Hebrews 13

PLUS

CHAPTER 13

Concluding Exhortations (13:1-17)

1 Jesus said to His disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another” (John 13:34). Such love is not just a warm and happy feeling that comes on us when everything is going well. To love each other as brothers is costly. To His command above, Jesus added these words: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). How did Jesus love us? He gave up His own life for us (1 John 3:16-17).

Keep on loving each other. Even in times of trouble and persecution, our love for each other must continue to grow (see Romans 12:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10). In this way we shall be able to stand firm in the face of difficulties.

The Hebrews were facing persecution. The writer’s word to them is that in order to stand firm they must keep on loving one another.

2 Here the writer recalls an Old Testament story in which Abraham entertained three angels, and one ofthem turned out to be God Himself (Genesis 18:1-10). The other two angels then went to Lot, Abraham’s nephew, and saved him from destruction (Genesis 19:1-16). Perhaps an actual angel will never come to our home; but strangers will come, and we should not turn them away. Like the angels who went to Lot, these strangers might one day bring us great blessing.

However, we should not entertain strangers in order to get a blessing but rather to give a blessing! To show hospitality is an important Christian duty (Matthew 25:34-40; Romans 12:13; 1 Peter 4:9).

3 In this verse the writer gives us an important principle: namely, in order to adequately love those who are in trouble, we must put ourselves in their place; we must try to imagine ourselves in their circumstances. If we do this, we will be better able to love them and to sympathize with them. When we remember those in prison, let us at the same time imagine ourselves there in prison with them. When we think of those who are being mistreated or dishonored or afflicted in any way, let us imagine it is we who are enduring these sufferings instead of them.

Remember those who suffer, says the writer, as if you yourself were suffering.²⁴ We have bodies just like theirs; we experience the same sorrows and joys they do. And tomorrow our turn to suffer will surely come. At that time, we will be needing their love and sympathy! (see Hebrews 10:3334 and comment).

4 God Himself established marriage (Genesis 2:24). Therefore, the joining of a man and woman together in marriage is honorable and pleasing to God. And ifmar-riage is honorable and pleasing to God, that means the marriage bed (sexual intercourse in marriage) is also honorable and pleasing to God, because sexual intercourse is an essential part of marriage.

An adulterer is a person already married who then has intercourse with someone else. The sexually immoral are all those—either married or unmarried—who engage in any kind of unlawful sexual activity, including adultery.

To marry a second wife while the first wife is still living is to commit adultery—unless the first wife herself committed adultery to begin with (see Matthew 5:32; Mark 10:1112 and comments). If a married man goes to a prostitute, he is likewise committing adultery. God will judge all adulterers and all the sexually immoral; those who do not repent will not enter heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6).

5 God does not want us to lack any essential thing. God is ready to provide us with everything we need, but He usually does not provide us with more than we need. To seek for more than we need is to be greedy; and a greedy man is an idolator, because he puts wealth and possessions in the place of God (see Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5). Such a man worships his possessions instead of God.

Paul wrote to Timothy: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (1 Timothy 6:10). The person who has a love of money begins to love God less and less, and his worldly possessions more and more. No one can love both God and money at once (see Matthew 6:24 and comment). Not only that, those who love money end up piercing themselves with many griefs. These griefs are worry and anxiety. The lover of money is always afraid oflosing his money. He is never at peace; he is never happy. He is never content with what he has; he always wants more.

Let us not be like that. Rather, let us learn to be content with what we have (Philippians 4:11-12). Paul wrote: … godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that (1 Timothy 6:6-8).

On this subject, Jesus Himself gave the main teaching: “… do not worry, saying, What shall we eat’ or ‘What shall we drink’ or ‘What shall we wear’ … But seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:31-33).

The writer here quotes from Deuteronomy 31:6. God will never leave us, nor forsake us! Why should we be anxious?

6 Here the writer quotes from Psalm 118:6. Believers are under the protection of almighty God. We need not be afraid.

7 In this verse, the writer is speaking about past leaders. If we honored them while they were alive, we should continue to honor them after they have gone. They brought us the word of God, and they set a good example for us to follow.

8 Our former leaders have gone, but Jesus never goes (Psalm 102:27; Hebrews 1:12). And because Jesus abides forever, His priesthood is eternal and unchangeable (Hebrews 7:24). Jesus always lives to intercede for us (Hebrews 7:25).

Jesus said: “I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!” (Revelation 1:17-18).

9 Some false teachers were trying to teach the Hebrews that in order to gain extra spiritual strength it was necessary to eat certain ceremonial foods. But here the writer tells the Hebrews that it is not by ceremonial foods that a person’s heart is strengthened, but by God’s grace (see Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 8:8).

10 Some Jews taught that it was spiritually beneficial to eat meat that had been sacrificed on the altar. But we Christians have a different altar, not where the bodies ofanimals are sacrificed but where the body of Christ was sacrificed. That altar is the spiritual altar of the new covenant, from which those who minister at the (old covenant) tabernacle have no right to eat.²⁵ Only eating at Christ’s altar gives spiritual benefit; when we eat from Christ’s altar we partake of Christ Himself (John 6:53-56).

11 Jesus Christ is our sin offering; He is our sacrifice of atonement for sins (Romans 3:23-25). Under the old covenant, the Jewish high priest each year offered a sin offering, or sacrifice ofatonement, for the sins of the people. The priests could eat the meat of all other sacrifices, but they were not allowed to eat the meat of the sin offering.²⁶ The bodies of the animals sacrificed as sin offerings were burned outside the camp (Leviticus 16:27).

12 Jesus also died outside the camp (verse 11)—that is, outside the city gate of Jerusalem. John says that the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city (John 19:20). Through the sacrifice of His body on the cross—that is, through his own blood—Jesus has made believers holy (see Hebrews 10:10,14).

13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp. For Jewish Christians, to “go outside the camp” meant leaving Jerusalem, leaving their old religion, their possessions, their security—everything. In the same way, all who want to follow Christ must go to him outside the camp; that is, they must leave their old religion, their old customs, their old life. In his day, Moses left the treasures of Egypt and endured disgrace for the sake of Christ (Hebrews 11:26). Jesus said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34) “… and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37-38). Let us remember how disgraceful the cross was in Jesus’ time. But God’s only Son took up His own cross and carried it outside the camp (John 19:17). Therefore, let us likewise take up our cross and go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.

14 None of us likes to leave his own “camp,” his own city, his old customs, his old life. But we must not put any reliance on these old things; they will not benefit us. All these things will pass away. For here we do not have an enduring city. Indeed, these words were soon to come true for the Jews: forty years after Jesus’ death, the city of Jerusalem was totally destroyed by the Romans.

We who put our reliance in Christ do not seek an earthly city; rather, we seek a heavenly city, a heavenly Jerusalem, a kingdom that cannot be shaken (see Hebrews 11:10,16; 12:22,28).

15 The animal sacrifices of the old covenant have been done away with. The sacrifice of Christ is sufficient; it remains in effect forever. However, we Christians have a new kind of sacrifice to offer to God: namely, a spiritual sacrifice. Peter wrote that we are a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5).

What are these spiritual sacrifices? One of them is mentioned in this verse: the sacrifice ofpraise. Praise and thanksgiving are “sacrifices” which are always acceptable to God.

16 But it is not enough to offer sacrifices only with our lips. We must also offer sacrifices to God by performing works of love. True religion does not consist in offering animal sacrifices but rather in doing good and helping others (see James 1:27). Our sacrifices are love, mercy, faithfulness. But more than these, we must offer our bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). This is the sacrifice most pleasing to God, because if we have offered our bodies to God, then we have offered Him everything.

17 At the present time, there are many who do not like to obey their leaders. These people do not show respect for their leaders. Young people criticize their elders. But this situation should not exist among Christians. Our leaders have faults and weaknesses, but that is not our business. Our responsibility is to respect and obey them (see 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 and comment).

God has appointed leaders to watch over us. They will have to give an account to God of how well they have served as shepherds of their flocks. If we have disobeyed them or rebelled against them, they will have great sorrow when they give account of us to Christ. And if they have sorrow because of our disobedience, then surely we too shall have sorrow when it is our turn to stand before Christ. Those who oppose their leaders bring great spiritual harm upon themselves.²⁷

Final Prayer and Greetings (13:18-25)

18-19 Pray for us. The more we pray for our leaders, the more they will be able to benefit us spiritually (see Romans 15:3032; 2 Corinthians 1:12).

20 We can learn much about how to pray for ourselves and for others by studying the prayers written in the New Testament. Here the writer prays to the God of peace, the God who through Jesus Christ has made peace with believers. This same God, through the blood of the eternal covenant, has raised Christ from the dead. That is, by shedding His blood, Christ offered a sacrifice that was completely acceptable and pleasing to God; therefore, God brought Him back from the dead and made Him the high priest of the eternal covenant—the new covenant between man and God (Ezekiel 37:26).

But Christ is not only our high priest; He is also our great Shepherd. And we are His sheep.

21 Here the writer prays that God will equip the Hebrews with everything good for doing his will. What else could we ever need? “Everything good” includes God’s grace, God’s power, God’s Holy Spirit. Besides these things, there is nothing more we need.

But one thing more is needed. Even though we have received everything good for doing his will, it is still necessary that God work in us what is pleasing to him (see Philippians 2:13). Alone we can do nothing (John 15:5). God works in our lives through the power of His Holy Spirit. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever (Ephesians 3:20-21).

22-25 Timothy (verse 23) was Paul’s colleague, to whom Paul wrote two New Testament letters. This is the only place in the New Testament where it says that Timothy was in prison.

Those from Italy²⁸ are mentioned in verse 24. It is not known who these people were, or whether they were living inside or outside Italy when this letter was written. The only thing that can be said is that they were some Italian brothers who sent their greetings to the Hebrews.

¹ Hebrews were Aramaic (or Hebrew) speaking Jews. (The Hebrew and Aramaic languages were almost the same.) In New Testament times, the Aramaic language was the most commonly spoken language in the Middle East.

² For further discussion, see General Article: Jesus Christ.

³ Abraham was the first Jew; he is therefore the original ancestor of all the Jews according to the flesh. Christ Himself, being a Jew, was descended from Abraham (Matthew 1:1).

⁴ For further discussion of sin, see comment on Romans 3:10-12 and footnote to comment.

⁵ In the Greek language, the names Joshua and Jesus are the same.

⁶ The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, which by Jewish custom falls on Saturday. According to the fourth of the ten commandments, the Jews were required to rest on the Sabbath, and do no work (Exodus 20:8-11).

⁷ In one sense, God did indeed rest after creating the world. However, in another sense, God never completely "rests." He continues to sustain the universe and everything in it. Without God’s constant sustaining "work," everything would come to an end (see John 5:17).

⁸ The writer says that the word of God penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. That is, the word reveals and judges the deepest parts of our being. God’s word shows us what in our lives is of the flesh and what is of the spirit. God’s word examines our soul—that is, our mind, our inner motives and desires. Sometimes we think we are doing God’s will, but it’s really our own selfish will that we are doing. Our soul naturally follows our selfish will, our spirit follows God’s will; we often cannot tell them apart. But God’s word is able to "divide," or distinguish between, these two wills. That is what the writer means when he says that the word penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit.

⁹ Jerusalem is the most important city of the Jews. During much of the period of the Bible. Jerusalem was the Jewish capital. King David and many of the other Jewish kings reigned from Jerusalem.

¹⁰ We must understand here that the first and most basic form of obedience is faith itself (see Hebrews 4:6 and comment). Then, once there is true faith, that faith will always be manifested by obedience in all other matters. It is impossible to separate faith and obedience; they are like two blades of a scissors. Thus, to say that we are saved through obedience to Christ (that is, the obedience of faith) is the same as saying that we are saved through faith in Christ; both are equally true statements.
However, this is not to say that we are saved by works of obedience alone. We are not saved by works alone. Rather, we are saved by faith expressing itself in obedience (see Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 2:8-10; James 2:14,17,20-24 and comments). Furthermore, faith itself is a gift of God, a gift of God’s grace. Our salvation from first to last is a work of God’s grace. For further discussion, see General Article: Way of Salvation.

¹¹ Yes, God is able to touch them; He is able to bring them to repentance. God is able to do anything; all things are possible with God (Mark 10:27). But God will not touch them; He will not bring to repentance those who have tasted His blessings and then deliberately and knowingly rejected Him.

¹² For further discussion, see General Article: Can We Lose Our Salvation?

¹³ Before the permanent Jewish temple was built in Jerusalem, the Jews used to worship God in a tabernacle made from a tent, which they took with them wherever they traveled. Both in the tabernacle and later in the temple, there was an inner sanctuary called the Most Holy Place (Hebrews 9:3). This is the “inner sanctuary” that the writer is referring to in this verse.

¹⁴ The first Jewish sanctuary—or tabernacle—was a tent, which the ancient Jews moved from place to place wherever they went. Only after the Jews entered the promised land of Israel did they build a permanent tabernacle—that is, the great temple in Jerusalem.

¹⁵ It wasn’t actually the covenant itself that was “wrong”: it was the Jews who were wrong. In veise 8, the writer says: God found fault with the people.

¹⁶ In the Greek language, the same word is used for both will and covenant.

¹⁷ Hyssop is a type of plant. It was used to sprinkle blood or water.

¹⁸ In place of the words Most Holy Place, some translations of the Bible say “sanctuary.” But here we must understand that the writer is talking about the Most Holy Place, because the way into that room goes through the curtain—that is, the curtain dividing the “Most Holy Place” from the “Holy Place” (see Hebrews 9:3).

¹⁹ Baptism is not only a “washing” of the body with water; it is also a sign of our inner spiritual cleansing. For further discussion, see General Article: Water Baptism.

²⁰ In place of the words keep on sinning, some versions of the Bible only say “sin.” However, the meaning of the Greek text is keep on sinning. The writer of Hebrews is talking here about a person who knowingly continues in sin without repentance.

²¹ Noah himself didn’t condemn the world; only God can do that. But in a sense Noah, by simply being righteous, condemned the unrighteousness of the world. Noah “condemned” the world in the same way light “condemns” darkness. Unrighteous men always appear worse in the presence of a righteous man.

²² God does not choose men according to their birth. As with Jacob and Esau, God often chooses the one who is last physically to be first spiritually (see Mark 10:31).

²³ During that period, all kings of Egypt were called Pharaoh.

²⁴ In place of the words as if you yourselves were suffering, some versions of the Bible say, “since you also are in the body,” which is a literal translation of the Greek text. The meaning is the same.

²⁵ See comment on verse 11 and footnote to comment.

²⁶ This is why those who ministered under the old covenant had no right to eat from Christ’s altar (verse 10). Christ Himself was a sin offering, and it was forbidden to eat the meat of sin offerings.

²⁷ A frightening example of what can happen when people oppose their legitimate leaders is found in Numbers Chapter 16.

²⁸ Italy is an important country of Europe, whose capital is Rome. In New Testament times, Rome was the capital and center of the Roman Empire.

James

INTRODUCTION

Most Bible scholars believe that this letter was written by James, the younger brother of Jesus (Galatians 1:19). James was a leader in the church in Jerusalem (Galatians 2:9). Many scholars think that this letter was written before 50 A.D. If this is so, then it was one of the first New Testament letters to be written. The letter could not have been written later than 62 A.D., because in that year James was put to death.

James wrote this letter to Christians to teach them the duties of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. In James’ time, many Christians had stopped doing good works. They said: “We are not saved by works, but only by faith; therefore, there is no need to do good works.” In saying that they were saved by faith alone, these Christians were correct. But in saying that they no longer needed to do good works, they were badly mistaken. It was mainly to correct that mistaken belief that James wrote this letter.

OUTLINE

Trials and Temptations (1:1-18).
1. The Testing of Faith (1:1-11).
2. The Source of Temptation (1:12-18).
General Teachings (1:19-3:18).
1. The Practice of the Word (1:19-27).
2. Condemnation of Partiality (2:1-13).
3. Faith and Deeds (2:14-26).
4. Control of the Tongue (3:1-12).
5. Two Kinds of Wisdom (3:13-18).
Various Exhortations (4:1-5:20).
1. The Worldly Attitude (4:1-17).
2. The Wicked Rich (5:1-6).
3. Patience (5:7-12).
4. The Prayer of Faith (5:13-20).

CHAPTER 1

Faith and Wisdom (1:1-8)

1 James calls himself a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every Christian—including the chief leaders—are God’s servants (see Romans 1:1 and comment). A servant lives in complete dependence on his master and remains obedient to him in everything. We too should live as God’s servants. No matter how much authority we are given in this life, we are still servants. For whatever authority we have belongs not to us but to God.

We are servants not only of God but also of the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice that James uses Jesus’ full title here. The name Jesus is a man’s name, the name of the man who lived here on earth, who taught and performed miracles, who died and was raised from the dead. The name Christ means “anointed one” (Psalm 2:2; Acts 4:26). In the Hebrew language¹ the word for “anointed one” is Messiah (John 4:25). Christ was “anointed” to be our Savior and to be the mediator to reconcile us to God. The third part of Jesus’ title is Lord, which in the Greek language² means God. It is the name given to God throughout the Old Testament. Therefore, we must understand from this that Jesus is both man and God. This is why He is the one true mediator between man and God.

James wrote this letter mainly to Jewish Christians—that is, to Jews who believed in Christ.³ These believers had been scattered about because of the persecution against Christians by non-believing Jews and also by the Romans.

James addresses these believers as the twelve tribes—that is, the twelve tribes of Israel, the Jewish nation. These twelve tribes were descended from the twelve sons of Jacob, Abraham’s grandson. But James has not written this letter only for these Jewish Christians; he has written it for all believers everywhere. Therefore, whether we are Jewish believers or Gentile believers, this letter has been written for us.

2 The trials mentioned in this section are the troubles and persecution that we suffer for Christ’s sake. James is not talking here about the troubles that come on us because of our own mistakes and sins.

James does not say that trials are themselves a joy. Rather, he says we are to “consider” them a joy. Why should we consider trials a joy? Because from this kind of trial we receive much spiritual benefit (see verses 3-4). The followers ofother religions are able to endure trials, but only Christians are able to rejoice in their trials.

3 Here James calls these trials a testing of our FAITH. What benefits do these trials bring to us? Such trials produce in us perseverance. God allows trials to come upon us in order to test and strengthen our faith (see 1 Peter 1:6-7). To persevere means to be firm and strong in faith. It means to be brave and courageous, and not to whine and howl like a dog when it’s beaten. As a man perseveres in trials, he becomes stronger. But his strength is not in himself; rather, he receives his strength from Christ through faith.

