1 Peter 1:13-2:3
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1 Peter 1:13-2:3 Be Holy
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Summary of passage
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Text and Translation
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Original Context & Exegesis
A. Passage Boundaries (why are these verses grouped together in this chapter or pericope?)
B. Exegesis of passage as a whole (or verse-by-verse, if helpful).
1:13 The clothing of this time could encumber one trying to work, run, or wage war. Even though the clothing wasn't inherently bad, it did hinder. In the same way there are things in our minds that encumber, that either trip us up or use up a portion of our mental energy, preventing us from focusing on Him. These things don't have to be inherently sinful, in fact, their ability to trip us up seems multiplied when they are not. That favorite thought or pastime is not abandoned because it's not actually wrong, but what's missed in that equation is how much of our time is eaten up by it. When it takes over, it becomes an idol, and that clearly is wrong. Just as a computer doesn't run well when too many programs are open consuming system resources, our brains can't be totally focused on our pet thoughts and fantasies or hobbies and pastimes and still have enough "system resources" to allow us to focus on God and see our whole world through "God-colored glasses". We (read "I") need to concentrate on the race set before us and focus on the finish line, not allowing ourselves to be distracted by the crowd, however well-meaning that crowd may be.
1:14-16 We need to be different from the world. We must be obedient to Christ to truly live out our new life in Him. This is a total polar opposite from what we used to do, following only our own desires. Here begins a call for personal holiness. I don't believe that he is referring to positional holiness, because that wouldn't require a command -- we already are from the moment we put our trust in Christ. I also don't believe (as do some) that this means that total practical holiness is an attainable goal, i.e., that we can eventually become sinless. However, practical holiness should be our aim. We will never actually fully attain it this side of Heaven, but the closer we get, the more fully we can be used by the Master. In our striving towards personal holiness, we make ourselves more useful tools for Him.
1:17 In the OT, He was the Almighty God, Yahweh, the Eternally Self-existent One, and was to be approached only through the priests. In the NT, we can approach Him as Father. He has not changed, but our relationship to Him has. We were disobedient children of Satan, but now we have been adopted as sons. We no longer are someone else's children, referring to a man as "Mr. So-and-so", we've been adopted, and now refer to him as "Daddy". While God deserves the same respect in the NT as in the OT and hasn't changed in nature or essence, there has been a change in relationship, giving us full, unrestricted access to Him.
1:18-19 We were bought from the slave market of sin to be adopted, not with gold or silver which can tarnish, get lost or stolen, or lose it's value. We were bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, which has no equal in value or durability. Also, if something is purchased with gold or silver, it can be bought back by the original owner. No one can buy us from Jesus Christ because no one else can afford the price. Nothing compares to His blood in value and thus no one else can pay the price of our redemption.
1:20 Even though He knew He would have to die to redeem us, He created the human race anyway.
1:21 The Jews believed in God before Jesus and after Jesus. The rest of us only heard about God through Jesus and those who spread the word about Him. Without Jesus, most of us wouldn't be worshipping God like we see in the OT, we'd be praying to trees and animals.
Jesus points us toward the Father, even as the Holy Spirit points us toward Jesus. It seems that those whose ministries talk of only Jesus may be missing who He really is. According to this verse, it would seem that if we have an accurate belief in Him our faith and hope will be in the Father.
1:22 Is this the ultimate result of a pure soul obeying the truth -- genuine love for fellow believers? It's certainly possible. Christ Himself said "by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." It's usually fairly easy to show love to people outside the church who "don't know any better", it's another to show it to those we worship with every Sunday. We see more of their faults and hold them to a higher standard. While we should hold them to a higher standard, that shouldn't affect our love for them. Indeed, Peter didn't say "show love", he said to have "genuine love". The difference here will show by whether we show love to them "when we are able to" or whether we love them. Period. No matter what. And therein lies the challenge.
1:23 We are born again and the genetic material (seed) we receive is from God and is incorruptible. Our original genetic design condemned us to slavery to sin, sickness, suffering, and ultimately death. Our new genes that we receive from the Father free us from the slavery to sin, and ultimately grant us freedom from sickness, suffering, and death forever in Heaven. Now we take after our new "Daddy" and should show it.
1:24-25 Our lives are short and last but a season. Our accomplishments last for an even shorter time. The Gospel lasts forever. While it certainly has not been forever since Peter penned these words, it has been nearly 2000 years. While scraps of other writings from the period exist today, the Bible is unique in how well preserved it is. This, among many other things, helps to prove that the Bible is divine rather than human in origin.
2:2 Just as a baby needs nourishment immediately after being born and feeds frequently at first, we should be constantly craving our spiritual “food” – prayer, Bible study, meditation, worship, fellowship, etc. This is not spiritual milk in contrast to spiritual food as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3; rather it just refers to the intensity and frequency with which we are to desire God. This illustration should be easily understood by anyone who has been woken up every two hours or so by a screaming, hungry newborn. I hope that I someday desire the things of God that much, that the desire for Him is even able to wake me up from sleep! The difference between babies and us is that no one has to tell them to be hungry. It is somewhat comforting to know that I’m not alone because Peter had to tell them to desire it as well. The purpose of this is to “grow into salvation.” Note that this does not mean we are to work for our salvation or that we need to accomplish a certain amount of things on order to be saved. Peter is once again using the word “salvation” to refer to the ultimate salvation of our souls in Heaven. (see note on 1:5)
2:3 I can almost hear a note of light sarcasm here as Peter says “if perhaps you have experienced the Lord to be useful.” Yes, the word often translated “good” or “gracious” actually means “useful.” In other words, he’s saying “desire spiritual food so that you can grow. At least, if you’ve found anything useful in Christ you should.” The obvious resounding answer to his statement is YES! We don’t just find usefulness in Christ, we find a hope and a future. We find strength for the journey and a home at the end. We find infinite friendship and love both in this world and the next. Do we find anything useful? No, far more. We find that which we can not live without.
C. Literary Features--What genre is it? What literary devices (e.g, metaphor) does it use?
D. Connections to the rest of book—what purpose does this pericope serve in the bigger picture of the book?
E. Connections to the rest of Scripture--How is it referenced or alluded to elsewhere?
Jesus Christ: The Redemptive-Historical Context
A. Where is Christ and the Gospel present in this passage?
B. How does this passage point to Christ or depend on Christ? How does Christ fulfill this passage? How was it fulfilled already? How will it be fulfilled?
C. What does this passage tell us about God’s plan of redemption in Christ?
Current Context
A. What does this tell us about ourselves, our world, and the human condition?
B. What are some modern parallels to the original situation?
C. What is the call/command/invitation of this passage?
D. How does Christ & the Gospel in this passage enable us to see, think, and live differently?
Links/References/Bibliography
A. Representative sermons on the passage
B. Examples and Illustrations
C. Commentaries on this book
D. Articles on this book or passage
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