Matthew Henry Commentary 1 Peter 1

This epistle is addressed to believers in general, who are strangers in every city or country where they live, and are scattered through the nations. These are to ascribe their salvation to the electing love of the Father, the redemption of the Son, and the sanctification of the Holy Spirit; and so to give glory to one God in three Persons, into whose name they had been baptized. Hope, in the world's phrase, refers only to an uncertain good, for all worldly hopes are tottering, built upon sand, and the worldly person's hopes of heaven are blind and groundless conjectures.

But the hope of the sons of the living God is a living hope, not only concerning its object but also concerning its effect. It enlivens and comforts in all distresses and enables them to meet and overcome all difficulties. Mercy is the spring of all this; indeed, great mercy and manifold mercy. And this well-grounded hope of salvation is an active and living principle of obedience in the soul of the believer.

The source of a Christian's joy is the remembrance of the happiness laid up for him. It is incorruptible; it cannot come to nothing; it is an estate that cannot be spent. It is also undefiled, which signifies its purity and perfection. And it does not fade; it is not sometimes more or less pleasant, but always the same, still like itself.

All possessions here are stained with defects and failings; still, something is lacking. Fair houses have sad cares flying about the gilded and ceilinged roofs; soft beds and full tables are often accompanied by sick bodies and uneasy stomachs. All possessions are stained with sin, either in acquiring or in using them. How ready we are to turn the things we possess into occasions and instruments of sin, and to think there is no liberty or delight in their use without abusing them!

Worldly possessions are uncertain and soon pass away, like the flowers and plants of the field. That which is laid up in the highest and best place, in heaven, must be of the greatest worth. Happy are those whose hearts the Holy Spirit sets on this inheritance. God not only gives his people grace but also preserves them to glory.

Every believer always has something in which he may greatly rejoice; it should show itself in his countenance and conduct. The Lord does not willingly afflict, yet his wise love often appoints sharp trials to show his people their hearts and to do them good in the end. Gold does not increase by trial in the fire; it becomes less. But faith is made firm and multiplied by troubles and afflictions. Gold must perish at last and can only purchase perishing things, while the trial of faith will be found to result in praise, honour, and glory.

Let this reconcile us to present afflictions. Then seek to believe Christ's excellence in himself and his love to us; this will kindle such a fire in the heart as will make it rise up in a sacrifice of love to him. And the glory of God and our own happiness are so united that if we sincerely seek the one now, we will attain the other when the soul will no longer be subject to evil. The certainty of this hope is as if believers had already received it.

Jesus Christ was the main subject of the prophets' studies. Their inquiry into the sufferings of Christ and the glories that should follow would lead to a view of the whole gospel, the sum of which is, That Christ Jesus was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification. God is pleased to answer our necessities rather than our requests.

The doctrine of the prophets and that of the apostles exactly agree, as coming from the same Spirit of God. The gospel is the ministration of the Spirit; its success depends upon His operation and blessing. Let us then search diligently those Scriptures which contain the doctrines of salvation.

Just as travellers, racers, warriors, and labourers tucked up their long, loose garments to be ready for their work, so Christians should prepare their minds and affections.

Be sober, be watchful against all spiritual dangers and enemies, and be temperate in all behaviour. Be sober-minded in opinion, as well as in practice, and humble in your judgment of yourselves.

A strong and perfect trust in the grace of God is consistent with our best efforts in fulfilling our duty.

Holiness is the desire and duty of every Christian. It must be in all affairs, in every condition, and towards all people.

We must especially watch and pray against the sins to which we are inclined. The written word of God is the surest rule for a Christian's life, and by this rule we are commanded to be holy in every way. God makes those holy whom he saves.

Holy confidence in God as a Father and awe-filled fear of Him as a Judge harmonize; and to regard God always as a Judge endears Him to us as a Father. If believers do evil, God will discipline them. Therefore, Christians should not doubt God's faithfulness to His promises, nor yield to an enslaving dread of His wrath, but they should reverence His holiness.

The fearless professed Christian is defenseless, and Satan takes him captive as he pleases; the despondent professed Christian lacks the resolve to use his advantages and is easily brought to surrender. The price paid for humanity's redemption was the precious blood of Christ. Not only openly wicked conduct, but also unprofitable conduct is highly dangerous, even if it appeals to custom. It is folly to resolve, "I will live and die in such a way, because my ancestors did so."

God had purposes of special favor toward His people long before He made such grace manifest to them. But the clarity of light, the supports of faith, and the power of ordinances are all much greater since Christ came to earth than they were before. The comfort is that, having been made one with Christ by faith, His present glory is an assurance that where He is, we will also be (John 14:3). The soul must be purified before it can give up its own desires and indulgences.

And the word of God, planted in the heart by the Holy Spirit, is a means of spiritual life, stirring us to our duty, working a total change in the soul's dispositions and affections, until it leads to eternal life. In contrast with the excellence of the renewed spiritual man, as born again, consider the futility of the natural man. In his life and in his fall, he is like grass, the flower of grass, which soon withers and dies away.

We should hear, and so receive and love, the holy, living word, and should rather risk everything than lose it; and we must banish all other things from its rightful place. We should lodge it in our hearts as our only treasure here and as the certain pledge of the treasure of glory laid up for believers in heaven.