Another word for perseverance is patience. Patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Such spiritual patience or perseverance is essential for us; our salvation depends on it. Jesus said, “… he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13; Luke 21:19).

There is a second reason why God allows trials to come upon us, and that is in order to discipline us. Perhaps we have wandered from God’s path; or perhaps we have stopped walking according to His will. God by means ofvarious trials will try to bring us back onto the right path. When such discipline comes upon us, we must not lose heart (Hebrews 12:5-6). Rather, we should accept such trials with joy, knowing this, that they have come upon us for our own good and in accordance with God’s will.

4 The fruit of perseverance is maturity. Trials come upon us so that we might be mature and complete. The mature Christian is one who is patient, who perseveres. The character of a mature Christian lacks nothing; it is complete. All the fruits of the Holy Spirit are evident in his life. Such a person is like a fully ripened fruit.

Fruit ripens unevenly; first only one side ripens. But as the sun shines and the rain falls upon the fruit, it begins to ripen on all sides. Christians are like that.

5 All Christians are continually growing in maturity. We each still lack certain things. One thing we often lack is wisdom. In this verse, we are given a tremendous promise: if any of us lacks wisdom, all he has to do is ask and it will be given to him. We will receive all the wisdom we need; God gives His gifts generously. God does not find fault with us because we lack wisdom; He does not rebuke us. He is our loving heavenly Father; we can go to Him without fear.

Wisdom is different from knowledge. We gain knowledge by our own effort. We gain knowledge by studying in school. But true wisdom is a gift of God.⁴ Wisdom is greater than knowledge, because wisdom includes the gift of using knowledge. Knowledge is of no benefit unless it is used wisely.

6-8 In order to receive anything from God we must ask in faith. If we pray without faith, God will not give us what we ask. This rule applies not only to wisdom, but to anything we ask for.

The man who doubts is a double-minded man (verse 8). With one part of his mind he hopes to receive what he asks for; but with the other part of his mind he doubts that he will receive it. Such a man’s faith is not firm; it is unstable. Such a man is tossed back and forth like the waves of the sea.

The Poor and the Rich (1:9-11)

9 The brother in humble circumstances is a believer who is a slave, a servant, a prisoner, a man of low caste, or one who has fallen into some kind of difficulty. Such a man’s worldly position is indeed humble and lowly. But, through faith, his spiritual position—that is, his high position—is good, and he can take pride in it.⁵ He is God’s child and Christ’s fellow heir (Romans 8:14,16-17). The world is the opposite of the kingdom of God. Those who are lowly in the world will be exalted in the kingdom of God (see Matthew 5:35; 23:11-12; Mark 10:43-44).

10-11 The one who is rich refers here to a wealthy Christian brother. The rich brother must not take pride in his wealth; his wealth will soon perish (Matthew 6:1921). His business will not remain forever, but in time will fade away (verse 11). The rich brother must not pile up his wealth; instead, he should give it to the poor and use it for Christ’s work (see Mark 10:2123). He must not consider his wealth his own; it belongs to God. Let him put himself in a low position (verse 10); then he will take pride in God and not in his wealth (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

Who are the rich? Whoever has land and possessions should consider himself rich. James is not speaking here only of the very rich; he is speaking also of Christians with just a small amount of wealth. Such people don’t like to think of themselves as “rich”; but compared with the poor, they are indeed rich.

Riches perish; God’s word remains forever. The man who puts his trust in riches instead of in God will perish with his riches. He is like a flower that will wither and pass away (see Isaiah 40:6-8; 1 Peter 1:23-25). No one can trust both in riches and in God at the same time (see Matthew 6:24).

Trials and Temptations (1:12-18)

12 The believer who perseveres will receive the crown of life. The “crown of life” is the crown of victory over sin, or the crown of victory in our life’s race (see 1 Corinthians 9:25; 2 Timothy 4:7-8). The main meaning of the crown of life, however, is salvation, or eternal life. … he who stands firm to the end will be saved (Mark 13:13). We need to bear our cross only for a short time; but we shall wear our crown forever.

God has promised to give the crown of life to those who love him. Those who love God are those who believe in Him and obey Him. Love, obedience, and faith can never be separated.

We must think about the word trial in this verse. Trials are various kinds of troubles and difficult circumstances which come upon us at different times in our lives.⁶ God allows such trials to come on us in order to test and to strengthen our faith (verse 2). But when trials come, it is possible for us to fall into sin. For example, if we are suffering persecution because ofour faith, we may be tempted to give up our faith. To give up our faith is a great sin. Or, for example, if by God’s grace we have been given the chance to gain some wealth, we may be tempted to use that wealth for ourselves; we may begin loving our wealth and stop loving God. If we do this, we will have fallen into sin. Or, for another example, we may begin to fall in love with some man or woman, even though we are already married. In such a circumstance the temptation to sin will be very great; our faith will indeed be tested.

These are all examples of trials that can lead us into temptation to sin. If we do not stand firm and persevere in such situations, we shall fall into sin. The trial itself does not cause us to sin; rather, it is our inner desires and lusts that cause us to sin (verse 14). Sin arises in our sinful nature. We cannot blame our trials for our sin; we can only blame ourselves.

13-14 In these verses, James uses the word tempted. Here he is not talking about the kind of trials that he mentioned in verses 2 and 12. He is talking here about the TEMPTATION or desire to sin. God, according to His will, may allow trials to come upon us for the testing and strengthening of our faith. But it is never God’s will that we be tempted to sin. The temptation to sin never comes from God; it comes only from our own sinful desires.

Sometimes Christians are overcome by temptation and fall into sin. Often they try to blame God for their sin; they say, “God tempted me, and I fell.” But we must never think such a thing. God never tempts anyone to sin.

Therefore, as we read this chapter, we must keep in mind that James is talking about two different things. First, he talks about trials, which arise from our outward circumstances (verses 2-3,12). Second, here in verses 13-14, he talks about temptations to sin, which arise from evil desires within us. God allows the outward trials to come in order to test and strengthen our faith. The inward temptations, however, never come from God. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone (verse 13). The outward trials we must endure; the inward temptations we must overcome.

15 All Christians from time to time experience various temptations, that is, evil thoughts and desires (see 2 Corinthians 10:5 and comment). If we immediately throw them off, we will not fall into sin. But if we allow any one of these evil thoughts and desires to take root and grow, it will quickly result in sin—that is, it gives birth to sin. Even if these thoughts and desires do not lead to actual evil behavior, the thoughts and desires themselves will become sins if they remain in our minds and hearts. And the result of sin is death. Sin leads men to eternal death (see Romans 6:23; Galatians 6:7-8).

16-17 Don’t be deceived. God never draws men to do evil. He only draws men to do good. For those who love God, everything He does is for their benefit (Romans 8:28). Every gift that God gives is good and perfect. And every good and perfect gift is from God.

James here calls God the Father of heavenly lights. He means that God is the creator of the sun, moon, and stars. But God Himself is not like these “heavenly lights,” which keep changing between day and night. God’s light always shines; in Him there is no darkness (John 8:12; 1 John 1:5).

18 He (God) chose to give us birth. That is, by His will He created us. By His will He chose us to be in His family (see Ephesians 1:4-5). To be a Christian—that is, to have faith in Jesus—means to be born anew into God’s family (see John 1:12; 3:3). In other words, it means to become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

God created us through the word of truth. The word of truth can mean Jesus Christ Himself (John 1:1-3); or it can mean the Gospel of Christ (1 Peter 1:23). Both meanings are true.

Why did God give us birth into His family? He did this so that we might be a kind of firstfruits. Christ Himself was the firstfruits among believers (1 Corinthians 15:20,23). Believers, by the same analogy, are the firstfruits of all that God created. According to the Old Testament law, the Jews were required to offer to God the firstfruits of their harvest each year (Numbers 18:12). That fruit was considered to be best of all. Therefore, among men, Christians are to be like firstfruits offered to God—the best of the harvest. Such an offering is pleasing to God.

Listening and Doing (1:19-27)

19 We should be always quick—ready and eager—to listen to God, to His word, and to each other. The man who is always talking and seldom listening is a proud man. He gives no regard to the thoughts of others.

We should be slow to speak; that is, before we speak we should first think about what we are going to say. Before speaking we should ask ourselves three questions: Is what we are about to say true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? If it’s true, kind, and necessary, then let us say it. If not, then let us keep silent.

In addition to being slow to speak, we should also be slow to become angry. Tobe angry is not always a sin (Ephesians 4:26). For example, it is not a sin to be angry against wrongdoing (see Mark 11:15-17). However, it is a sin to “blow up,” to lose one’s temper. We must not become angry quickly. Before we allow our anger to rise up, we must be sure whether what we are getting angry at is truly evil or not. Our anger must be God’s anger, not our own human anger. Our anger must never be personal; we must never desire vengeance. We must be angry with sin, but never with the sinner; otherwise, we ourselves will be sinning.

20 Human anger is never righteous. Human anger is directed against people, not against their actions. Human anger is selfish. Human anger arises because man’s interests are being threatened, not because God’s interests are being threatened. Human anger is for man’s sake, not for God’s sake. That is why man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent. Here James repeats the admonitions that Paul and Peter have frequently given in their letters (see Ephesians 4:22,31; 5:3; 1 Peter 2:1 and comments).

The word of God has been planted in us (see 1 Peter 1:23). We need to believe it, accept it, study it, nurture it. If God’s word grows within us, it will save us. However, if we allow God’s word in us to die, it will not save us (see Mark 4:14-20).

22 In verse 19, James wrote: Everyone should be quick to listen. But it is not enough only to listen to God’s word. We must also obey it. We are not saved by listening; we are saved by believing. And true believing always includes obedience (see James 2:14,17).

Many people hear God’s word and say, “What a pleasing word!” But even though they read God’s word and like it, if they don’t obey it, it will do them no good. In fact, they will be judged by it. People who don’t obey God’s word do not have true faith; they only deceive themselves.

23-24 Here God’s word is compared to a mirror. When we look in a mirror, we see our true face, our true self; that is, we see our sinful nature. God’s word, like a mirror, shows us our sin. But if we only listen to His word without heeding it, we will be like a man who looks into a mirror, sees his sin, and then immediately turns away and forgets about it. Let us not turn away from the “mirror” quickly. Rather let us heed what the mirror shows us—and then do something about it. We will need to wash our face! We will need to get rid of the sin that we see in the mirror.

25 Here James talks about the man who looks intently into the mirror—that is, who looks intently into the perfect law. The perfect law is Christ’s word, Christ’s GOSPEL. The Gospel is the power of God for man’s salvation (Romans 1:16). Therefore, the perfect law, Christ’s Gospel, gives freedom, because it frees us from sin and its punishment, which is death.

The man who looks intently into the perfect law—God’s word, the Gospel—does not forget it; rather, he heeds it and obeys it. Such a man will be blessed not only in this life but also in the next.

26 Many people suppose that they are religious; but, in fact, they are religious only outwardly. Inwardly there is much evil in their hearts; therefore, when they speak, evil comes out in their words. Such people are not truly religious.

One of the main signs of a truly religious person is that he can control his tongue. True religion gives one the power to control one’s tongue; false or outward religion cannot give that power. Such a religion is worthless.

Among Christians the commonest and most destructive sins are sins ofthe tongue, especially when we use our tongues to criticize and judge each other (see James 3:6,8). Jesus Himself taught how important our words are to God. Jesus said: “I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

27 A pure and faultless religion—that is, true religion—is this: first, to do works of love, such as caring for orphans and widows; and second, to keep oneself pure, to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (see James 4:4). In short, a pure life and a loving heart is proof that our religion is true.

CHAPTER 2 Favoritism Forbidden (2:1-13)

1 My brothers … don’t show favoritism. That is, do not take into account differences in men’s position and wealth. Do not look on a person’s outer appearance. In our minds, we are not to divide people into rich and poor, high caste and low caste, high rank and low rank. The light of the glory of Christ makes the glory of this world fade into nothing. Therefore, let us not look at a person’s worldly position or circumstances. Rather, we should look only at how much the light of Christ shines in his life. Instead of looking at man’s outward appearance, let us look rather at his inward spiritual qualities.

2-4 James here illustrates his teaching on favoritism by giving the example of a rich man and a poor man coming into a Christian meeting.

But it’s not only in public meetings that we must show no favoritism. We must also treat all those who come to our homes equally. At all times and in all places we must show the same love and respect to all—from the highest government official to the lowest laborer, from the highest caste to the lowest, from the richest to the poorest. If we do not do this, we make ourselves a judge between men (verse 9). God does not show favoritism; therefore, we must not show favoritism either (Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9).

5 In James’ time, most believers were poor, and many were slaves. Because of their poverty and affliction in this world, these believers looked on the Gospel of Christ as a word of great hope, a promise of liberation from their suffering.

It is the same in our time. The rich usually do not come to Christ (Mark 10:2325). In every generation God has chosen mainly the poor, the lower classes, the ordinary people to be the ones to inherit the kingdom—the KINGDOM OF GOD. In the world they are poor; but in heaven they will be rich. But in this life they will be “rich” also—that is, rich in faith. They will be rich in faith because they have put their trust in God and not in earthly riches.

6-7 Most rich people don’t like to hear the Gospel, because the Gospel tells them to spend their money for the poor (Mark 10:21-22). Most rich people love their possessions rather than God (Matthew 6:24). Men with authority don’t like to hear the Gospel either, because the Gospel says that all authority belongs to Christ (Matthew 28:18). For this reason, most rich and powerful men oppose Christ and His followers. They slander the noble name of Christ, and they exploit His followers and drag them into court.

And yet these believers, to whom James is writing, were disregarding the poor and showing great honor to the rich and powerful people who were persecuting them!

8-9 The second greatest commandment says: Love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:31). This means that we must love all people equally—whether rich or poor. But if we show favoritism, we are breaking the law—that is, the second commandment. And in breaking the law, we become lawbreakers (verse 9).

James here calls the second commandment the royal law, because it is the commandment of the King of kings. On earth the law of a king is the highest law. The two great commandments of Christ are like that; no other law is higher than these (Mark 12:29-31).

10 In any country there are many laws. If a person breaks just one of these laws, he is considered a criminal. It is the same with God’s LAW. Included in the Old Testament law are many rules and regulations. Even if a person obeys every rule but one, it does him no good. If just one rule is broken, the person is considered a lawbreaker; he is guilty of breaking the whole law (see Gal-atians 3:10). Therefore, James tells us, we must not show favoritism; or else we too shall become lawbreakers, guilty of breaking the whole law.

11 Usingtwoofthetencommandmentsas examples (Exodus 20:13-14), James again shows that if one does not obey the law completely, he will be considered a lawbreaker. But here James’ main point is that it is impossible for anyone to obey the law completely; it is impossible for a person to obey perfectly every rule all the time. This is why in God’s sight no one can be justified by the law (see Galatians 2:15-16 and comment).

12 We Christians must walk according to the law that gives freedom, because we will be judged by God according to that law. What is the law that gives freedom? It is Christ’s law. The two greatest commandments and the ten commandments are included in Christ’s law. But why is it called the “law that gives freedom”? The reason is because we don’t follow this law by compulsion, like slaves; we follow it freely by our own desire, like children. Christ gives us a new desire, a new mind, a new life. He also gives us the power to obey His law. But that is not all; if we break His law in any respect, He will forgive us. We are no longer in bondage to sin. We are now free to follow Christ and to obey Him (see John 8:31-32,36). This is why James calls Christ’s law the law that gives freedom.

13 James said in verse 12 that we must speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom—that is, Christ’s law. The Jewish law of the Old Testament showed no mercy (Deuteronomy 17:2-7). But Christ’s law is a merciful law. If we show mercy to others, God will show mercy to us. But if we do not show mercy to others, we shall obtain no mercy (Matthew 5:7: 6:12,14-15). If we do not show mercy to others, we shall be judged according to the Old Testament law. However, if we show mercy, we shall be judged according to Christ’s merciful law. So James tells us to be sure to speak and act mercifully, so that we will be judged by the merciful law.

Mercy is greater than JUDGMENT. If judgment was greater than mercy, none of us would escape condemnation. If judgment were greater than mercy, God would never have sent Christ to save the world. But God has placed mercy above judgment. Therefore, we must do the same in our dealings with others. We must show love and mercy to all people—high and low, rich and poor—without favoritism. To the extent we show mercy to others, to that same extent God will show mercy to us.

Faith and Deeds (2:14-26)

14 It is easy to say, “I believe”; but only saying it means nothing. We must ask ourselves: “Is my faith real or not?” Because we are saved only through true faith, not through false faith.⁷

How can we tell if our faith is true or not? We can tell by our deeds. Our deeds—that is, our deeds of love, our deeds of obedience—are the proof of our faith. If there are no deeds accompanying our faith, then such a “faith” will not save us (see Matthew 7:21 and comment). Such a faith is not true faith; it is dead faith (verse 17).

15-16 Here James says that false faith is like love that is expressed in words but not in action. We can easily say to our poor brother or sister that we love them, but if we do nothing to help them, our love is false, worthless (1 John 3:17-18). This kind of “love” benefits no one. In the same way, unless our faith is manifested by deeds, it is worthless.

17 This is one of the most important verses in the New Testament, because it keeps us from misinterpreting some of Paul’s teaching. In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul wrote that man is saved not by works but through faith. Many people misunderstand Paul, and begin to think that they no longer have to do any good works. They suppose that because man is saved through faith, good works are no longer necessary. They forget that Paul taught in other verses that good works are indeed necessary. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:10 that we were created in Christ Jesus to do good works. He also wrote: The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6).

James here seeks to correct the mistaken idea that Christians don’t have to do good works. Yes, it is true that we are saved through faith, not through works. No one can obtain salvation by doing works—no matter how many or how good the works are. This is true. But we must ask: What is faith? True faith is faith that is expressed by works. Works must always accompany faith; works are included in true faith. There is no such thing as true faith without works; true faith always gives rise to good works.

What good works? The works of obedience. The work that God wants us to do is to obey Jesus’ commands (John 14:15). And Jesus’ main command is: Love each other as I have loved you (John 15:12).

Therefore, true faith always manifests itself by love (Galatians 5:6). If a man shows as much love for his neighbor as he does for himself, then we can be sure his faith is genuine.

First (before deeds) comes faith. Then, when we have believed, we become new people. True faith then causes a change in our behavior. God fills our life with His love through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). We receive new power to love our neighbor and to obey all of Christ’s other commands. And this new love and new obedience is the proof that our faith is indeed true.

