselves wrote. They were carried beyond themselves by the influence of the Divine Spirit, and after ages were alone to discover the object of the prophecy; and the fulfillment was to be the absolute proof that the prediction was of God and that it was of no private invention." (Clarke)

c. As they were moved by the Holy Spirit: According to Green, the ancient Greek word translated "moved" has the sense of carried along, as a ship being carried along by the wind or the current (the same word is used of a ship in Acts 27:15, 17). It is as if the writers of Scripture "raised their sails" in cooperation with God and the Holy Spirit carried them along in the direction He wished

 

2 Peter 2 - THE RISE AND FALL OF FALSE TEACHERS

A. Facts about false teachers.
1. (2 Peter 2:1) The presence and work of false teachers.
But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
a. But there were also false prophets: Even as there were holy men of God who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21), so also there were false prophets - and false teachers today. Peter states this as a fact, not a possibility; and he says they are among you, not only on the outside of the church
b. Who will secretly bring in destructive heresies: False teachers work secretly. It isn’t that their teaching is secret, but the deceptive nature of their teaching is hidden. Of course, no false teacher will announce himself as a false teacher!
c. Destructive heresies: False teachers bring in destructive heresies that destroy by telling lies about Jesus Christ and His work for us and in us. By these heresies people are hurt and destroyed. Heresy isn’t harmless.
d. Even denying the Lord who bought them: False teachers deny the Lord who bought them. In this, Peter says that at the very least, they appear to be saved, otherwise Peter would never say that the Lord bought them. At the same time, they are false, destructive teachers.
i. Just because a person has what appears to be a godly walk and relationship with Jesus Christ, they can still be bringing in destructive heresies. Often times, the worst damage is done by a good man who teaches lies. His lies are accepted far more easily because of the good character of the man.
e. Bring on themselves swift destruction: False teachers are promised swift destruction, even though they at least appear to be bought by the Lord, they are under His judgment.
2. (2 Peter 2:2) The popularity of false teachers.
And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
a. Many will follow their destructive ways: This shows that just because something “works” in attracting a crowd of followers, it doesn’t mean that it is of God. We know that God’s work will always bear fruit, but the devil’s work can also increase.
i. The most distressing aspect of the work of false teachers is not that they are among you (2 Peter 2:1). False teachers always have been and always will be among Christians. The most distressing fact is that so many Christians will follow their destructive ways.
b. Because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed: When false teachers are at work, and when crowds are following them, the way of truth is blasphemed. God’s holy name and honor are disgraced.
3. (2 Peter 2:3) The strategy and destiny of false teachers.
By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
a. False teachers use covetousness - both their own and in their followers. It is amazing how many of today’s false teachers present a gospel that has self-gratification at its heart. All this is presented with deceptive words, because false teaching never announces itself.
b. Their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber: Peter assures us that false teachers will be judged. Even though it seems they prosper, their judgment is not idle. God’s wrath pours out on them in allowing them to continue, thus heaping up more and more condemnation and hardness of heart in themselves.
B. God knows how to take care of both the righteous and the ungodly.
1. (2 Peter 2:4-6) The ungodly will be judged.
For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;
a. If God did not spare the angels who sinned: God judged these wicked angels, setting them in chains of darkness. Apparently some fallen angels are in bondage while others are unbound and active in the earth as demons.
i. The sin of angels can be thought of in two main ways: in the original rebellion of some angels against God, and in the sin of the “sons of God” described in Genesis 6:1-2.
ii. By not keeping their proper place, they are now kept in chains of darkness. Their sinful pursuit of freedom put them in bondage. Those who insist on freedom to do whatever they want are like these angels: so free that they are bound with chains of darkness! True freedom comes from obedience.
iii. Cast them down to hell: The ancient Greek word translated hell is literally Tartarus. In Greek mythology, Tartarus was the lowest hell, a place of punishment for rebellious gods. Peter borrowed this word to speak of the place of punishment for the angels who sinned.
b. And did not spare the ancient world: God judged the ancient world, the world before Noah’s Flood, because the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)
c. And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction: God judged the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, making them an example of His judgment, because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave. (Genesis 18:20)
d. Making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly: These three examples of judgment show us the important principle that Peter wants to highlight.
God judged the angels who sinned, so no one is too high to be judged.
God judged the ancient world before the flood, so God doesn’t grade on a curve.
God judged Sodom and Gomorrah, so even the prosperous can be judged.
Therefore, what makes the ungodly think they can escape God’s judgment? Their coming judgment is certain.
i. Or, as Jesus put it in Luke 10:10-12 to those who reject the truth: But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.” But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.
2. (2 Peter 2:7-9) The righteous will be delivered.
And delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds); then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,
a. And delivered righteous Lot: Peter already told us how the Lord delivered Noah (2 Peter 2:5). Now, he shows us that the Lord delivered righteous Lot. Lot was righteous in God’s eyes, though perhaps it was hard for others to see his righteousness. Yet the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah tormented his righteous soul from day to day.
i. Lot’s soul was tormented, but he failed to follow through with godly actions and separate himself and his family from the ungodliness of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord delivered Lot because of his righteous soul; yet Lot lost everything because of his too-close association with those wicked cities.
b. Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations: Even as the Lord delivered Lot, He knows how to deliver us from the temptations we face, and He knows how to reserve the unjust for the day of judgment. We can trust in God’s deliverance of the godly because it is just as certain as His judgment of the ungodly.
i. The unjust have reservation made for them: they are reserved for the day of judgment. But believers have no such reservation. God will deliver us from the very day of judgment, from the very time of wrath that He pours out on the earth (Revelation 3:10).
C. A description of the ungodly among them.
1. (2 Peter 2:10-11) They are fleshly and proud.
And especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.
a. And especially those who walk according to the flesh: These ungodly ones are especially reserved for judgment. They live according to the flesh, not the spirit, and are marked by uncleanness.
b. They are presumptuous, self-willed: These ungodly ones are proud, despising authority. In their presumption they will even speak ill of spiritual powers (Satan and his demons) that the angels themselves do not speak evil of, but the angels rebuke them in the name of the Lord instead.
i. Much of what goes on under the name of spiritual warfare shows this kind of pride and presumption. While we recognize our authority in Jesus, we see that it is only in Jesus that we have it - and we leave the reviling accusations to Him alone.
2. (2 Peter 2:12-13 a) Their spiritual doom is sealed.
But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime.
a. Like natural brute beasts: Since they function in the flesh, not the spirit, they are like animals. They are fit only for destruction (made to be caught and destroyed) and they are ignorant.
b. And will receive the wages of unrighteousness: The ungodly will be “paid” for their evil - and their fleshly lives will be paid the wages of unrighteousness.
3. (2 Peter 2:13-17) A list of the sins of the false teachers.
They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
a. Carousing in their own deceptions: These ungodly false teachers are a dangerous and corrupting presence in the body of Christ, not only deceiving others but deceiving themselves.
b. Having eyes full of adultery: Their heart is set on the flesh, and their eyes on adultery, both spiritual and sexual. They prey on the unstable to join them in their ways (enticing unstable souls).
i. Literally, Peter says that their eyes are full of an adulterous woman. “They lust after every girl they see; they view every female as a potential adulteress.” (Green)
c. They have a heart trained in covetous practices: They are equipped, but not for ministry, only for selfish gain - they are truly accursed. We all train our hearts in something, either training them in covetousness and lust, or in godliness .
d. Following the way of Balaam: They are like Balaam, who was guilty of the greatest of sins - leading others into sin, and that for the sake of his own gain. Balaam had to be restrained by a dumb donkey because he would not listen to God.
e. These are wells without water: These ungodly false teachers are empty - useless as wells without water - and like clouds that bring only darkness, and no nourishing rain.
4. (2 Peter 2:18-19) The allure of the false teachers.
For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.
a. They speak great swelling words of emptiness: The message of the ungodly false teachers is empty of real spiritual content, though it is swollen big with words. Their allure is to the lusts of the flesh in their audience - just as the crowds who wanted bread from Jesus, but didn’t want Jesus Himself (John 6:25-27; Joh_6:47-66).
b. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves: They promise freedom, but freedom can never be found in the flesh, only in God’s Spirit. Freedom isn’t found in what Jesus can give us, but only in Jesus Himself. When we seek freedom in the wrong way, we become slaves of corruption (decay and death).
c. By him also he is brought into bondage: In being overcome by the flesh and the false teachers, they become slaves to both.
5. (2 Peter 2:20-22) The danger of falling away and following after false teachers
For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”
a. The latter end is worse for them than the beginning: It is better for a person to have never known a thing about Jesus than to hear some truth, hold to it, and later reject it. Greater revelation has a greater accountability.
b. A dog returns to his own vomit: Their nature as dogs is displayed by the way they return to the vomit of the flesh and the world. They are like the brute beasts described in 2 Peter 2:12, more animal that godly because they live for the flesh.
i. “The dog which has got rid of the corruption inside it through vomiting it up cannot leave well enough alone; it goes sniffing around the vomit again.” (Green)

