Commentary on First Peter (24)

1 Peter 1:14-2:3
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

We have spent much time on the beginning verses (1:1-13) of First Peter because they provide the theological foundation for us to understand and appreciate the rest of the letter. As mentioned, Peter would soon begin to tell his readers how they should think and behave within specific situations and relationships. However, this does not begin until 2:13. The first major portion of the letter, therefore, does not end with 1:13, but continues all the way to 2:12.

Between 1:14-2:12, we find two sections that in some ways are similar to 1:3-13. One similarity is that in all three sections (1:3-13, 1:14-2:3, 2:4-12), Peter appeals to a major theological theme and then draws the appropriate conclusion from it. Thus Peter tells his readers, in effect, God has chosen you and saved you, and you are privileged to live in this time of fulfillment (1:3-12) – therefore, set your mind on grace (1:13). Then, second, you have become children of God, and now you call him your Father (1:14-25) – therefore, feed on spiritual milk and grow up in your salvation (2:1-3). Finally, you have been made priests of God through Christ, and as living stones, you are being built into a spiritual house (2:4-10) – therefore, abstain from sinful desires and live good lives among the pagans (2:11-12).

These themes and conclusions are in turn the basis for the instructions and exhortations that appear in the second major portion of the letter, which begins from 2:13. These instructions and exhortations would lack context and the believers would lack the strength to follow them if not for the understanding that they follow from the nature of their salvation.

That said, there are at least two reasons why we treat 1:3-13 (or 1:1-13) as the ultimate or primary foundation, even though the subsequent two sections (1:14-2:3 and 2:4-12) do not begin the so-called "practical" portion of this letter.

First, although the second and the third sections introduce their own theological materials, they represent specific aspects of the great salvation that has already been discussed in the first. Second, although the second and the third sections exhibit some similarities in content and structure, rather than waiting until 2:13, Peter starts to mix his indicatives and imperatives beginning from 1:14. Unlike the first section, which stresses what is true about the believers, these two sections contain both declarations about the believers and instructions for the believers.

With the above in mind, let us consider 1:14-2:3 in this chapter of the commentary, and then 2:4-12 in the next.