Commentary

v1-2. Peter is writing to other Christians who are living throughout the region as exiles from Jerusalem. His brothers and sisters in Christ are known by Peter to be obedient to Christ and protected by Him. The exiles are Christians living in pagan communities, oftentimes persecuted and punished for their faith in Christ. He’s praying for the people to have calm and peace in their lives and to experience an overflowing of God’s favor and gifts.

3-5. First of all, praise to God, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, our Father’s Son, who is our brother, our Lord, our leader, our friend, our King.

Jesus is our Lord, Jesus is the Christ.  Our Savior. We are in him. We are his. His family, his people. God is so merciful and loving and giving to us; he so badly wants us back with Him. He orchestrated the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, so that he could could pay off our servitude (the debt/ransom/the punishment that we owe) to the evil world of Satan, so that the door has been opened so we can go home to God-Jesus and be eternally with him-Him. By giving humans a new birth, a birth into eternal life, we have been given hope for eternal life and no longer need to fear death. We have the choice of following Jesus, or not. What we choose determines our fate after our physical death. Our new birth into eternity will give us who have the inheritance of eternal life; we will never die, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for us. Those who have faith and love for Jesus Christ. We will be protected (from the evil one) until the coming of the new age when Jesus will take us all home. Those who have already passed and those alive at the time.

6-9. Jesus is saying that despite our rejoicing and being saved by Jesus, and the wonderful gift that is, while we are here (on earth), we’ll have many troubles and griefs. So be thrilled that you are saved and loved by Jesus and he is your Lord and protector, but know that despite that… we are living in the world which often plagues people with troubles. Our trials, problems, struggles and tragedies… when they come to us they will prove our faith in God. Staying with him, counting on his guidance and going to him in our sadness, grief, anger and fear, and not counting on figuring it out on our own. We need to go through our troubles, but stay with Jesus while we’re in them: Praying, reading scripture, talking to him always, spending time in dedicated prayer to God. Not getting lost and tangled in the horrible emotions and feelings of the experience. Stay with Jesus; he will guide you through the wilderness (the experience) and all its troubles… and if you do that you will be blessed by God because you’ve proven the genuineness of your trust in Him.

Don’t give up on God. When you are able to do this, God considers this as a valuable thing; move valuable than gold which is of this earth and will one day perish at the end of the age. Gold is valuable. It stays pure, untouched by oxidation (corruption from the world/air). At extremely high heats it does melt and will change form. The heat melts away any impurity which are burned off and separated from the gold. It’s melted form can be shaped and molded by the creator (goldsmith) to become a pure gold new “thing”. Similar to gold, if humans go through troubles (fire), and stay with God (the goldsmith/the Creator), they will be purified from the impurities of the world (made pure) and they will be new. They will be changed. Just like the shape of the gold is changed in the fire, and if we stay with Jesus through our fires then praise, glory and honor will be given to God when Jesus Christ is revealed.

10-11. The people in the Old Testament spoke of this salvation and the grace humanity was receiving. What a gift from God! The prophets, throughout the generations, searched intently and diligently for a clue as to when and how the Spirit of Christ, which was in them (the prophets), would come to earth, suffer and then glorify God. The prophets were always searching for when the Messiah would come.

12. God told the prophets that the wisdom He gives to them wasn’t for themselves, but for future generations. The prophets were speaking God’s words for the benefit of the people who were to come, and for those who would be present when the Messiah was to come. The prophets spoke the words of God, which were continuing to be preached to the people by Peter and Christ’s other apostles. Christ’s apostles preach the gospel to others by the power of the Holy Spirit. Even the angels, who are God’s messengers and know Him, want to know of the words that God gives to the prophets.

13-16. Peter is saying that we must always stay alert to attacks by the enemy. Stay close to Jesus Christ and work to keep getting closer. If you do this, at the end of the age you will be given God’s grace when Jesus Christ returns.  Stay obedient to God and don’t be distracted by, and attracted to, the things and ways of the world (evil desires), like you were when you had no idea about salvation through Jesus Christ. You were ignorant of the truth before you were saved. Don’t be enticed back to those ways now that you know the truth. Be diligent always, to be holy and like Jesus every day; God wants us to be like Him… holy.

17-19. You know that God is your Father. Our Father judges each of us impartially, He has no favorites. Everyone is equal. Because you know that God is your Father, take His advice and live your time here on earth as foreigners/tourists/sojourners. This world isn’t your home, know that and treat your time here as a temporary experience. We need to know God and revere Him while we’re here. And know that we also need to fear Him; as we would fear and be loyal to and dedicated and have a deep inner love and respect for a leader (God who is guiding us to goodness and abundance of blessings).

Know that we’re able to have eternal life with God because He forgave our sins, which are inherent in every human. We were given the ability to have eternal life not by buying our way into heaven with valuable things, but because God sacrificed His Son that He loves; He sacrificed His Son (Jesus) in a horrific way so that Jesus could pay Satan the price for releasing us from servitude to the world; so that He, Jesus, could save us so we have an open door now to heaven, if we choose to go through that door. Our empty way of life (without Jesus, not serving others…) was handed down to us from our ancestors. Jesus had to be the pure, sinless “sacrificial lamb” to atone for the sins of all humanity. I think Jesus is referencing the the Jews commitment to the laws over all else. Those traditions were handed down through the generations. But no more, now that Jesus is here.

22-21. Jesus the Christ was chosen by God, and has been with God since before the creation of the world. God came to earth as Jesus the Messiah, to reveal Him to the people. He did this for the sake of the people; for them. Because He came as a physical human who showed the people miracles and wonders, and because He raised Jesus from the dead and glorified him (Jesus), the people’s faith and hope are now in God. They know Him and trust Him and believe in Him because the people have known Jesus as a human, the Son of God, and have witnessed all of these things with Jesus. They WITNESSED God on earth! And they spread the word of the truth of Jesus to others… they did it with passion and knowing so others also believed despite them not having been witnesses themselves. (Glorified here means that God honors Jesus in a supreme way. God restored Jesus to his divine status, seated Jesus at God’s right hand, gave Jesus status above all others.

22-23. Purifying yourself means cleansing yourself spiritually, getting rid of sin or anything that separates you from God. Aligning your heart and actions with God’s will, often through repentance, prayer, having faith, humility, and turning away from sin. Being real in your faith. Cleansing your soul’s slate. Living in a way that reflects God’s holiness. A daily choice to reject gossip, pride, whatever – and pursue righteousness. Keeping your soul’s house clean for God. He’s living in you and you want him to stay close to you so your house stays clean. Confessing to, and repenting for, your sins. Purification is about confessing sin, trusting Christ’s sacrifice and living out truth and love to stay spiritually clean.

Peter is telling them that now that the people have purified themselves, they now love one another deeply as brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s because they have been purified and born again through Jesus, who is the living and always enduring word of God (Jesus). He’s saying that because we (followers of Christ) are a part of Jesus, we will also be forever alive and eternal in Christ (the living and enduring Word of God). People wither and die (grass) and our achievements and experiences (flowers) will also die… but the Word of the Lord (Jesus the Christ) will endure forever. Jesus is our cornerstone, we are part of him as his people who are part of his church. Therefore we also will endure forever with Christ.