 

2 Peter 3

LIVING LIKE A LAST DAYS CHRISTIAN
A. The certainty of the last days and God's promise.

1. (1-2) Another reference to the importance of being reminded

Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,

a. I now write to you this second epistle: Peter already wrote to about the importance of being reminded (2 Peter 1:12-13). But here he wants to emphasize what they should know in light of the coming of Jesus and the prophecies surrounding His coming.

i. "The purest minds need stirring up at times. It would be a great pity to stir up impure minds. That would only be to do mischief; but pure minds may be stirred as much as you please, and the more the better." (Spurgeon)

b. That you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before: Peter knew the importance of reminding his readers of the Scriptural message, both received from the Old Testament (spoken before) and contemporary to his own day (and of the commandment of us).

i. Peter clearly believed that the words of Scripture were important; the words themselves, and not merely the meaning behind the words.

ii. "Peter believed in the inspiration of the very 'words' of Scripture; he was not one of those precious 'advanced thinkers' who would, if they could, tear the very soul out of the Book, and leave us nothing at all; but he wrote, 'That ye may be mindful of the words' - the very words - 'which were spoken before by the holy prophets.' 'Oh!' says one, 'but words do not signify; it is the inward sense that is really important.' Exactly so; that is just what the fool said about egg-shells. He said that they did not signify; it was only the inward life-germ of the chick within that was important; so he broke all the shells, and thereby destroyed the life.... If the words could be taken from us, the sense itself would be gone." (Spurgeon)

c. By the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior: By placing the messengers of the new covenant on the same level as the messengers of the old covenant, Peter understood the authority of the New Testament, even as it was being formed.

i. Peter understood that Jesus gave His apostles the inspired authority to bring forth God's message to the new covenant community. He understood this from passages such as Matthew 16:19, where Jesus gave the apostles authority to bind and loose, much as the authoritative rabbis of their day.

ii. "Your apostles does not merely mean 'your missionaries', the folk who evangelized you. When the New Testament writers mean merely 'church emissary' by apostolos, they say so, or the context makes it plain (Philippians 2:25). Peter is referring here to the 'apostles of Jesus Christ'. It is they and they alone who are put on a level with the Old Testament prophets." (Green)

iii. Significantly, Peter saw this authority invested in the apostles, not in him alone. He would think it strange for supposed papal authority to be credited to him.

2. (3-4) The message of scoffers.

Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."

a. Knowing this first: Christians should not be surprised to find that there are those who scoff at the idea of Jesus coming again. Peter told us that the scoffers will come. This is the first thing to know.

i. "Every time a blasphemer opens his mouth to deny the truth of revelation, he will help to confirm us in our conviction of the very truth which he denies. The Holy Ghost told us, by the pen of Peter, that it would be so; and now we see how truly he wrote." (Spurgeon)

b. Will come in the last days: In a sense, the last days began when Jesus ascended into heaven. Since that time, we haven't rushed towards the precipice of the consummation of all things; but we have run along side that edge - ready to go anytime at God's good pleasure.

i. "With the advent of Jesus the last chapter of human history had opened, though it was not yet completed." (Green)

c. Walking according to their own lusts: These words remind us that scoffers do not only have an intellectual problem with God and His word. They also have a clear moral problem, wanting to reject the Lordship of Jesus Christ over their lives.

d. Where is the promise of His coming? This is the message of scoffers. In the thinking of these scoffers, Christians have talked about Jesus coming for two thousand years and He still hasn't come back yet.

e. All things continue as they were from the beginning of creation: The scoffers base their message on the idea that things have always been they way they are right now, and that God has not and will not do anything new in His plan for creation.

i. "The argument of the false teachers is essentially a naturalistic one - a kind of uniformitarianism that rules out divine intervention in history." (Blum)

3. (5-7) The error of scoffers.

For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

a. For this they willfully forget: The scoffers presume upon the mercy and longsuffering of God, insisting that because they have never seen a widespread judgment of God, that there will never be one. But they willfully forget God's creation and the judgment God poured out on the earth in the days of Noah.

i. A literal belief in Creation, in Adam and Eve, and in Noah's Flood are essential for a true understanding of God's working both then and now. To deny these things undermines the very foundations of our faith. Sadly, today it is many Christians who willfully forget these things, thereby putting themselves in the place of scoffers.

b. That by the word of God the heavens were of old: The Bible clearly teaches that the active agent in creation was God's word. He spoke and creation came into being.

c. The world that then existed perished, being flooded with water: Peter's point is that things on this earth have not always continued the way they are now. The earth was different when God first created it and then it was different again after the flood. Therefore no one should scoff at God's promise that He will make it different once again, judging it not with water, but with fire. The same word of God that created all matter and judged the world in the flood will one day bring a judgment of fire upon the earth.

i. "The lesson taught by the flood was this is a moral universe, that sin will not for ever go unpunished; and Jesus himself used the flood to point to this moral (Matthew 24:37-39). But these men chose to neglect it." (Green)

4. (8-10) Truths that scoffers deny but God's people cling to.

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

a. That with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day: What seems like forever for us is but a short time for God, just as an hour may seem to be an eternity for a child but a moment for an adult.

i. Peter quoted this idea from Psalm 90:4: For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night. "All time is as nothing before him, because in the presence as in the nature of God all is eternity; therefore nothing is long, nothing short, before him; no lapse of ages impairs his purposes." (Clarke)

ii. "All things are equally near and present to his view; the distance of a thousand years before the occurrence of an event, is no more to him than would be the interval of a day. With God, indeed, there is neither past, present, nor future. He takes for his name the 'I AM.' … "He is the I AM; I AM in the present; I AM in the past and I AM in the future. Just as we say of God that he is everywhere, so we may say of him that he is always; he is everywhere in space; he is everywhere in time." (Spurgeon)

iii. Peter did not give some prophetic formula, saying that a prophetic day somehow equals a thousand years. He instead communicated a general principle regarding how we see time and how God sees time. When people use this verse as a rigid prophetic "key" it opens the door for great error.

iv. "God sees time with a perspective we lack; even the delay of a thousand years may well seem like a day against the back-cloth of eternity. Furthermore, God sees time with an intensity we lack; one day with the Lord is like a thousand years." (Green)

b. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise: The truth is that God will keep His promise, and without delay according to His timing. Any perceived delay from our perspective is due to the longsuffering of God, who allows man as much time as possible to repent.

i. Many of those who are Christians today are happy that Jesus didn't return ten years, or five years, or two years, or one year, or even two months ago. There is a compassionate purpose in God's timing.

c. Not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance: Peter here revealed some of God's glorious heart. The reason why Jesus' return isn't sooner is so that all should come to repentance, because God is not willing that any should perish.

i. We understand that God is not willing that any should perish not in the sense of a divine decree, as if God has declared that no sinners will perish. Rather, Peter's statement reflects God's heart of love for the world (John 3:16), and His compassionate sorrow even in the righteous judgment of the wicked.

ii. It is the same thought as expressed in Ezekiel 33:11: As I live, says the Lord GOD his way and live.

iii. "So wonderful is his love towards mankind, that he would have them all to be saved, and is of his own self prepared to bestow salvation on the lost." (Calvin)

iv. "As God is not willing that any should perish, and as he is willing that all should come to repentance, consequently he has never devised nor decreed the damnation of any man, nor has he rendered it impossible for any soul to be saved." (Clarke)

d. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night: Though the Lord's longsuffering love to the lost makes it seem that perhaps He delays His coming, the truth is that He will indeed come. And when Jesus does return, He will come at a time that will surprise many (as a thief in the night). The ultimate result of His coming will be a total transformation of this present world (in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat).

i. God could destroy the earth again as He did in the days of the flood. "There is still water enough to drown the earth, and there is iniquity enough to induce God to destroy it and its inhabitants." (Clarke) Yet God has promised to deal with this world with fire, not flooding.