Therefore, in summary, the New Testament teaches that we cannot obtain salvation by our own work and effort; rather, we obtain salvation through true faith. But true faith is always demonstrated by our love and obedience; ifthere is no love and obedience, then there is no faith. Deeds—that is, love and obedience⁸ —are the proof of our faith. Without love and obedience our faith will not save us; it is dead.

One of the two criminals who was crucified with Jesus believed just before he died (Luke 23:39-43). After believing, he had no chance to do any good works. From this, we know that he was saved through faith, and not through any works. But for those who do not die immediately after believing, their faith must be manifested by works of love and obedience as long as they live.

18 James here describes an imaginary conversation between two people. The first person says that only faith is necessary, not works. The second person says that both faith and works together are necessary. The second person (James) says to the first: “You have faith, you say? Show me your faith. You can’t show it, because your faith is without works. But I will show you my faith by what I do. My works are the proof of my faith.”

19 Here the imaginary conversation continues. The second person (James) says to the first person, “You believe that there is one God, do you? You think that by saying, ‘I believe there is one God,’ you can show you have true faith. But you’re wrong; that doesn’t show anything. Even DEMONS say that. Demons also believe there is a God; but their faith is false, because their works are evil.”

20-21 As the imaginary conversation continues, the second person (James) reminds the first person about Abraham. God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac on the altar (see Genesis 22:113; Hebrews 11:17-19). Abraham had true faith in God; therefore, he obeyed God. Why was Abraham consideredRIGHTEOUS (verse 21)? Because he believed? Or because he obeyed? The answer is both. Abraham was considered righteous both because he believed and also because he obeyed.

22 Abraham’s faith and actions (obedience) were working together. Without obedience, faith is dead (verse 17). Without faith, obedience is worthless; it can never please God. Because without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

Abraham’s faith came first. But only by obedience was his faith made complete or perfect. Faith without obedience is like a fruit tree without fruit; it is useless. A tree is “made complete” by its fruit. In the same way, our faith is made complete by our works, by our obedience. Men will recognize us by our fruit, by our obedience (Matthew 7:20).

23 James here quotes from Genesis 15:6. Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as RIGHTEOUSNESS (see Romans 4:1-3). Again we must understand from this that man is considered righteous by faith. But that faith must be true faith—that is, faith that is expessed in love and obedience.

Here it is necessary to add to what was said earlier. Just as we cannot be saved by a faith without works, so we cannot be saved by works without faith. No man’s works—even his most noble religious works—can be perfect. Every person makes mistakes and sins from time to time. Therefore, on the basis ofour works we can never be considered righteous in God’s sight; and if we are not considered righteous by God, we will not be saved. It is only by putting our faith in the perfect work and righteousness of Jesus Christ that we ourselves can be considered righteous (see Romans 3:2224 and comment). We can never make ourselves righteous or obtain salvation by our own labor and effort. Only by receiving Christ’s righteousness through faith can we be considered righteous in God’s sight.

24 Paul has said in Galatians 2:15-16 and Ephesians 2:8-9 that man is justified (declared righteous) and saved through faith. This is true, and James agrees with it completely. James’ only point is that this faith must be true faith—that is, a faith manifested by love and obedience. Therefore, James says here that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. James’ meaning is that we will be justified only by a “working faith”—a faith that is manifested by works.

25 Here James gives a second illustration from the Old Testament, that of Rahab the prostitute (see Joshua 2:1-16; Hebrews 11:31). Rahab gave help to the spies sent by Joshua. How do we know that her faith was real? We know because of what she did. Rahab helped the Jewish spies to escape; that was the proofofher faith. And, as a result, Rahab herself escaped death; when Joshua and his army destroyed Jericho, he ordered that Rahab be spared (Joshua 6:24-25).

26 Again James repeats his main point: faith without deeds is dead (see verse 17 and comment). Faith without deeds is like a body without a spirit; such a body is spiritually dead. It is no better than a corpse.

CHAPTER 3

Taming the Tongue (3:1-12)

1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers. Why does James say this? Because in James’ time (and in our time too), many people were trying to be teachers and leaders. They were seeking honor and high positions for themselves. James is saying here: “Don’t seek to be a teacher in order to gain honor and position, or you may regret it.” To be a teacher can be a great disadvantage. Since teachers and leaders are given greater knowledge and responsibility than others, they will be judged more strictly on the day of judgment (see Luke 12:47-48).

Therefore, many should not seek to be teachers. But it is necessary for some to be teachers. To be a teacher or leader is a good thing (1 Timothy 3:1). In this case, what kind of people should be teachers? To be a teacher or leader, there are two requirements. First, to be a teacher a person must have a special gift from the Lord, because teachers are themselves a gift from the Lord to the church (Ephesians 4:7,1112). Second, to be a teacher or preacher a person must have a special calling or appointment from the Lord (see 1 Corinthians 9:16).

2 We all stumble and sin in many ways, but the most common way we sin is in our speech. This is a special danger for teachers, because their work involves much speaking. But speaking is not only a danger for teachers! It is a danger for all Christians; countless opportunities to sin come to all of us through our speaking.

James says that ifwe could perfectly control what we say—if we could control our tongue—we would be perfect people. If we could keep our tongue in check (under control), we could keep our whole body in check. Among all the members of our body, the tongue is the most difficult to keep under control. The person who can control his tongue will certainly be able to control all the other evil desires of his body also.

But we know that no one is perfect; and one reason is that no one is able to perfectly control his tongue.

3 One can control a big horse with a small bit. Our tongue is like a bit. If we could control our tongue, we could then control our whole body.

4 Our tongue is also like the rudder of a large ship. A rudder is a very small thing attached to the back of a ship, by which the ship can be steered. In the same way, our tongue is a very small member of our body, but it has a big effect.

5 Our tongue is also like a small spark of fire, or like a match. Such a small thing can set a huge forest on fire!

From these three examples—the bit, the rudder, and the spark—we can see that the tongue is a very important member of our body. One small word ofslander can split a church and bring dishonor to its leaders. Or one small word of false teaching can cause many to go astray.

6 The tongue itself is like a fire. Satan uses our tongue more than any other of our members. Our tongue is set on fire by hell; that is, Satan sets our tongue on fire. If we do not control our tongue, our tongue will corrupt our whole person and set the whole course of [our] life on fire. That is, if not controlled, our tongue will lead us to destruction.

Among Christians, the tongue does the most evil. A Christian may lead a very devout and godly life in all other ways, but if his tongue is evil, it will ruin his life. The commonest sins among Christians are sins of the tongue.

7-8 … no man can tame the tongue (verse 8). If this is so, is there no help for us? Yes, God will help us “tame” our tongue. However, in this life we cannot expect to perfectly control our tongues all the time in every situation.

Our tongue is a restless evil; it is always looking for an occasion to speak evil. The tongue is full of deadly poison. Some kinds of poison can’t be recognized when they are first tasted; some poison may even taste sweet. Only later does the poison do its deadly work. Our tongue is like that (Psalm 140:3).

9-10 Many people (including Christians) are “double-tongued.” In prayer meetings they praise God with sweet words. But then they go out later and speak evil oftheir brother. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.⁹ My brothers, this should not be.

11-12 Here James uses illustrations from nature to show that being double-tongued is, in fact, impossible. Because the sweet sounding prayers of the double-tongued person are not really sweet at all; they are like the sweet-tasting poison mentioned above. They are not sweet in God’s ears; He will not listen to them (Psalm 66:18). The “double-tongued” person, then, is really a poison-tongued person who sounds sweet from time to time.

In nature, only one kind of water comes out of any one spring. From a fresh-water spring comes fresh water; from a saltwater spring comes salt water. Similarly, only one kind of fruit comes from any one tree. Fromafigtreecomefigs; fromagrape-vine come grapes. We can recognize the spring by its water and the tree by its fruit.

In the same way, we can recognize men by their speech. If a man’s speech is evil and bitter, his heart will also be evil and bitter. An evil person may fool us for a time by speaking sweet words, but we will not be fooled for long; soon the evil in his heart will be manifest by evil words.

Let no one deceive himself: God will not accept the sweet prayers of someone who speaks evil of his brother. God knows such prayers are false. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar (1 John 4:20-21).

Two Kinds of Wisdom (3:13-18)

13 If we say we are wise and understanding, then let us show proof of it! If we say we have love, let us show it. If we say we have faith, let us show it. How can we show it? We can show it by our good life, by our deeds.

Our teaching, our preaching—whatever work we do—must be done in the humility that comes from wisdom. There are two kinds of wisdom: God’s wisdom (heavenly wisdom) and man’s wisdom (worldly wisdom). God’s wisdom always leads to humility. Man’s wisdom always leads to pride—that is, to bitter envy and selfish ambition (verse 14).

14 The person with worldly wisdom may boast that he does God’s work, but in fact he does only what is for his own benefit. Such a person should not boast about what he does for God. If he does so, it will be a lie; he will be denying the truth.

15 Just as we can recognize a spring by tasting its water, so we can recognize what kind of wisdom a man has by observing its fruit. The fruit ofheavenly wisdom is humility. The fruit of worldly or natural wisdom is envy and ambition. Worldly wisdom is of the devil—that is, of SATAN—who is the prince of this world (John 16:11).

16 What is the cause of division in the church and fighting among brothers? The main cause is envy and selfish ambition (verse 14). And this occurs not only among ordinary brothers in the church, but also among the leaders! Let each believer examine himself.

17 The wisdom that comes from heaven is God’s wisdom. We must ask God for this wisdom (James 1:5).

What is God’s wisdom like? How can we recognize it? First, it is pure, because God is pure. Our wisdom must be pure, or else it cannot lead to peace and other good fruit.

Second, God’s wisdom is peace loving. A wise man (one with God’s wisdom) does not cause strife. A wise man is quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19). He always tries to do what leads to peace (Romans 14:19).

The wise man is considerate. He cares about others. He doesn’t speak hurtful words. Unwise men debate in a harsh manner; they are only interested in winning the argument. Such men may win the argument, but they lose their friends. The wise man does not act in this way.

The wise man is submissive; he is willing to remain in submission to others (Ephe-sians 5:21). The wise man does not try to control other people; rather, he respects their thoughts and desires.

The wise man is full of mercy. He does not judge others. He is always ready to forgive others. He never tries to take revenge.

The wise man is also full of good fruit—that is, the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). He is impartial; he does not take sides or show favoritism.

And finally, the wise man is sincere. He is worthy of trust. He never tries to deceive someone for his own gain. He always speaks the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

Is our wisdom and our speech sincere? That is a deep question. Sometimes when we talk to each other our speech is not completely honest and open. We hide things. Our speech is devious, crooked, insincere. Our words are sweet, but our thoughts are not sweet! We don’t speak an outright lie, of course; we all know that is a sin. But we often keep back part of the truth in order to create a false impression—and that also is a sin.¹⁰ However, the wise man is always sincere; he always speaks with complete sincerity and honesty.

18 The peacemakers mentioned in this verse are those who are wise, those who have God’s wisdom. They sow seeds of righteousness and they reap a harvest of righteousness (see Galatians 6:7). Peacemakers have learned to control their tongue.

CHAPTER 4

Submission to God (4:1-10)

1 What causes fights and quarrels in the church? They are caused by our desires. What kind of desires? Evil and selfish desires. Everyone can recognize evil desires; these are the desires to commit obvious sins. But here James is not talking only about evil desires. He is also talking about selfish desires. Selfish desires are desires for good things, but they are desired for selfish reasons. For example, we may desire good things like an education, a scholarship, or a job; but it is possible to desire these things for purely selfish reasons.

Why does our desire for these good things so often cause strife and envy among us? Because we desire these things for selfish reasons. We desire them in order to benefit ourselves, not to benefit God or others. We are interested only in our own welfare, our own advantage. This is selfishness. And all selfish desires are sinful—whether they are for a good thing or an evil thing. And these selfish desires are the main cause of fights and quarrels among Christians (1 Peter 2:11).

Some Christians who fight and quarrel among themselves even say they are doing it for God’s sake. When we look at human history, we see that many evil things have been done in God’s name. Jesus warned His disciples that men would persecute and kill them, and think that they were thereby offering a service to God (John 16:2). Let us not deceive ourselves. It is with Satan we must fight, not with other believers. Such fighting and quarreling among believers is never pleasing to God. Such behavior is not for God’s sake; it is for one’s own sake.

2 In this life no man can have all he wants. Therefore, men are always greedy to get more. As soon as we receive some gift or have some desire fulfilled, we begin again to desire something else. We are never satisfied.

Instead of our always seeking, seeking, we should rather ask God for the things we need. He knows everything we need. God will give us what is necessary for our well-being. Ifthere is some good thing we desire, let us not strive and struggle to get it ourselves, but rather in faith let us ask God for it.

3 But some people will say: “I have asked God, but I haven’t received what I asked for.” Why have they not received? Because they have asked with wrong motives. That is, they have asked for selfish reasons. They have asked God for things for their own pleasure and contentment. They have asked God to grant them help and success in their work—not for the sake of God or others—but only for their own sake, for their own benefit.

Whenever we ask God for anything, we should always say, as Jesus did: “Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36). We must examine ourselves; we must ask ourselves: “For whose sake am I making this request to God? For my sake, or His sake?” We must say to God that whatever He gives us we will use in His service and in the service of others. This is a difficult teaching, but it is the example that Jesus Himself gave us. If we want to receive anything from God, we must ask unselfishly. And let us remember that we can never fool God. He knows our hearts. He will know whether we are asking selfishly or unselfishly.

4 You adulterous people … James here is talking to believers. Why does he call them adulterous? Because they have deserted Christ, their bridegroom, and gone off with the world. They have loved the pleasures of the world more than Christ (see 2 Corinthians 11:2-3; Ephesians 5:23). It is not possible to love God and the world at the same time (Matthew 6:24; 1 John 2:15).

5 … the spirit he caused to live in us tends to envy.¹¹ God (or Christ) is like a faithful and longing husband, and we believers are like His bride. But we have often been unfaithful. We have left our true husband and followed after other “gods”—such as, selfish ambition and money. And so God is jealous (Exodus 20:4-5).

6 But even though we stray far from God, He continues to call us by His grace and mercy. No matter how great our sin, His GRACE is greater. He gives us more grace, so that we might return to Him and begin to love Him again.

But God does not give grace to all—only to the humble. James here quotes Proverbs 3:34 (see 1 Peter 5:5). God opposes the proud. Let the proud beware. To be an enemy of almighty God is a fearful thing.

7 We must turn from the world and its pleasures and submit to God. Together with that, we must resist the devil. Satan is always trying to draw us away from God through worldly pleasures and enticements. Therefore, we must resist him; we must resist the temptations he sends us (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Many ask: “How can I resist Satan? How can I overcome him? A temptation comes, but no matter how hard I try to resist it, I quickly fall into it” (see Romans 7:15,18-19).

How do we resist the devil? We resist him through Christ’s power. The first step is to remember that whenever we follow the devil’s wishes, we betray our Lord Jesus. The second step is to stand in Christ’s power (Ephesians 6:10-11,13). Christ’s power is always available. But we must “put on” His power, His armor. Christ’s power is like electricity. Electricity is always available, but we must turn on the switch.

Therefore, when the devil tempts us, we must tell him simply: “Away from me, Satan” (Matthew 4:10).

8 Do we want God to come near to us? If so, then we must draw near to Him. If God seems to have drawn away from us, the reason always is that we have first drawn away from Him. Why have we drawn away from God? It is always because of some sin in our lives which we are not willing to give up.

How can we again draw near to God? James gives the answer: Wash your hands, you sinners. That is, we must cleanse ourselves from all sinful work and behavior. Not only that, James also adds: … purify your hearts, you double-minded. We must cleanse ourselves not only from outward sins, but also from the hidden inward sins of our hearts. God sees our inner heart and mind (1 Chronicles 28:9). He knows if we are being double-minded or not. The double-minded man tries to love God and the world at the same time. Therefore, such a man’s love for God is impure; his heart is unholy. Such a man will not be accepted by God; for only with clean hands and pure heart can we draw near to God (Psalm 24:3-4; Matthew 5:8; Hebrews 12:14).

How can our hearts be purified? We must repent and come to Jesus; that is, we must confess our sins and turn from them. We must humble ourselves, and He will give us grace (verse 6) and come near to us. Let us thank and praise Him for showing such mercy to sinners such as us!

9 Paul says: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4). Be joyful always (1 Thessalonians 5:16). But James says here: Grieve, mourn and wail. Why should we grieve, mourn, and wail? Because of our sin. Here are two truths. Paul tells us, “Rejoice,” because God loves us so much. James tells us, “Grieve,” because we love Him so little. We must rejoice in God’s goodness and in His grace. We must grieve for our sin and unholiness. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn”—that is, blessed are those who mourn for their sins (Matthew 5:4).

10 Therefore, let us humble ourselves before God. … a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise (Psalm 51:17). And when we humble ourselves, God will draw near to us. He will give us grace (verse 6). And he will lift [us] up (see Matthew 5:3; Luke 18:9-14; I Peter 5:6).

Warning Against Slander (4:11-17)

11 James has been talking about our evil tongue (James 3:8) and about fights and quarrels among brothers (verse 1). Now he says: Brothers, do not slander one another. What is slander? Slander is showing our brother’s faults and weaknesses to another person. Since everyone has faults and weaknesses, slander is often true or partly true. When slander is false, it becomes false witness. But whether what we say is true or false, to talk about our brother’s faults to another is slander, and slander is a very great sin in God’s eyes.

To slander our brother and to judge him are very similar. In our heart and mind, we judge our brother; with our tongue and lips we slander him (see Matthew 7:1 and comment).

When we judge our brother, we judge the law, Christ’s law. To “judge” the law means to disobey it. When we do that, we make ourselves greater than the law. When we judge the law, we are saying that some commandments of the law are good and others are bad. We are, in effect, saying: “I will obey this command, but not that one.” We are saying: “If I want to slander or judge my brother, I’ll do so.” In this way, we make ourselves “judges” of the law.

12 But there is only one Lawgiver and Judge. When we judge the law, we are putting ourselves in God’s place, and that is the greatest sin of all. To seek to be like God is the greatest form of pride. It was for this sin that Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:5-6). Instead of humbling ourselves before God as we ought to be doing (verse 10), we are making ourselves lord and judge. What a mistake! What a sin! Because there is only one Lord and one Judge. There is only one who is able to save and destroy, namely God Himself. Only He can give men salvation or condemn them to hell. No matter how much we exalt ourselves, we cannot save ourselves. No matter how much we judge our brother, we cannot destroy or condemn him. Only God can save and destroy. Therefore, let us not dare to judge our Christian brother. Not only that, we must not even dare to judge our non-Christian neighbor.

