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1 Peter 1:20-2:3
January 8, 2023

INTRO

We see what Peter had already taught the Church regarding the benefits that God had poured out on them, God had caused them to be born again to a living hope; to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for them. The believers were guarded through their faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. They were instructed that if they were grieved by various, necessary trials it was to refine their faith. They were encouraged by Peter in that they were obtaining the outcome of their faith, the salvation of their souls. And Peter reminded the Church that everything is coming to pass just as the prophets predicted because they wrote through the “Spirit of Jesus." Because of all of these benefits, Peter called the churches to be as obedient children, and to not be conformed to their passions of their former ignorance, but as because God is holy, they were to be holy also in all their conduct. We will continue in the applicational heavy part of Peter’s letter this morning.

• Title of the sermon: Unity of Believers, pt 1
• Outline¹:
• We Are in the Same Family
• We Are Stones Of The Same Spiritual House
• We Are In The Same Priesthood
• We Are Citizens In The Same Nation

We Are in the Same Family

20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

• We covered vv 20 and 21 last week, so we shall move on to v 22 here.
• If you are using the KJV or NKJV this morning you will see that we did not read the phrase “through the Spirit” in v 22 >> This phrase was omitted by 1885 due to it be a proven scribal addition through the older witnesses. (Cf. MacLaren)
• Video on our website.
• He commends them in v 22, Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth
• We know of course, from passages like Romans 2:6-11, that all obedience results in purification.
• But Peter is talking about one act of obedience here:
• We know this because purified is in the perfect tense. It is a completed.
• How did they purify their souls … their being?
• Peter is talking about obeying the truth of— look in verse 25 —good news.
• How did the churches Peter was writing to obey the truth of the good news that results in the the purification of our souls? They believed. COMMENT
• THEY OBEYED by believing.
• Personal responsibility to the gospel.
• Just as “Abraham believed God and it was accredited to him as righteousness,” the thesis of Romans 4, we see the churches of Peter’s day had responded with the same obedience.

Peter explained in part the purpose for there purification >> for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

Notice, Peter modifies the first love with the word “sincere.”

• That word may mean too: undramatic (LSJ), undisguised (Thayer). In other words an honest love.
• The first use of ‘love’ in this phrase is philadelphia (a brotherly love).
• The reports Peter was getting was that the churches he wrote to were loving well in a brotherly love.

But, in the Greek, the second love in the passage is agapaō.

• agapaō = We think about it as loving in a godlike sacrificial way (cf. Wiersbe, p 901). To interact with, help and care for others without expecting anything in return. (Marshall, p 60)
• A sacrificial love.
• It seems we can thank the Septuagint writers— to some degree —for today’s Christian understanding of the word agape.
• The Septuagint is of course the Greek OT. It was translated from the middle of the third century into the second century.²
• It appears that agape was an obscure term and not used often, especially in the way we use it today, until the writing of the Septuagint.
• The Septuagint (LXX) chose agapaō 217 times to translate several Hebrew words for ‘love,’" including the most important type of love God’s hesed as it is known in Hebrew, his royal love of God. ³
• Some commentators wrote that the churches needed to show both kinds of love.⁴
• But Wuest asks an important question: “Why does God extort those to love one another who are already loving one another? There is plenty of the phile fondness and affection among the saints, and too little of the agape¹ divine love. Thus, the exhortation is to love one’s brother Christian … with a love that is willing to sacrifice one’s self for the benefit of that brother, …” (Wuest, p 47 f)
• Notice Peter modifies the second love also— again agapaō —with the term “earnestly” = or fervently >> this is an athletic term that means ‘striving with all of one’s energy.’" COMMENT (Wiersbe, p 901)
• “from a pure heart” motives matter.
• Love must accompy any action for it to be called good by God.
• That is point of 1 Corinthians 13 is that love is what makes a good work good.
• Motives matter.
• Peter called the church to strive for a John 3:16 love. A love that is poured through us to our forever family and the lost world. An agape love that is patient and kind; a love that does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. A love that does not insist on its own way; a love that is not irritable or resentful; a love that rejoices with the truth; a love that bears all things. (adapted from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)]
• Another important point here is that, love of the NT always involves at least another person. We do not love “in absentia” (Biblical Worship, p 489).
• Holiness is found in interactions with people.

