1 Peter
Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
Volume 17
General Editor: Leon Morris
1 Peter
An Introduction and Commentary
Wayne A. Grudem
General preface
The original Tyndale Commentaries aimed at providing help for the general reader of the Bible. They concentrated on the meaning of the text without going into scholarly technicalities. They sought to avoid ‘the extremes of being unduly technical or unhelpfully brief. Most who have used the books agree that there has been a fair measure of success in reaching that aim.
Times, however, change. A series that has served so well for so long is perhaps not quite as relevant as when it was first launched. New knowledge has come to light. The discussion of critical questions has moved on. Bible-reading habits have changed. When the original series was commenced it could be presumed that most readers used the Authorized Version and one could make one’s comments accordingly, but this situation no longer obtains.
The decision to revise and update the whole series was not reached lightly, but in the end it was thought that this is what is required in the present situation. There are new needs, and they will be better served by new books or by a thorough updating of the old books. The aims of the original series remain. The new commentaries are neither minuscule nor unduly long. They are exegetical rather than homiletic. They do not discuss all the critical questions, but none is written without an awareness of the problems that engage the attention of New Testament scholars. Where it is felt that formal consideration should be given to such questions, they are discussed in the Introduction and sometimes in Additional notes.
But the main thrust of these commentaries is not critical. These books are written to help the non-technical reader to understand the Bible better. They do not presume a knowledge of Greek, and all Greek words discussed are transliterated; but the authors have the Greek text before them and their comments are made on the basis of the originals. The authors are free to choose their own modern translation, but are asked to bear in mind the variety of translations in current use.
The new series of Tyndale Commentaries goes forth, as the former series did, in the hope that God will graciously use these books to help the general reader to understand as fully and clearly as possible the meaning of the New Testament.
Leon Morris
Author’s preface
Over the last four years I have worked closely with the text of 1 Peter, both in teaching it and in writing this commentary. As I now complete the commentary I am surprised that, far from being tired of the words of this letter, I hear them speak with more directness and urgency to my own life, and I still find joy and spiritual refreshment reading them again and again. For me personally, this is yet further confirmation of the character of this letter as ‘the living and abiding word of God’ (1 Pet. 1:23).
I do not think that any Christian can study this letter for long without hearing in it the voice of God speaking powerfully to the needs of today’s church. In only 105 verses, 1 Peter ranges over a wide field of Christian theology and ethics. Here is the great doctrine of redemption, from its conception before the foundation of the world to its consummation in our receiving an inheritance that will never fade away. Here are repeated calls to holiness and to humble trust in God for each day’s needs. Here is practical counsel—for marriage, for work, for relating to the government, for witnessing to unbelievers, for using spiritual gifts, for serving as a church officer.
Here also is profound comfort in sorrow, and insight, as far as God allows, into the deep mysteries of suffering and reprobation. Here is the majestic beauty of the church as a ‘spiritual temple’ in which we daily offer ‘spiritual sacrifices’ pleasing to God. And here is Jesus—the chief Shepherd who cares for us, the example who leads us, the chosen cornerstone who establishes and unites us, and the Saviour who bore our sins in his body on the cross—the one whom, not having seen, we love. The glory of Christ shines forth from this letter into the hearts of all who read it. For churches and for individuals seeking to grow in holiness, in faith, and in love for Christ, God’s words in 1 Peter will richly repay serious study, memorization, and meditation.
Studies in 1 Peter during this century have tended to emphasize attempts to discover sources behind 1 Peter (was it originally a baptismal sermon? a baptismal liturgy? does it depend on Paul? on James? on early catechisms? on moral codes common in a pagan society?). Other studies have focused on the setting in which it was written (official persecution? baptismal service? Easter liturgy?). But exegesis of the text itself (other than to answer those questions) has been somewhat neglected.
