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1:22
“Why does God exhort those to love one another who are already loving one another?” The answer is found in the use of another distinctive word for “love,” agape, which Peter uses. (Wuest, p 47)
This word speaks of a love which in its classical usage refers to a love called out of one’s heart by the preciousness of the person loved, which usage is carried over into the New Testament, but which word has an additional content of meaning poured into it by the way it is used in certain contexts such as John 3:16, where the idea of self-sacrifice for the benefit of the person loved is added to its classical meaning, I Corinthians 13, where the constituent elements of its Biblical usage are listed, and I John 4:8, where it is said to refer to the love that God is. Thus, the exhortation is to love one’s brother Christian because he is precious to God, and to love him with a love that is willing to sacrifice one’s self for the benefit of that brother, a love that causes one to be long suffering toward him, a love that makes one treat him kindly, a love that so causes one to rejoice in the welfare of another that there is no room for envy in the heart, a love that is not jealous, a love that keeps one from boasting of one’s self, a love that keeps one from bearing one’s self in a lofty manner, a love that keeps one from acting unbecomingly, a love that keeps one from seeking one’s own rights, a love that keeps one from becoming angry, a love that does not impute evil, a love that does not rejoice in iniquity but in the truth, a love that bears up against all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. That is the kind of love which God says one Christian should have for another. These Christians to whom Feter was writing already had a fondness and an affection for one another. The feeling of fondness and affection was perfectly proper in itself, but it could degenerate into an attachment for another which would be very selfish. But if these Christians would blend the two kinds of love, saturate the human fondness and affection with the divine love wit which they are exhorted to love one another, then that human affection would be transformed and elevated to a heavenly thing. Then the fellowship of saint with saint would be a heavenly fellowship, glorifying to the Lord Jesus, and most blessed in its results to themselves. There is plenty of the phile fondness and affection among the saints, and too little of the agape¹ divine love. (Wuest, p 47f)
Several social scientists have written books dealing with what they call the “me complex” in modern society. The emphasis today is on taking care of yourself and forgetting about others. This same attitude has crept into the church, as I see it. Too much modern church music centers on the individual and ignores the fellowship of the church. Many books and sermons focus on personal experience to the neglect of ministry to the whole body. I realize that the individual must care for himself if he is to help others, but there must be balance. (Wiersbe, p 903)
1:23-25
Our first birth was a birth of “flesh,” and the flesh is corruptible. Whatever is born of flesh is destined to die and decay. This explains why mankind cannot hold civilization together: it is all based on human flesh and is destined to fall apart. Like the beautiful flowers of spring, man’s works look successful for a time, but then they start to decay and die. All the way from the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11, to “Babylon the Great” in Revelation 17—18, man’s great attempts at unity are destined to fail. (Wiersbe, p 901)
It is tragic when people try to “manufacture” love, because the product is obviously cheap and artificial. “The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords” (Ps. 55:21). The love that we share with each other, and with a lost world, must be generated by the Spirit of God. (Wiersbe, p 901)
Much current Christian literature is concerned with Christian growth, the byword for current methods for increasing membership, principally through evangelism. But growth has other dimensions beside the purely numerical one. Two of its most important aspects are the development of spiritual maturity in individual converts and the development of the whole fellowship into a loving family. These two aspects come together in this part of the letter. (Marshall, p 61 f)
2:1-3
God’s Word has life, gives life, and nourishes life. (Wiersbe, p 901)
The growth is also impossible without nourishment. Peter wants to remind his readers that, more than simply receiving spiritual nourishment, they should be ardently longing for it. (Marshall, p 63)
Today we would change the metaphor perhaps to “be hooked on it.” (Marshall, p 63)
Peter enjoins his readers to crave spiritual nourishment on the assumption that they have already tasted it and know that it is good— so good that is worth getting more. (Marshall, p 64)
Scripture quotations [unless otherwise noted] are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Most Works Cited. Please click here to access the web-page for all of the works cited, save those above–if any. Most of the works cited on the linked web-page correspond to the verses they are outlined with. In the case of background information and other general reference citations, one will find cited material with the Bible books the citations are associated with. ¶ Furthermore, all citations with URL linked, numbered notes are from Thomas Constable’s, “Dr. Constable’s Expository (Bible Study) Notes.” These links are preserved “as is” at the time of this work’s formation.
Biblical Worship. Editors, Benjamin K. Forrest, Vernon M. Whaley, and Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Kregel Publications, February 23, 2021.
Marshall, I. Howard. 1 Peter. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, Ed. Grant Osborne, et al., InterVarsity Press, 1991.
Michaels, J. Ramsey. Word Biblical Commentary: 1 Peter. Ed. David Hubbard, et al., Word Publishers, 1988.
Wuest, Kenneth. First Peter in the Greek New Testament. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, eighth ed. 1960.
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