Picture of Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
Pastors Jim and Marie Watt

Two Are Better Than One

(From: 1 PETER #2 - 1:13-2:10)


C. 1:13-2:10 - OUR BEHAVIOR: LOGICAL RESPONSE TO GREAT SALVATION

1. 1:13-21 OUR BEHAVIOR IN LIGHT OF GREAT SALVATION

a. 1:13-16 SALVATION PROMPTS HOLINESS

Di' HO a-na-zoSAme-noi [328] tas osPHUas [3751] tes di-aNOIas [1271] huMON,

Wherefore girding up the loins of your :mind,

NEphon-tes [3525] teLEIos [5049] elPIsa-te [1679] ePI ten phe-roMEnen [5342]

being sober perfectly set your hope on the grace

huMIN CHArin en a-po-kaLUpsei [602]IeSOU ChrisTOU;

that is being brought to you at Jesus Christ's revelation;

hos TEKna hu-pa-koES, mesun-sche-ma-tiZOme-noitais PROte-ron en teagNOIa huMON e-pi-thuMIais:

14 as children of obedience, not being fashioned according to your former :lusts in your ignorance:

alLA kaTA ton kaLEsan-ta huMAS HAgi-on [40], kai auTOI HAgi-oi en PAse a-na-stroPHE geNEthe-te;

l5 but like as he who called you is holy,become YOU also holy in yourwhole behavior;

di' HOti GEgrap-tai [HOti], HAgi-oi Eses-the, HOti eGO HAgi-os.

16 because it is written [that], You shall be holy, because I amholy.


b. 1:17-21 CHRIST'S ATONING WORK PROMPTS HOLINESS

kai ei paTEra e-pi-kaLEISthe [1941], ton a-pro-so-poLEMPtos [678] KRInon-ta [2919]kaTA to heKAStou ERgon,

And if you call on the Father, who without respect of persons judges according to the work of each,

en PHOboton tes pa-roiKIas [3940]huMON CHROnon a-naSTRAphe-te [390]:

pass the time of your :sojourning in fear:

eiDOtes HOti, ou phtharTOIS [5349], ar-guRIo e chruSIo, e-luTROthe-te [3084]

18 knowing that you were redeemed, not with corrupibles, with silver or gold,

ek tes maTAIas [3152]huMON a-na-stroPHES [391]pa-tro-pa-raDOtou [3970];

from your vain behavior handed down from yourfathers;

alLA tiMIo[5093[ HAIma-ti [129], hos amNOU [286]aMOmou [299]kai aSPIlou [784], ChrisTOU:

19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb blameless and spotless, of Christ:

pro-eg-nosMEnou [4267]men pro ka-ta-boLES [2602]KOSmou,

20 foreknown indeed before theworld's foundation,

pha-ne-roTHENtos [5319]de ep' esCHAtou ton CHROnon di' huMAS, tous di' auTOU pisTOUS eis TheON,

but manifested at theend of the times for your sake, 21 who through him believe unto God,

ton eGEIran-ta [1453]auTON ek neKRON, kai DOxan auTODONta;

that raised him from thedead, and gave him glory;

HOSte ten PIStin huMON kai elPIda EInai eis TheON.

so that your faith and hope be unto God.


2. 1:22-2:10 OUR LOGICAL RESPONSE TO THE GOSPEL

a. 1:22-23 BROTHERLY LOVE: A PROPER RESPONSE TO SALVATION

Tas psuCHAS huMON eg-ni-KOtes [48]en tehu-pa-koE[5218]tes a-leTHEIas

Having purified your :souls in :obedience to the truth

eis phi-la-delPHIan [5360] a-nuPOkri-ton [505], en karDIas alLElous a-gaPEsa-te ek-teNOS [1619]:

unto unfeigned love of thebrethren, love one another from theheart fervently:

a-na-ge-gen-neMEnoi [313], ouk ek spoRAS [4701]phtharTES [5349],

23 begotten again, not of corruptible seed,

alLA aphTHARtou [862], diA LOgou ZONtos [2198], TheOU kai MEnon-tos [3306].

but of incorruptible, through God's word, which lives and abides.


b. 1:24a Because, All flesh is as grass, And all its glory as a flower of grass.

di' HOti, PAsa sarx hos CHORtos [5528], kai PAsa DOxa auTES hos ANthos CHORtou.


c. 1:24b-25a The grass is withering, and the flower is falling: 25a But the Lord's word abides unto the age.

e-xeRANthe[3583]ho CHORtos, kai to ANthos eXEpe-sen [1601]: to de 'REma KuRIou MEnei eis ton aiOna.


d. 1:25b And this is the word of good tidings preached unto you.

