Study of First Peter                                        Lesson 19

Review:

 

 

Observations:  1:22-23

1. Peter made it clear in vs:22 that purification of our souls was necessary if we are to love one another from a pure heart.

 

2. This he reminds us requires obedience to the Word of God, the empowering of the Holy Spirit and an understanding of the Word.

 

3. Now in vs:23 Peter turns to our new birth in order to establish the basis for our being able to fulfill the command to love from a pure heart.

 

4. What Peter is arguing here is that the "offspring" (the believer fulfilling the command to love) should have the same nature as the "seed" that produced it!

 

5. Our love should be lasting because the seed (the Word) by which we were regenerated is everlasting.

 

6. As all creation was brought into existence by the spoken Word of God (“And God said, ‘let there be … ’” Genesis 1:3f.), so we were brought to life by His Word.

 

7. Since this seed, the Word, is imperishable so also is the salvation that flows to us from the results of  regeneration.

 

8. The nature of this Word is that it is living and enduring and it is so because the One who speaks is eternal, faithful, and truth and has the power and ability to carryout all that He says, all that He promises.

 

1:24-25 Peter expands on the permanency of the Word of God

Quote here from Isa 40:6-8. A passage designed to bring comfort to Israel in a time when they were exiled and oppressed.  

 

 

 

 

1:24  For, "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS.

With this quote he depicts the transitory nature of human life when compared to the eternal nature of the Word.

 

 

All the glory of human existence he's saying  is as temporal in nature as is the grass, the flowering plant.

By glory he's bringing into view all of man's achievements by which mankind is attempting to commend themselves to one another.

 

 

 

 

 

Peter continues  THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,

 

Both of these verbs  are gnomic aorist which says we have a timeless fact presented, its true  yesterday - today - tomorrow.

 

1:25 gives us the contrast, the transitory nature of mankind and nature is now  compared to what is eternal the Word of God.

"BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER."

 

THE WORD  r`h/ma  speaks of what is communicated most often used of the spoken word

 

But the Word of the Lord,  kurioj refers to His authority, rulership

 

abides    me,nw,  abides, remains, endures; the present is what is referred to as a customary present, which says the word abides or endures continually then as well as now and also tomorrow.

 

This last phrase  And this is the word which was preached to you.   actually defines the portion of the Word  that is being focused on,  the gospel message communicated to them.

 

 

Summary of 1:24-25

1.  Peter is further illustrating the fact that the Word of God is living and enduring by his comparing it to the transitory nature of mankind and the flower of the grass.

 

2.  Peter's point here is that physical birth inevitably leads to physical death.

3.  It is the sin nature which resides in the body that not only corrupts our thinking and viewpoint when in rulership and it also contains the aging factor.

 

4.  Our "new birth" stands in contrast and cannot be negated by physical death or anything else for that matter.  (Rem.  Rom 8:38-39)

- Reason is that since its seed is imperishable so is the result, our eternal future with Him.

5.   This then is another proof text for our positional or eternal security as believers in Christ.

 

6.  Since we have been born again/regenerated through the agency of the living - enduring Word we should eagerly desire the milk of the Word even as the new believer.