Commentary - 1 Peter 1:22-25

Bird's-eye view

Peter has just finished reminding the saints of the imperishable inheritance they have, secured by the precious blood of Christ. That reality is not a sentimental feeling; it is an objective fact that must have consequences in the real world. Here, Peter connects the dots between their high calling and their daily conduct. The new birth is not a one-time event that we look back on with fond nostalgia. It is a radical, ongoing reality that fundamentally alters how we interact with one another. Because we have been made new by an eternal Word, we are therefore called to a new kind of love, a sincere, fervent, and pure love for the brethren. This love is the necessary fruit of the new birth. Peter then undergirds this command by quoting from Isaiah, contrasting the fleeting nature of man in his fallen glory with the eternal, unshakeable Word of God that brought us into this new life.

In short, what God has done in us (regeneration through the Word) must work its way out of us (love for the brethren). The eternal cause produces an eternal kind of love. The temporary glories of the flesh produce temporary affections, but the eternal seed of the Word produces a love that will endure forever, just like the Word itself.

Outline

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a love of the brothers without hypocrisy, fervently love one another from the heart,

Peter begins with the logical connection, "Since you have..." He is grounding the command that follows in a reality that has already been accomplished in them. Christian ethics are never a matter of pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. It is always a matter of living out what God has already made you to be. The first thing he notes is that they have "purified your souls." This is not a reference to some kind of sinless perfection, but rather to the definitive cleansing that occurs at conversion. This purification came about "in obedience to the truth." The truth here is the gospel. When the gospel is proclaimed, it demands a response, and that response is faith, which is the foundational act of obedience. So, by believing the gospel, they obeyed the gospel, and in that transaction, God purified their souls. This was not a pointless purification; it had a goal. The purpose clause tells us what it was for: "for a love of the brothers without hypocrisy." In other words, God cleanses us from our sin so that we can be fit for true fellowship. Our natural state is one of selfish, hypocritical affections. We "love" others for what we can get out of them. But God purifies us for something far better, a genuine, unfeigned brotherly love (philadelphia). Because this is what God has done, and what He has done it for, the command follows naturally: "fervently love one another from the heart." This is not the same word for love as before. This is agape love. It is a committed, self-sacrificial love. And it is to be done "fervently," which means intensely, at full stretch. It is not a lazy, half-hearted affection but an energetic, all-in love that comes from a pure heart.

v. 23 for you have been born again not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

Now Peter provides the theological foundation for the command to love. Why should we love this way? "For you have been born again." The new birth is the ultimate reason. We are not just patched-up versions of our old selves; we are entirely new creations. And our origin determines our nature. Peter draws a sharp contrast. We were not born again of "corruptible seed." This refers to our natural, physical birth. Everything that comes from Adam is mortal, decaying, and bound to perish. Our first birth was from a seed that had death in it. But the new birth is from an "incorruptible" seed. This seed cannot decay, cannot spoil, and cannot die. Like begets like. A perishable seed produces a perishable life; an imperishable seed produces an imperishable life. And what is this incorruptible seed? Peter tells us plainly: it is "through the living and enduring word of God." The Word of God is not a collection of dead letters on a page. It is alive. It has generative power. When the gospel is preached, this living Word is sown in the hearts of men, and the Holy Spirit causes it to germinate, bringing forth new life. This Word is also "enduring." It abides forever. It is not a fleeting message but an eternal reality. The life it produces, therefore, is also an eternal life.

v. 24 For, “ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,

To drive his point home about the enduring nature of the Word, Peter quotes from Isaiah 40:6-8. This is a powerful rhetorical move. He is setting two things in stark opposition: "all flesh" and the Word of God. "All flesh is like grass." This is the verdict on humanity apart from Christ. We are fragile, temporary, and transient. We spring up, look impressive for a moment, and then we are gone. And this applies not just to our basic existence but to our highest achievements. "All its glory like the flower of grass." Think of all the things the world boasts in, wealth, power, beauty, wisdom, art, empires. All of it is as fleeting as a wildflower. It blooms for a season, catches the eye, and then it is cut down and withers under the sun. The process is inevitable: "The grass withers, and the flower falls off." This is the story of every human life and every human civilization built on the corruptible seed of Adam. It is a story of decay and death.

v. 25 BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.” And this is the word which was proclaimed to you as good news.

Here is the great contrast, introduced with that glorious word, "But." In the midst of all this withering and fading, there is something that stands firm. "But the word of the Lord endures forever." The Word of God is not subject to the cycle of birth, growth, decay, and death. It is eternal, unchanging, and eternally powerful. It existed before the mountains were brought forth, and it will exist long after the sun has grown cold. This is the foundation upon which our new life is built. We have been born of something eternal, and therefore our new life partakes of that eternal nature. Then, Peter brings it all home with the final clause. He does not leave this "Word of the Lord" as an abstract concept. He identifies it for his readers: "And this is the word which was proclaimed to you as good news." The eternal, life-giving, incorruptible seed is nothing other than the gospel of Jesus Christ that was preached to them. The message of the cross and resurrection is not just good advice or a new philosophy. It is the very power of God, the eternal Word, that invades time and space to create new life out of dust and death. Because we are children of this eternal Word, we are called to live in a way that reflects our parentage, in fervent, unhypocritical, and enduring love for one another.

Application

The practical takeaway here is direct and unavoidable. Our love for fellow Christians is not an optional extra; it is the primary evidence that we have been born again. If you find your love for the brethren is shallow, hypocritical, or running on fumes, the solution is not to try harder to conjure up warm feelings. The solution is to go back to the root of the matter.

First, remember that you have been purified for this very purpose. Your new identity in Christ is that of a person cleansed for fellowship. To refuse to love is to live in contradiction to who you are.

Second, meditate on the nature of your new birth. You were not born of the fading, wilting stuff of this world. You were born of the living, enduring, incorruptible Word of God. Your spiritual DNA is eternal. This means the love you are called to is not the flimsy, self-serving affection that the world offers, but a robust, sacrificial love that reflects its eternal source.

Finally, when you look at the church and see the sins and failings of your brothers and sisters, when you see the "grass" and "withering flowers" in them and in yourself, look past it to the Word that made you all new. The gospel that saved you is the same gospel that saved them. That is the unshakable ground of your fellowship. Therefore, love one another. Love fervently. Love from a pure heart. It is what you were made for.