B. Living in light of the last days and God's promise.

1. (11-13) Holy and godly living in anticipation of a new created order.

Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

a. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be: In light of the fact that this world order and the things associated with it will be dissolved, we should live our lives seeking first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness - that is, having holy conduct and godliness.

i. We tend to think that the world is more enduring and will last longer than people. This is not true, and Peter reminds of it. People will live into eternity, longer than even the earth.

ii. Will be dissolved: "They will all be separated, all decomposed; but none of them destroyed." (Clarke) "The solar system and the great galaxies, even space-time relationships, will be abolished … All elements which make up the physical world will be dissolved by heat and utterly melt away. It is a picture which in an astonishing degree corresponds to what might actually happen according to modern theories of the physical universe." (Bo Reicke, cited in Green)

iii. "This world, so far as we know, will not cease to be; it will pass through the purifying flame, and then it may be the soft and gentle breath of Almighty love will blow upon it and cool it rapidly, and the divine hand will shape it as it cools into a paradise more fair." (Spurgeon)

iv. What manner of persons ought you to be: "The king is coming; he is coming to his throne, and to his judgment. Now a man does not go up to a king's door, and there talk treason; and men do not sit in a king's audience-chamber when they expect him every moment to enter, and there speak ill of him. The King is on his way, and almost here; you are at his door; he is at yours. What manner of people ought ye to be? How can ye sin against One who is so close at hand?" (Spurgeon)

b. Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God: Peter says there is a sense in which we can hasten the Lord's coming. It's remarkable to think that we can actually do things that will "help" Jesus return sooner. In the immediate context, Peter says that we hasten the Lord's coming by our holy conduct and godliness.

i. We can also hasten the Lord's coming through evangelism. Paul said that God's prophetic focus on Israel will resume when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25).

ii. We can also hasten the Lord's coming through prayer. Even as Daniel asked for a speedy fulfillment of prophecy regarding captive Israel (Daniel 9), we can also pray "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20)

c. Because of which the heavens will be dissolved: Peter tells us that the very elements of this world order will be dissolved. God will genuinely make a new heavens and a new earth, even as Isaiah promised: For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind (Isaiah 65:17).

d. A new earth in which righteousness dwells: The most glorious characteristic of this new heaven and new earth is that it is a place in which righteousness dwells. In God's plan of the ages, this happens after the millennial earth ruled by Jesus Christ. It is the re-creation of this world order as described in Revelation 21:1: Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.

2. (14-15a) Keep diligent and do not despise the longsuffering of God.

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation;

a. Looking forward to these things, be diligent: If our hearts are really set on the glory of the new heaven and new earth, we will endeavor to walk godly in regard to our brothers and sisters (in peace) and in regard to God (without spot and blameless).

b. The longsuffering of our Lord is salvation: It is easy for Christians to sometimes resent the longsuffering of God; after all, it in some sense delays His coming. Yet, the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation for others, and it is salvation for us.

i. "We are puzzled at the longsuffering which causes so weary a delay. One of the reasons is that we have not much longsuffering ourselves. We think that we do well to be angry with the rebellious, and so we prove ourselves to be more like Jonah than Jesus. A few have learned to be patient and pitiful to the ungodly, but many more are of the mind of James and John, who would have called fire from heaven upon those who rejected the Savior. We are in such a hurry." (Spurgeon)

3. (15b-16) A note regarding the letters of the Apostle Paul.

As also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

a. As also our beloved brother Paul: It is fashionable for some critics to say that the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul aren't in agreement. These same critics also often say that Peter and Paul aren't in agreement with Jesus. Yet here Peter affirmed Paul's teaching in the warmest terms. He called Paul beloved, and he said that Paul wrote with wisdom.

i. This praise from Peter is even more wonderful when we remember that at one time Paul publicly rebuked Peter for public compromise (Galatians 2:11-21).

b. In which are some things hard to understand: Though Peter praised Paul's ministry, he admitted that some things in Paul's writings were hard to understand, and those who were untaught and unstable could use some of the difficulties to their own ends, twisting Scripture.

c. Twist … the Scriptures: Peter reminds us that the Scriptures can be twisted. Just because someone quotes the Bible doesn't mean that they teach Biblical truth. It's possible that they twist … the Scriptures. That is why we should be like the Bereans, who searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so (Acts 17:11).

i. "It is worthy of remark that Paul's epistles are ranked among the Scriptures; a term applied to those writings which are divinely inspired, and to those only." (Clarke)

ii. "I may just add that the verb [twist], which the apostle uses here, signifies to distort, to put to the rack, to torture, to overstretch, and dislocate the limbs; and hence the persons here intended are those who proceed according to no fair plan of interpretation, but force unnatural and sophistical meanings on the word of God." (Clarke)

iii. To their own destruction: "Peter is very firm. The action of the false teachers in twisting Paul to justify their own libertinism and rejection of the parousia is so serious as to disqualify them from salvation." (Green)

4. (17-18) Conclusion.

You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

a. Since you know this beforehand: We, who know of the Day of the Lord and await it with patient expectation, must persevere lest we fall from your own steadfastness. We must take care to keep abiding in Jesus.

i. "In order that they might know how to stand, and to be preserved from falling, he gave them this direction: 'grow in grace;' for the way to stand is to grow; the way to be steadfast is to go forward. There is no standing except by progression." (Spurgeon)

b. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: We prevent a fall from your own steadfastness by a continual growth in grace and knowledge of Jesus.

i. Grace is not merely the way God draws us to Him in the beginning. It is also the way we grow and stay in our steadfastness. We can never grow apart from the grace and knowledge of our Lord, and we never grow out of God's grace.

ii. "But you will remark that our text does not say anything about grace growing; it does not say that grace grows. It tells us to 'grow in grace.' There is a vast difference between grace growing and our growing in grace. God's grace never increases; it is always infinite, so it cannot be more; it is always everlasting; it is always bottomless; it is always shoreless. It cannot be more; and, in the nature of God, it could not be less. The text tells us to 'grow in grace.' We are in the sea of God's grace; we cannot be in a deeper sea, but let us grow now we are in it." (Spurgeon)

iii. We must also grow in our knowledge of Jesus Christ. This means knowing more about Jesus, but more importantly, knowing Jesus in a personal relationship.

c. To Him be the glory: When we are this ready and this steadfast in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, it gives God glory.

i. Spurgeon noted that this second letter of Peter ends on "two trumpet blasts." One is from heaven to earth: grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The other is from earth to heaven: To Him be the glory both now and forever.

ii. Amen: This final word in not included in all ancient manuscripts of 2 Peter, yet it is appropriate for a letter affirming the truth in the face of the danger of false prophets and scoffers. We can say there are four meaning to "Amen":

- It expresses the desire of the heart.
- It expresses the affirmation of our faith.
- It expresses the joy of the heart.
- It expresses the declaration of resolution.
iii. Under the law, Amen was only said at the declaration of the curses (Deuteronomy 27:14-26). Under the New Covenant, we say "Amen" at the announcement of a great blessing and praise to God.

