1 Peter Study #3

“Real vs Fake”

1 Peter 1:17-25

Study #3 in 1 Peter Series

INTRODUCTION:

In our world these days we are surrounded by a lot of fake stuff. For example, we have all seen deep-fake videos of President Trump singing a duet with Nancy Pelosi, or Kim Jong Un dancing the tango with Beyonce. It’s bogus and we know it, but it is done so well that you could swear that it’s real. And if you travel overseas, you are likely to have somebody on the street try to sell you a Rolex watch or a Versace handbag for a price that is just too good to pass up. Or maybe you ordered something from Temu, thinking that you were getting a red-hot deal, only to be disappointed and out the money that you sent them.

Sometimes the fakes are so good that it’s hard to tell them from the real thing at first. That’s why it is so important to be discriminating, and wise as serpents. We don’t want to be taken in by charlatans and snake-oil salesmen.

TRANSITION:

In our text for today’s study Peter talks about several things that are real and can be counted on to never disappoint us. 

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 17: If you address as “Father” the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, [then] conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;  

• “If…then” – In this verse Peter uses a classic Greek tool of debate and argumentation, namely, the “If/Then” statement. In this case the word “then” is absent in the second clause, but it is implied and I have supplied it for clarification.
• Moreover, the construction is also what’s called a “1^st Class Conditional Sentence. A first-class conditional sentence in Greek is formed with the protasis (the “if” clause) using “εἰ” (ei) plus an indicative mood verb, and the apodosis (the “then” clause) with any mood or tense. These sentences are often called “conditions of fact” because they assume the condition is true for the sake of argument. In a conditional sentence, the protasis sets up the condition, while the apodosis delivers the outcome based on that condition.
• Here are a couple of examples: (1) “If it rains (and it will because the weatherman predicts a 99% probability), then the ground will get wet.” (2) “If this is Tuesday (and it is), then I need to take the bins to the street for Wednesday morning pickup.”
• So, applying what we’ve learned to this verse, in the first clause Peter makes three true statements:

1.    We call God “Father” because He is our Heavenly Father. That means we are His children.

2.    He is a fair and impartial judge and will one day judge the whole world.

3.    We too will stand before Him for our works to be examined.

·       Then in the second clause, based on these facts, Peter concludes that believers should walk in fear and awe and holiness before Him, being very careful to conduct ourselves in a manner that is in keeping with who we are and Who we serve.  

 

Verses 18-19: …knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹ but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

• “…knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers” – Peter describes our pre-conversion life as “futile” meaning empty, useless, and lacking in substance. This is the same condition described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” Because of our sins, our souls were in hock to the devil. He held the title to us. He had us on display in the window of his Hellbent Pawn Shop. We couldn’t redeem ourselves; the price was just too high. Then along came Jesus. He redeemed us out of the devil’s pawn shop. He didn’t pay with silver or gold; those weren’t worth enough. No, He paid with His own blood. He died in our place. Now Peter’s high call for godly living in verse 17 makes sense in light of the price that was paid for our redemption. The precious blood of Jesus did not save us so that we could then live as if we were still the devil’s rubbish. 
• “…but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” – When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming down to the Jordan to be baptized, he pointed Him out saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Peter is speaking here in reference to the completely sinless character of Jesus. Indeed, if He were not perfect, without blemish or spot, He would not have been qualified to be our Redeemer. 

Verses 20-21: For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 

• “For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you” – God the Son, as the 2^nd Person of the Godhead has always existed. But then, in the fulness of time, according to John 1, the Eternal Word came to earth and took on flesh and to give His life as a ransom for sinners. The Christmas story tells of His birth in Bethlehem and how He was given the name, Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins. Notice how Peter makes this personal for his readers. He says, “God did this all for you!”
• “…you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” – God’s plan of redemption is specifically for those who believe in Christ. In fact, it is pure foolishness to the unbelievers. But those who believe in God will never be disappointed because their faith and hope have been substantiated by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.     

