The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  First Peter also answers other important practical questions about Christian living such as: Do Christians need a priesthood to intercede with God for them (2:5-9)? What should be the Christian’s attitude to secular government and civil disobedience (2:13-17)? What should a Christian employee’s attitude be toward a hostile employer (2:18)? How should a Christian lady conduct herself (3:3, 4)? How can a believing wife win her unsaved husband to Christ (3:1, 2)?

  Interpretive Challenges

  First Peter 3:18-22 stands as one of the most difficult NT texts to translate and then interpret. For example, does “Spirit” in 3:18 refer to the Holy Spirit, or to Christ’s Spirit? Did Christ preach through Noah before the Flood, or did He preach Himself after the crucifixion (3:19)? Was the audience to this preaching composed of the humans in Noah’s day, or demons in the abyss (3:19)? Does 3:20, 21 teach baptismal regeneration (salvation), or salvation by faith alone in Christ? Answers to these questions will be found in the notes.

  Outline

  Salutation (1:1, 2)

  I. Remember Our Great Salvation (1:3-2:10)

  A. The Certainty of Our Future Inheritance (1:3-12)

  1. Preserved by the power of God (1:3–5)

  2. Proven by the trials of persecution (1:6–9)

  3. Predicted by the prophets of God (1:10–12)

  B. The Consequences of Our Future Inheritance (1:13-2:10)

  1. Perseverance of hope (1:13–16)

  2. Persistence of wonder (1:17–21)

  3. Power of love (1:22—2:3)

  4. Praises of Christ (2:4–10)

  II. Remember Our Example Before Men (2:11-4:6)

  A. Honorable Living Before Unbelievers (2:11-3:7)

  1. Submission to the government (2:11–17)

  2. Submission to masters (2:18–25)

  3. Submission in the family (3:1–7)

  B. Honorable Living Before Believers (3:8-12)

  C. Honorable Living in the Midst of Suffering (3:13-4:6)

  1. The principle of suffering for righteousness (3:13–17)

  2. The paragon of suffering for righteousness (3:18–22)

  3. The purpose of suffering for righteousness (4:1–6)

  III. Remember Our Lord Will Return (4:7-5:11)

  A. The Responsibilities of Christian Living (4:7-11)

  B. The Rewards of Christian Suffering (4:12-19)

  C. The Requirements for Christian Leadership (5:1-4)

  D. The Realization of Christian Victory (5:5-11)

  Conclusion (5:12-14)

  The First Epistle of

  PETER

  1 Peter 1

  Greeting to the Elect Pilgrims

  1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

  To the 1pilgrims aof the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

  2belect caccording to the foreknowledge of God the Father, din sanctification of the Spirit, for eobedience and fsprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:

  gGrace to you and peace be multiplied.

  A Heavenly Inheritance

  3hBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who iaccording to His abundant mercy jhas begotten us again to a living hope kthrough the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

  4to an inheritance 2incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, lreserved in heaven for you,

  5mwho are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

  6nIn this you greatly rejoice, though now ofor a little while, if need be, pyou have been 3grieved by various trials,

  7that qthe genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though rit is tested by fire, smay be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

  8twhom having not 4seen you love. uThough now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

  9receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

  10Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,

  11searching what, or what manner of time, vthe Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

  12To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to 5us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which wangels desire to look into.

  Living Before God Our Father

  13Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

  14as obedient children, not xconforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;

  15ybut as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

  16because it is written, z“Be holy, for I am holy.”

  17And if you call on the Father, who awithout partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your 6stay here in fear;

  18knowing that you were not redeemed with 7corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

  19but bwith the precious blood of Christ, cas of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

  20dHe indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was 8manifest ein these last times for you

  21who through Him believe in God, fwho raised Him from the dead and ggave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

  The Enduring Word

  22Since you hhave purified your souls in obeying the truth 9through the Spirit in 10sincere ilove of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,

  23jhaving been born again, not of 11corruptible seed but 12incorruptible, kthrough the word of God which lives and abides 13forever,

  24because

  l“All flesh is as grass,

  And all 14the glory of man as the flower of the grass.

  The grass withers,

  And its flower falls away,

  25m But the 15word of the LORD endures forever.”

  nNow this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

  1 Peter 2

  Our Inheritance Through Christ’s Blood

  1Therefore, alaying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,

  2bas newborn babes, desire the pure cmilk of the word, that you may grow 1thereby,

  3if indeed you have dtasted that the Lord is gracious.

  The Chosen Stone and His Chosen People

  (Ps. 118:22; Is. 28:16)

  4Coming to Him as to a living stone, erejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,

  5you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

  6Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

  f“Behold, I lay in Zion

  A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,

  And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”

  7Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who 2are disobedient,

  g“The stone which the builders rejected

  Has become the chief cornerstone,”

  8and

  h“A stone of stumbling

  And a rock of offense.”

  iThey stumble, being disobedient to the word, jto which they also were appointed.

