1 Peter 5:12-14
First Christian Church, Owensville, IN
Bart W. Newton, Preaching Minister
A video of the sermon from 1 Peter 5:5-11 may be viewed by clicking on the following link: Standing Firm in the Grace of God.
Abbreviations for Bible translations that may be quoted: ESV = English Standard Version; NLT = New Living Translation; CSB = Christian Standard Bible; GW = God’s Word; Amplified Bible = AMP; KJV = King James Version; New King James Version = NKJV; The Message = MSG; KNT = Kingdom New Testament)
• March 22 was the first Lord’s Day I taught from 1 Peter. It was from 2:13-17 regarding the church’s responsibility to submit to the governing authorities for the common good and to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
• It was then I felt that God would have us spend time being reminded from this letter how we are to live in this time of disorientation related to COVID-19.
• The theology of 1 Peter “is the nature of the Christian life in a time of testing; believers, called to a living hope, are to live holy lives in the fear of God and mutual love, respecting the society in which they are placed but avoiding its temptations and standing firm in the face of persecution.” –I. Howard Marshall, New Testament Theology: Many Witnesses, One Gospel, p. 658
• Major Theme of 1 Peter: The way for Christians to live in the world despite the hostility we receive from some in the world.
• Here we are five months later at the closing greeting of Peter’s first epistle.
• Today’s Passage:
1 Peter 5:12-14: 12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with the kiss of love.
Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
Prayer
Structure/Form of a Typical Letter in Peter’s Day
• Opening Greeting
• Body
• Concluding Remarks:
o Reference to those who delivered the letter.
o Summary of the letters purpose
o Final greetings
o Holy kiss
o Prayer for grace or peace
Structure of 1 Peter:
• Opening greeting & thanksgiving (1:1-12)
• Body. Three main sections concerned with:
Basic characteristics of Christian living (1:13-2:10)
Social conduct (2:11-3:12)
Christian attitude toward hostility (3:13-5:11)
• Closing greeting (5:12-14)
Characters of the Closing Greeting:
• Reference to the person who probably delivered the letter:
12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you…
• Sylvanus (Latin) or Silas (Greek): This is most probably the Silas in Acts who was given the gift of prophecy (Acts 15:32); sent to Antioch from Jerusalem with the decree of the Jerusalem council to the Gentile Christians; companion of Paul’s on the 2nd missionary journey (Acts 16-18); he was a co-sender with Paul of 1& 2 Thessalonians. (Acts 15:22; 2 Cor. 1:19; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1)
• Some think that “by Sylvanus” or “through Sylvanus” means that Silvanus penned the letter for Peter like a scribe or, since he had the gift of prophecy, may have collaborated with Peter.
• But most think it means that Silvanus was the one through whom Peter delivered this letter, which was customary practice to do in such a letter be delivered by personal carrier.
• v. 12a, GW: I’ve written this short letter to you and I’m sending it by Silvanus, whom I regard as a faithful brother.
• v. 12a, TLB: I am sending this note to you through the courtesy of Silvanus who is, in my opinion, a very faithful brother.
• So Peter tells them, look, this brother in Christ who delivered this letter to you is a faithful brother—a trustworthy brother—he can probably answer any questions about my letter you might have.
• Can you imagine this letter (without chapters and verses, in a scroll) being read to the church by an elder? As the elder reads the closing greeting and reads By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you…seeing the believers maybe look over at Silvanus and Silvanus giving a simple head nod or smile.
• …briefly written to you… In comparison, Romans and 1 Corinthians are four times longer than 1 Peter.
• The next character/personality referenced is the church in Rome:
13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings,
• She who is at Babylon . Babylon is a pseudonym for Rome. She is the church at Rome; Babylon was the great city of sin and luxury that oppressed the Jews in the OT; after destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in 70 AD, Jews referred to Rome as “Babylon.” Babylon symbolic of luxury and sin; like Sin City (Las Vegas).
• …who is likewise chosen – compare to 1:1: …to those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion….
• Peter is letting the recipients of this letter know that the church in Rome says hey!
… and so does Mark, my son.
• Mark (John Mark): Mark’s mom’s house was where Peter went when he was released from prison in Acts 12:
• Acts 12:12: When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
• Mark traveled with Paul and Barnabas during first part of Paul’s 1st missionary journey; Mark bailed out but we don’t know why; at beginning of Paul’s second missionary journey, Paul didn’t want Mark to go; Barnabas wanted to give him another chance; Paul and Barnabas split over it; so Paul took Silas (Silvanus) and Barnabas took Mark; Paul later spoke favorably of Mark in three of his letters.
• “my son” = “my son in the gospel (faith)” probably meaning Peter had led Mark to Christ; Mark was to Peter what Timothy was to Paul.
Summary of the letters purpose and final instructions:
• Encouragement & testimony to remain steadfast in the grace of God (v. 12).
12 …I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.
• Peter has written a letter of encouragement and personal testimony.
… this is the true grace of God.