ILLUSTRATION

• While both agapaō and phileō were synonyms to some degree in the NT. There does seem to be a difference alluded to by the end of Jesus’ ministry as we also see here in 1 Peter.
• I believe this is clear based on a biblical illustration that we will look at now.
• Recently Anna and I were talking about the seemingly differences in these two types of love in the biblical presentation Peter’s restoration on the beach with Jesus after His resurrection. COMMENT
• Turn to John 21. We are going to look at verse 15 and following.
• I will, in this reading, replace the English words of “love” with the Greek root words as needed.
• 15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you agapaō me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I phileō you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you agapaō me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I phileō you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you phileō me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you phileō me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I phileō you.”

APPLICATION

• It seems clear that Peter wanted the church to go on to a superior love between each other. Peter knew the difference between these two loves also.
• I would start by reminding us that the working definition of sin: sin is withholding love from anyone at any time for any reason.
• Hudson wrote, "Since God is love and we must compare our love to him, we come up short if we define it any other way. For you see, in the final analysis, Love is a commitment with a beginning and no end. Christ chose to love us and he has never stopped. He never will. We should be very careful with a word like love. Are we willing to make that kind of commitment? (p unknown)
• Agape is a fruit of the Spirit’s work; it comes from the Vine, Jesus.
• We too should hold on to the base love, but move on and STRIVE for the greater love.
• Agape love is the love we are to aim for; looking to express both to God and to all people.
  Self love is nver talked about outside of the second commandment. This is the just outside of sin love I have spoke about many times.
• So a VERY KEY POINT >> We purify our souls through relationships.

WHY go to higher love actions? Peter explains, verse 23, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

• “since you have been born again”,
• It’s because they had been born again due to that they had the capacity to love the way God loves.
• It’s because they were born again that they were to have the motivation to love others as God loves.
• They were born again verse 23b “not of perishable seed but of imperishable,”
• Here Peter uses “seed” as a metaphor.
• I think here, Peter has in mind the teaching of Jesus, when He equating the word of God being scattered among the thorn, weeds, path, and good soil. They were the good soil and they were authentic fruit.
• The next phrase of v 23 leads me to the latter conclusion:
• “through the living and abiding word of God;*”
• The word of God is living.
• These words we hold in our hands this morning, no matter the language translated to, do powerful, spiritual, God things.
• Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
• These words too abide.
• Abide = menō = regarding time; to continue to be, will not perish, will endure. (Thayer)
• I believe here that we will never fully understand how powerful God’s word is, but when we get to heaven, we will see the things that could have been had we took the word more seriously.

Peter gives a another reason for striving for love in verse 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.

• The world’s glory is very temporary.
• Grass has a season.
• The glory of grass, represented by the flower, is even shorter.
• The world has a glory and it is fading fast.
• Verse 24b The grass withers, and the flower falls,
• The world’s glory is temporary, fleeting, drying out, rotting, perishing, tarnishing, and wilting.
• To hope in the the things of the world is to hope in a mirage.

Verse 25 contrasts the the wilting world with the wonderful word.

• 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
• All the promises of God can be counted on.
• God’s Word brought about salvation for us.
• Also, God’s word is always the written standard by which we live.
• God’s word is consistent, It is not a moving target. COMMENT
• Conclusion:
  • Life is short.
  • If we don’t live by the forever word of God, we spend moments, days, weeks, years picking the world’s flowers.