I have found myself largely unpersuaded by these studies regarding sources and setting, primarily because—in my own judgment at least—they almost uniformly attempt to draw conclusions based on far too little data. Perhaps it is time to admit that the requisite evidence for answering such questions is simply not available to us, and that good stewardship of the time and skills which God has given us would seem to require that we give more attention to the text itself, not primarily to determine its original setting and sources, but to ascertain its meaning for Peter and his original readers, and then its proper application to our own lives.
This commentary probably has a higher than average frequency of citations from other ancient texts, both biblical and extra-biblical, and a lower than average frequency of citations from other commentaries. This is intentional, because I think it very important for Christians to come to accept a particular interpretation of any verse not because some expert has given his opinion in favour of it, but because they have seen for themselves the evidence which supports that interpretation, and the evidence has convinced them.
Such evidence may come in the form of (1) other texts where the same word (or grammatical construction) is used, illustrating the meaning of the word (or grammatical construction); (2) other texts on the same subject in 1 Peter or in the larger context of the New Testament or the whole Bible, illustrating the teaching of Peter and of the other biblical writers elsewhere on this subject; (3) arguments from the flow of thought in the passage and the role an individual phrase plays in furthering the author’s overall purpose in the passage (‘the context’). In most cases all three types of evidence can be presented in such a way that even readers without knowledge of Greek can understand and evaluate the evidence for themselves. In some cases I have quoted the other texts which convinced me; in other cases I have just cited the references, expecting the interested reader to look them up.
Some readers of this series may feel that the unique authority of the Bible is somewhat compromised by the frequent citation of extra-biblical literature such as Josephus, Philo, the Apocrypha, the Rabbinic literature, the Apostolic Fathers and other early Christian writers, and even secular Greek authors. But here a distinction needs to be made. I do not think that a citation from any of these writings can prove that Peter must have held a certain doctrine or agreed with some current opinion, no matter how popular in the first-century culture, for the biblical authors frequently differ from both their Jewish background and the secular culture which surrounds them. But I do think that examples of usage of words from extra-biblical Jewish and Christian writers, and even from such secular writers as Strabo (writing c. 20 BC–AD 19), Diodorus Siculus (writing c. 40 BC), or Plutarch (c. AD 46–120) can be very useful in understanding New Testament words, especially those for which there are few examples in the New Testament itself or in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Extra-biblical sources can also provide helpful glimpses of the historical situation in which Peter and his readers lived, including the thought-patterns common among members of the societies which surrounded them. For these purposes the vast amount of ancient Jewish, Christian, and secular Greek literature which remains today can be seen as a blessing preserved by God’s providential oversight, so that we might be able to understand his word more accurately.
I owe much to the help of others in this work. I am thankful for the detailed comments and encouragement of Leon Morris, the editor of this series, and of David Kingdon, theological books editor at Inter-Varsity Press, whose perceptive reading has resulted in many improvements both in style and in content. I am thankful to many friends who in conversation and written comments have helped my understanding of the text, especially George Knight III, Murray Harris, Stanley E. Porter, C. F. D. Moule, D. A. Carson, and many students in my classes at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Moreover, Sherry Kull, Marie Birkinshaw, Jane Preston, and Sylvia Akhurst have helped me by accurately typing various sections along the way. I wish to thank the Board of Directors of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for granting me a sabbatical to work on the commentary, and the Tyndale House Council for allowing me to use the excellent library facilities of Tyndale House, Cambridge, where most of this commentary was written.
I especially wish to thank my parents for generously providing the financial assistance which enabled me to complete this work. And my three boys, Elliot, Oliver, and Alexander, have been a continual source of joy and encouragement, even as they kept wondering if Daddy ‘got another verse done on his commentary today’. But most of all I wish to thank my wife Margaret, who has encouraged me when the task seemed long, and who has made many sacrifices in time and effort because she was convinced that it was pleasing in the Lord’s sight for me to complete this work. I dedicate this book to her, one who ‘in God’s sight is very precious’ (1 Pet. 3:4), and in mine.
To God alone be glory.
Wayne Grudem