• “This” = either the letter itself or what it has said about God’s grace (Black, p. 138)
• v. 12b-c, NLT: My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace.
• In the midst of their suffering and struggling, they needed to remember, as Edmund Clowney writes, “The gospel is the good news of the grace of God, the fact that Christ bore our sins in his body on the tree, and is now the right hand of God (2:24; 3:22). That grace of God will be brought to us when Jesus Christ comes again. (1:13). –Edmund Clowney, The Message of 1 Peter, p. 223
• G.R.A.C.E. = God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense
• Let’s just take a brief re-look at the verses that actually speak of grace in this letter:
• 1 Peter 1:10-11: 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. (ESV)
• God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense!
• 1 Peter 1:13: Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (ESV)
• God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense!
• 1 Peter 3:7:Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (ESV)
• God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense!
• 1 Peter 4:10: Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. (CSB)
• God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense!
• 1 Peter5:5: Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (ESV)
• God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense!
• 1 Peter 5:10: And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (ESV)
• God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense!
• Black: “Peter wants them to endure and stand fast in God’s grace, in the various aspects he has discussed: the grace of the message of the gospel (1:10), the grace of God’s current work through them (4:10), the grace of suffering for Christ (2:19-20), and the grace of their future inheritance (3:7; 5:10). The entire book is an exhortation to steadfastness.”—Allen Black, 1& 2 Peter, p. 138
Stand firm in it.
• “They cling, not to an impersonal moral code, nor to philosophical abstractions. They cling to the grace of God; not what they have done for God, but what God has done for them in Christ.” –Edmund Clowney, The Message of 1 Peter, p. 223
• Brothers and sisters, we must stand firm in the riches we have in Christ that came at His expense!
• Token of Affection: Greet one another with brotherly affection (v. 14a)
14a Greet one another with the kiss of love.
• Paul sometimes closed his letters telling the church to “greet one another with a holy kiss.”
• Obviously, they were not dealing with COVID-19!
• Peter’s and Paul’s letters were read in the worship service of the Christians to whom they were addressed.
• Maybe Peter is saying, “I’m sending my brotherly affection, give one another a kiss for me and to demonstrate appropriate family-style affection to one another.
• There are some cultures even today that a cheek-to-cheek kiss is common. There is nothing erotic about it. Often the lips don’t even touch the other person’s face.
• This is not common around here, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some type of brotherly, Christian sign of affection. But it must always be done with the utmost modesty and appropriateness—perhaps a handshake, a side-hug between people of opposite gender; etc.
• “Here is a good example of where the cultural significance of a particular action must be taken into account. If, for whatever reason, kissing is inappropriate, some other culturally acceptable substitute should surely be adopted in its place. The danger is to do nothing, keeping other Christians at arm’s length. In the Christian fellowship there ought to be a greater degree of mutual love and care, especially for single and lonely people, than in society at large, and the church may well need to take the lead in showing love to such people and in confirming and conveying it to them by suitable symbolic actions.” –I. Howard Marshall, 1 Peter, p. 176
• Somehow we need some departing gesture of affection unique to us as the family of God. “May the peace of Christ be with you.” Or, “Christ’s peace be with you.” “Christ’s peace to ya!”
• Just because we’re not embracing or shaking hands right now, doesn’t mean we cannot say to one another, “May Christ’s peace be with you.” And in return, “And also with you.” Or “With you as well.”
• In fact, look how Peter closing line--
A prayer for peace for the church (v. 14b)
14bPeace to all of you…
• “If grace is the source of divine blessings, peace sums up the content of the blessings…Like love, peace is one of those Christian words that has been sadly devalued by its loose, secular usage. Somehow we need to recover its original force.” –I. Howard Marshall, 1 Peter, p. 177
• John 14:27: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (NLT)
• That blessing of peace is the portion of all who are ‘in Christ.
…who are in Christ.
• “Peter shares Paul’s basic description of a Christian as a person whose existence is determined by the crucified and risen Lord. And the exclusivity of the description should not be ignored: Outside of a relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord there is no real, lasting peace.” –I. Howard Marshall, 1 Peter, p.177
Spend some time reflecting on what God’s Word has shown us from this passage using the acronym SPECKS:
• Sin to confess?
• Prayer, promise or praise to hold onto?
• Example to follow?
• Command to obey?
• Knowledge to retain?
• Share the passage with whom?
• You know, one of the ways we continue to stand firm in the true grace of God is through weekly receiving of the Lord’s Supper.
• If there is any time that we are reminded of God’s grace it is in the receiving of the body and blood of Christ!
The Lord’s Supper
Luke 22: 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying,
“This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
• The body of Christ given for us.
20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying,
“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
• The blood of Christ poured out for us.
• Prayer
At this time of reflection and celebration, pray for yourself and your brothers and sisters in Christ to be faithful in keeping the New Covenant.
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
King Jesus has died. King Jesus has risen. And King Jesus will come again!