13-15 Now James looks at another subject: the future. Does James say here that we should never plan ahead? No. We must, of course, make plans; we must look ahead. The farmer, when he plants, must look ahead to the harvest. Paul and the other apostles planned where they would go and how long they would stay there. But as we plan we must always say in our hearts: “If it is God’s will, I will do such and such” (see Acts 18:21; 1 Corinthians 4:19). Because our entire life is in God’s hands. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. All is uncertain. We are like a mist of water: today we are here; tomorrow we are gone. Therefore, we must never put our trust in plans; we must trust only in God. Only He is certain and never-changing. Yes, we must plan and plant the seed; but God gives the harvest (1 Corinthians 3:7). We must plan and work, but God gives us success according to His will. In Him only must we put our confidence.

16 Therefore, let us not boast in our work, in our success. All our boasting must be in God. Ifwe take for ourselves the praise that belongs to God, we sin against God. To give ourselves the praise for what God has done is a very great evil!

17 In this verse there are two very important teachings. The first is this: God will judge us according to what we know. If a small child breaks a law in ignorance, he is not punished for it; he has not sinned. On the other hand, if a grown man knowingly breaks a law, for him it is a great sin. The more a person knows, the greater will be his punishment if he disobeys God (see Luke 12:47-48; James 3:1 and comments).

The second teaching in this verse concerns sin. Many people think that sin is only doing something bad. But here James teaches that sin is also failing to do something we ought to do. Not doing something we know we should do is just as much a sin as doing something we know we shouldn’t do. Ifwe do not help our brother when he is in need, we sin against him. Likewise, if we do not believe in Jesus, we sin against Him.

CHAPTER 5

Warning to Rich Oppressors (5:1-6)

1-3 In this section, James mainly addresses wealthy people who oppress the poor. Those Christians who are well off should pay special heed to these verses.

Here James speaks like a prophet. He says that misery is about to come upon the rich people who oppress the poor. Then James says that the wealth and the clothing of the rich is already ruined. The coming destruction of the rich is so certain that James speaks of it as if it had already happened.¹² The corroded wealth of the rich will testify against them on the final day of judgment. Instead of using their riches to serve Christ and others, these rich people have stored up their riches for themselves. They have done this in the last days, says James. The last days are the days of Jesus Christ, that is, the period between Christ’s first coming (His birth) and His second coming. The world is passing away; soon the rich will not be able to use their hoarded wealth. They will lose not only their wealth, but also their souls (see Matthew 6:19-21; Mark 8:3637; Luke 6:24; 16:19-31).

In 70 A.D., not many years after this letter was written, the Roman army utterly destroyed the city of Jerusalem. All the Jews of that city perished, together with their wealth. Thus James’ “prophecy” came true, and quicker than anyone thought!

4 James accuses the rich of having cheated their workers. Such injustice cries up to heaven. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.¹³ And God hears. God will avenge all injustice.

5 The rich have lived in luxury and self-indulgence. Before men kill animals for food, they fatten them. In the same way, the rich have been fattening themselves for the day of slaughter. The “day of slaughter” is the day of judgment, which will be coming soon (see Luke 12:15-21).

6 The rich and powerful, because of their greed, have killed innocent men. They have killed prophets and apostles (Matthew 23:37). James himself was killed in 62 A.D. But the greatest crime of the rich was to kill Jesus Christ (Acts 7:52). The innocent men that James mentions here can refer to many innocent men (the poor, the prophets, etc.) who were not opposing the rich, or it can refer to Jesus alone. Jesus did not oppose the rich. Even when they conspired to put Him to death, Jesus did not oppose them (see 1 Peter 2:23). On the day of judgment, God Himself will oppose all rich oppressors.

Patience in Suffering (5:7-12)

7-8 In this section, James again talks to believers. He writes: Be patient … and stand firm. Great tribulation was about to come, not only on the wealthy Jews, but also on the Christians of James’ time. Not only was Jerusalem soon to be destroyed; but even before that, the believers in Jerusalem would be facing severe persecution. Furthermore, the second coming of Christ was not far away. Therefore, let them not give up their faith; let them not fall away (see Mark 13:13; Hebrews 3:6,14; 10:36).

We cannot make ourselves firm and patient by our own strength. But God, through His Holy Spirit, is ready to help us. Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). God Himself will make us strong, firm and steadfast (1 Peter 5:10).

A farmer waits patiently for the rain. In Israel the rains fall mainly in the autumn and the spring. The autumn rain is called the “early rain,” and the spring rain is called the “late rain.” After the autumn rain, the farmer is able to plow his fields. After the spring rain, the harvest is ready to be cut. Just as the farmer waits patiently for the rain, so must believers wait patiently for the second coming ofJesus. Ifa farmer can wait patiently for an ordinary harvest, can we not wait patiently for the inheritance stored up for us in heaven?

9 Here again James warns Christians not to speak against each other. Don’t grumble against each other, he writes.

When trials and persecution come upon us, how quick we are to blame each other for our troubles! Just as the ancient Jews grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the desert, so we too grumble against others—especially against our leaders (Exodus 16:1-3; 17:1-4). Let this not be!

Trials come upon us according to God’s will, so that our faith might be tested (James 1:2-3). God is watching how we stand up under these trials. If under trial we grumble against others, we are actually grumbling against God (Exodus 16:8). He will judge us. Let us beware, lest He punish us as He punished the ancient Jews in the desert (Numbers 11:1; 14:1-4, 26-29). The Judge (Christ) is standing at the door (Revelation 3:20). He hears our grumbling. Christ is ready to return to earth as Judge; and He will judge not only non-believers, but believers also (1 Peter 4:17).

10-11 Those who persevere to the end are considered blessed (see James 1:4). James gives the Old Testament example of Job, who was an important man in his time. God tested Job by allowing terrible afflictions to come upon him. Job lost everything—his land, his house, his wealth, his children, his honor. Then he lost his health. But even in the face of such severe trials, Job never grumbled against God. And finally, in the end, God greatly blessed Job, and his final situation was better than his first. All this the Lord brought about; it was His plan and purpose from the beginning (Job 1:1-22; 2:1-10; 42:12-17).

God allows suffering and tribulation to come upon us for our good. In the end, because of His great mercy and love, He will always turn our sorrow and pain into joy and blessing (Psalm 103:8; Isaiah 61:13,7). Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds … he will restore us, that we may live in his presence (Hosea 6:1-3).

12 … do not swear. James is here talking about swearing in ordinary conversations. We must speak plainly and honestly. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no. Whatever we say, it should be the truth. An honest person never needs to swear in order to prove that what he says is true. Such swearing is useless. Worse than that, when we swear unnecessarily, we use the Lord’s name in vain (see Matthew 5:34-37). Let us beware; the Lord will judge us for every vain and careless word we speak (Matthew 12:36).

James does not mean that we should never swear an oath under any circumstances. In law courts in every country, it is customary to swear before giving testimony; this is not a sin. In important matters, it is suitable to swear an oath (Hebrews 6:1617). The Apostle Paul many times called on the Lord to be a witness to what he was saying (2 Corinthians 1:23; Galatians 1:20; Philippians 1:8). James is not talking here about such situations. Rather, he is talking about the unnecessary and vain swearing that goes on in ordinary conversation.

The Prayer of Faith (5:13-20)

13 We must pray in every situation (Phil-ippians 4:6). In this verse, James says that we should sing songs of praise when we are happy. That’s true; but we should also sing songs of praise when we are in trouble! (see Acts 16:23-25).

14 Those who are sick should call the elders of the church to pray for their healing. The elders are the leaders in any local church (see 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:5-6 and comments). They are to anoint¹⁴ [the sick person] with oil. In New Testament times, oil was used as a medicine (see Mark 6:13; Luke 10:34). In this verse, James is referring to oil mainly as a medicine.¹⁵ Therefore, we can see from this that in ordinary circumstances the sick need both medicine and prayer. Both medical treatment and prayer must be done in the name of the Lord. “In the name of the Lord” is not just some sort of saying or mantra. It means that we are praying and giving medicine as Christ’s ambassadors, according to His will and for His glory, and with full faith in His healing power.

15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well. That is, the prayer of faith will heal the person’s physical sickness. All healing power comes from Christ.¹⁶ Christ can heal people through medicine alone, through prayer alone, or through both together. The farmer waters the seed, but God makes it grow (1 Corinthians 3:7). In the same way, the doctor and nurse give medicine, but Christ heals. James is not talking in this verse about the special healing gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9). That gift is given to only a few members of the church. But every Christian can pray the prayer of faith. Not only the elders must pray for the sick; the sick person himself along with his family must pray for his healing (verse 13). If the elders, however, agree together and pray in faith, Jesus will answer their prayer (Matthew 18:19-20; 21:22).

If he (the sick person) has sinned, he will be forgiven. Many diseases are not directly caused by sin (John 9:1-3). But some diseases do arise as the direct result of sin; and it is this kind of disease that James has in mind in this verse. The person with such a disease needs not only physical healing for his body but also spiritual healing for his soul. Through the prayer offered in faith, the sick person’s sins will be forgiven and his soul healed. When He was on earth, Christ had the power both to heal the body and also to forgive sins (Psalm 103:2-3; Mark 2:3-12). And, through faith, all believers in Christ can receive that same power.

James does not mean to say in this verse that every sick person we pray for will be physically healed. That is obviously impossible, because all men must die sometime. But even though a sick person’s body is not healed, if he repents and believes in Jesus, his sins will be forgiven and his soul will be saved. Salvation is the most important kind of “healing.” It is complete healing, and it lasts forever.

16 All Christians agree that fellowship is important. We have house fellowships, we have prayer meetings, we have retreats, we have church services. And all these are important—indeed, essential.

But true fellowship involves more than attending meetings. To have true fellowship means that we confess [our] sins to each other. It means that we know each other, and love each other. It means that we trust each other, and pray for each other. Every one of us has sins; every one of us has something to confess. We must not hide things from one another.

Therefore, let us confess our sins to each other, and then let us pray for each other. When we do this, we shall all receive spiritual healing. And, at the same time, our fellowship will grow all the more close and joyful.

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Who is the righteous man? We are the “righteous man.” Through faith in Christ, we have been declared righteous in God’s sight. Our prayers, then, are powerful and effective. Therefore, let us pray continually (1 Thes-salonians 5:17).

17-18 The Old Testament prophet Elijah was a man just like us. His prayers were certainly powerful and effective! He prayed, and no rain fell on Israel for three and a half years. Then he prayed again, and the rain came. Elijah is an example for us (1 Kings 17:1; 18:1,41-45).

19-20 James here addresses Christian brothers. If a brother should wander from the truth, he is in danger of death (verse 20). Therefore, let us always try to bring him back. Only God can save, but He uses us to turn a sinning brother from the error of his way. If the sinning brother turns back from his error—that is, if he repents—all of his sins will be “covered over,” forgiven, erased. Only through repentance can our sins be “covered over,” or forgiven; there is no other way.

¹ Hebrew was the main language of the Jews. It was almost the same as Aramaic, which was the language spoken by most common people of the Middle East, including Jesus.

² Greek was the language of Greece, an important country in southern Europe. In New Testament times most educated people in the countries around the Mediterranean Sea spoke Greek. The New Testament was originally written in Greek.

³ It is not necessary to stop being a Jew in order to become a Christian. Christ Himself was a Jew. It is only necessary that a Jew stop putting his trust in the law and in his own works; he must put his trust in Christ alone.

⁴ There are also special supernatural gifts of wisdom and knowledge, which are gifts of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12:8 and comment). However, James is not talking about these special gifts of the Spirit in this verse. He is talking about wisdom in a general sense.

⁵ He must not take pride in himself, but rather in God. He has not obtained his high (spiritual) position because of his own worthiness; he has received it by God’s grace alone.

⁶ Trials, in this sense, are not only bad things that happen to us; they can also be pleasant things. Such pleasant things can be called “trials” because they test our faith and obedience just as much as painful trials do. In this verse, then, the word trial means “test of faith.”

⁷ It is important to remember throughout this discussion of faith that faith itself does not save us. We are saved by grace; it is God who saves us (see Ephesians 2:8-9 and comment).

⁸ Love and obedience always go together; to obey is to love, and to love is to obey (see John 14:15). In the same way, faith and deeds always go together; you can’t have one without the other.

⁹ In these verses, the word cursing and curse (verse 9) refer not only to cursing itself but also to critical talk in general.

¹⁰ There are things, of course, about which we must not talk. (We must not talk about the faults of others, for example.) But our silence must never be for the purpose of deceiving other people.

¹¹ It is not certain what the exact translation of these words should be; different versions of the Bible give different translations. It is not certain whether the spirit mentioned here is the Holy Spirit or man’s spirit. Whichever translation is chosen, the general meaning of the passage seems to be that God looks on us with jealous longing, and when we begin to love the world more than Him, He becomes very upset with us.

¹² Paul has also written of future things as if they had already happened (see Romans 8:30 and comment).

¹³ In place of the words Lord Almighty, some translations of the Bible say “Lord of hosts.” The meaning is the same. The “hosts” are armies of angels.

¹⁴ In the Greek text of this verse, the word anoint which James uses refers to the application of medicine. It does not refer to sacramental anointing; for that, a different Greek word is used.

¹⁵ However, oil can also mean the Holy Spirit; oil is a sign of the Holy Spirit. Both meanings of oil are possible here, and they both fit together. Because even when we use medicine to heal a person, it is actually the Holy Spirit who does the healing.

¹⁶ Christ heals through the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter

INTRODUCTION

This letter was written by the Apostle Peter in about 64 A.D. Most Bible scholars believe that Peter was in Rome when he wrote it. The letter was written to the churches in several provinces of the Roman Empire located in what is now modern Turkey; it was written to encourage the believers there to follow in Christ’s steps and to stand firm in their faith during trials.

Peter was the chief of Jesus’ twelve original disciples. His life is described in detail in the four Gospels and in the book of Acts.

OUTLINE

The Privileges and Responsibilities of Salvation (1:1-2:10).
1. God’s Plan of Salvation (1:1-12).
2. The Lifestyle of Salvation (1:13-25).
3. Growth in Salvation (2:1-10).
Christian Submission and God’s Honor (2:11-3:7).
1. Duty of Christian Submission (2:11-2:25).
2. Husbands and Wives (3:1-7).
The Suffering and Persecution of Christians (3:8-5:14).
1. The Blessing of Suffering for Righteousness (3:8-22).
2. Living for God (4:1-11).
3. Consolations in Suffering (4:12-19).
4. Exhortations to Elders and Young Men (5:1-14).

CHAPTER 1

A Living Hope (1:1-12)

1 Peter wrote this letter to God’s elect—that is, to Christians—living in several provinces ofthe ROMAN EMPIRE, located in what is now modern Turkey. Because ofpersecu-tion by the Romans,¹ these Christians had been scattered from their original homes, and had fled to these provinces. Probably they included both Jewish and Gentile believers.

Peter calls himself an APOSTLE. He had been the chief of Jesus’ original twelve disciples. Except for Judas, all of these disciples became known as apostles after Jesus’ death.

2 Peter addresses his readers as those who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God—that is, believers in Christ. All Christians have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God from before the creation of the world (see Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:4-5 and comments). We have been chosen for obedience to Jesus Christ. That is, God has chosen us to be conformed to the likeness of his Son (Romans 8:29), and to be holy and blameless in his sight (Ephe-sians 1:4). To be holy is to obey God; holiness and obedience always go together (see verse 22).

We have been chosen through the sanctifying work of the (Holy) Spirit. God chooses us; His HOLY SPIRIT sanctifies us—that is, makes us holy. Only through the help of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us can we become holy in God’s sight.

To become holy, we first must be cleansed of our sins. And we are cleansed through Jesus’ sacrifice—that is, through His death, through the sprinkling of his blood (see Hebrews 9:13-14). The old covenant that God made with the ancient Jews was confirmed by the sprinkling of blood (Exodus 24:8). In the same way, the new covenant mediated by Jesus Christ was confirmed by the sprinkling of blood, Christ’s blood (Mark 14:24; Hebrews 9:18-22). Through the sprinkling of [Christ’s] blood we are cleansed from our sins, and receive forgiveness not only for past sins but also for new sins committed day by day. The blood of Jesus … purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

Therefore, in this verse, we can see the saving work ofour triune God: God chooses us, Jesus Christ redeems us with His blood, and the Holy Spirit makes us holy.

Here Peter prays for these scattered Christians: GRACE and PEACE be yours in abunda6nce (see Romans 1:7; Ephesians 1:2 and comments). First grace; then peace. Through grace we have peace with God, with each other, and with ourselves.

3-4 In these verses, Peter describes the believer’s SALVATION from beginning to end. Our salvation begins in the great mercy of God. His mercy is so great that He saved even such undeserving sinners as us (Romans 5:8). In His great mercy God also gave us a new birth and a living hope (see John 3:3,5; Romans 8:24; Titus 3:7).

We receive this living hope through the RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ from the dead. Peter himself had seen Jesus die. His own hope had been destroyed. But then he saw Jesus risen from the dead! Peter’s hope was restored to life through the resurrection of Jesus.

Because Jesus rose from the dead, all Christians will also rise from the dead. They will gain victory over death, and they will receive an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—namely, eternal life (verse 4). This inheritance is kept for us in heaven. God gives good gifts to all men, but He gives an inheritance only to His children (Romans 8:16-17; Galatians 4:4-7).

5 From the first day we believe to the day when we receive our full salvation in heaven, we are shielded by God’s power (see 1 Corinthians 1:8; Philippians 1:6 and comments). But to receive salvation, we must also do our part: namely, we must believe. Without FAITH we receive no salvation, no inheritance.

Our salvation will be revealed in the last time—that is, when Christ comes again. At that time He will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens (Mark 13:27). Our salvation begins on earth now (2 Corinthians 6:2); but only in heaven will it be completed.

6-7 God allows all kinds of trials to come upon us in order to test and strengthen our faith. Just as gold is refined by fire, so our faith is “refined” or purified by trials. By means of trials, God can tell whether our faith is genuine or not. Because of our hope of eternal life, we are able to rejoice in these brief trials. These trials are not for our harm but for our good (see Matthew 5:11-12; Romans 5:34; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 4:12-14 and comments). If, after we have been tested, our faith has proved to be genuine, we will receive praise, glory and honor. We will receive this praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed—that is, when He comes again.

If our faith fails under testing, then everything we do is in vain. Satan especially attacks our faith. Jesus said to Peter: “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31-32). If our faith remains firm, we will remain firm.

