1 Peter 1

Verse 1. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers dispersed. Lit. of the dispersion; that is to the Jews or Gentiles now converted, who lived dispersed in those countries, chosen or elected [1] according to the foreknowledge and eternal decrees of God unto the sanctification of the spirit. Witham.—Asia is taken for one of the four quarters of the globe, or for Asia Minor, or for that province of Asia Minor of which Ephesus is the capital. It is in this latter sense it appears here to be understood, since Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Bithynia are also contained in the provinces of Asia Minor. V.

“Christ” means “Anointed One”.

Verse 2. Unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ; that is to be saved by the merits of his death and passion. Witham.—All the three divine Persons conspire in the salvation of the elect. The Father as principle of their election, by his eternal prescience; the Son as victim for their sins, and the source of all merit; the Holy Ghost as the spirit of adoption and love, animating and sanctifying them, and leading them to glory.

Verse 4. Reserved in heaven for you. Lit. in you; that is, it is also in you by reason of that lively faith and hope, which is in you, of enjoying Christ. Witham.

Verse 7. At the appearing of Jesus Christ. Lit. in the revelation; that is when he shall be revealed, manifested, and appear at the day of judgment. Witham.

Verse 11. Searching into what time, or manner of time. The ancient prophets with longing and ardent desires, obtained to know of the Holy Ghost, the spirit of Christ, the time and the glory that followed those sufferings, by Christ’s resurrection and ascension. All these were revealed to them, and they saw that they ministered things to you, not to themselves; that is, that these things they were ministers of, in prophesying about them, were not to happen in their time, but are not come to pass, as they have been preached to you. Witham.

Verse 12. The Holy Ghost being sent down from heaven, on whom the Angels desire to look. [2] This place is differently expounded. Some refer these words, on whom the Angels desire to look, to Jesus Christ, who was named in the foregoing verse; some to the Holy Ghost, who, being one God with the Father and the Son, the Angels are happy in seeing and loving him. See Estius and the Greek text. Witham.

Verse 13. The loins of your mind girded. It is a metaphor, to signify they must live in such a manner as to be always prepared for heaven, as persons used to gird their garments about them, when about to walk or run, or to undertake any labour. Witham.

literally, “gird up the waist of your mind” or “put on the belt of the waist of your mind”

Verse 14. As children of obedience; that is as obedient children. Witham.

Verse 18. From your vain conversation of the tradition of your fathers. Saint Peter teacheth what Saint Paul repeats in many places, that it was in vain for them to hope to be saved by the ceremonies and precepts of the former law, to which their forefathers had added many unnecessary and groundless traditions. They could only hope for salvation by believing in Christ, by the price of whose precious blood they were redeemed from their sins, as they had heard by the word of the gospel preached to them. His doctrine is the same with that of Saint Paul, of Saint James, of Saint John, and of the other apostles, that to be saved it is not enough to have faith or hope in Christ, but it must be a faith joined and working by charity, obeying the law of Christ in the spirit of charity with a sincere and brotherly love of every one, without setting our hearts upon the vanities and corruptible things of this world, remembering that all flesh is as grass, or the flowers of the field, which wither and pass away in a very short time. Thus presently vanish all riches, honours, pleasures, and all the glory of this life, but the word of God and his promises will bring us to happiness which will last for ever. Witham.

Verse 23. Thus this new birth, common to you all, should form between you an union much more stable and solid than that formed in you by the ties of blood. V.