Verse 22: Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,

• “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren” – Peter makes a couple of big assumptions here. First, he assumes that his readers are walking “in obedience to the truth.” What does that mean? It means to be living in obedience and submission to Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In other words, Peter is assuming that his readers are genuinely saved Jesus followers. Second, he assumes that his readers are walking in purity, with their souls having been purified by the cleansing water of the Spirit and the Word of God. It is this purity that enables believers to genuinely love the brethren. In fact, this cleansing is prerequisite to be able to carry out the command in the next phrase. Indeed, an impure soul is not capable of sincere love for anybody.
• “…fervently love one another from the heart” – This is the command that Peter has been building up to. He is concerned that the believers continue to show real love toward one another as a sign to the world of the genuineness of their conversion. But what kind of love? This word “fervently” is the Greek word ektenōs (ἐκτενῶς), which denotes “strained, stretched out" (from ek, “out,” and teino, “to stretch”); hence, metaphorically, “fervent, intently, strenuously.” This love is to be unfeigned, that is not a phony kind of love, just for the camera, but real love from the heart. Such love is only possible (and only to be expected) of those who have been born again by the eternal Word of God. 

Verse 23: …for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring Word of God.  

• “…for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable” – Perishable seed can only produce perishable fruit. Imperishable seed, on the other hand, being perfect, produces imperishable perfect fruit. We have been born again through the seed of the Word that was planted in us by the Spirit of God. In time it germinated and began to grow, eventually resulting in the faith we needed to turn to Christ, to repent of our sins, and trust in Christ alone for our salvation.
• “…that is, through the living and enduring Word of God.” – Peter here makes two clear statements about the Word of God:

1.    It is alive – The writer of Hebrews 4:12 says the same thing, “For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

2.    It will endure – Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

 

Verses 24-25a: For,

“All flesh is like grass,
And all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
And the flower falls off,
²⁵ But the Word of the Lord endures forever.”

• In almost all our Bibles verse 24 is clearly written in poetic form. Why is that? It is because here Peter is quoting from Isaiah 40:6-8, which is written in Hebrew poetry form, although he does not quote the whole text. He uses the part that makes his point; namely, that all humanity is transient, temporal, and blowing away like grass flowers.
• David in the Psalms, and Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes came to the same conclusion. In this life everything is transient and temporary. The most incredible structures that men can build will eventually fail and fall due to rust, water damage, earth settling, obsolescence, or other factors. Given enough time, nature will take it over and wipe out its very memory from history. Humans all die sooner or later. A tiny few make it to 100. Most die much sooner. With all our scientific advances, death and disease still always win in the end.
• Verse 25 captures the truth beautifully. The only things that will last are God, His Word, His truth, and those who by faith have placed their faith and trust in Him for their eternal salvation. These things will last, and will never pass away, but the rest will burn or blow away like cattail seeds and tumbleweeds.    

Verse 25b: And this is the word which was preached to you.   

• “…the word which was preached to you.” Peter is saying, “None of this is new to you because you’ve heard it all before. I’m just reminding you to hold on to the things that will last, and release those things that are passing away. These truths were preached to you already. I’m just trying to refresh your memory and spur you on to do the right thing.”

CONCLUSION:

So, in looking back over these verses what are the things that are real that we want to hold onto?

1.    In verse 17, we have a good, good Father and we work in the family business. Therefore, He expects us to conduct ourselves in a way that honors Him and reflects well on the product we are selling, i.e., the saving Gospel message of eternal life in Christ Jesus.

2.    In verse 18, we were redeemed with the precious shed blood of the Lamb of God, and this the Father provided because of His great love toward us.

3.    In verses 20-21, our faith and hope are grounded firmly on God who raised Christ from the dead. One day, He will raise to new life as well and we will be with Him forever.

4.    In verse 22, our genuine transformation is what allows us to love one another fervently, from the heart. The world is ignorant of this kind of love.

5.    In verses 23-25, the living and abiding Word of God is real and will never pass away. We can count on it to always be true. It is the inspired love letter from our Heavenly Father to us.