8-9 Those to whom this letter was sent had never seen Jesus with their eyes. Nevertheless, they had fully believed in Him and placed their confidence in Him, and loved Him (John 20:29). They had also experienced joyful fellowship with Him through the Holy Spirit. True faith always gives rise to love and joy in this way. And each day they were coming nearer to the goal of their faith: namely, the salvation of their souls, or eternal life (verse 9).

10-11 The Old Testament PROPHETS had prophesied that grace—that is, salvation through Christ—would come to all who believe in Him, both Jew and Gentile (see Mark 13:10; Romans 9:25-26; 15:12 and comments). The Spirit of Christ (verse 11)—that is, the Holy Spirit—spoke through these Old Testament prophets (see 2 Peter 1:20-21). The Holy Spirit pointed out through the prophets that Jesus would first have to suffer and then He would be glorified (Isaiah 53:3-7,10-12; Luke 24:25-27,45-47).

12 The things that the Old Testament prophets spoke about Christ were not spoken for their benefit but for our benefit. They longed to find out more about Christ, but they all died before Christ came. The grace and the blessing they pointed to are for us who believe in Christ. The Spirit of Christ who inspired the Old Testament prophets is the same Holy Spirit who inspired Christ’s twelve disciples (John 20:22), after which they became apostles—meaning “inspired or impelled ones.” He is the same Spirit who came upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). That is why Paul says that the church is built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles (Ephesians 2:2022). Through that same Holy Spirit the church has been built. And now through the power of that same Holy Spirit, the GOSPEL of Christ has been preached to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

So wonderful is the Gospel of Christ, and so amazing has been the work of the Holy Spirit, that even ANGELS long to look into these things.

Be Holy (1:13-25)

13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action. In view of the glorious salvation that God has arranged for us (verses 39), we must respond. We must do our part. God has given us grace; therefore, we must prepare [our] minds to serve and obey Him. We must be made new in the attitude of [our] minds (Ephesians 4:23); that is, we must “put on” a new mind (see Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:2224 and comments). Together with that, we must be prepared … for action.² Any man prepared for action must be in complete control of himself; every part of him must be ready to act. Thus he must be self-controlled. Self-control is one the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:23). Paul in his letters has admonished us many times to be self-controlled (1 Corinthians 9:25; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 2:2,5-6).

Christians must set their hope fully on the grace to be given [them] when Jesus Christ is revealed. This grace has already been brought to us through Jesus Christ when He first came to earth (see Titus 2:11). Furthermore, that grace is now available to us daily through Christ’s Holy Spirit dwelling within us. And finally, when Jesus Christ is revealed at His second coming, we shall receive the full measure of His grace for all eternity. Therefore, let us set our hope fully on this grace.

14 God has given us a great blessing: He has made us His children. But along with this blessing, He has also given us a great responsibility: We must obey Him. Just as a child desires to please his human father, so must we try to please our heavenly Father by being obedient. Therefore, we must no longer conform to the evil desires we had before we became Christians (see Romans 12:2; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-18; Titus 3:3 and comments).

15 Having turned from our old sinful desires, let us be holy. To be holy, two things are necessary: first, we must put offunholi-ness; second, we must put on holiness (see Ephesians 4:22-24; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; Titus 2:11-12 and comments).

16 Be holy, because I am holy. Peter quotes here from Leviticus 11:45; 19:2. We must imitate our heavenly Father (Ephe-sians 5:1). Jesus said: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). We have been called to be God’s children (Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 1:5). Therefore, we must lead lives worthy of that calling (Ephesians 4:1).

Our supreme goal is to be like our Lord Jesus (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Our standard is God Himself. All Christian moral teaching in the Bible is based on the character and qualities of God.

17 God is a loving Father. But we must remember that God is also a judge, who judges each man’s work impartially (see Romans 14:12; 1 Corinthians 5:10; Ephe-sians 6:8 and comments). Therefore, let us live our lives in reverent fear (see Matthew 10:28; Acts 10:34-35).

Peter says that we must live our lives here as strangers. Our true home is in heaven. On earth, we are only strangers (John 15:18-19). Therefore, let us not be proud; let us not put our confidence in earthly things. The earth will pass away (1 John 2:17). Rather, let us fear God and obey Him alone.

18-19 We were once prisoners of Satan in this world. But now Christ has redeemed us; that is, He has paid a price to win our freedom from Satan (Mark 10:45). The price He paid was much more valuable than silver or gold; the price was His own precious blood—His life! Christ gave up His own life as a sacrifice for our sins. He was alamb without defect or blemish (Leviticus 22:19-21). John the Baptist called Him the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Jesus Himself was without blemish or defect—that is, He was without sin (Hebrews 4:15; 7:26). Only a sinless person can make ATONEMENT for the sins of others. If Christ had had sins of His own, His death would have atoned only for His own sins, not for the sins of others.

20 Christ was with God before the creation of the world (John 1:1-2). At that time, God made a plan for our salvation (Ephesians 1:4). Now that plan—salvation through Christ—has been revealed in these last times. “These last times” are the period between Christ’s first coming and His second coming (see Hebrews 1:2).

21 God has redeemed us from the punishment of sin by the sacrifice of His Son Jesus; He has raised Jesus from the dead and glorified Him in heaven. Because of this amazing work of God, we can fully place our faith and hope in Him. We have been set free from bondage to sin by Jesus’ death. And because of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, we too will be glorified and receive eternal life with Him in heaven (Romans 6:5,8; 8:23-24).

22-23 Christians are purified by obeying the truth—that is, by obeying Christ’s word (see John 15:3; 17:17). If we do not obey His word, it will not purify us. To obey Christ’s word means to love our brother (John 13:34). We must love our brother with a sincere love … deeply, from the heart. We must love our brother without selfishness. This is how Christ loved us; and so this is how we must love our brother. We believers are all children of our heavenly Father. If we love our natural brothers and sisters, how much more should we love our spiritual brothers and sisters!

Not only have we been purified; we have also been born again. We have been spiritually born again, not by perishable seed (human seed) but by spiritual seed—that is, by the living and enduring word of God (see Luke 8:11; John 3:3; 1 John 3:9).

Here we see that two things are necessary to be a Christian. First, we must be purified (verse 22); that is, our sins must be washed away and forgiven. Our baptism in water signifies that this has taken place. Second, we must be born again (verse 23); that is, we must receive the Holy Spirit, from whom we obtain new spiritual life. Jesus said: “… no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). In the same way, in his sermon on the day of Pentecost Peter spoke of these same two things—forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. He said: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

24-25 Peter quotes here from Isaiah 40:6-8. …the word of the Lord stands forever (verse 25). Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Mark 13:31). Men are like grass, but Christ’s word (God’s word) is living and enduring (verse 23). This is the word Peter has preached. This is the word that is written fully in our Bible. If anyone is seeking forgiveness, new life, and fellowship with God—that is, if anyone is seeking salvation—the way to find these things is written clearly in God’s word, the Bible.

CHAPTER 2

The Living Stone and a Chosen People (2:1-10)

1 Most Christians do not murder, steal, or fornicate. These sins are found relatively infrequently among Christians. But there are other sins, which sadly are very common among Christians, such as malice … deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. Indeed, among Christian workers, the most common and destructive sins are envy and slander (criticism behind another’s back). If one Christian gets a high post or is successful in some endeavor, others in the church frequently become envious and begin to speak against him. Satan uses these two sins more than any other to divide the church and destroy our fellowship.

Peter warns his readers about the five sins mentioned in this verse. These sins are hidden in our hearts. Often Christians are not even aware they are committing these sins. Many deny that they have committed them. That is why it is so important to always ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us these hidden sins. There are sins like these in each one of us, and we daily need to confess them before God (1 John 1:8-9).

However, the two most basic sins of all are pride and selfishness (or self-love). These two sins give rise to all other sins.³ It is very difficult to uproot these two sins, because they are buried deeply within our hearts. The prophet Jeremiah wrote: The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9). But God fully understands our heart; He sees all our sins. The psalmist wrote: You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence (Psalm 90:8).

2 Having put away the poisonous sins mentioned in verse 1, let us crave pure spiritual milk—that is, God’s word. Just as a newborn infant eagerly desires his mother’s milk, so should we eagerly desire to read and understand God’s word and live according to it. Only by doing this can we grow up in our salvation—that is, become mature Christians and receive the full blessing of our salvation.

But first it is necessary to rid ourselves of the poisonous sins mentioned in verse 1 (and other sins too). Ifour stomach is filled with evil, we will have no appetite for spiritual milk.

3 As we read God’s word, we can “taste” the goodness of His mercy and His other blessings. Through reading and obeying His word, we come to know God Himself and receive His grace. Therefore, when we open our Bible and read, let us not just seek to know God’s word, but through His word to know, to “taste,” to love, God Himself (Psalm 34:8).

4-5 Peter here calls Christ the living Stone. Christ is the cornerstone (verse 6) or capstone⁴ (verse 7) of the church. If one were to remove this stone from a building, the building would fall down. Christ is a living stone, because God brought Him to life from the dead (Romans 6:9). Paul called Christ a life-giving spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). But it is not only Christ Himself who is alive; He also makes alive all who come to Him. Thus we too, who believe in Jesus, become living stones like Him (verse 4). God takes us and builds us into a spiritual house or temple (verse 5), in which God Himself can live (see Ephe-sians 2:18-22 and comment). We ourselves are God’s house!

Not only that, we are also God’s priests; we are a holy priesthood. Among the twelve tribes of Israel, only the Levites could be appointed priests. But among Christians, every believer is a priest. And, as priests of Christ, we must offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. These sacrifices include the sacrifice of obedience—that is, the sacrifice of our own bodies (Romans 12:1), the sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15), and the sacrifice of service to others (Hebrews 13:16). We must never think that there are two kinds of Christians—one kind who are priests and pastors, and another kind who are just ordinary believers. We must never think that some Christians are called to be holy and others are not. All Christians are equally called to be holy; all Christians are equally called to be priests. Thus it is the duty of every Christian to offer these spiritual sacrifices.

Peter says here that Christ the living Stone was rejected by men—that is, by the Jewish leaders and their followers (see Mark 8:31). But Christ was chosen by God and was precious to Him. Notice how opposite God’s thoughts are from man’s thoughts. What man values, God detests (Luke 16:15). What man despises, God honors (1 Corinthians 1:27-30). Men rejected Christ, but God honored Him by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in heaven (Ephe-sians 1:20-21). Peter had preached this very thing many times before (see Acts 2:23-24,32-33; 5:30-31).

6 To illustrate the rejection of Christ by men, Peter here in verses 6-8 quotes three passages from the Old Testament: Isaiah 28:16; Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 8:14. In verse 6, Christ is called a precious cornerstone (see Ephesians 2:20-21). All who trust in Christ will never be ashamed before God; they will be accepted by God (see Romans 10:11-13 and comment). Christ the cornerstone is laid in Zion—that is, in heaven, in the heavenly Jerusalem (see Hebrews 12:22-23).

7-8 For believers, Christ is a precious stone (verse 7). But for non-believers, Christ is a stone that causes men to stumble (verse 8). Paul calls Him a stumbling block (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). For believers, Christ is Savior; for non-believers, He is Judge (John 5:22; Romans 14:10).

The Jews rejected Christ. They refused to believe in Him. They threw out the “cornerstone.” But then they stumbled on it (see Romans 9:30-32 and comment). In the same way, if we reject Christ and disobey his message, we too will stumble and be condemned.

All man’s sins have their origin in unbelief, which is basically a refusal to acknowledge that God is greater than we are. Always associated with unbelief is disobedience; to disbelieve God and to disobey God always go together (Hebrews 3:18-19; 11:6). When we refuse to believe, we are, in effect, disobeying God (John 6:29). The destiny or end of every person is determined by whether or not he or she has believed in Jesus Christ (see John 1:10-12; 3:18,36; Romans 2:8; 10:9; 1 John 5:1112). Those who reject and disobey Christ are destined to stumble; that is, they are destined to be condemned.

9 Here Peter describes Christians by quoting some expressions from the Old Testament about Israel, the Jewish nation. Indeed, Christians are the new and true “Israel.” They are a chosen people (Isaiah 43:20), a royal priesthood and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6), a people belonging to God (see Titus 2:14). God has made us His people so that we might declare [His] praises (Isaiah 43:21). God has called us out of darkness—out of the world of sin and unbelief—and brought us into his wonderful light—that is, into the kingdom of heaven (see Acts 26:17-18; Ephesians 5:8; Colossians 1:13-14).

10 We were once unbelieving Gentiles (non-Jews). We did not belong to God’s people, the Jews; we were not part of Israel, the Jewish nation. But now we have become the people of God; we have received God’s mercy, God’s salvation, through Christ (see Romans 9:23-25 and comment). But we are not merely God’s people; we are His sons—sons of the living God (Romans 9:26).

Servants of God (2:11-17)

11 Because we are God’s children, members of His holy household, we must abstain from sinful desires (see 1 Peter 1:14). Such sinful desires war against our soul (see Romans 7:21-23; Galatians 5:16-17,19-21). We are not citizens of this world; we are only passing through, like aliens and strangers. Therefore, let us not become entrapped by the sinful desires of the world; let us not partake of its sins.

12 Instead, let us live in the world as God’s holy children, so that men will honor God because ofour good deeds (Matthew 5:16). People will certainly slander and abuse us, as they slandered and abused Christ (see John 15:18-20). But we do not need to answer back. Rather, we need only to continue doing good, and in the end those who speak against us will be silenced (verse 15).

The day [God] visits us is that day when God draws near to us and calls us to repent. May men and women, because of our good deeds, be led to repent and glorify God on the day he visits them.

13-14 Every law and every authority among men is instituted by God. A ruler may be evil, but his authority has still been given to him by God. All authority comes from God; there is no other authority (John 19:10-11; Romans 13:1).

God has appointed rulers to punish evildoers and to reward welldoers. It is His will that we submit to these rulers and obey them. We must submit to them for the Lord’s sake—that is, we must submit to them in order to show our submission to God’s authority and to set an example of righteous living for others to follow. However, if the earthly authority or ruler commands us to do anything clearly opposed to God’s word, we must not obey that command; rather, we must obey God’s word (see Acts 4:18-20; 5:29; Romans 13:1-5; Titus 3:1 and comments).

15 When people oppose and slander us, let us not argue with them, let us not defend ourselves. We must never try to get even, or take revenge. Instead, we must show them love and continue to do good (verse 12). In the end their evil and foolish talk will be silenced (see Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:14,17-21; Titus 2:7-8; 1 Peter 3:9,16).

In Peter’s time, Christians were considered to be outlaws and rebels, because they worshiped only Christ and refused to worship the Roman emperor. The Jews also opposed the Christians. Therefore, to avoid bringing upon themselves unnecessary accusations, it was important for Christians, as far as possible, to obey all civil laws and to submit to their rulers.

16 Christians are free men. They have been freed from sin, from selfish desires, and from Satan’s power. They have been freed from the Jewish law and its condemnation (see John 8:31-32,34-36; Romans 8:1-2; Galatians 5:1 and comments). However, Christians are not free from God! They are servants of God (see 1 Corinthians 7:22-23 and comment). Christians are free from sin, but they are not free to commit sin. Therefore, Christians must not use their freedom as a cover-up for evil. They must never say: “I am free from the law; therefore, I don’t have to obey God” (see Galatians 5:13 and comment).

We believers submit to other men, not because we are their servants but because we are God’s servants. We submit to others not out of compulsion but out of love, desiring thereby to serve both them and God (see 1 Corinthians 9:19). For this reason Jesus taught that if anyone forces us to go one mile, we should go with him two miles (Matthew 5:41). Only a person who is free—free of sin and pride—is ready and willing to do more than is required (see Matthew 5:39-41 and comment).

17 We must show respect to everyone—whether believer or non-believer, whether good or evil; because all men are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27).

We must especially love our Christian brothers and sisters. Here Peter says that we must love the brotherhood of be-lievers—that is, the church. It is possible to misinterpret this verse. Some Christians claim to love the church, but they show little love to the members of the church! Such people seek to purify the church, but in so doing they mistreat their brothers and sisters. Let us never think that we can love the church and at the same time oppose other Christians. To love the church means to love each and every brother and sister in the church.

Christ the Example of Suffering (2:1825)

18 Just as we must all submit to our rulers (verse 13), so must slaves (or employees) submit to their masters (or employers). Even if a master is harsh, the slave must willingly submit to him (see Ephesians 6:5-8; 1 Timothy 6:1; Titus 2:9-10 and comments).

19-20 In these verses, Peter gives us a difficult but very important teaching: It is commendable in God’s sight when we bear unjust suffering—that is, when we suffer for doing good (see Matthew 5:10-11,44,46-47; Luke 6:32-35). This teaching is the opposite of the world’s teaching! Even Christians have difficulty accepting this teaching. The moment we suffer some small injustice or hurt from our employer, we cry out; we at once begin to oppose our employer, to talk against him. When we do this, we lose the commendation of God.

21 Instead, when we suffer unjustly, let us endure it patiently and quietly, because to this we were called. Christ was called to suffer for us (Mark 8:31; 10:45; 14:24; Luke 24:25-27,46). And those who follow Christ are called to suffer also (Mark 8:34-35; John 15:20; 2 Timothy 3:12).

22 Here Peter quotes from Isaiah 53:9. Christ was completely innocent in word and deed. He committed no sin; nevertheless, men despised and mocked Him, and in the end, they put Him to death as a criminal.

23 When He was abused, Christ did not retaliate. He did not behave badly to any man; He did not seek revenge. He suffered quietly (Isaiah 53:7; Mark 14:61,65). He entrusted Himself to God (see 1 Peter 4:19). In this world, men may judge and condemn us, but it is God who is the final judge. And God always judges justly; we can entrust ourselves to Him.

24 Christ suffered for us (verse 21). He suffered not for His own sins but for ours. Because Christ, being sinless, did not have to bear His own punishment, He was able to bear our punishment. He himself bore our sins in his body; that is, He bore the punishment for our sins (Isaiah 53:12). That punishment was death (Romans 4:25). Christ was put to death on the tree—that is, the CROSS. Christ died so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. Christ not only erased our sins and delivered us from the power of Satan, but He also turned our lives completely toward God and gave us a new mind and a new power to live righteous lives (see Romans 6:2,6,11-13,18,22-23 and comment).