Adam Clarke added this insightful postscript to Second Peter:

"We have now passed over all the canonical writings of Peter that are extant; and it is worthy of remark that, in no place of the two epistles already examined, nor in any of this apostle's sayings in any other parts of the sacred writings, do we find any of the peculiar tenets of the Romish Church: not one word of his or the pope's supremacy; not one word of those of affect to be his successors; nothing of the infallibility claimed by those pretended successors; nothing of purgatory, penances, pilgrimages, auricular confession, power of the keys, indulgences, extreme unction, masses, and prayers for the dead; and not one word on the most essential doctrine of the Romish Church, transubstantiation." (Clarke)

 

The Gospel of Mary is found in the Berlin Gnostic Codex (or Papyrus Berolinensis 8502, as this ancient collection of Gnostic texts is labeled for archival reasons). This very important and well-preserved codex was apparently discovered in the late-nineteenth century somewhere near Akhmim in upper Egypt. It was purchased in 1896 by a German scholar, Dr. Carl Reinhardt, in Cairo and then taken to Berlin.

The book (or "codex", as these ancient books are called) was probably copied and bound in the late fourth or early fifth century. It contains Coptic translations of three very important early Christian Gnostic texts: the Gospel of Mary, the Apocryphon of John, and the Sophia of Jesus Christ. The texts themselves date to the second century and were originally authored in Greek. (In academic writing over the last century, this codex is variably and confusingly referenced by scholars as the "Berlin Gnostic Codex", the "Akhmim Codex", PB 8502, and BG 8502).

Despite the importance of the discovery of this ancient collection of Gnostic scriptures, several misfortunes including two world wars delayed its publication until 1955. By then the large Nag Hammadi collection of ancient Gnostic writings had also been recovered. It was found that copies of two of the texts in this codex -- the Apocryphon of John, and the Sophia of Jesus Christ -- had also been preserved in the Nag Hammadi collection. The texts from the Berlin Gnostic Codex were used to aid and augment translations of the Apocryphon of John and the Sophia of Jesus Christ as they now are published in Nag Hammadi Library.

But more importantly, the codex preserves the most complete surviving fragment of the Gospel of Mary (as the text is named in the manuscript, though it is clear this named Mary is the person we call Mary of Magdala). Two other small fragments of the Gospel of Mary from separate Greek editions were later unearthed in archaeological excavations at Oxyrhynchus in lower Egypt. (Fragments of the Gospel of Thomas were also found at this ancient site; see the Oxyrhynchus and Gospel of Thomas page for more information about Oxyrhynchus.) Finding three fragments of a text of this antiquity is extremely unusual, and it is thus evidenced that the Gospel of Mary was well distributed in early Christian times and existed in both an original Greek and a Coptic language translation.

Unfortunately the surviving manuscript of the Gospel of Mary is missing pages 1 to 6 and pages 11 to 14 -- pages that included sections of the text up to chapter 4, and portions of chapter 5 to 8. The extant text of the Gospel of Mary, as found in the Berlin Gnostic Codex, is presented below. The manuscript text begins on page 7, in the middle of a passage.

Further Introductory Material

We highly recommend Karen King's new translation with extended commentary, The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle. The Gospel of Mary is also included, along with a useful introduction, in the International Edition of The Nag Hammadi Scriptures (published in 2007).

Without explanatory and background material, it will be impossible for a reader unfamiliar with ancient Gnostic Christian writings to understand the Gospel of Mary. Dr. King's introduction to her book -- which we provide here in preview -- gives an excellent overview of the text of the Gospel of Mary and a discussion about the discovery and surviving manuscript fragments. In subsequent chapters, Dr. King provides the contextual information a reader needs to understand the messages of this important text.

Read Dr. King's introductory chapter from The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle.

We also additionally recommend the first three books listed to the left: Mary Magdalene, First Apostle by Ann Brock; The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene: Legends, Apocrypha, and the Christian Testament by Jane Schaberg; and Mary Magdalen, Myth and Metaphor by Susan Haskin. There are many books now available on Mary of Magdala, some of questionable value. These four books are among the best and together offer an overview of the Magdalen in history and myth from a wide variety of perspectives.

Lectures on the The Gospel of Mary Magdalene are also available in our The Gnosis Archive Web Lectures collection.

 

Excerpt from:
The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle
by Karen L. King (Polebridge Press, Santa Rosa, California, 2003), pp. 3-12



Early Christianity & the Gospel of Mary

Few people today are acquainted with the Gospel of Mary. Written early in the second century CE, it disappeared for over fifteen hundred years until a single, fragmentary copy in Coptic translation came to light in the late nineteenth century. Although details of the discovery itself are obscure, we do know that the fifth-century manuscript in which it was inscribed was purchased in Cairo by Carl Reinhardt and brought to Berlin in 1896. Two additional fragments in Greek have come to light in the twentieth century. Yet still no complete copy of the Gospel of Mary is known. Fewer than eight pages of the ancient papyrus text survive, which means that about half of the Gospel of Mary is lost to us, perhaps forever.

The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle by Karen King

This is the best authoritative edition available, and includes a superb commentary by Karen King.
Buy the Book

Yet these scant pages provide an intriguing glimpse into a kind of Christianity lost for almost fifteen hundred years. This astonishingly brief narrative presents a radical interpretation of Jesus' teachings as a path to inner spiritual knowledge; it rejects his suffering and death as the path to eternal life; it exposes the erroneous view that Mary of Magdala was a prostitute for what it is-a piece of theological fiction; it presents the most straightforward and convincing argument in any early Christian writing for the legitimacy of women's leadership; it offers a sharp critique of illegitimate power and a utopian vision of spiritual perfection; it challenges our rather romantic views about the harmony and unanimity of the first Christians; and it asks us to rethink the basis for church authority. All written in the name of a woman.
The story of the Gospel of Mary is a simple one. Since the first six pages are lost, the gospel opens in the middle of a scene portraying a discussion between the Savior and his disciples set after the resurrection. The Savior is answering their questions about the end of the material world and the nature of sin. He teaches them that at present all things, whether material or spiritual, are interwoven with each other. In the end, that will not be so. Each nature will return to its own root, its own original state and destiny. But meanwhile, the nature of sin is tied to the nature of life this mixed world. People sin because they do not recognize their own spiritual nature and, instead, love the lower nature that deceives them and leads to disease and death. Salvation is achieved by discovering within oneself the true spiritual nature of humanity and overcoming the deceptive entrapments of the bodily passions and the world. The Savior concludes this teaching with a warning against those who would delude the disciples into following some heroic leader or a set of rules and laws. Instead they are to seek the child of true Humanity within themselves and gain inward peace. After commissioning them to go forth and preach the gospel, the Savior departs.

But the disciples do not go out joyfully to preach the gospel; instead controversy erupts. All the disciples except Mary have failed to comprehend the Savior's teaching Rather than seek peace within, they are distraught, frightened that if they follow his commission to preach the gospel, they might share his agonizing fate. Mary steps in and comforts them and, at Peter's, relates teaching unknown to them that she had received from the Savior in a vision. The Savior had explained to her the nature of prophecy and the rise of the soul to its final rest, describing how to win the battle against the wicked, illegitimate Powers that seek to keep the soul entrapped in the world and ignorant of its true spiritual nature.

But as she finishes her account, two of the disciples quite unexpectedly challenge her. Andrew objects that her teaching is strange and he refuses to believe that it came from the Savior. Peter goes fur*t her, denying that Jesus would ever have given this kind of advanced teaching to a woman, or that Jesus could possibly have preferred her to them. Apparently when he asked her to speak, Peter had not expected such elevated teaching, and now he questions her character, implying that she has lied about having received special teaching in order to increase her stature among the disciples. Severely taken aback, Mary begins to cry at Peter's accusation. Levi comes quickly to her defense, pointing out to Peter that he is a notorious hothead and now he is treating Mary as though she were the enemy. We should be ashamed of ourselves, he admonishes them all; instead of arguing among ourselves, we should go out and preach the gospel as the Savior commanded us.

