The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 18

mnnuscripts, wlin through him are failhfril condition of p111•ifl,,ntion. Gorl's people nro towards God. 'fhrough himeoH, not only elect nnto ohe<lienee nnrl 8prinkling of tl,o through his inco.rnation and a.toning death, blood of Jesna Christ. Wl,ilo they w,il k in but through his gro.co o.nd a.biding presence, tha path of obc,linnco they nre walki □ g in Ho was m!lnifested for your so.ko who the light, the li;,:ht of truth, the light of thl'ough him o.ro faithful; for all the faith- God's presence, nnd then tho blood of .Je8u~ ful, whether Jaws or Gentiles; "for your Christ is cleansing them from all sin ( l glory," St. Po.ul says (1 Cor. ii. 7). The John i. 7). The genitive (-rij, a.,\19,,a,) thought shows tho greatness of God's love seems to be objective, "obedience to the for his elect. The eternal Son was mo.ni- truth," rather than obedience wrou:;ht by fested for their so.ke; it gives an additional the truth. Tbc truth is Gorl's truth, the stimulus for Christian effort. That raised truth revealed in hi~ Holy Wor,i. So the Lol'rl him up from the dead, and gave him glory. himself said, "Sanctify them through thy St. Peter returns to the "after-glories," truth; thy Word is truth" (John xvii. 17). which he hod mentioned in ver. 11. The The words, "through the Spirit," are not death of Christ is the atonement for sin; found in the best manuscripts; they mny bci his resurrection ancl ascension are the o. gloss, but a true one. Unto unfeigned grounds of our confidence and hope. They love of the brethren. St. Peter had not for- throw ho.ck a ho.lo of Divine glory upon the gotten the new commandment, "That ye awful cross; they bring out the beauty and love one another, as I have l0ved you, th:u the dignity of the atoning sacrifice; they ye also love one another." The word ren- show that it is accepted, that the work of dered "love of the brethren" ( ,P1,\a3,,\,pfo.) our redemption is cowplete. The Resurrec- is scarcely found except in Christian tion held a very prominent place in the writings. St. Peter uses it ugain in his preaching of St. Peter, o.nd, indeed, of all Second Epistle (i. 7), e.nd also St. Paul the apostles (Acts ii. 32-36: iii.15: iv. 10: (Rom. xii. 10 ; 1 Thess. iv. 9). It must be comp. also Acts iv. 33; Rom. i 4, etc.). That unfeigned, without hypocrisy, not in word, your faith and hope might be in God; but in deed and in truth (1 John iii. 18). rather, so that you1· faith and hope are in Our hearts must be purifieJ in the obedi- God-directed towards God (els ®eov): or ence of the truth before that unfeigned love perhaps, e.s Weiss, Huther, and others, ''so can dwell in them (comp. 1 Tim. i. 5, which that your faith is at the so.me time hope is an exact parallel). See that ye love ona towards God." The resurrection and the another with a pura heart fervently ; Ii te- glory of Christ not only inspire the Christion rally, love one mwther from the heart. The with confidence in God, but they also give word "pure" is omitted in two of the most his fo.ith the character of hope; they fi.l' it ancient manuscripts; it may be :i. gloss, but with hope. Christ had promised that where it is most true and suitable. Christian love he is there should his servant be; he had must be from the heart, true and pure. The prayed that those whom the Father had word rendered "fervently" ( /,c-revois) means, given him should be with him where he is, literally, "iuteusely," with all the energies to behold his glory. He is in heaven, on strained to the utmost. It is interesting to the right band of God. Thus the Christian's observe that the only other plo.cc where the faith o.ssumes the e.ttitucle of hope ; he hopes adverb occurs is in Acts xii. 5 (ncconliug to be where Christ is, to see him as he is, to to the reading of the mo,t aucient manu- be mnde like unto him. This is "the hope sc1·ipts), where it is used of the prnyer of glory" for which we offer our thnnks- offered up for St. Peter himself. gi vings. St. Peter is the apostle of hope. Ver. 23.-Being born a.go.in; mtber, hai-ing Ver. 22.-Seeing ye he.ve purified your been begotten again. St. Peter repeats the souls; literally, having pu1·ified. The verb verb used already in ver. 3. It is the highest o.-,,vl(w is used of ceremoni11l puri ficatiou argument for brotherly love; the children of in John xi. 55, and in Aots xxi. 2-!, 26 ; the one Father are nil brethren; thuy should xxiv. 18. St. Jo.mes and St. John, in their "love as brethren" (eh. iii. 8). Not of Epistles, give it the spirituul sense in which oorruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the St. Peter uses it here (Jas. iv. 8; 1 John iii. Word of God, which liveth and e.bideth for 3). In this sense it implies consecration to ever. The word used here(u,ropl)weans, pro- God's service, and an inward clean8ing of perly, "sowiug;" but, like ,nropo, (Luke ,·iii. tho heurt from all that defiles-from sensual 11), it stmhls also for the see,!; and 1.tcre tho desires, from hypocrisy, from 11elfishness. epithets" corruptible" nu,l "incorruptible" The tense shows that this inward purifica- Beem to ueccssitnte this second meauing. I1\ tion must procedo the love to which the the p,issnge quoted from St. Luke, the seP<l o.postle exhorts us ; there can be no true (u1ropos) is iileutificd with the Woril, 1·'1'1.te love iu an uuclenn heart. In obeying the ~eei.l is the Word of God." Hern theru seems truth through the Spirit ; literally, in tlie to be a distinction. God's elect are begotten obedie11qe of tlle trnlh. Obedience is the again of incorruptible seed through the  12 THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. [ea. r, 1-28.