… his wounds you have been healed (Isaiah 53:5). Christ was wounded at the hands of Roman soldiers (Mark 15:15; John 19:1). Here we see a deep and important spiritual principle: By suffering we are healed. Not only that, by our suffering others also are healed. If we suffer for God’s sake and in accordance with His will, then tremendous healing power will be released through our suffering (see 1 Peter 4:14-16). When we suffer for Christ’s sake, people will see that our faith is genuine, and they will turn to God. When we suffer for Christ, strife and divisions between us will be healed. Through our suffering God can accomplish great things.

25 We are like sheep who have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). But our Shepherd has called us back to Him. We are one flock, because we have one shepherd, Jesus Christ (John 10:14-16).

CHAPTER 3 Husbands and Wives (3:1-7)

1-2 Just as all Christians should submit to their rulers, and all workers to their employers, so in the same way should wives be subject to their husbands. In a family, the husband is the head of the wife (see 1 Corinthians 11:3,7-9; Ephesians 5:22-24 and comments; General Article: Christian Marriage).

If a husband is an unbeliever—one who does not believe the word—he may oppose the Gospel. He may be harsh with his Christian wife. But let the believing wife of such a man not quarrel or complain against her husband. Rather, let her live quietly in purity and reverence, showing respect for both her husband and for God. In this way her unbelieving husband, seeing her good behavior, may in time be led to repent and believe in the Lord. Behavior is always more effective than words in winning people to our side. Indeed, the best way to bring people to Christ is through our good behavior.⁵

3-4 There are two kinds of beauty (or adornment): outer or physical beauty, and inner or spiritual beauty. True beauty is inner beauty, the beauty ofthe inner self; this is the beauty that God sees. Inner beauty is the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit (verse 4). This kind of beauty is of great worth in God’s sight. Let the beauty or adornment of the believing wife be like that.

However, to dress attractively is not a sin. A Christian woman doesn’t have to wear tattered, worn-out clothes. Let the believing wife dress suitably and modestly (see 1 Timothy 2:9-10 and comment).

In New Testament times, ungodly and worldly women customarily braided their hair and wore expensive clothes and jewelry. Therefore, it was unsuitable for Christian wives in Peter’s time to dress and wear their hair in this manner. To do so would give the appearance that they too were ungodly and worldly, and this would bring dishonor to God.

But in other countries, it is customary for ordinary godly people to braid their hair and wear gold jewelry. In these countries, then, it would be suitable for Christian wives to do the same. The main rule is this: whatever a woman wears must be pleasing and honoring to God. Let the Christian wife’s main concern be to adorn herself spiritually, to adorn her inner self. Let her remember God’s words to Samuel: “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

5-6 To illustrate his teaching, Peter cites the example of godly Old Testament wives, whose beauty consisted in their submissive and obedient spirits. Peter’s main example is Sarah, Abraham’s wife, who called her husband master. In calling Abraham “master,” Sarah showed that she submitted to her husband. Just as Abraham is called the “father” of those who believe, so Sarah can be called the “mother” of those who obey.

7 Now Peter gives some instructions to Christian husbands. Husbands must be considerate as they live with their wives (see Ephesians 5:25,28 and comment). Husbands must treat their wives with respect. Because women are physically weaker than men, husbands must protect their wives, and be kind and gentle with them.

However, in spiritual things, wives are not behind their husbands. The husband may be stronger than his wife physically, but spiritually they are equal. The wife receives the same grace her husband does; she receives the same salvation her husband does. Husband and wife are heirs together of the gracious gift of life.

If a husband treats his wife harshly or if a wife refuses to submit to her husband, the spiritual fellowship between them is broken. When this happens, their prayers are hindered. Let this not happen. A husband and wife must remember the words of Jesus: “… if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). Think of the prayer power that a husband and wife possess together! Let nothing hinder it!

There is something else the husband and wife (and all of us) must remember. When the husband and wife pray together, they can know that Jesus is present with them. Jesus said: “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20). When the fellowship between husband and wife is broken, their fellowship with Jesus is also broken. Husbands and wives, let this not happen!

Suffering for Doing Good (3:8-22)

8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another (see 1 Corinthians 1:10). This doesn’t only mean that we should avoid arguing with each other; it also means that we should think and care deeply about the same things together, the things of Christ (Colossians 3:1-2). As Christ’s mind was, so should our mind be (see Phil-ippians 2:5).

In order to be of one mind and live in harmony together, we need to be sympathetic toward one another, and love each other as brothers; we need to be compassionate with one another. This means that we must share each other’s joy and sorrow. It means that we must always be trying to please our brother (Romans 12:15; 15:2).

In addition, we must be humble. Ifsome in the church think that they are better or more worthy than others, then there can be no harmony or unity of mind in that church (see Romans 12:3,16; Ephesians 4:2-3; Philippians 2:1-4 and comments).

9 Christians must never take revenge.⁶ Rather, we must repay evil with good (see Luke 6:27-31; Romans 12:14,17-21; 1 Corinthians 4:12-13; 1 Peter 2:23). God gives blessings⁷ to the evil as well as to the good (Matthew 5:44-45); therefore, so should we. As much as we show mercy and forgiveness to others, that much will God show mercy and forgiveness to us (see Matthew 5:44-45; 6:12,14-15; 18:32-35; Mark 11:25; Luke 6:35-38; Ephesians 4:32).

… because to this you were called. We were called to endure injustice and to do good to those who wrong us. If we do this, we will inherit a blessing—namely, our inheritance in heaven (see Romans 8:17-18; 1 Peter 2:21).

10-12 To show that God blesses those who do good and opposes those who do evil, Peter here quotes from Psalm 34:1216. Notice in verse 11 that we must not only turn from evil, but we must also do good. We must not only seek peace; we must also pursue it (see Romans 12:18; 14:19; Hebrews 12:14).

13 If we do good, no one can really harm us, because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous (verse 12). Yes, men can give us trouble in this life—they can even kill our body. But in the end they can do us no spiritual harm. We do not need to fear those who can only kill the body (Matthew 10:28; Romans 8:31,35-39).

14 In the world, believers must expect to face suffering (2 Timothy 3:12); but for those who love God and walk in His will, such suffering will in the end be for the believer’s benefit (Romans 8:28; 1 Peter 1:67). If we suffer for the Lord’s sake, we will be blessed (Matthew 5:10-12).

“Do not fear what they fear” is a quotation from Isaiah 8:12. Peter’s meaning is that we believers should not fear the things that other people fear. Other people fear the loss of their wealth. Or they fear the loss of health—they fear death. These are things that believers in Christ do not need to fear.

15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. In our hearts Christ must be the Lord. It must not be we who reign in our hearts, but Christ. No longer can we Christians do what we want; we must do only what He wants. We are no longer the ruler of our lives: He is.

Christ is the ruler, and we are His messengers or ambassadors. In a sense, we are His lips and tongue here on earth. Therefore, we must always be ready to witness to Christ. Peter says here that we must give people the reason for the hope that we have. Christ is our hope (1 Timothy 1:1). Paul writes: Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). If anyone asks us about our hope, about our Lord, let us be ready at once to give that person an answer. If someone shows even a little interest, let us be ready to share our faith with him. Most Christians remain silent. Why? Are we ashamed of our Lord? Are we afraid of man?

But when we witness to others, let us do so with gentleness and respect. We do not need to speak forcefully. We must never put others down. We must never argue, or give offense. Because if a person is offended by our manner of speaking, he will not listen to the words we speak.

Surely, as Peter wrote this verse, he remembered his own experience. Three times Peter had denied His Lord. He had been afraid then. He certainly had not been ready to witness to Christ. He answered those who questioned him neither with gentleness nor with respect—nor with truth! (see Mark 14:66-72). Therefore, let us not be discouraged when we fall; if Peter could overcome his early sins and weaknesses, so can we.

16 We must keep a clear conscience. If

our conscience is unclean—that is, if sin is hidden in our hearts—we will not be able to witness to others. All Christians have had this experience (see Acts 24:16; 1 Timothy 1:5,19 and comments).

If our conscience is clean—if we have repented of our sins and are obeying God’s will—then those who speak against us will in the end be ashamed (see Titus 2:7-8; 1 Peter 2:12,15 and comments).

17 Suffering will come to us; but let it come because we’ve done good, not because we’ve done evil. If we are punished for doing evil, there is nothing praiseworthy about that. Only when we suffer for doing good will we receive praise from God (see 1 Peter 2:19-20 and comment).

18 Whenever we suffer for doing good, let us remember that Christ Himself walked the road of suffering before us. He is for us an example (1 Peter 2:21). Christ suffered for doing good. He did not deserve the suffering He received. But God had appointed Him first to suffer, and only after that to enter into glory (Luke 24:26). Christ’s suffering was completely in accordance with God’s will; the Old Testament prophets had written about it (Luke 24:45-46). Thus when we suffer for doing good we can rejoice, because we know we are following in Christ’s footsteps and will enter into His glory (Romans 8:17-18; 2 Corinthians 4:17; Philippians 3:10-11).

In one way, Christ’s suffering and our suffering are similar. But in another way, Christ’s suffering was special and unique, because He was the sinless Son of God. Through His suffering Christ brought men to God; that is, through His suffering He saved them. Christ died for sins once for all. The RIGHTEOUS man died in the place of unrighteous men (see 1 Peter 2:24 and comment). The innocent Christ offered Himself as a perfect and unblemished sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 9:14; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). His sacrifice will never have to be repeated (see Hebrews 9:26-28; 10:10-14 and comments). Christ took upon Himself the punishment for our sins. Now we are free forever from the condemnation of sin (see Romans 8:1 and comment).

As soon as Christ died, He was made alive again by the Spirit. He conquered death (Romans 6:9-10). But not only that, He also delivers us from death, the punishment for sin (Romans 6:23; Hebrews 2:14-15).

19 From this verse (and from Ephesians 4:9) comes the section in the Apostles’ Creed where it says: “He descended into hell.” After Jesus died and was made alive in spirit, three days passed before His body was resurrected. During that time He went and preached to the spirits in prison. It is not certain what spirits Peter is talking about here. Some Bible scholars believe that they are the spirits of men who died in the flood in Noah’s time without ever hearing about Jesus. Other scholars believe that these spirits are fallen angels (see 2 Peter 2:4-5; Jude 6).

20 The flood in Noah’s time was a sign both of judgment and salvation. God waited patiently while the ark was being built. That is, He gave the evil men of Noah’s time a chance to repent. But when they did not repent, God destroyed them all by sending a flood upon the earth (2 Peter 3:5-7,9). But Noah and his family—eight people—were saved by the flood (Genesis 7:11-12,17-23). They were saved through water. They were saved not only from the water but also through the water, because the water lifted up the boat Noah had built and thus enabled Noah and his family to escape drowning.

Except for those eight people, every other person on earth was destroyed by that flood. Consider this: To follow the majority of people is neither good, nor wise, nor safe. It’s better to follow the eight people in the boat! (see Matthew 7:13-14 and comment).

21 The water ofthe flood is an illustration or symbol of our BAPTISM into Christ. Just as those eight people who entered the boat were saved from judgment and death, so those who enter into Christ through faith are saved from judgment and death. The ceremony of baptism in itself does not save us; it is Christ who saves us. Christ saves us from death, because He Himself overcame death through His resurrection. In order to receive this salvation, all we have to do is to believe in Christ (Romans 10:9).

The meaning of baptism is this: When we are baptized, we die with Christ. … all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death⁸ (Romans 6:3). With Christ we die to sin (see Romans 6:6,10-11 and comment). True baptism is not an outer washing; it is an inner spiritual washing. In baptism our sins are washed away, our consciences are cleansed, and we are raised with Christ (Romans 6:5).

22 How great and deep is the meaning of baptism! How great is our Savior Christ! Christ has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand. All things have been placed under His authority (see Romans 14:9; Ephesians 1:20-22).

CHAPTER 4

Living for God (4:1-6)

1 When Christ suffered and died for us, He died to sin once for all (Romans 6:10). In the same way, we too must suffer with Christ; our old sinful self with its sinful nature must be crucified (see Romans 6:6; 8:13; Galatians 5:24 and comments). We must also count ourselves dead to sin (see Romans 6:11 and comment). This is the meaning of Peter’s command here: … arm yourselves also with the same atti-tude—that is, with Christ’s attitude. He who suffers—who has died to sin—has put away sin. Sin no longer has any power over him (Romans 6:7). He is done with sin.

2 Therefore, having died to sin, we must no longer live for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. Paul writes: Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness (Romans 6:12-13). This is why Christ died for us, so that we might offer ourselves to God (Romans 6:13; 12:1), so that we might live the rest of [our] earthly life … for the will of God.

3 Therefore, we must stop doing what we used to do—that is, we must stop doing what pagans⁹ choose to do (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 4:17-19). Rather, we must make new our minds, goals, and desires. We must put on the mind of Christ (see Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:22-24 and comments).

4 When we stop participating in the evil activities of our former friends, they will naturally be upset. They will be angry with us and revile us, because by our good life their evil will be exposed and condemned (see Ephesians 5:11).

5 Every evildoer will have to give an account to Christ, who is the judge of all men, both living and dead (John 5:22,27; Acts 10:42; Romans 2:16). Whoever does not accept Christ as Savior will in the end have to face Him as Judge.

6 The gospel was preached to men so that their sin might be judged in this life, and so that the penalty for their sin might be removed through faith in Christ—that is, so that their punishment might fall on Christ. This is Peter’s meaning when he says here: so that they (men) might be judged according to men in regard to the body. The bodies of believers die like the bodies of other men (because the judgment of sin is death), but their spirits do not die. Through faith in Christ, believers receive new spiritual life, which begins now in this life and lasts forever. That is, they live according to God in regard to the spirit.

Therefore, even though their bodies die, believers in Christ receive eternal life (John 5:24; 11:25-26). But those who do not accept Christ will, after death, receive the eternal judgment of God. They will receive eternal punishment.

The Gifts of God (4:7-11)

7 The end of all things—that is, the second coming of Christ—is near. We must each live our lives as if Jesus was going to come tomorrow (see Mark 13:33-37; Luke 12:35-36; 17:26-27).

We must remain clear minded and self-controlled, so that we can pray more effectively. As Peter wrote this, he surely had in mind the time when the disciples were in the garden of Gethsemane with Jesus, and because of sleepiness they could not stay awake to pray (Mark 14:37-40). Perhaps it was because Peter failed to pray in the garden that he later fell into temptation and denied his Lord (Mark 14:66-72).

8 Above all, love each other deeply. The commandments to love God andto love man are the first and greatest commandments (Mark 12:30-31). All other commands are included in these commandments to love (Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14; Col-ossians 3:4). By our love for each other, we show the world that we are disciples of Christ and children of God (John 13:3435; 1 John 4:7).

… love covers over a multitude of sins. This means that love does not look at other people’s faults and weaknesses. Love keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5). Love not only covers our brother’s sin but it also “covers” our own sin; because to the extent we forgive our brother’s sins in love, to that same extent God will “cover,” or forgive, our sins (Matthew 6:12,14-15; Mark 11:25-26).

9 Christians must offer hospitality to all people, but especially to other believers. Not only that, they must do it without grumbling (Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:2; 3 John 5-8). The more of our goods we share with others, the more God will give to us in return (2 Corinthians 9:6-8). And let us not forget that when we show hospitality to others, we are at the same time showing hospitality to Christ Himself (see Matthew 25:35,37-40). … whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40).

10 Every Christian has received one or more gifts from God. These gifts can be both natural and spiritual gifts (see Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 and comments). Every gift is given for the common good of the members of the church (1 Corinthians 12:7). Whatever gift we have received, we have received it as stewards; we are to use it for others, not for ourselves.

No Christian can say: “I have no gift.” Every Christian has received at least one gift from God, and along with it, the grace and strength to use it. If we do not use the gifts we have been given in God’s service, He will punish us for it (see Matthew 25:14-30).

11 Here Peter mentions the two main kinds of Christian ministry: first, the ministry of the word—speaking the very words of God; and second, the ministry of service (see Acts 6:2-4). The first ministry is carried out mainly by pastors, elders, and evangelists.¹⁰ Those who teach and preach the word of God must do so as if God Himself were speaking. They must act as God’s spokesmen.

All Christians can take part in the second ministry, the ministry of serving and helping others. God will provide the means and strength—everything that is needed—for carrying out this ministry. If money is needed, God will provide it. But we can’t just wait around and expect God to do everything. We must use all ofour abilities, our strength, our time, and our wealth in God’s service. When we do this, we will bring glory to God. All our labors and efforts in this world have but one ultimate purpose, and that purpose is to glorify God.

Suffering for Being a Christian (4:12-19)

12 Some of the believers to whom Peter wrote this letter were suffering various kinds of trouble and persecution. Perhaps they were surprised and shocked and disillusioned by the troubles that had come upon them. They had thought that after believing in Christ they would receive blessing, joy, and prosperity. But instead of these good things, they had received trouble from their friends and persecution from the Romans. Some of them may have thought: “We have been betrayed.”

But Peter reminds his readers that just as gold is refined by fire, so their faith is being refined by the “fiery” or painful trial that has come upon them (see Mark 4:5-6,1617; 1 Peter 1:6-7).

13 But rejoice¹¹ that you participate in the sufferings of Christ. For Christ, suffering was the road to glory; and it is the same for us. If we suffer for Christ now, we will share in His glory later (Matthew 5:10-12; Romans 8:17). When Christ comes to earth again, we will all the more rejoice with Him (Romans 8:18; 2 Thes-salonians 1:4-5). Therefore, during times of suffering, let us turn our thoughts to the glory and the joy of Christ, in which we shall one day share—if we stand firm. Paul wrote: … we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us (Romans 5:2-5). … if we endure, we will also reign with him (2 Timothy 2:12).

14 Anyone who faithfully follows Christ will from time to time be insulted because of the name of Christ (Psalm 69:7-9; 89:50-51; Matthew 10:22; John 15:1821). To bear reproach and abuse for Christ’s sake is not a disgrace but an honor and privilege(seeMatthew5:11; Acts5:41; Hebrews 11:26; 13:13; 1 Peter 4:16). If we bear Christ’s reproach, His Spirit—the Spirit of glory—and God Himself will come to us and remain with us (see John 14:23).

15 If we suffer for doing wrong, however, we bring no honor to Christ or to ourselves. There is no joy in suffering punishment we deserve. Therefore, let us make sure that any trouble we suffer is for Christ’s sake— that is, for doing good. Only in this way will we glorify God (see 1 Peter 2:19-20; 3:17 and comments).

16 In Peter’s time, the name Christian was despised by almost everyone. Many Christians were poor; some were slaves or servants. Some had been former Jews. Therefore, the Romans despised the Christians. To be called a “Christian” was a shameful thing. However, Peter says here, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed. Rather, praise God that you bear that name, because that is the name of the King of kings and Lord of lords (see verse 14 and comment).