The story ends here, but the controversy is far from resolved. Andrew and Peter at least, and likely the other fearful disciples as well, have not understood the Savior's teaching and are offended by Jesus' apparent preference of a woman over them. Their limited understanding and false pride make it impossible for them to comprehend the truth of the Savior's teaching. The reader must both wonder and worry what kind of gospel such proud and ignorant disciples will preach.

How are we to understand this story? It is at once reminiscent of the New Testament gospels and yet clearly different from them. The gospel's characters-the Savior, Mary, Peter, Andrew, and Levi-are familiar to those acquainted with the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. So, too, is the theological language of gospel and kingdom, as well as such sayings of Jesus as "Those who seek will find" or "Anyone with two ears should listen." And the New Testament gospels and Acts repeatedly mention the appearance of Jesus to his disciples after the resurrection. Yet it is also clear that the story of the Gospel of Mary differs in significant respects. For example, after Jesus commissions the disciples they do not go out joyfully to preach the gospel, as they do in Matthew; instead they weep, fearing for their lives. Some of the teachings also seem shocking coming from Jesus, especially his assertion that there is no such thing as sin. Modern re ad*ers may well find themselves sympathizing with Andrew's assessment that "these teachings are strange ideas."

The Gospel of Mary was written when Christianity, still in its nascent stages, was made up of communities widely dispersed around the Eastern Mediterranean, communities which were often relatively iso*la ted from one other and probably each small enough to meet in someone's home without attracting too much notice. Although writings appeared early-especially letters addressing the concerns of local churches, collections containing Jesus' sayings, and narratives interpreting his death and resurrection—oral practices dominated the lives of early Christians. Preaching, teaching, and rituals of table fellowship and baptism were the core of the Christian experience? What written documents they had served at most as supplemental guides to preaching and practice. Nor can we assume that the various churches all possessed the same documents; after all, these are the people who wrote the first Christian literature. Christoph Markschies suggests that we have lost 85% of Christian literature from the first two centuries–and that includes only the literature we know about. Surely there must be even more, for the discovery of texts like the Gospel of Mary came as a complete surprise. We have to be careful that we don't suppose it is possible to reconstruct the whole of early Christian history and practice out of the few surviving texts that remain. Our picture will always be partial—not only because so much is lost, but because early Christian practices were so little tied to durable writing.

Partly as a consequence of their independent development and differing situations, these churches sometimes diverged widely in their perspectives on essential elements of Christian belief and practice. Such basic issues as the content and meaning of Jesus' teachings, the nature of salvation, the value of prophetic authority, and the roles of women and slaves came under intense debate. Early Christians proposed and experimented with competing visions of ideal community.

It is important to remember, too, that these first Christians had no New Testament, no Nicene Creed or Apostles Creed, no commonly established church order or chain of authority, no church buildings, and indeed no single understanding of Jesus. All of the elements we might consider to be essential to define Christianity did not yet exist. Far from being starting points, the Nicene creed and the New Testament were the end products of these debates and disputes; they represent the distillation of experience and experimentation—and not a small amount of strife and struggle.

All early Christian literature bears traces of these controversies. The earliest surviving documents of Christianity, the letters of Paul show that considerable difference of opinion existed about such issues as circumcision and the Jewish food laws or the relative value of spiritual gifts. These and other such contentious issues as whether the resurrection was physical or spiritual were stimulating theological conversations and causing rifts within and among Christian groups. By the time of the Gospel of Mary, these discussions were becoming increasingly nuanced and more polarized.

History, as we know, is written by the winners. In the case of early Christianity, this has meant that many voices in these debates were silenced through repression or neglect. The Gospel of Mary, along with other newly discovered works from the earliest Christian period, increases our knowledge of the enormous diversity and dynamic character of the processes by which Christianity was shaped. The goal of this volume is to let twenty-first-century readers hear one of those voices—not in order to drown out the voices of canon and tradition, but in order that they might be heard with the greater clarity that comes with a broadened historical perspective. Whether or not the message of the Gospel of Mary should be embraced is a matter readers will decide for themselves.

Discovery and Publication

Where did the Gospel of Mary come from?

Over a hundred years ago, in January of 1896, a seemingly insignificant event took place on the antiquities market in Cairo. A manuscript dealer, whose name history has forgotten, offered a papyrus book for sale to a German scholar named Dr. Carl Reinhardt.? It eventually became clear that the book was a fifth-century CE papyrus codex, written in the Coptic language (see Box 1). Unbeknownst to either of them, it contained the Gospel of Mary along with three other previously unknown works, the Apocryphon of John, the Sophia of Jesus Christ, and the Act of Peter. This seemingly small event turned out to be of enormous significance.

Dr. Reinhardt could tell that the book was ancient, but he knew nothing more about the find than that the dealer was from Achmim in central. The dealer told him that a peasant had found the book in a niche of a wall, but that is impossible. The book's excellent condition, except for several pages missing from the Gospel of Mary, makes it entirely unlikely that it had spent the last fifteen hundred years unnoticed in a wall niche. No book could have survived so long in the open air. It may be that the peasant or the dealer had come by it illegally and, hence, was evasive about the actual location of the find. Or it may have been only recently placed in the wall and accidentally found there. In any case, we still don't know anything specific about where it lay hidden all those centuries, although the first editor, Carl Schmidt, assumed that it had to have been found in the graveyards of Achmim or in the area surrounding the city.

Dr. Reinhardt purchased the book and took it to Berlin, where it was placed in the Egyptian Museum with the official title and catalogue number of Codex Berolinensis 8502. There it came into the hands of the Egyptologist Can Schmidt, who set about producing a critical edition and German translation of what is now generally referred to as the Berlin Codex

From the beginning, the publication was plagued by difficulties. First of all, there is the problem of the missing pages. The first six pages, plus four additional pages from the middle of the work, are missing. This means that over half of the Gospel of Mary is completely lost. What happened to these pages? Carl Schmidt thought they must have been stolen or destroyed by whoever found the book. The man itself was found protected inside its original leather and papyrus cover but by the time it reached Carl Schmidt in Berlin, the order of the pages had been The considerably jumbled. It took Schmidt some time to realize that the book was nearly intact and must therefore have been found uninjured. In an uncharitable and perhaps even rancorous comment, Schmidt attributed the disorder of the pages to "greedy Arabs" who must also have either stolen or destroyed the missing pages, but to this day nothing is known about their fate. We can only hope that they lie protected somewhere and will one day resurface.

By 1912 Schmidt's edition was ready for publication and was sent to the Prießchen Press in Leipzig. But alas! The printer was nearing completion of the final sheets when a burst water pipe destroyed the entire edition. Soon thereafter Europe plunged into World War I. During the war and its aftermath, Schmidt was unable to go to Leipzig and salvage anything from the mess himself, but he did manage to resurrect the project. This time, however, his work was thwarted by his own mortality. His death on April 17, 1938, caused further delay while the edition was retrieved from his estate and sent to press. At this point, another scholar was needed to see its publication through, a task that ultimately fell to Walter Till in 1941.

In the meantime, in 1917 a small third-century Greek fragment of the Gospel of Mary had been found in Egypt (Papyrus Rylands 463). Being parallel to part of the Coptic text, it added no new passages to the Gospel of Mary, but it did provide a few variants and additional evidence about the work's early date and its composition in Greek. Till incorporated this new evidence into his edition, and by 1943, the edition was again ready to go to press. But now World War II made publication impossible.

By the time the war was over, news had reached Berlin of a major manuscript discovery in Egypt near the village of Nag Hammadi. As chance would have it, copies of two of the other texts found within the Berlin Codex along with the Gospel of Mary (Apocryphon of John and Sophia of Jesus Christ) appeared among the new manuscripts. No new copies of Gospel of Mary were found at Nag Hammadi, but publication was delayed yet again as Till waited for information about the new manuscripts so that he could incorporate this new evidence into his edition of the Berlin Codex. But the wheels of scholarship grind slowly, and finally in exasperation, Till gave up. He confides to his readers:

In the course of the twelve years during which I have labored over the texts, I often made repeated changes here and there, and that will probably continue to be the case. But at some point a man must find the courage to let the manuscript leave one's hand, even if one is convinced that there is much that is still imperfect. That is unavoidable with all human endeavors.

