PETER
CHAPTER 1
The trial of our faith precedes salvation—Christ foreordained to be the Redeemer.
[Theme of Peter’s First Letter How the saints ought to react to suffering and persecution is the theme of the letter. The president of the church was forewarning the members that there was yet to be a “fiery trial” wherein they would be classed with murderers, thieves, and evil doers. The letter constituted a warning and a preparation for ominous days ahead. (50-2) Place and Date of Writing of First Peter This letter was probably written at Rome, inasmuch as “Babylon” (5:13) is a scriptural designation for the wickedest city in the empire (Revelation 18:10, 21). The date of writing was sometime before the Neronian persecutions in A.D. 62 or 63. (50-3) Background Information for First Peter As noted in chapter 1, the Roman government displayed a general tolerance toward all religions, Christianity not excepted. As long as the church posed no threat to Rome, the state ignored the church. The priesthood leadership of the church, however, was under divine commission to preach the gospel “unto all the world” (Mark 16:15). This meant, of course, a peaceful penetration of the gospel message into and throughout the Roman Empire. It was not a message that could or would long remain ignored by the Roman government, for the gospel messengers were making bold assertions that Jesus of Nazareth, who was rejected by his own nation and crucified under Roman edict, was now risen from the dead. A message that proclaimed a risen Christ, a coming judgment, and an eventual return of Christ to establish his universal kingdom on earth was not a message to be favorably regarded by power-obsessed earthly monarchs. Under the emperor Nero, misunderstanding, hatred, and accusations toward the saints in Rome and throughout the empire were actively fostered. The change from tolerance to hostility toward the church provoked apprehension among the saints throughout Asia. What should be their attitude, in turn, toward the state? How ought they to regard this unjust persecution? They looked to the prophet for answers.]
1 PETER, [an
apostle Simon Peter, called also Kephas: he was a fisherman, son of Jonah,
brother of Andrew, and born at Bethsaida; and one of the first disciples] an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered
throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
2 Elect [
Who Are the “Elect According to the Foreknowledge of God”? “To
bring to pass the salvation of the greatest possible number of his spirit children
the Lord, in general, sends the most righteous and worthy spirits to
earth through the lineage of Abraham and Jacob. This course is a manifestation
of his grace or in other words his love, mercy, and condescension toward his
children. “This election to a chosen lineage is based on pre-existent worthiness
and is thus made ‘according to the foreknowledge of God.’ (1 Pet. 1:2.) Those
so grouped together during their mortal probation have more abundant
opportunities to make and keep the covenants of salvation, a right which they
earned by pre-existent devotion to the cause of righteousness. As part of this
election, Abraham and others of the noble and great spirits were chosen before
they were born for the particular missions assigned them in this life. (Abra.
3:22–24; Rom. 9.) . . . “Actually, if the full blessings of salvation are to
follow, the doctrine of election must operate twice. First, righteous spirits
are elected or chosen to come to mortality as heirs of special blessings. Then,
they must be called and elected again in this life, an occurrence which takes
place when they join the true Church. (D. & C. 53:1.) Finally, in order to reap
eternal salvation, they must press forward in obedient devotion to the truth
until they make their ‘calling and election sure’ (2 Pet. 1), that is, are
‘sealed up unto eternal life.’ (D. & C. 131:5.)” (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine,
pp. 216–17.)] according to the foreknowledge of
God the Father, through sanctification [ Justification acquits man from sin but it does not cleanse him from the effects of sin. The process of cleansing man from the effects of sin is known as sanctification. To sanctify means to be made free from the effects of sin, to be purified (Webster's New World Dictionary). Sanctification is the process by which one is cleansed and purified from sin.
The following example will serve to illustrate the difference between justification and sanctification. Suppose a man, who had smoked for twenty years, finally realized the error of his ways and repented of his actions. He quite smoking, cold turkey, and never picked up another cigarette the rest of his life. He could be justified or acquitted of his sin and allowed to join the Church and participate in the blessings of the gospel. Though he quite smoking, he nevertheless would still suffer the effects of his sinful habit. His lungs would remain blackened because of the continually inhalation of smoke filled with tar and nicotine. What can he do about the effects of his sin? Nothing! The same is true with any sin. Though we may repent of our sins and never do them again, nonetheless, we cannot do away with the effects of our sins. We need divine help in order to become clean. This cleansing comes through the sanctifying powers of the Holy Ghost.