17 God’s judgment against sin begins with the family of God—that is, with believers. God will judge Christians, and He will give a punishment for their sins. The punishment God gives for sin is spiritual death; this is the punishment that Jesus bore in our place (see verse 6 and comment). But think: if God’s judgment against the sins ofbelievers is so great that He gave His only Son to pay the price for those sins, then how much worse will be God’s judgment against the sins of those who do not obey the gospel of God—who do not accept Christ as their Savior.¹² The judgment of God against unbelievers will be fearful and terrible (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10).

18 Here Peter quotes Proverbs 11:31. If the righteous must be judged and their faith tested by fire and painful trials, what will the end of the unrighteous be like! It is better by far to come to Christ and face His judgment against sin in this life, than to wait and face God’s final and terrible judgment in the next life.

19 Therefore, let us not be angry with God or man when suffering comes upon us. Because through such suffering we are being made holy. Through suffering our faith is being tested and strengthened. And through suffering we are being prepared to receive a place in God’s kingdom (Romans 8:17; Hebrews 12:5-7,10). We must commit ourselves, therefore, to God; He is faithful. Paul writes: … he (God) who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). And he also writes: He (God) will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:8-9).

Therefore, let us commit ourselves to God, the righteous Judge (see 1 Peter 2:23). On the cross, Jesus’ last words were: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Peter heard Jesus speak those words. He surely remembered them as he wrote this verse.

CHAPTER 5

To Elders and Young Men (5:1-11)

1 Even though Peter was the chief among Jesus’ original twelve disciples, he here calls himself only a fellow elder. From this, we can see Peter’s humility. He did not “lord it over” others (verse 3), but rather he exhorted them as a fellow believer. Peter writes this letter as a witness of Christ’s sufferings (see Luke 24:45-48; Acts 1:8), and as one who also will share in the glory to be revealed(see Romans 8:1718).

2 In the New Testament, church leaders are commonly called elders (Acts 14:23; 20:17; Titus 1:5), or overseers¹³ (1 Timothy 3:1). Nowadays, we also call such church leaders ministers or pastors. In the Greek language, the word “pastor” means shepherd; thus Peter here instructs the elders ofthe church to be shepherds. From this, then, we can see the two main responsibilities of a church leader: first, as an “overseer” or supervisor, he must teach and exhort and discipline the members of the church (see 2 Timothy 4:2); second, as a “pastor” or “shepherd,” he must feed and nurture the flock and protect the sheep from “wolves,” that is, false teachers (see Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:28-29).

Peter fully understood that leaders had to be more than just rulers or overseers; they also had to be shepherds. Three times Jesus, after His resurrection, commanded Peter to take care of His sheep (John 21:1517). The sheep belong to God’s flock, and the Chief Shepherd (verse 4) is Jesus Christ Himself. Church leaders must serve God and His flock not because of compulsion but because oflove. They must exercise their leadership not in order to gain money or honor but in order to serve the sheep (Mark 10:45; John 10:11).

3 A good leader leads mainly by example. Yes, a leader has authority, and he must exercise his authority in the right way and at the right times—especially when he must discipline those who oppose the truth and disobey God. But as far as possible, the leader should lead by his own good example (1 Corinthians 11:1). If the shepherd is good, the sheep will be eager to follow (John 10:14,27). The leader must not lead by force or by threats; he must not use his authority to push others down; rather, he must make himself the servant of others (Mark 10:42-45).

4 If church leaders serve well, they will receive a reward, a crown of glory that will never fade away. In Peter’s time, the winner of a race received a crown made of leaves; the leaves, of course, quickly dried out. But the Christian’s crown of glory will never dry out or fade away (see 1 Corinthians 9:25; 2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12 and comments).

5 Peter has already said that Christians must remain subject to others (1 Peter 2:13,18; 3:1). Paul wrote the same thing in several ofhis letters (Romans 13:1; 1 Corinthians 16:16; Ephesians 5:21-22; 6:1,5). Here in this verse, Peter especially exhorts the young men ofthe church to be submissive to those who are older. Most young people do not like to remain subject to anyone; they want to be free to go their own way. But most young people are lacking in humility and wisdom. Therefore, for their own sake and for the church’s sake, it is essential that young people be submissive to their elders.

All members of the church must “clothe” themselves with humility. Humility doesn’t just mean behavior that is outwardly humble. True humility arises in our inner mind. The humble person knows he is unworthy in God’s sight. He knows that all his righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). The humble person knows that all he is and all he does is by the grace of God alone (1 Corinthians 4:6-7; 15:10).

In the experience ofmost Christians, humility is the hardest virtue to maintain. The reason is because pride (the opposite of humility) is man’s deepest sin and the hardest to remove.¹⁴ Pride was Satan’s chief sin; he sought to make himself equal with God (Isaiah 14:12-14). Pride was also the main sin ofAdam and Eve in the Garden ofEden; they too wanted to be like God (Genesis 3:4-6). This is why God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (see Proverbs 3:34; Luke 1:51-52; James 4:6). This is why the New Testament in so many places teaches us to be humble (see Romans 12:3; Ephesians 4:2; Philippians 2:3).

6 If we humble ourselves, God will lift us up. If we try to exalt ourselves, God will humble us (see Matthew 23:12; James 4:10 and comments).

Peter says here: Humble yourselves. We must humble ourselves; we must put ourselves down. No one likes to do that. But it is better for us to put ourselves down than to have someone else do it!

We are to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand. All things are under God’s mighty hand; God controls everything. His hand is mighty to punish the unrighteous and to defend the righteous. We can place ourselves under His mighty hand, because He cares for us (verse 7). We can trust God that every trial He allows to come upon us is for our ultimate good (see Romans 8:28; Hebrews 12:7-9 and comments). Such trials are for our improvement in this life and for our glory in the next.

God will lift us up in due time. We don’t like to wait to be lifted up; rather, we want to be lifted up immediately. But God knows best what is needed for our spiritual welfare. As long as we need discipline, God will continue to give it. When we have learned to be humble, then He will lift us up.

7 When we are cast down because of trials and troubles, let us not be anxious. We may not be able to get rid of our trials and troubles, but we can get rid of our anxiety. We can give our anxiety to God (Psalm 55:22). We can have complete confidence that God will sustain and protect us (Matthew 6:25-34). And when we give our anxiety to God, then He will give us His peace, which transcends all understanding (see Philippians 4:6-7 and comment).

8 Be self-controlled and alert. In order to serve Christ we must be self-controlled and prepared for action (1 Peter 1:13). In order to pray effectively, we must be self-controlled and clear minded (1 Peter 4:7). And here Peter says that in order to keep the devil—SATAN —from devouring us, we need to remain self-controlled and alert.

The devil tries to devour or destroy us by leading us into sin and disobedience. The devil tries to destroy our fellowship by creating conflict among us, and especially by inciting us to slander and backbiting¹⁵ (see Galatians 5:15). Above all, the devil tries to destroy our faith by producing doubt and fear in our minds. If he can destroy our faith, we are lost. Satan is a powerful enemy (Ephesians 6:12). Let us never think that we can defeat him by our own strength.

But God and Christ are stronger than the devil and all his evil forces (Ephesians 6:10-11; 1 John 4:4). The devil may be a roaring lion, but God has tied a rope around his neck. Because of this “rope,” the devil cannot do anything or go anywhere without God’s permission. The devil can only create as much trouble as God allows. God uses Satan to accomplish His own purposes. God will never allow Satan to devour His faithful children.

But we believers must do our part. Without our cooperation, God cannot protect us. First, we must remain self-controlled and alert. Second, we must remain in obedience to God’s will. Third, we must continually pray, so that we do not fall into temptation (Matthew 6:13; Mark 14:38). Fourth, we must put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-18). And finally, having done all the above things, we must resist Satan, by standing firm in the faith (verse 9). And when we resist Satan, he will flee (James 4:7).

9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith. On one occasion, Peter did not resist Satan. His faith failed. Jesus had said to Peter: “I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). Now, in this verse, Peter (Simon) is doing what Jesus said: He is strengthening his brothers. All Christians throughout the world are experiencing the same kind of sufferings because of the devil’s schemes. We are not suffering alone. Let us strengthen each other.

In the end, believers can overcome the devil by the blood of the lamb (Christ) and by the word of their testimony; in particular, those who overcome the devil are those who do not love their lives so much as to shrink from death (Revelation 12:11). Peter did not shrink from death. Indeed, because of his faithful testimony to Christ, he was put to death by the Romans. Perhaps some of those to whom Peter sent this letter were at that time facing death. Let their faith not fail! Let them be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power (Ephesians 6:10). Let them, too, overcome the devil (1 John 4:4).

10-11 Now, at the end of his letter, Peter gives us one of the greatest promises in the Bible: And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. Our God is a God of all grace. No matter what our situation, no matter what our need, God’s grace is sufficient for us. Our troubles are light and momentary (2 Corinthians 4:17). God has called us to his eternal glory IN CHRIST. Paul wrote: The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

Final Greetings (5:12-14)

12 Silas (also called Silvanus) is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 2 Thessa-lonians 1:1. This same Silas was Paul’s companion on his second missionary journey (Acts 15:40; 16:1-40; 17:1-5).

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.

2 Peter

INTRODUCTION

The Apostle Peter, the chief of Jesus’ original twelve disciples, wrote this letter in about 65 A.D., near the end of his life. Peter wrote this letter to refute a false teaching that was spreading among Christians throughout the Middle East. There were many false teachers who were teaching that it was necessary to obtain a special knowledge of Christ to be saved, but that it was not necessary to obey Him or to lead a holy life. Peter’s main teaching in this letter is that without godly behavior, such “knowledge” of Christ is false knowledge, not real knowledge.

OUTLINE

The Christian Virtues (1:1-21).
1. Challenge to Go Forward in Grace (1:1-15).
2. The Glory of Christ (1:16-21).
False Teachers (2:1-22).
1. Judgments Against False Teachers (2:1-9).
2. Characteristics of False Teachers (2:10-22).
Christ’s Second Coming (3:1-18).
1. The Certainty of Christ’s Coming (3:1-10).
2. The Moral Implications of Christ’s Coming (3:11-18).

CHAPTER 1

God’s Calling and Election (1:1-15)

1 Peter calls himself Simon Peter. Simon was his Jewish name; and Peter was his Christian name, which Jesus Himself gave to him (Matthew 16:17-18; Mark 3:16).

Peter was both a servant and an APOSTLE of Jesus Christ (see Romans 1:1). He is writing to fellow believers, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received FAITH. From this we can understand that faith is a gift. God gives faith to those whom He calls (see John 6:44; Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:13 and comments). But once we have received faith, we must use it—that is, we must accept Christ; otherwise, we shall receive no benefit from it (John 3:16,18,36).

Peter writes: … our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Here Peter calls Jesus God. And that is who Jesus is, because God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all one triune God (see John 10:30 and comment).

2 Peter here repeats what he has written in 1 Peter 1:2 (see Romans 1:7; Ephesians 1:2 and comments). In this greeting, Peter adds the words: through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. This knowledge that Peter is referring to is the true personal knowledge ofGod and Jesus, from which we receive new life, new strength, and a new mind (see John 17:3; Philippians 3:10). This knowledge is not like the false knowledge of the false teachers, in opposition to whom Peter is writing this letter. To receive the knowledge of Christ is to know Christ; and to know Christ is to obey Him (1 John 2:3). The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him (1 John 2:4). To truly know Christ is to gain Christ (Philippians 3:8), and to gain along with Him grace, peace, and all other blessings (Romans 8:32; Ephesians 1:3).

3 Just as Christ called Peter and the other apostles, so He also calls us. We have been called and drawn to Him by his own glory and goodness (see John 1:14). And having called us, Christ by His divine power gives us everything we need to walk according to His calling (see Ephesians 3:20-21; 4:1; Philippians 2:13; 4:13 and comments). He has given us everything we need for life (see John 10:10), and for godliness (see 1 Thes-salonians 4:7).

4 Through these—that is, through Christ’s glory and goodness (verse 3)—Christ has given us promises, promises of grace, forgiveness of sin, the Holy Spirit, new life, and adoption as children of God. We have been given these gifts, so that we might participate in the divine nature (see John 1:12; 1 John 3:2). We participate in the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 4:13); we participate in the glory of Christ (Col-ossians 3:4; 1 Peter 5:1,10); and we also participate in the divine nature of Christ (see Romans 8:9; Galatians 2:20; 1 John 3:9 and comments).

Because we now participate in Christ’s divine nature, we must act as Christ would act. We must leave the corruption of the world with its evil desires and put on the qualities of Christ (see Ephesians 4:2024 and comment).

5-7 If we are children of God and participators in Christ’s nature, then we should be growing more like Christ day by day. We should not remain satisfied with our spiritual state, but should constantly press on (Philippians 3:12-14) until we attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13).

In verses 5-7, Peter describes some of the qualities ofChrist that should be increasing in our lives. The first he mentions is faith. Faith is always the first step of our Christian lives; faith is the foundation of all other Christian virtues. Next comes goodness, which Peter has already mentioned in verse 3 as being one of Christ’s qualities. Next is knowledge, by which we can distinguish between good and evil (Hebrews 5:11-14). Through a knowledge of Christ we obtain grace and peace (verse 2), and everything we need for life and godliness (verse 3). We must constantly grow in our knowledge of God and Christ (Colossians 1:10).

Next, in verse 6, Peter mentions self-control (see Galatians 5:23; 1 Peter 1:13; 4:7; 5:8 and comments). Next comes perseverance, which is the outward proof of our faith (see Mark 13:13; Galatians 5:22; Romans 5:3; Hebrews 12:2; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7 and comments). Next Peter mentions godliness.

Together with godliness, there must be brotherly kindness (verse 7). Anyone who says “I love God,” and mistreats his brother is a liar (1 John 4:20). Brotherly kindness or love is the main sign, the main proof, that we are indeed disciples of Christ (John 13:35). Brotherly love means that we carry each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), and that we bear with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2). Before we can love those outside the church, it is necessary to first love our fellow believers within the church (John 13:34; Romans 12:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10; Hebrews 13:1; 1 Peter 1:22).

Finally, the greatest of all these virtues is love—love for God and for all people. This love is not only for fellow believers; it is for everyone, even evildoers, even our own enemies (Matthew 5:44; Mark12:30-31; 1 Corinthians 13:13; Colossians 3:14). This love is completely unselfish; it is a spiritual love. This love is not shown to another person according to that person’s worthiness or according to what that person can do for us. This love is freely shown to another person for that other person’s sake alone. This is the kind of love that God first showed to us (John 3:16), and it is this kind of love, therefore, that we should show to others (1 John 3:16).

8-9 The qualities that Peter has mentioned in verses 5-7 must continue to grow in us. If we do not keep growing spiritually, we will die spiritually. A plant either grows or it dies; it cannot remain the same. So it is with Christians. A plant can also be choked by weeds; in the same way, Christians can be spiritually choked by the cares and desires of the world, and thus become unproductive (Mark 4:7,18-19).

Therefore, let us strive to increase these virtues in our lives, so that we might bear much fruit for God. Because we glorify God most by bearing fruit for Him (John 15:8).

The Christian who does not have these qualities is spiritually blind. He is near-sighted; he can see only the nearby things of the world, but not the things of heaven. Such a Christian has forgotten that he is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17); he has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

10-11 Therefore … be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. In the work of our salvation, God has a part and we have a part. God must first choose us and call us (see John 6:44; Romans 8:29-30; 9:18; Ephesians 1:4-5 and comments). But after that, we ourselves must make our calling and election sure. God gives us faith (verse 1); but we must take that faith and place it on Jesus. God calls us; but we must then live a life worthy of that calling (Ephesians 4:1). We must continue to work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13). If we do these things, we shall never fall; that is, we shall not lose our salvation. We may stumble and lose the way from time to time (James 3:2), but we shall not completely fall away. Not only that, if we do these things, we will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord (verse 11). We won’t just barely enter God’s kingdom—like the man Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 3:14-15, whose work was burned up but he himself escaped through the flames. No, we will receive a rich welcome into God’s kingdom; we will enter with praise, glory and honor (1 Peter 1:7).

12-14 Christians need constant reminding of the great truths and doctrines of the Bible. Therefore, as long as he lives, Peter will continue to strengthen his brothers and to remind them of the things of Christ. But, as he writes this letter, Peter’s death is near. He calls his body a tent, which is about to be taken down (see 2 Corinthians 5:1). Even though Jesus told Peter that he would be put to death on a cross just as Jesus had been (John 21:18-19), Peter shows no fear of death. Because for Peter death is the doorway through which he will enter into God’s eternal kingdom.

15 Peter told what he knew about Christ to Mark. Then, according to what he had learned from Peter, Mark wrote the New p>Testament Gospel called Mark’s Gospel. Thus, through Mark’s Gospel (and Peter’s own two letters), Peter provided a means for Christians to always be able to remember these things.

The Glory of Christ (1:16-21)

16 When Peter wrote this letter, false teachers had arisen who were claiming that they had received special knowledge of Christ. But, according to Peter, their “knowledge” consisted of cleverly invented stories. But Peter’s knowledge was not invented; the things Peter spoke about he had seen with his own eyes and heard with his own ears. Peter had seen Jesus’ majesty when Jesus was transfigured on the mountain (Mark 9:2-8). He had heard God speak from heaven saying that Jesus was His Son.

When Peter mentions here the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, he could be referring either to Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain, or to His second coming at the end of the world, or to both. In Peter’s mind, Jesus would appear at His second coming just as He had appeared transfigured before Peter, James, and John on the mountain. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ second coming is mentioned immediately before Mark’s account of Jesus’ transfiguration (Mark 9:1); thus in the minds of both Peter and Mark, the two events seem to be connected.

17-18 God descended in a cloud onto the mountain, and gave honor and glory to Christ (see Mark 9:7). Peter never forgot what he saw and heard at that time. It was then that Peter gained the certain knowledge that Jesus was indeed the Son ofGod, the King whose kingdom would last forever (Psalm 2:7; Daniel 7:13-14).

19 The Old Testament PROPHETS hadspo-ken many prophecies concerning Christ. During His time on earth, Christ fulfilled all of these prophecies. Thus Christ, through His life, made more certain the word ofthe prophets; that is, He confirmed everything the prophets had written about Him. The prophets had prophesied about the coming of a Messiah,¹ a Savior; and Jesus was that Messiah and Savior.