  9But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of kdarkness into His marvelous light;

  10lwho once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

  Living Before the World

  11Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pi
lgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts mwhich war against the soul,

  12nhaving your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, othey may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

  Submission to Government

  (cf. Rom. 13:1–5)

  13pTherefore submit yourselves to every 3ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme,

  14or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

  15For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—

  16qas free, yet not rusing liberty as a cloak for 4vice, but as bondservants of God.

  17Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear sGod. Honor the king.

  Submission to Masters

  (Is. 53:7–9)

  18tServants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.

  19For this is ucommendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.

  20For vwhat credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.

  21For wto this you were called, because Christ also suffered for 5us, xleaving 6us an example, that you should follow His steps:

  22“Whoy committed no sin,

  Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

  23zwho, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but acommitted Himself to Him who judges righteously;

  24bwho Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, cthat we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—dby whose 7stripes you were healed.

  25For eyou were like sheep going astray, but have now returned fto the Shepherd and 8Overseer of your souls.

  1 Peter 3

  Submission to Husbands

  1Wives, likewise, be asubmissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, bthey, without a word, may cbe won by the conduct of their wives,

  2dwhen they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.

  3eDo not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—

  4rather let it be fthe hidden person of the heart, with the 1incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

  5For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands,

  6as Sarah obeyed Abraham, gcalling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

  A Word to Husbands

  7hHusbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, ias to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, jthat your prayers may not be hindered.

  Called to Blessing

  8Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be 2courteous;

  9knot returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary lblessing, knowing that you were called to this, mthat you may inherit a blessing.

  10For

  n“He who would love life

  And see good days,

  o Let him 3refrain his tongue from evil,

  And his lips from speaking deceit.

  11Let him pturn away from evil and do good;

  q Let him seek peace and pursue it.

  12For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,

  r And His ears are open to their prayers;

  But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.”

  Suffering for Right and Wrong

  13sAnd who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?

  14tBut even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. u“And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”

  15But 4sanctify 5the Lord God in your hearts, and always vbe ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the whope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

  16xhaving a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

  17For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

  Christ’s Suffering and Ours

  18For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring 6us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

  19by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,

  20who formerly were disobedient, 7when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.

  21yThere is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism z(not the removal of the filth of the flesh, abut the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

  22who has gone into heaven and bis at the right hand of God, cangels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

  1 Peter 4

  Christ’s Example to Be Followed

  1Therefore, since Christ suffered 1for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

  2that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, abut for the will of God.

  3For we have spent enough of our past 2lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

  4In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.

  5They will give an account to Him who is ready bto judge the living and the dead.

  6For this reason cthe gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but dlive according to God in the spirit.

  Serving for God’s Glory

  7But ethe end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

  8And above all things have fervent love for one another, for f“love will cover a multitude of sins.”

  9gBe hospitable to one another hwithout grumbling.

  10iAs each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, jas good stewards of kthe manifold grace of God.

  11lIf anyone speaks, let him speak as the 3oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that min all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the 4dominion forever and ever. Amen.

  Suffering for God’s Glory

  12Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;

  13but rejoice nto the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that owhen His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

  14If you are 5reproached for the name of Christ, pblessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 6On their part He is blasphemed, qbut on your part He is glorified.

  15But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a 7busybody in other people’s matters.

  16Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this 8matter.

  17For the time has come rfor judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, swhat will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

  18Now

  t“If the righteous one is scarcely saved,

  Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

  19Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God ucommit their souls to Him i
n doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

  1 Peter 5

  Shepherd the Flock

  1The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a awitness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the bglory that will be revealed:

  2cShepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, dnot by compulsion but 1willingly, enot for dishonest gain but eagerly;

  3nor as fbeing 2lords over gthose entrusted to you, but hbeing examples to the flock;

  4and when ithe Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive jthe crown of glory that does not fade away.

  Submit to God, Resist the Devil

  5Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, kall of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

  l“God resists the proud,

  But mgives grace to the humble.”

  6Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

  7casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

  8Be 3sober, be 4vigilant; 5because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

  9Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

  10But 6may the God of all grace, nwho called 7us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, 8perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

  11oTo Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

  Farewell and Peace

  12By pSilvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying qthat this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

  13She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does rMark my son.

  14Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

  1 Peter Commentaries

  1 Peter 1

  1:1 Peter. See Introduction: Author and Date. apostle of Jesus Christ. Peter was one of a unique group of men who were personally called (Matt. 10:1–4) and commissioned (John 20:19–23) by Christ, and who ministered with Christ after His resurrection. See note on 5:1. The church was built upon the foundation of their teaching (see notes on Acts 2:42; Eph. 2:20). pilgrims. These were strangers dispossessed in a land not their own—temporary residents or foreigners. Like all believers, they were residents of an eternal city (Phil. 3:20; Heb. 13:13, 14). the Dispersion. With the Gr. definite article, “dispersion” is sometimes a technical term for the scattering of the Jews from Israel throughout the world (John 7:35; James 1:1). But here, without the article, it is used in a non-technical sense referring to spiritual pilgrims, aliens to the earth, whether Jews or Gentiles (cf. v. 17; 2:11), i.e., the church. Pontus…Bithynia. Peter’s letter is addressed to churches in provinces located in modern-day Turkey, which were part of the Roman empire.