At last in 1955, the first printed edition of the text of the Gospel of Mary finally appeared with a German translation.

Till was right, of course; scholars continue to make changes and add to the record. Of foremost importance was the discovery of yet another early third-century Greek fragment of the Gospel of Mary(Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 3525), which was published in 1983. With the addition of this fragment, we now have portions of three copies of the Gospel of Mary dating from antiquity: two Greek manuscripts from the early third century (P. Rylands 463 and P. Oxyrhynchus 3525) and one in Coptic from the fifth century (Codex Berolinensis 8525).

Because it is unusual for several copies from such early dates to have survived, the attestation of the Gospel of Mary as an early Christian work is unusually strong. Most early Christian literature that we know about has survived because the texts were copied and then recopied as the materials on which they were written wore out. In antiquity it was not necessary to burn books one wanted to suppress (although this was occasionally done); if they weren't recopied, they disappeared through neglect. As far as we know, the Gospel of Mary was never recopied after the fifth century; it may have been that the Gospel of Mary was actively suppressed, but it is also possible that it simply dropped out of circulation. Either way, whether its loss resulted from animosity or neglect, the recovery of the Gospel of Mary, in however fragmentary condition, is due in equal measure to phenomenal serendipity and extraordinary good fortune.

Dr. King's outline of the surviving manuscript fragments:

The Coptic Language

Although the Gospel of Mary was originally composed in Greek, most of it survives only in Coptic translation. Coptic is the last stage of the Egyptian language and is still in liturgical use by Egyptian Christians, called Copts. The oldest known Egyptian language was written in hieroglyphs, always on stone or some other durable material. In addition, Egyptians also wrote on papyrus, and for this they used a different script called hieratic, employed almost solely for writing sacred literature. A third script, called demotic, was developed for everyday transactions like letter-writing and book-keeping. Each of these scripts is very cumbersome, utilizing different characters or signs to represent whole syllables, not just individual sounds as in English. Sometime during the late Roman period, probably around the second century CE, scribes started writing the Egyptian language in primarily Greek letters, but adding a few from demotic Egyptian. This process made writing Egyptian much simpler and more efficient. Since Coptic script was used almost exclusively by Christians in Egypt, we can assume that Egyptian Christians were the ones who translated and preserved the Gospel of Mary.

The Berlin Codex

The book Reinhardt bought in Cairo in 1896 turned out to be a fifth-century papyrus codex. Papyrus was the most common writing material of the day, but codices, the precursor of our book form, had come into use only a couple of centuries earlier, primarily among Christians. The codex was made by cutting papyrus rolls into sheets, which then were stacked in a single pile, usually made up of at least 38 sheets. Folding the pile in half and sewing the sheets together produced a book of about 152 pages, which was finally placed inside a leather cover. The Gospel of Mary is a short work, taking up only the first 18% pages of a codex that itself is relatively small in size, having leaves that measure on average only about 12.7 cm long and 10.5 cm wide.

Papyrus Rylands 463 (PRyl)

This Greek fragment of the Gospel of Mary was acquired by the Rylands Library in Manchester, England, in 1917, and published in 1938 by C. H. Roberts. Like POxy 3525, it was found at Oxyrhynchus in northern Egypt, and dates to the early third century CE. It is a fragment from a codex—it has writing on both sides of the papyrus leaf—and exhibits a very clear literary script. It measures 8.7 cm wide by 10 cm long, although most fibers measure only 8.5. cm. The front of the fragment contains the conclusion of Mary's revelation and the beginning of the disciples' dispute over her teaching. After a short gap, the dispute continues on the other side of the fragment and ends with Levi leaving to announce the good news (GMary 9:29*10:4; 10:6-14). (See photos, pp. 1 and 35.)

Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 3525 (ΡOxy)

This tiny and severely damaged papyrus fragment of the Gospel of Mary in Greek was found during excavations of the town of Oxyrhynchus, along the Nile in lower (northern) Egypt. Published in 1983 by P. J. Parsons, it is now housed in the Ashmolean Library at Oxford. It dates to the early third century CE. The fragment has writing on only one side, indicating that it came from a roll, not a codex (book). Because it was written in a cursive Greek script usually reserved for such documentary papyri as business documents and letters rather than literary texts, Parsons suggested that it was the work of an amateur. What remains is a very fragmentary fragment indeed. It contains approximately twenty lines of writing, none of them complete. The papyrus measures 11.7 cm long and is 11.4 cm at its widest point, but the top half is only about 4 cm wide. The restoration is based largely on the parallel Coptic text. It contains the Savior's farewell, Mary's comforting of the other disciples, Peter's request to Mary to teach, and the beginning of her vision (GMary 4:11-7:3).

 

The Gospel According to Mary Magdalene
[The Gospel of Mary]

Chapter 4

(Pages 1 to 6 of the manuscript, containing chapters 1 - 3, are lost. The extant text starts on page 7...)

. . . Will matter then be destroyed or not?

22) The Savior said, All nature, all formations, all creatures exist in and with one another, and they will be resolved again into their own roots.

23) For the nature of matter is resolved into the roots of its own nature alone.

24) He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

25) Peter said to him, Since you have explained everything to us, tell us this also: What is the sin of the world?

26) The Savior said There is no sin, but it is you who make sin when you do the things that are like the nature of adultery, which is called sin.

27) That is why the Good came into your midst, to the essence of every nature in order to restore it to its root.

28) Then He continued and said, That is why you become sick and die, for you are deprived of the one who can heal you.

29) He who has a mind to understand, let him understand.

30) Matter gave birth to a passion that has no equal, which proceeded from something contrary to nature. Then there arises a disturbance in its whole body.

31) That is why I said to you, Be of good courage, and if you are discouraged be encouraged in the presence of the different forms of nature.

32) He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

33) When the Blessed One had said this, He greeted them all,saying, Peace be with you. Receive my peace unto yourselves.

34) Beware that no one lead you astray saying Lo here or lo there! For the Son of Man is within you.

35) Follow after Him!

36) Those who seek Him will find Him.

37) Go then and preach the gospel of the Kingdom.

38) Do not lay down any rules beyond what I appointed you, and do not give a law like the lawgiver lest you be constrained by it.

39) When He said this He departed.


Chapter 5

1) But they were grieved. They wept greatly, saying, How shall we go to the Gentiles and preach the gospel of the Kingdom of the Son of Man? If they did not spare Him, how will they spare us?

2) Then Mary stood up, greeted them all, and said to her brethren, Do not weep and do not grieve nor be irresolute, for His grace will be entirely with you and will protect you.

3) But rather, let us praise His greatness, for He has prepared us and made us into Men.

4) When Mary said this, she turned their hearts to the Good, and they began to discuss the words of the Savior.

5) Peter said to Mary, Sister we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of woman.

6) Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember which you know, but we do not, nor have we heard them.

7) Mary answered and said, What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you.

8) And she began to speak to them these words: I, she said, I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to Him, Lord I saw you today in a vision. He answered and said to me,

9) Blessed are you that you did not waver at the sight of Me. For where the mind is there is the treasure.

10) I said to Him, Lord, how does he who sees the vision see it, through the soul or through the spirit?

11) The Savior answered and said, He does not see through the soul nor through the spirit, but the mind that is between the two that is what sees the vision and it is [...]

(pages 11 - 14 are missing from the manuscript)


Chapter 8:

. . . it.

10) And desire said, I did not see you descending, but now I see you ascending. Why do you lie since you belong to me?

11) The soul answered and said, I saw you. You did not see me nor recognize me. I served you as a garment and you did not know me.