Therefore, we need to pay close attention to both the Old and New Testaments ofthe Bible. We are only aliens and strangers on this dark earth (1 Peter 1:1; 2:11), and the Bible is like a light shining in a dark place (Psalm 119:105). Therefore, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in [our] hearts—that is, until Christ comes again—we must diligently obey what is written in the Bible (see Romans 13:12). In Revelation 2:28 and 22:16, Christ is called the morning star. Christ will “rise in our hearts”; and when this happens, we shall be transformed into His likeness (see 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 3:2).

20-21 We can trust the Old Testament prophets, because they did not write according to their own thoughts and understanding, as the false prophets did. The Old Testament PROPHECIES did not come about by the prophet’s own interpretation. Rather, the prophets wrote down what God spoke to them. The prophets were carried along or moved by God’s HOLY SPIRIT. The Greek word for carried along was commonly used in connection with sailing ships; such ships were “carried along” by the wind (see Acts 27:17). The sailors would put up the sails, and the wind carried the ship along. In the same way, the Old Testament prophets put up their “sails,” and the Holy Spirit carried them along. The prophets opened their mouths, and the Holy Spirit guided their thoughts and their tongues. For this reason, we can have complete confidence that every verse in the Bible is God’s own word, written by the direction of His Holy Spirit (see 2 Timothy 3:16 and comment; General Article: How We Got Our Bible).

CHAPTER 2

False Teachers (2:1-22)

1 Even in Old Testament times, there were false prophets (Deuteronomy 13:15; Jeremiah 5:30-31). From that time up until the present there have been false prophets and false teachers in every generation. They secretly introduce destructive heresies. They secretly bring false teachings into the church and deceive many (see 1 Timothy 4:1). Their teaching is destructive, because it destroys not only their own faith but also the faith ofthose who are deceived by it. By their false teaching, these teachers deny the lordship of Christ.

Concerning these false teachers, Peter says that Christ bought them with His own blood; therefore, they belong to Him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 7:23). Nevertheless, they have rebelled against Him. From this we can understand that these false teachers at one time followed Christ. But now they have wandered from the truth; they oppose the truth. Such false teachers always deny Christ, because Christ Himself is the truth (John 14:6). And when they deny Him, they bring destruction upon themselves (Matthew 10:33).

2 The way of truth—that is, the Gospel of Christ—is brought into disrepute not so much by those outside the church as by those inside the church, by so-called Christians. When believers follow after false teachers and false prophets and imitate their shameful behavior, then Christ is es-peciallydishonored.InPeter’stime,themain teaching of the false teachers was this: No matter how a person behaves, he is saved through grace and through a knowledge of Christ; therefore, one doesn’t need to give any thought to his daily behavior. This false teaching is refuted by many passages in the New Testament (see Romans 6:1-2,15; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; 1 Peter 1:14-15).

In every church in every generation there are always some believers who are ready to listen to some new way or some false teaching (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Let us not boast that false teaching could never pass into our church; rather, let us remain on guard. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (1 Corinthians 10:12).

3 False teachers are interested not in helping others but in getting their payment. They do not seek the benefit of others; they seek only their own benefit and honor (see 1 Timothy 6:3-5). Such teachers will not escape condemnation; their destruction is near. God’s judgment is especially severe for those who lead others astray (Mark 9:42).

4 In verses 4-8, Peter gives three examples from the Old Testament to show that God saves the righteous and punishes the unrighteous.

The first example concerns ANGELS who sinned by rebelling against God. These angels are mentioned in Genesis 6:1-4, where they are called sons of God. God sent them to hell, where they are now being held for JUDGMENT. On the great day of judgment, God will give them their final punishment (see Jude 6).

5 The second example Peter gives is the example of the flood, which is described in Genesis Chapters 6-8. At that time God destroyed all the unrighteous people of the world, but He saved Noah and his wife, together with their three sons and their wives. Noah was a preacher of righteousness. According to Genesis 6:9, Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God (see Hebrews 11:7).

6-8 Peter’s third example is the destruction of the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which is described in Genesis 19:1-29 (see Matthew 10:15). God utterly destroyed those two cities by fire, together with all their wicked inhabitants (Genesis 19:24-25). But first God rescued one of the inhabitants, Lot, because Lot was righteous in God’s sight.

9 By these three Old Testament examples, Peter shows that God knows how to punish those who are wicked and unrighteous. In the same way, says Peter, God will surely punish the false teachers and those who follow them.

At the same time, God knows how to rescue godly men like Noah and Lot, and He is fully able to do so. In the same way, if a person remains obedient to God and stands firm in the faith, God will rescue him from trials. In Peter’s time, such trials had already begun to come upon Christians, but they will especially come just before Christ’s second coming (Revelation 3:10). … he who stands firm to the end will be saved (Mark 13:13).

10 Here Peter again says that the false teachers will be punished. These teachers follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature; that is, they teach that men can do whatever they want. They despise the authority of Christ and His apostles.

These false teachers are bold and arrogant. They are not afraid to slander celestial beings. When Peter says “celestial beings,” he can be referring to angels, or to church leaders; the Greek text can be translated both ways. In either case, these false teachers refuse to submit to anyone’s authority.

11 Nevertheless, even angels (presumably the “celestial beings” of verse 10) do not slander the false teachers in return (see Jude 9). In this we can see a common truth: evil men slander righteous men, but righteous men keep silent. The righteous do not return evil for evil. The slanderous speech of the false teachers is shameful; no righteous person would dare to speak that way in the presence of the Lord.

Let us remember that whenever we want to accuse someone, we will be making our accusation in the presence of the Lord. We had better be certain, therefore, that our accusation is true and acceptable to God! (see Matthew 7:1-5; 18:15-17; Romans 14:10).

12 These false teachers do not even understand the things they are blaspheming; they don’t understand the people they slander. It is ignorant people such as these who oppose Christ and His followers (1 Peter 2:15). They are ignorant of spiritual things. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, who follow only their own selfish instincts and desires. Brute beasts are born only to be caught and destroyed. In the same way, these false teachers will be “caught” by their own passions and destroyed by them (see Jude 10 and comment). … everyone who sins is a slave to sin (John 8:34). And the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

13 God is always just. He who sows evil will reap evil (Galatians 6:7). The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction (Gal-atians 6:8). Since these false teachers trade in evil, they will be paid in evil.

These teachers are not content to drink liquor only at night, but they drink it in the daytime too. One who gets drunk at night will soon begin to get drunk in the day also. Smaller sins always lead to bigger sins. These false teachers were even getting drunk at church love feasts, at which the Lord’s Supper was customarily celebrated in Peter’s time (see 1 Corinthians 11:2021; Jude 12). Such men are blots andblemishes on the church. They have no place in Christ’s church, which should be without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish (Ephesians 5:27). Jesus was Himself a lamb without blemish or defect (1 Peter 1:19), and those who follow Him should be the same (2 Peter 3:14).

14 The eyes of the false teachers are full of adultery. They look at every woman with lust, desiring to fulfill their evil passions (Matthew 5:28). They cannot stop sinning (see Ephesians 4:19 and comment). Evil passions are like itches; when you scratch them, they itch even more. People who seek to fulfill their evil passions are never satisfied.

These false teachers seduce the unstable (see 2 Timothy 3:6-7). They are experts in greed; that is, they are clever and skillful in making money (see verse 3). Such teachers are truly accursed in God’s sight. Paul called them objects of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). There is only one way they can escape condemnation, and that is to die to their sins and receive new life in Christ (see 1 Peter 4:1-3 and comment).

15 The false teachers are like the Old Testament prophet Balaam, who was tempted to prophesy for money (Numbers 22:1-21). Not only that, Balaam, through his false prophecies, led the Jews away from the Lord (Numbers 31:16; Revelation 2:14).

16 Balaam’s own donkey rebuked him (Numbers 22:22-34). Notice that a dumb animal had more understanding than the prophet Balaam, whose mind had been darkened by wrongdoing (Ephesians 4:18).

17 False teachers are like springs without water. People come to them thirsty, but find nothing to drink. In contrast to these teachers, Jesus gives the water of life; when a person drinks of Jesus’ water, he will never thirst again (John 4:13-14).

False teachers are like mists driven by a storm. They are blown this way and that (Ephesians 4:14). Their teaching will not last; it will be driven away like the mist.

18 False teachers pretend to be religious. They say to new believers: “It’s all right to follow your lustful desires. It’s only a man’s spirit that must remain pure. God does not care what we do with our body.” This same false teaching had spread to the church at Corinth. Paul taught that man’s body was extremely important. He wrote: The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:13). Our bodies are members of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15). Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 and comment).

19 Such false teachers say to new believers: “You are free from the law.” But these teachers are themselves slaves of depravity (see Romans 6:16). Sin is their master.

Christians are indeed free, but they are not free to sin. We are slaves ofChrist. Only in Christ can we obtain true freedom from sin and its punishment (see Galatians 5:13 and comment).

20 The main sin of these false teachers was that they deceived and led astray new Christians (see verse 3 and comment). These new believers had just escaped the corruption of the world, but now through the false teaching of these teachers, they had again become entangled in the world and been overcome. Thus their second state was worse than their first state (see Matthew 12:43-45).

21 It is better for a person to sin in ignorance than to sin knowingly (see Luke 12:4748; John 15:22 and comments). Judgment will be especially severe for those who have once known the way of righteousness but then turn their backs on the sacred command—that is, Christ’s commandments (see Hebrews 3:12-14; 6:4-6; 10:26-29 and comments).

22 The Jews considered dogs and pigs to be unclean (see Matthew 7:6). A dog, when it has vomited something up, will eat it again. Likewise, a person who is entangled in the corruption of the world may momentarily “vomit up” the corruption, but he soon will partake of it again.

In the same way, you can clean a pig momentarily, but it soon will go back into the mud again. Likewise, a man can be cleaned momentarily from his sin; but if he doesn’t receive a new spiritual nature, he will soon go back to his sin.

Those people who taste the grace of God and experience His cleansing, but who then turn from God and return to their old sins, are like dogs and pigs. Their inner nature has not been transformed; they cannot fully free themselves from their old ways.

What terrible things Peter has to say about these false teachers! Jesus said to Peter, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17). But Peter has now seen these false teachers feeding poison to Jesus’ sheep—and the sheep don’t even know it! Let us not say that such poisonous and false teachers can never rise up in our church. They certainly can. Jesus said: “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:37).

CHAPTER 3

Jesus’ Second Coming (3:1-18)

1-2 Peter wrote both of his letters to remind Christians of the teachings of the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles. Both the prophets and the apostles were inspired and carried along by the same Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). Christ’s church is built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles (Ephesians 2:19-21). The command given by our Lord and Savior,² which Peter mentions here in verse 2, refers to the main teachings of Jesus which have been passed on through the apostles.³

3-4 … in the last days⁴ scoffers will come. These scoffers are the false teachers mentioned in Chapter 2. They do not believe that the world will ever come to an end. They insist that things have remained unchanged since the creation of the world. They say that from the time of their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, everything has been going along the same. “Where is the end of the world?” they ask mockingly. They don’t believe that Christ will come again to judge all men. People who follow their own evil desires don’t like to think about a final judgment!

5 The scoffers who say the end of the world will never come forget that at one time God, through His word, created the earth (Genesis 1:1-2,6-10; John 1:1-3). If God could create the earth in this way, then surely He can also destroy the earth.

6 Not only that, the scoffers should remember that God once destroyed all the evil men of Noah’s time by sending a flood upon the earth (Genesis 7:17-24). God cannot tolerate man’s sin; He must punish man for it. And just as God punished men in the days of Noah, so will God punish men again at the end of the world, when Jesus Christ comes the second time (see Matthew 24:37-39).

7 By the same word—that is, by God’s word—the present heavens and earth will be destroyed by fire (verses 10-12), and all ungodly men will be judged and condemned (see Isaiah 66:15-16; Malachi 4:1-2; 1 Corinthians 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8).

8 At the time Peter wrote this letter, many believers had begun to wonder why Jesus had not yet come. And the scoffing false teachers were saying, “See, He’s not going to come.” Therefore, Peter says to these believers: “Do not be agitated; do not think that God has delayed Christ’s coming. In God’s sight, a thousand years is like one day” (Psalm 90:4). Compared with an eternity, a thousand years is but a moment.

Not only that, in God’s sight one day is like a thousand years. God can do the work of a thousand years in one day. Therefore, what God does He will do in His own time, and not according to our thoughts; we need not worry. What God has promised He will fulfill. Our job is only this: to watch, to pray, and to obey.

9 Therefore, let us not think that God is delaying unnecessarily in sending Christ to earth a second time. Rather, He is being patient and merciful. He is giving men and women more time to come to REPENTANCE, before Christ returns again as judge. It is not God’s desire that anyone should perish. When men perish, it is not because of God but because of their own sin. They perish because they have rejected God’s Son, our Savior (see Ezekiel 18:23; 1 Timothy 2:4 and comment). However, after Jesus comes again there will no longer be any chance for men to repent. And no one knows when Jesus will come (Mark 13:32; Acts 1:7). This is why men should repent now without delay, and place their faith in Christ. For if Jesus comes tomorrow and they have not repented, they will be lost (see Mark 13:3337). I tell you … now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).

10 The day of the Lord (the day of Christ’s return) will come like a thief. Christ will come suddenly when no one is expecting Him (see Matthew 24:4344; 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3; Revelation 3:3; 16:15). When Christ comes again, the earth and heavens will be completely destroyed (Isaiah 34:4; Mark 13:24-25,31; Luke 21:25-26). Just as God once judged the world by water (verse 6), so He will again judge the world by fire; and by that fire the earth will be utterly destroyed (see 1 Corinthians 3:13-15; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8; Hebrews 10:26-27; 12:29).

11-12 Knowing that Jesus will soon come to judge the world, we ought to live holy and godly lives (verse 11), lest we also be condemned with the world (see Romans 13:11-12; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8). If we each fulfill God’s will in our own lives, the day of God—the day of Christ’s return—will come sooner; we shall speed its coming (see Acts 3:19-21). God is waiting for us to spread His Gospel to all nations; then the end will come (Matthew 24:14). We must not only repent and obey and preach the Gospel, but we must also pray this prayer: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. … (Matthew 6:9-10).

13 Believers do not need to fear Christ’s second coming. This old earth will be destroyed, but the righteous will enter a new heaven and a new earth (see Isaiah 60:1922; 65:17; 66:22; Matthew 13:40-43; Revelation 21:1-4).

14 Since only the righteous will enter this new heaven and earth, we should make every effort to be found righteous—that is, to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him (see Hebrews 12:28 and comment). John writes: … continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming (1 John 2:28). Those who look forward to Christ’s coming and also desire to lead holy lives (1 John 3:3).

Let us each ask ourselves this question: If we suddenly learned that Jesus was going to return in one year, would we live our lives any differently? Our answer should be no! If we are at present living our lives according to God’s will, then learning that Jesus will return in a year should make no difference in our behavior (aside from canceling long-range plans). We should be living each day as if the Lord were about to return.

15 As long as God waits patiently, that many more people will have the opportunity to repent and be saved (see verse 9 and comment).

Paul also wrote about Christ’s second coming in many of his letters. In particular, Paul wrote many times that Christians must be holy, patient, and steadfast as they wait for the Lord to come.

16 If Paul’s letters seem to us hard to understand, let us not be discouraged: even Peter found some of what Paul wrote hard to understand. But many people also distort Paul’s meaning. In particular, they distort Paul’s teaching that men are saved through faith and not through works. These ignorant and unstable people say that since we are saved only through faith, we no longer have to do any good works; we can do what we please. In this way, they fall into all kinds of sin.

17 Therefore … be on your guard (see Mark 13:5,22-23). Let no believer fall from [his] secure position (see Hebrews 3:12; 4:1; 10:36-38 and comments).

18 … grow in the GRACE and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In order to obtain grace, we need to have a knowledge of Christ—that is, we need to know Christ (see 2 Peter 1:2 and comment). The Christian religion does not consist in merely being happy or having good feelings. The Christian religion consists in following Christ. Christians do not follow a religion; they follow Christ. Christ Himself is our way. To be a Christian means to know Christ personally and to obey His commands. If we do this, we will certainly grow in grace (see 2 Peter 1:5-8,10-11 and comments).

To him (Christ) be glory both now and forever! It is not only to God we give glory but also to Christ, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father (John 5:23). Christ is our example; Christ is also our goal. And He is coming soon. Therefore, Peter says in verse 17, be on your guard.

¹ Messiah means “anointed one” in the Hebrew language. The equivalent word in the Greek language is “Christ.”

² In 2 Peter 2:21, this command is called the “sacred command.”

³ After the apostles’ teachings had been written down, they could then be passed on to all future generations in the form of the New Testament.

⁴ The last days are the days between Jesus’ first coming and His second coming. Thus we are now living in the “last days” (see 2 Timothy 3:1; Hebrews 1:2).

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Hebrews 13

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CHAPTER 13

Concluding Exhortations (13:1-17)

Final Prayer and Greetings (13:18-25)

James

INTRODUCTION

OUTLINE

CHAPTER 1

Faith and Wisdom (1:1-8)

The Poor and the Rich (1:9-11)

Trials and Temptations (1:12-18)

Listening and Doing (1:19-27)

CHAPTER 2

Favoritism Forbidden (2:1-13)

Faith and Deeds (2:14-26)

CHAPTER 3

Taming the Tongue (3:1-12)

Two Kinds of Wisdom (3:13-18)

CHAPTER 4

Submission to God (4:1-10)

Warning Against Slander (4:11-17)

CHAPTER 5

Warning to Rich Oppressors (5:1-6)

Patience in Suffering (5:7-12)

The Prayer of Faith (5:13-20)

1 Peter

INTRODUCTION

OUTLINE

CHAPTER 1

A Living Hope (1:1-12)

Be Holy (1:13-25)

CHAPTER 2

The Living Stone and a Chosen People (2:1-10)

Servants of God (2:11-17)

Christ the Example of Suffering (2:1825)

CHAPTER 3

Husbands and Wives (3:1-7)

Suffering for Doing Good (3:8-22)

CHAPTER 4

Living for God (4:1-6)

The Gifts of God (4:7-11)

Suffering for Being a Christian (4:12-19)

CHAPTER 5

To Elders and Young Men (5:1-11)

Final Greetings (5:12-14)

2 Peter

INTRODUCTION

OUTLINE

CHAPTER 1

God’s Calling and Election (1:1-15)

The Glory of Christ (1:16-21)

CHAPTER 2

False Teachers (2:1-22)

CHAPTER 3

Jesus’ Second Coming (3:1-18)