The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 27

there is need of ~ear. Indeed, "perfect love casteth out fear," but (I) our lovt>, "las I is not perfect, and imperfect love must be more or less accompanied with fcnr. And (2) the fear w~ich love cas:cth ou~ is that servile fear which simply dreads tho punishment, hecdrng neither the gmlt of sm nor the love or Christ. 'l'ho Christian fcnrs to offend God, who spared not his own Son; he fears to dishonour the cross of Uhrist; he fears to grim·e the Holy Spirit of God. "This fear is not cowardice; it doth not debase but clerntes the mind; for it drowns all lower fears, and begets true fortitude and courage to eucounter all dangers for the sake of a good conscience and the obeying of God. 'l'he righteous is as bol<l as a lion (Prov. xxviii. 1). He dares do anything but offend God; and to dare to do that is the greatest folly and weakness and baseness in the world. From this frar have sprung all the generous resolutions and patient sufferings of the saints and martyrs or God; because they durst not sin against him, therefore they durst lie imprisoned, and impoverished, and tortured, and die for him. Thus our Saviour snys, 'Fear not them that kill the body; but fear him which, after he hath killed bath power to cast into hell.' Fear not, but fear; and therefore fear, that you may fear not" (Leighton). 3. Co11sider further (1) from what we were redeemed. Out of Ure) our former ,ain conversation. We were bought out of our old unconverted life and that by no less a ransom tha~ the pre<:ious blood. He who bought us will give ~ power to escape out of that old hfe; be will strengthen us with all might by his Spirit in the inner man; then let us fear to look back upon Sodom, to return to our sins and carelessness. It may be the traditional, the conventional mode of life; we are tempted to do as others do, to go with the multitude. But that blood was ehed to redeem us out of the worldly life: let us fear. (2) The purpose of that redemption. Tbat our faith and hope might be in God. The sacrifice of Christ was foreordained from all eternity. Christ was manifested in due time, and that, the apostle says, "for you, who by him do believe in God." All this was for us, if we believe. God provided for our salvation before the world was. He then determined to give up his own Son for us all, This thought, almost too great to take int.o our minds, gives us some insight into the momentous importance of that salvation, the exceeding value of our souls. Again, Christ was manifested for ns; God raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; and it was all for us. Christ's manifestation, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, it was all for ns sinful men, that onr faith and hope might be in God. We are not worthy, we feel; we are utterly unworthy of this unutterable love, this tremendous sacrifice. But he loved us so, he counted it not too great a price. Then let us fear to offend him who loved us so deeply; let us fear to lose the salvation for which so great a price was paid; let us fear lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of us should seem to come short of it. Then "pa.ss the time of your sojourning here in fear." When that time is past, and God's elect are sojourners no more, but at home in the many lllll.nsions of the Father's house, there will be no more room for fear; for ,hey shall have everlasting rest, and perpetual peace will shine upon them. III. To BROTHERLY LOVE. 1. Oh,arity is the end of the commandment. (I 'I'im. i. 5,) St. Peter is the apostle of hope; but, like St. Paul the apostle of faith, he joins with St. John the apostle of love in bis earnest exhortations to follow after charity. He presses that high duty upon us in words of intense earnestness. He knows how hard it is for our selfish hearts to love ae Christians ought to love-he knowe how essential it is for oar salvation, for our happiness, for the happiness of others, that we should exercise that heavenly grace. He calls it philadelphia, brotherly love-a word which, except as the name of one of the seven Ch_1;1fches of Asia, yre find on_ly in St. ~~tcr (here and 2 Pet. i. 7) and St. Paul (Rom. xu. 10; 1 Thess. 1v. 9) and m Heb. xm. 1. The Lord Jesus bad said, "All ye are brethren;" the holy apostles remembered his words. (1) That brotherly love which is the badge and test of Christ's true disciple\ must be unfeigned. St. Paul uses the same word (Rom. xii. 9, ovll'll'01tp1-ros), where it is translated "without dissimulation." The world, in its ordinary forms of courtesy, counterfeits the grace of charity; the Christian must learn to love, not in word or in tonrue but in deed and in truth. And that we can learn only of the Lord Jesus Christ,' the one 'l'eacher of all true disciples, through the h~lp of the Holy Spirit of God, (2) It must be "out of a pure heart." The word "pure" 1s somewhat doubtful here; hut St. Paul certainly has it in the pa1-allcl passage (1 Tim. i. 6). Christian love must iBSue from the heart, aad that heart must Le pure. .Alas I impurtl, unholy passiona 011. 1. 1-25.j THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. 21