12) When it said this, it (the soul) went away rejoicing greatly.

13) Again it came to the third power, which is called ignorance.

14) The power questioned the soul, saying, Where are you going? In wickedness are you bound. But you are bound; do not judge!

15) And the soul said, Why do you judge me, although I have not judged?

16) I was bound, though I have not bound.

17) I was not recognized. But I have recognized that the All is being dissolved, both the earthly things and the heavenly.

18) When the soul had overcome the third power, it went upwards and saw the fourth power, which took seven forms.

19) The first form is darkness, the second desire, the third ignorance, the fourth is the excitement of death, the fifth is the kingdom of the flesh, the sixth is the foolish wisdom of flesh, the seventh is the wrathful wisdom. These are the seven powers of wrath.

20) They asked the soul, Whence do you come slayer of men, or where are you going, conqueror of space?

21) The soul answered and said, What binds me has been slain, and what turns me about has been overcome,

22) and my desire has been ended, and ignorance has died.

23) In a aeon I was released from a world, and in a Type from a type, and from the fetter of oblivion which is transient.

24) From this time on will I attain to the rest of the time, of the season, of the aeon, in silence.


Chapter 9

1) When Mary had said this, she fell silent, since it was to this point that the Savior had spoken with her.

2) But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, Say what you wish to say about what she has said. I at least do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly these teachings are strange ideas.

3) Peter answered and spoke concerning these same things.

4) He questioned them about the Savior: Did He really speak privately with a woman and not openly to us? Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did He prefer her to us?

5) Then Mary wept and said to Peter, My brother Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I have thought this up myself in my heart, or that I am lying about the Savior?

6) Levi answered and said to Peter, Peter you have always been hot tempered.

7) Now I see you contending against the woman like the adversaries.

8) But if the Savior made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Savior knows her very well.

9) That is why He loved her more than us. Rather let us be ashamed and put on the perfect Man, and separate as He commanded us and preach the gospel, not laying down any other rule or other law beyond what the Savior said.

10) And when they heard this they began to go forth to proclaim and to preach.

 

Matthew 28:1-10
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (NIV)

Mark 16:1-8
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (NIV)

 

Another Gnostic Gospel that I find interesting.

The Secret Book of James

Translated by Francis E. Williams

James writes to [...]: Peace be with you from Peace, love from Love, grace from Grace, faith from Faith, life from Holy Life!

Since you asked that I send you a secret book which was revealed to me and Peter by the Lord, I could not turn you away or gainsay (?) you; but I have written it in the Hebrew alphabet and sent it to you, and you alone. But since you are a minister of the salvation of the saints, endeavor earnestly and take care not to rehearse this text to many - this that the Savior did not wish to tell to all of us, his twelve disciples. But blessed will they be who will be saved through the faith of this discourse.

I also sent you, ten months ago, another secret book which the Savior had revealed to me. Under the circumstances, however, regard that one as revealed to me, James; but this one ... [untranslatable fragments]

... the twelve disciples were all sitting together and recalling what the Savior had said to each one of them, whether in secret or openly, and putting it in books - But I was writing that which was in my book - lo, the Savior appeared, after departing from us while we gazed after him. And five hundred and fifty days since he had risen from the dead, we said to him, "Have you departed and removed yourself from us?" But Jesus said, "No, but I shall go to the place from whence I came. If you wish to come with me, come!"

They all answered and said, "If you bid us, we come."
He said, "Verily I say unto you, no one will ever enter the kingdom of heaven at my bidding, but (only) because you yourselves are full. Leave James and Peter to me, that I may fill them." And having called these two, he drew them aside and bade the rest occupy themselves with that which they were about.

The Savior said, "You have received mercy ...
(7 lines missing)
Do you not, then, desire to be filled? And your heart is drunken; do you not, then, desire to be sober? Therefore, be ashamed! Henceforth, waking or sleeping, remember that you have seen the Son of Man, and spoken with him in person, and listened to him in person. Woe to those who have seen the Son of Man; blessed will they be who have not seen the man, and they who have not consorted with him, and they who have not spoken with him, and they who have not listened to anything from him; yours is life! Know, then, that he healed you when you were ill, that you might reign. Woe to those who have found relief from their illness, for they will relapse into illness. Blessed are they who have not been ill, and have known relief before falling ill; yours is the kingdom of God. Therefore, I say to you, 'Become full, and leave no space within you empty, for he who is coming can mock you."

Then Peter replied, "Lo, three times you have told us, 'Become full'; but we are full."
The Savior answered and said, "For this cause I have said to you, 'Become full,' that you may not be in want. They who are in want, however, will not be saved. For it is good to be full, and bad to be in want. Hence, just as it is good that you be in want and, conversely, bad that you be full, so he who is full is in want, and he who is in want does not become full as he who is in want becomes full, and he who has been filled, in turn attains due perfection. Therefore, you must be in want while it is possible to fill you, and be full while it is possible for you to be in want, so that you may be able to fill yourselves the more. Hence, become full of the Spirit, but be in want of reason, for reason <belongs to> the soul; in turn, it is (of the nature of) soul."

But I answered and said to him, "Lord, we can obey you if you wish, for we have forsaken our fathers and our mothers and our villages, and followed you. Grant us, therefore, not to be tempted by the devil, the evil one."
The Lord answered and said, "What is your merit if you do the will of the Father and it is not given to you from him as a gift while you are tempted by Satan? But if you are oppressed by Satan, and persecuted, and you do his (i.e., the Father's) will, I say that he will love you, and make you equal with me, and reckon you to have become beloved through his providence by your own choice. So will you not cease loving the flesh and being afraid of sufferings? Or do you not know that you have yet to be abused and to be accused unjustly; and have yet to be shut up in prison, and condemned unlawfully, and crucified <without> reason, and buried as I myself, by the evil one? Do you dare to spare the flesh, you for whom the Spirit is an encircling wall? If you consider how long the world existed <before> you, and how long it will exist after you, you will find that your life is one single day, and your sufferings one single hour. For the good will not enter into the world. Scorn death, therefore, and take thought for life! Remember my cross and my death, and you will live!"

But I answered and said to him, "Lord, do not mention to us the cross and death, for they are far from you."
The Lord answered and said, "Verily, I say unto you, none will be saved unless they believe in my cross. But those who have believed in my cross, theirs is the kingdom of God. Therefore, become seekers for death, like the dead who seek for life; for that which they seek is revealed to them. And what is there to trouble them? As for you, when you examine death, it will teach you election. Verily, I say unto you, none of those who fear death will be saved; for the kingdom belongs to those who put themselves to death. Become better than I; make yourselves like the son of the Holy Spirit!"

Then I asked him, "Lord, how shall we be able to prophesy to those who request us to prophesy to them? For there are many who ask us, and look to us to hear an oracle from us."
The Lord answered and said, "Do you not know that the head of prophecy was cut off with John?"
But I said, "Lord, can it be possible to remove the head of prophecy?"
The Lord said to me, "When you come to know what 'head' means, and that prophecy issues from the head, (then) understand the meaning of 'Its head was removed.' At first I spoke to you in parables, and you did not understand; now I speak to you openly, and you (still) do not perceive. Yet, it was you who served me as a parable in parables, and as that which is open in the (words) that are open.

"Hasten to be saved without being urged! Instead, be eager of your own accord, and, if possible, arrive even before me; for thus the Father will love you."

"Come to hate hypocrisy and the evil thought; for it is the thought that gives birth to hypocrisy; but hypocrisy is far from truth."

"Do not allow the kingdom of heaven to wither; for it is like a palm shoot whose fruit has dropped down around it. They (i.e., the fallen fruit) put forth leaves, and after they had sprouted, they caused their womb to dry up. So it is also with the fruit which had grown from this single root; when it had been picked (?), fruit was borne by many (?). It (the root) was certainly good, (and) if it were possible for you to produce the new plants now, <you> would find it."