Sanctification comes through the gift of the Holy Ghost which is often called the baptism of fire. One of the primary missions of the Holy Ghost, and one not often spoken of, is his power to sanctify man from sin. Elder Bruce R. McConkie has written:
"To be sanctified is to be saved; to fall short of sanctification is to fail to gain full salvation. Only the sanctified gain eternal life. To be sanctified is to be clean; it is a state of purity and spotlessness in which no taint of sin is found. Only those who die as to sin and are born again to righteousness, becoming thus new creatures of the Holy Ghost, are numbered with the sanctified. ] of
the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of
the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace
unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy [ Mercy is the time required for the individual to develop the kind of character God has, it is what makes God -God. So mercy will act over time in order for you to satisfy the demands of justice, or a time when you have developed the character that makes God God, if you have exercised faith unto repentance, which is the change of your character. ] hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance [what
does it mean to have an inheritance? joint heirs
with Christ - we get everything that he gets think about that] incorruptible,
[What it is is what it is. It has no principles of dissolution
or decay in it; It is not like anything on this earth as everything here
will decay at some point] and undefiled,
[Nothing impure in it] and that fadeth
not away, [ It cannot wither, it is always in
bloom; a metaphor taken from those flowers that never lose their hue
nor their fragrance. It is an inheritance that will continue in it majesty
forever.] reserved
in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept [
Who are defended, watched over and guarded as in a fortress or castle.
] by the power of
God through faith unto
salvation ready to
be revealed [Or rather, Prepared to be revealed.
The inheritance is prepared for you; but its glories will not be revealed
until we are done with life, and passed through our probation, having
held fast in faith ] in the last time.
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though
now for a season,
[A little while yet - during our journey here on earth,
which is but a point when compared with eternity.] if
need be, [ If it be necessary - if your situation
and circumstances be such that you are exposed to trials and persecutions which
you cannot avoid, unless God were to work a miracle for your deliverance, which
would not be for your ultimate good, as he purposes to turn all your
trials and difficulties to your advantage.] ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of
your faith, [What
is a trail of our faith? Why do we even have trails? What do we learn
from our trails? Who does the Lord allow to be tried? everyone
- show me one prophet who has not been greatly tried...] being
much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though
it be tried with fire, [how
is gold made pure? As by the action of fire gold
is separated from all alloy and heterogeneous mixtures, and is proved
to be gold by its enduring the action of the fire without losing any thing
of its nature, weight, colour, or any other property, so genuine faith is proved
by adversities.] might be found unto praise and honour and glory at
the appearing of
Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love;
[Those to whom the apostle wrote had never seen Christ
in the flesh; and yet, such is the realizing nature of faith, they loved him
as strongly as any of his disciples could, to whom he was personally known.] in whom,
though now ye see him not, yet believing,
ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end [word
telov, end, is often used so as to imply the issue or reward of any labour
or action] of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
[The object of the Jewish expectations in their Messiah
was the salvation or deliverance of their bodies from a foreign yoke;
but the true Messiah came to save the soul from the yoke of the devil and sin. What Is Salvation? “Salvation is nothing more
nor less than to triumph over all our enemies and put them under our feet.
And when we have power to put all enemies under our feet in this world, and
a knowledge to triumph over all evil spirits in the world to come, then we
are saved, as in the case of Jesus, who was to reign until He had put all enemies
under His feet, and the last enemy was death.” (Smith, Teachings, p. 297.)]
10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves,
but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto
you by them that have preached the
gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire
to look into. [parakuyai? To stoop down to; the posture of those who
are earnestly intent on finding out a thing, especially a writing difficult
to be read; they bring it to the light, place it so that the rays may fall
on it as collectively as possible, and then stoop down in order to examine
all the parts, that they may be able to make out the whole.]
13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, [ In Greek, it means - free from illusion, free from the intoxicating influences of sin. It means to have one's wits about them and be rational. Websters 1828 dictionary:"Regular; calm; not under the influence of passion; as sober judgment; a man in his sober senses." ] and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves [The offices of certain persons are known by the garb or clothes that they wear, so are transgressors: where we see the world's clothes we see the world's servants; they fashion or habit themselves according to their lusts] according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed [To
redeem, lutrow, signifies to procure life for a captive or liberty for
a slave by paying a price] with corruptible things, as silver
and gold, from your vain conversation [Empty,
foolish, and unprofitable conduct] received by tradition from
your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: [ Such was the requirement for those sheep who were to be sacrificed on the altars of the temple. See Luke 2:8]
20 Who verily
was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, [Jesus was the ONE selected to work out the atonement. I suppose that knowing the Savior in the pre-existance was one of the reasons why we agreed to follow the plan. We raised our hand to the square because of our fore knowledge that Jesus would complete his end of the agreement. We knew that were all others might fail, he would not. See Gen 3:15; Exodus 17: ] but was manifest in these last times
for you,
21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.