We see the word of God is superior to the world, what did Peter admonish the churches to do in response? Verse 2:1, These are in the negative:
2:1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

• 2:1 So put away
• Our natures of sin will never leave us during our stays here.
• Sins remained in the believers.
• Putting their sins away took a conscious choice. Their responsibility.
• They were to put away all malice = ill-will, desire to injure; also: malignity, malice, wickedness, depravity (Thayer)
• and all deceit = properly bait: a lure, snare; hence deceit (Thayer)
• and hypocrisy = playing a part, hypocrisy, outward show (LSJ). “This is the kind of deceit in which persons pretend to be different from what they really are, and especially that they are acting from good motives when in reality they are motivated by selfish desire.” (Marshall, p 61)
• and envy = To feel uneasiness, mortification or discontent, at the sight of superior excellence, reputation or happiness enjoyed by another. (Webster)
• and all slander. = A false tale or report maliciously uttered. and tending to injure the reputation of another by lessening him in the esteem of his fellow citizens. (Webster)
• Proverbs 6:16a, 19b, There are six things that the Lord hates, [one of them is] one who sows discord among brothers.

Support verses that use the Greek word apotithēmi translated “put away”, “put off”, “lay side” “cast off”:

• Romans 13:12, The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
• Ephesians 4:20-22, But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires.
• Colossians 3:8, But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
• Hebrews 12:1, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
• James 1:21, Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

ILLUSTRATION

• God told Cain in Genesis 4:7, If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.
• The word for crouching there a primitive root; to crouch on all four legs like an animal; by implication lurk.

APPLICATION

• We are our sins prey!
• Put away sin is the best that we can do.
• We can and should put them away.
• But too, we know they remain lurking in our fallen hearts to continue their work of death.
• What sins do we need to put away this morning?

After the believers “put away” sinful responses, they were to be— verse 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation

• Elsewhere, we see milk of the word of God contrasted with the meat of God’s word but not here. (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:2; Hebrews 5:11-14
• Peter does not speak of meat of the word of God here.
• We should never interpret most metaphors as only meaning one thing.
• Peter’s metaphor is telling: Newborn baby and its mother’s milk.
• Not only did the living word birth them into the kingdom, it nourished them with, kingdom, spiritual food.
• “long for the pure spiritual milk” > also desire, yearn
• Spiritual growth is “impossible without nourishment.” (Marshall, p 63)

— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

• Peter implies that all born again people have tasted the Lord and should continue to crave the milk of the word of God.
• Peter’s audience had tasted the milf if they were saved. Now they needed to drink it.

APPLICATION

• A newborn only craves its mother’s milk.
• There is only one craving.
• It doesn’t look for any other nourishment.
• The newborn knows there is no other source.
• Many Christians have false ideas stunting their growth.
• From eastern mysticism to heresy they are led astray by things that are not the milk of the word.
• Do we long for the word as instructed?
• Longing for the word of God and drinking keeps us strong in the faith as it teaches and equips us to put sin away keeping us from sinful impulses and actions.
• The word of God teaches us what holiness looks like and how to respond in the world that we are soon leaving.

Notes

¹ Sub-titles adapted from Warren Wiersbe’s The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, p 901 ff (David C. Cook, 2007).

² “What is the Septuagint?” Got Questions Ministries, 2022.

³ To verify Utley’s claim, further study netted the following: agapaō occurs 217 times in 202 verses in the LXX Greek. (See the section “Concordance Results Shown Using the NASB20” from here). Compare the lexicon usage of the term agapaō as noted in the LSJ lexicon, paying close attention to the extra biblical entries of antiquity, by going here. Furthermore, the TR Greek uses agapaō 143 times in 110 verses. (See the section “Concordance Results Shown Using the NASB20” from here.)

⁴ See Wiersbe p 901 and Utley respectively.

Works Cited

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.

Other Works Cited

Biblical Worship. Editors, Benjamin K. Forrest, Vernon M. Whaley, and Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Kregel Publications, February 23, 2021.

Hudson, Wayne. Many A Tear Has To Fall. Padon Press, 2001. As quoted in part by Bible.org.

Marshall, I. Howard. 1 Peter. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, Ed. Grant Osborne, et al., InterVarsity Press, 1991.

Wuest, Kenneth. First Peter in the Greek New Testament. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, eighth ed. 1960.

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