1 Peter 5

13 She who is in Babylon refers to the church in Rome. In Old Testament times, Babylon was the capital of a great kingdom (now modern Iraq); the city was known for its evil and ungodliness. Therefore, in New Testament times, Christians gave the name Babylon to Rome, because Rome was the evil capital of the Roman Empire.

Just as Timothy was Paul’s spiritual son (1 Timothy 1:2), so Mark was Peter’s spiritual son. Mark was the writer of the New Testament Gospel of Mark. Mark had learned all about Christ from Peter, and thus he wrote his Gospel according to what Peter told him. Mark is also mentioned in Acts 12:12,25; 15:36-40; Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11.

14 In New Testament times, it was the customary greeting among Christians to give each other a kiss (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20).

Peace to all of you who are in Christ. In this world we shall have suffering. But in Christ we will have peace. Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

¹ At the time this letter was written, the Romans had begun to persecute Christians severely. At that time, all the countries around the Mediterranean Sea were under the control of the Roman Empire.

² In place of the words prepare… for action, some versions of the Bible say, “be sober,” or “be selfcontrolled,” which is a more literal translation of the Greek text. The meaning is essentially the same.

³ There is a sin that is even more basic than pride and selfishness, and that is unbelief. It is so basic that it is not usually listed along with other sins. Unbelief is the real root of all man’s sins. For further discussion, see comment on Romans 3:10-12 and footnote to comment.

⁴ In place of the word capstone, some translations of the Bible say “cornerstone.” The point is the same; Christ is the most important “stone” in the church. Without Him, the church would fall down.

⁵ However, our good behavior by itself is never sufficient to lead people to Christ. At some point, in some way, a person must hear or read God’s word, the Gospel, in order to be saved (see Romans 10:13-14).

⁶ Here Peter is talking only about personal revenge. Rulers, administrators, and others in authority must punish wrongdoers.

⁷ The blessings that God gives to evildoers are natural blessings, such as sunshine and rain, food and family. Apart from these natural blessings, which come to all men equally, God does not bless evildoers; rather, He opposes them.

⁸ Christ Himself called His death a “baptism” (Mark 10:38-39; Luke 12:50).

⁹ The pagans are non-believing Gentiles.

¹⁰ All Christians, however, are called to share their faith with their friends and acquaintances (1 Peter 3:15).

¹¹ In the Greek text, the word rejoice means “keep on rejoicing.”

¹² The punishment God gives to unbelievers is eternal spiritual death. This is sometimes called the second death (see Revelation 20:14-15). Through Christ, believers are saved from this death. The only death that believers face is the “first death,” that is, physical death.

¹³ In the Greek language, overseer means one who supervises. Such a person is also called a “bishop.”

¹⁴ It has been said that pride is an even deeper sin than selfishness, or self-love. For even if we could remove all selfishness from our lives, we would still be proud that we had done so!

¹⁵ In the Greek language, the name Satan means “slanderer” or “false accuser.” (Satan is the Hebrew name for the devil.) In Revelation 12:10, Satan is called the accuser of our brothers.