"Since I have already been glorified in this fashion, why do you hold me back in my eagerness to go? For after the labor, you have compelled me to stay with you another eighteen days for the sake of the parables. It was enough for some <to listen> to the teaching and understand 'The Shepherds' and 'The Seed' and 'The Building' and 'The Lamps of the Virgins' and 'The Wage of the Workmen' and the 'Didrachmae' and 'The Woman.'"

"Become earnest about the word! For as to the word, its first part is faith; the second, love; the third, works; for from these comes life. For the word is like a grain of wheat; when someone had sown it, he had faith in it; and when it had sprouted, he loved it, because he had seen many grains in place of one. And when he had worked, he was saved, because he had prepared it for food, (and) again he left (some) to sow. So also can you yourselves receive the kingdom of heaven; unless you receive this through knowledge, you will not be able to find it."

"Therefore, I say to you, be sober; do not be deceived! And many times have I said to you all together, and also to you alone, James, have I said, 'Be saved!' And I have commanded you to follow me, and I have taught you what to say before the archons. Observe that I have descended and have spoken and undergone tribulation, and carried off my crown after saving you. For I came down to dwell with you, so that you in turn might dwell with me. And, finding your houses unceiled, I have made my abode in the houses that could receive me at the time of my descent."

"Therefore, trust in me, my brethren; understand what the great light is. The Father has no need of me, - for a father does not need a son, but it is the son who needs the father - though I go to him. For the Father of the Son has no need of you."

"Hearken to the word, understand knowledge, love life, and no one will persecute you, nor will anyone oppress you, other than you yourselves."

"O you wretches; O you unfortunates; O you pretenders to the truth; O you falsifiers of knowledge; O you sinners against the Spirit: can you still bear to listen, when it behooved you to speak from the first? Can you still bear to sleep, when it behooved you to be awake from the first, so that the kingdom of heaven might receive you? Verily, I say unto you, had I been sent to those who listen to me, and had I spoken with them, I would never have come down to earth. So, then, be ashamed for these things."

"Behold, I shall depart from you and go away, and do not wish to remain with you any longer, just as your yourselves have not wished it. Now, therefore, follow me quickly. This is why I say unto you, 'For your sakes I came down.' You are the beloved; you are they who will be the cause of life in many. Invoke the Father, implore God often, and he will give to you. Blessed is he who has seen you with Him when He was proclaimed among the angels, and glorified among the saints; yours is life. Rejoice, and be glad, as sons of God. Keep his will, that you may be saved; accept reproof from me and save yourselves. I intercede on your behalf with the Father, and he will forgive you much."

And when we had heard these words, we became glad, for we had been grieved at the words we have mentioned before. But when he saw us rejoicing, he said, "Woe to you who lack an advocate! Woe to you who stand in need of grace! Blessed will they be who have spoken out and obtained grace for themselves. Liken yourselves to foreigners; of what sort are they in the eyes of your city? Why are you disturbed when you cast yourselves away of your own accord and separate yourselves from your city? Why do you abandon your dwelling place of your own accord, making it ready for those who want to dwell in it? O you outcasts and fugitives, woe to you, for you will be caught! Or do you perhaps think that the Father is a lover of mankind, or that he is won over without prayers, or that he grants remission to one on another's behalf, or that he bears with one who asks? - For he knows the desire, and also what it is that the flesh needs! - (Or do you think) that it is not this (flesh) that desires the soul? For without the soul, the body does not sin, just as the soul is not saved without the spirit. But if the soul is saved (when it is) without evil, and the spirit is also saved, then the body becomes free from sin. For it is the spirit that raises the soul, but the body that kills it; that is, it is it (the soul) which kills itself. Verily, I say unto you, he will not forgive the soul the sin by any means, nor the flesh the guilt; for none of those who have worn the flesh will be saved. For do you think that many have found the kingdom of heaven? Blessed is he who has seen himself as a fourth one in heaven!"

When we heard these words, we were distressed. But when he saw that we were distressed, he said, "For this cause I tell you this, that you may know yourselves. For the kingdom of heaven is like an ear of grain after it had sprouted in a field. And when it had ripened, it scattered its fruit and again filled the field with ears for another year. You also, hasten to reap an ear of life for yourselves, that you may be filled with the kingdom!"

"And as long as I am with you, give heed to me, and obey me; but when I depart from you, remember me. And remember me because when I was with you, you did not know me. Blessed will they be who have known me; woe to those who have heard and have not believed! Blessed will they be who have not see, yet have believed!"

"And once more I prevail upon you, for I am revealed to you building a house which is of great value to you when you find shelter beneath it, just as it will be able to stand by your neighbors' house when it threatens to fall. Verily, I say unto you, woe to those for whose sakes I was sent down to this place; blessed will they be who ascend to the Father! Once more I reprove you, you who are; become like those who are not, that you may be with those who are not."

"Do not make the kingdom of heaven a desert within you. Do not be proud because of the light that illumines, but be to yourselves as I myself am to you. For your sakes I have placed myself under the curse, that you may be saved."

But Peter replied to these words and said, "Sometimes you urge us on to the kingdom of heaven, and then again you turn us back, Lord; sometimes you persuade and draw us to faith and promise us life, and then again you cast us forth from the kingdom of heaven."

But the Lord answered and said to us, "I have given you faith many times; moreover, I have revealed myself to you, James, and you (all) have not known me. Now again, I see you rejoicing many times; and when you are elated at the promise of life, are you yet sad, and do you grieve, when you are instructed in the kingdom? But you, through faith and knowledge, have received life. Therefore, disdain the rejection when you hear it, but when you hear the promise, rejoice the more. Verily, I say unto you, he who will receive life and believe in the kingdom will never leave it, not even if the Father wishes to banish him."

"These are the things that I shall tell you so far; now, however, I shall ascend to the place from whence I came. But you, when I was eager to go, have cast me out, and instead of accompanying me, you have pursued me. But pay heed to the glory that awaits me, and, having opened your heart, listen to the hymns that await me up in the heavens; for today I must take (my place at) the right hand of the Father. But I have said (my) last word to you, and I shall depart from you, for a chariot of spirit has borne me aloft, and from this moment on, I shall strip myself, that I may clothe myself. But give heed; blessed are they who have proclaimed the Son before his descent, that when I have come, I might ascend (again). Thrice blessed are they who were proclaimed by the Son before they came to be, that you might have a portion among them."

Having said these words, he departed. But we bent (our) knee(s), I and Peter, and gave thanks, and sent our heart(s) upwards to heaven. We heard with our ears, and saw with our eyes, the noise of wars, and a trumpet blare, and a great turmoil.

And when we had passed beyond that place, we sent our mind(s) farther upwards, and saw with our eyes and heard with our ears hymns, and angelic benedictions, and angelic rejoicing. And heavenly majesties were singing praise, and we, too, rejoiced.

After this again, we wished to send our spirit upward to the Majesty, and after ascending, we were not permitted to see or hear anything, for the other disciples called us and asked us, "What did you hear from the Master. And what has he said to you? And where did he go?"

But we answered them, "He has ascended, and has given us a pledge, and promised life to us all, and revealed to us children (?) who are to come after us, after bidding us love them, as we would be saved for their sakes."

And when they heard (this), they indeed believed the revelation, but were displeased about those to be born. And so, not wishing to give them offense, I sent each one to another place. But I myself went up to Jerusalem, praying that I might obtain a portion among the beloved, who will be made manifest.

And I pray that the beginning may come from you, for thus I shall be capable of salvation, since they will be enlightened through me, by my faith - and through another (faith) that is better than mine, for I would that mine be the lesser. Endeavor earnestly, then, to make yourself like them, and pray that you may obtain a portion with them. For because of what I have said, the Savior did not make the revelation to us for their sakes. We do, indeed, proclaim a portion with those for whom the proclamation was made - those whom the Lord has made his sons.

This translation was made by Francis E. Williams, excerpted from The Nag Hammadi Library in English edited by James M. Robinson, and transcribed for online publication originally at the Gnostic Society Library (gnosis.org).

 

Way to keep the fire burning, brother!!