The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 20

shcop by n11me said to the son of Jona, "Thou art Simon." He knew him by name, and ho knew his character; he gave him a. new name descriptive of that character when matured and strengthened in the faith. He had been a hearer; he was to be a stone, o. living stone in the spiritual temple, built upon that Rock which is Christ. 'l'hut new no.me was destined to be famous in the world; but Peter had learned to rejoice not in earthly fame, but because his no.me was written in heaven. 2. His office. He is an apostle of Jesus Uhrist; he is sent by the Lord; he has a message from him. lie feels his own responsibilities; he impresses upon his readers theirs; he must speak, for he has a message; they must listen, for that message is from Jesus Christ. The consciousness of being sent gives earnestness, weight, and dignity to the words of Christ's faithful ministers; if we do not feel that we have a message to deliver, our utterances are forced, unreal, unprofitable. His readers must receive his message with reverence and obedience, for it was the Lord Jesus Christ who gave him the apostolic commission, and the Lord had said, "He that heareth you heareth me." He thinks of the responsibilities of his office, not of its grandeur. His name stands first in all the lists of the apostles; he describes himself simply as a fellow-presbyter (eh. v. 1). The true minister of Christ knows the dignity of his calling; it will keep him hum blo in the deep consciousness of his own unworthiness. II. His DESORIPTlON OF HIB READERS, 1. They are strangers. God's people are "strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Heb. xi. 13, where the word rendered "pil- grims" is the same with that translated "strangers" here). Here they have no con- tinuing city; they are sojourners-sojourners of the dispersion, dispersed here and there in an unbelieving world. But they have a city which hath foundations; it seems afar off, but faith, like a telescope, brings it within the range of vision. They must lay up their treasures there; their hearts must be there; they must be "not of the world," as their Lord and Master Jesus Christ Wll8 not of the world. This word "strangers" first strikes the key-note of the Epistle, which is hope-the hope of the inheritance reserved in heaven. 2. They are elect. 'fhe strangers on earth are God's elect in heaven. 'l'he fact that they are in a true sense strangers here, that their governing principles, hopes, motives, are not of this world, proves their election of God. We cannot read the names written in the book of life; but we can read our own hearts, and if our heart condemn us not, if the holy name of Jesus is written there, if his love is constraining us to live no longer to ourselves, but to him who died for us and rose again, then have we confidence toward God. (1) Their election is according to the foreknowledge of God the ]father. 'l'he first source of our salvation lies in the electing love of God our heavenly Father. In the beginning, when God only was, and there was none but God; before the ages were, while yet there was no voice of angel or man to break the awful silence with words of prayer or praise, even then each ransomed spirit was known unto the everlasting Father; for to the Eternal time is not; all the long vista of future ages lies clear and open before the glance of the Omniscient. "'l'he Lord knoweth them that are his;" he chose them in Christ before the foundation of the world. He chose them not because he foresaw that they would bo worthy ape.rt from his choice (which is impossible); rather by his choice he made them worthy. He decreed by bis counsel secret to us to deliver them from curse and damnation, and to bring them to everlasting glory. 'l'hus much is clearly taught in Holy Scripture; it follows also from the conception of God as infinite in power and knowledge. Our difficulties arise when we try to reconcile this teaching with the fact of free agency given in the human consciousness, or when we confront the tremendous fact that there is evil in the world which God made and governs. Unbelievers, alas! say he cannot, the world being what it is, be both all good and almighty. But we know t.hat he is our Father. We are children now. We know only in part, very imper- foclly. 'l'he child wonders, but it does not doubt. We must cultivate the childlike spirit; we must believe in humble faith our Father's words; we shall hereafter reach the point, now high above us, where these apparently conflicting truths meet in perfect harmony; we shall know even as also we are known. And now, in our ignorance, " the godly consideration of our election in Christ is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons, and such as feel in themselves the working of the ilpirit of Christ." 'l'hose who know the power of God's grace know also the plague of their own hearts, their exceeding sinfulness and weakness, What joy, then, to know  14 'l'HE FIBS'!' EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. [cH. I. 1-a6.