The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 10

Thue In ver. 20 "foreknown,'' the more hold the blood of the covenant, which the oxo.ct renrlering of the Ilevieed Version muet Lord bath mrL<lo with you." V{e observe imply the "forcordo.ined" of the old tro.11e- tho.t in t.his plnco alsn ceremonial ao.nctifice.- lation. But tho.t foroknowledge ie the fore- tion (Exod. xix. 10) anrl the promise o( knowledge of God the Fo.ther, the Father of obedience (Exod. xxiv. 3) preceded the our Lord J eeue Ohriet, but our Father also. sprinkling of blood. "The hlood of sprin- He co.rotb for hie children ; we must truet kling" is called by the Lorri himself the in him. The potter mo.kee one vessel for bloorl of the new covenant (Un.tt. xxvi. 28; honour, another for dishonour; but he Mark xiv. 24), the blood hy which the mo.kee none for destruction. A veil of awful covenant of grace we.a ratifier! and inau!"'ll- mystery ho.nge round the relations which ro.too. Moses sprinkled the blood of the ~lrl exist between the Almighty and hie covenant once upon the people; the blood oreo.tures; but " God is Love." Throngh of the new covenant was shed once for "11 ae.notifioe.tion of the Spirit ; rather, in, as in upon the cross; but it is ever freah in its the Revised Version. We ho.ve the eame efficacy and power ; still we h:we boldness words in 2 Thess. ii. 13. The word ci:y,a<T- to enter into the holiest by the blood of i-&r, which St. Peter useo here, is e.lmost Jesus; still, if we abide in him, we have peculiar to St. Po.ul ; it occura eight times our "hearts sprinkled from an evil con- in his Epistles; once in tM Epistle to the science;" still, "If we walk in the light, as Hebrews ; but elsewhere only here jiu the he is in the light, ... the blood of Jesus New Testament. Like other verbo.ls of the Christ his Son is cleansing us from all sin." same form, it may have either an active or Tl1ose who are elect unto obedience are a passive meaning. Perho.ps the former is elect unto the sprinkling of the blood of the more suitable her&. God's election Jesus Christ; the loving obedience of faith places the Christian in the sphere of the keeps them in the presence of the cross, sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit; within the cleansing range of the one all- he lives in the Spirit, he walks in the sufficient sacrifice. Thus we ho.ve iu this Spirit, he prays in the Holy Ghost; and verse the concurr ~nee of the three blessed the blessed Spirit se.nctifieth the elect Persons in the scheme of salvation-the people of God : be worketh in them that choice of the Father, the sanctification or holiness (a.-y1a<1µ6v) without which they can- the Spirit, the redeeming work of the Son. not see God (Heb. xii. 14); they have their Grace unto you, and pea~e, be multipliad. fruit, the fruit of the Spirit, unto holinees St. Peter uses the familiar salutation of St. ~a.-y1a<1µ&v, Rom. vi. 22). The fundamento.l Paul ; possibly he quotes it, for he was idea of the Hebrew i,np,, which is repre- plainly familiar with St. Paul's Epistles-be sented by the Greek word 8:y1or, seems to be refers to them expressly in 2 Pet. iii. 15, 16, "separation, purity," though some connect it and Sylvanus, the old companion of St. with r.;::ii;:i, o.nd regard it e.s meaning origin- Paul, was now with him. He unites into one expression the Greek o.nd Hebrew salu- ally "fresh, new, young," and so'' pure, shin- tations, the xalpew of the Greeks under its ing, bright" (see Delitzsch, on Heh. ii. 11). Christian aspect of xc{p,r, the favour of By the word" spirit" we might, if we took the words ape.rt from the context, understand God; and the ciS:., of the Hebrews-the the spirit of man, which is sanctifit,d by the peace which is the' fruit of grace, which is Holy Spit-it of God; but the context shows the blessed possession of those on whom the that St. Peter is thinking of the work of favour of God abideth. Tho.t grace o.nd the three blessed Persons of the Holy peace is granted to all the elect of Gorl. St. Trinity. Ux.to obedience. Obedience is the Peter prays that it may be multiplied, that work of the Spirit; for the fruit of the Spirit his readers may be blessed with an ever- is love, and '' if o. man love me, he will keep increasing measure of that bee. veu.ly gift. my words." Thus election bas its origin ill He uses the same form of salutation in his the foreknowledge of the Father; it is Second Epistle. It is interesting to observe wrought out in the sanctifying influences that the phrase, "Peace be multiplied unto of the Spirit as its sphere, and it issues in you,'' occurs also in the proclamation of nctive obedience. Obedience is the sign and Nebuoho.dnezze.r (Dan. iv. I), o.ud in that of test of God's election: " By their fruits ye Darius (Dan. vi. 25), both written in Babylon, shall know them." The end of eleotion is the city from which St. Peter now sends the obedience first, then everlasting life. And message of peace. Tbe anarthrousness of sprinkling of the blood of J' esUB Christ. these two verses is remarkable; in the 'l'he word ~av-r1<1µ6s, sprinkling, occurs o.lso origino.l there is not one e.rticle in vers. 1, 2. in Heb. xii. 24 (comp. also ix. 19). In both Ver. 3.-:Blessed be the God and Father of places there is an evident reference to the our Lord J'esus Chriet. The Greek word events relo.ted in Exod. xxiv. 8, where we rendered "blessed" ( ev,\0')'11-ros) is used by read thRt "l\foses took the blood, and the New Testament writers onlv of God; the sprinkled it on tbo people, and Eaid, Be- participle evAo')'TJµ.evo$ is said·of men. St.  THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. [oH, 1, 1-26.