TOUto de es-tin to 'REma [4487]to eu-ag-ge-lisTHEN [2097]eis huMAS.


e. 2:1-5 REJECT FLESH LUSTS: CHOOSE THE LORD'S LIVING RELATIONSHIP

A-poTHEme-noi [659] oun PAsan kaKIan, kai PANta DOlon [1388],

Having put away therefore all wickedness, and all guile,

kai huPOkri-sin [5272], kai PHTHOnous [5355], kai PAsas ka-ta-laLIas [2936],

and hypocrisy, and envies, and all evil speakings,

hos ar-tiGENne-ta [738]BREphe[1025], to lo-giKON [3050]Ado-lon [97]GAla [1051]e-pi-poTHEsa-te [1971],

2 as newborn babes, long for the reasonable guileless milk,

HIna en auTOau-xeTHEte [837]eis so-teRIan [4990];

that you may grow thereby unto salvation;

ei eGEUsas-the HOti chresTOS [5543]ho KUri-os: pros hon pro-serCHOme-noi [4334], LIthon ZONta,

3 if you have tasted that the Lord is good: 4unto whom coming, a living stone,

aPO anTHROpon men a-po-de-do-ki-masMEnon [593], paRA de TheOek-lekTON [1588], ENti-mon [1784],

rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious,

kai auTOI, hos LIthoi ZONtes, oi-ko-doMEISthe [3618] OIkos pneu-ma-tiKOS, eis hi-eRAteu-ma HAgi-on,

5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, unto a holy priesthood,

a-neNEGkai [399]pneu-ma-tiKAS thuSIas [2378], eu-prosDEKtous [2155]TheOdiA IeSOU ChrisTOU.

to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.


f. 2:6 JESUS: THE CHIEF CORNER STONE OF A LIVING TEMPLE

di' HOti pe-riEchei [4023]en graPHE[1124],

Because it is contained in a scripture,

I-DOU, TIthe-mi en SiON LIthon ek-lekTON a-kro-go-niAIon [204], ENti-mon [1784]:

Lo, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious:

kai ho piSTEUon ep' auTOou meka-tai-schunTHE[2617].

And who believes on him shall in no wise be shamed.


g. 2:7-8 CHRIST: A SAVOR OF LIFE UNTO LIFE, OR DEATH UNTO DEATH

huMIN oun hetiME[5092]tois piSTEUou-sin: a-piSTOUsin [544]de,

For you therefore that believe is the honor: but for thedisbelieving,

LIthos hon a-pe-doKIma-san [593]hoi oi-ko-doMOUNtes [3618],

A stone which the builders rejected,

HOUtos e-geNEtheeis ke-phaLEN [2776] goNIas; kai, LIthos prosKOMma-tos [4348], kai PEtra skanDAlou:

The same was made head of the corner; 8 and, A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence:

hoi proSKOPtou-sin to[4350]LOgo, a-peiTHOUNtes [544]; eis ho kai eTEthe-san [5087].

who stumble at the word, being disobedient; whereunto also they were appointed.


h. 2:9-10 MERCY TO CHURCH - DEMANDS GOD TO BE MANIFESTED

huMEIS de GEnos [1085]ek-lekTON [1588], baSIlei-on [934]hi-eRAteu-ma [2406],

But you are an elect race, a royal priesthood,

ETHnos [1484]HAgi-on, laOS [2992]eis pe-riPOIe-sin [4047], HOpos tas a-reTAS [703]e-xagGEIlete [1804]tou

a holy nation, a people for God's possession, so that you may show forth the excellencies of him

ek SKOtous [4655]huMAS kaLEsan-tos eis to thau-masTON [2298]auTOU phos [5457]:

who called you out of darkness into his marvellous :light:

hoi poTE ou laOS, nun de laOS TheOU:

10 who once wereno people, but now areGod's people:

hoi ouk e-le-eMEnoi [1653], nun de e-le-eTHENtes.

who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.


NOTE: There are some New Testament Versions that place the 7 letters of James through Jude right before the book of Romans. I believe this is correct. The Gospels bring us into spiritual Elementary School. The Book of Acts is a Junior High equivalent. Then these 7 General (or Catholic) epistles are like spiritual High School. Theyprepare us for Paul's 14 epistles and the Book of Revelation, which is College or University equivalent, and perhaps “Revelation” is a post-graduate course.


The Bible Numeric phenomenon discovered by Ivan Panin and others, confirms this book order.


So 1 Peter is an excellent preparation for the letters of Paul, and quite properly precedes them in order.


It was especially to Peter the fisherman that Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men!“ Jesus called Paul the rabbi, raised at the feet of Gamaliel, former member of the Sanhedrin, to set forth the mysteries of the Gospel, and God's long-standing plan to bring Gentiles into relationship with the spiritual Jewish Remnant as the “One New Man.” Peter didthink that Paul wrote some things hard to understand!


But Peter did have three years with Jesus. He witnessed His ministry from the beginning: His signs and wonders and teaching, and finally His death, resurrection and ascension. So he was well qualified to set forth Jesus for common folk to understand. And in the beginning, these common folk Christians were all Jewish believers! And it was through Peter that the door was opened to bring Gentiles into the Church.


Peter well understood God's plan for Jesus the Messiah long before He took on human form. In the Archives of Eternity, God had carefully set forth His Son to be the Savior of the world. And - our God is One: Father, Son and Holy Spirit - from Eternity past, just as man is one: spirit, soul and body. See the spirit that God desires us as believers to manifest Him through us - as loving one another fervently. This was the relationship of believers in the beginning. The testimony concerning them was, “See how they love one another!” We need to recapture this.


1 Peter 2:5 tells the nature of God's spiritual church - us! It is a spiritual house, a holy priesthood and living stones. Paul in Ephesians adds to this: a spiritual temple; a building; a bride; a body; an army - and “One New Man,” with Christ the Head, and all of us as living stones or members.


We once - Jews and Gentiles - were no people! But God has chosen us, called and transformed us as a holy nation and His possession. No wonder so many of us read Peter for his moving analogies given to him by the Holy Spirit. - J.A.W.