1 Peter 1:22-25 meaning

Peter ended the last section speaking of Jesus’s death and resurrection, and his readers’ faith and hope being in God. Because Peter views his believing readers as living in obedience to God’s word, this forms the basis for his subsequent instruction, put this way: Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart (v. 22).

Peter says these obedient believers had already purified their souls. This means they had previously set themselves apart in dedication to obedience to God. What they dedicated was their souls. The word translated souls is the Greek word “psyche.” “Psyche” is translated “soul” about half the time and “life” the other half. Generally, “psyche” refers to the complete person, the full identity of who someone is, both physically as well as spiritually.

In this context both are in view. The love for the brethren would infer physical acts of support. The motivation for this physical act comes from the heart. The heart speaks to the inner person, which is a part of the whole.

We can see similar applications of “psyche” in other passages:

·       In Mathew 6:25, “psyche” is translated “life” and the emphasis is on the physical aspect of a person, their outer appearance and physical sustenance.

·       In Matthew 16:25-26, “psyche” is translated “soul” and the emphasis is on the complete fulfillment of a person, including in the age to come (1 Peter 1:9, Romans 12:1).

What these obedient believers dedicated their lives for is a sincere love of the brethren. The words love of the brethren translates one Greek word, “Philadelphian” meaning familial affection for a fellow brother or sister in Christ. We get our word “Philadelphia” from this word (the “City of Brotherly Love”). This kind of brotherly love is described as sincere, meaning genuine and not hypocritical.

Having detailed the basis for his main instruction, that his readers had purified their souls to sincerely love their fellow believers, Peter now issues the command to fervently love one another from the heart. The basic action commanded in this phrase is love. This is a different kind of love than the brotherly love “Philadelphia” just mentioned. Here the word love is the action verb “agapesate” from the verb “agapao” referring to a deeper, sacrificial affection for someone.

This is like how Jesus Christ loved us (John 13:34, Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 5:2). Jesus exhibited “agape” love in that He set aside His own comfort in order to seek the best for others. Jesus’s sacrifice of Himself saved humanity from sin. This was the ultimate example of God’s love (John 3:16).

“Agape” love is described in scripture as a love of choice. Paul provides examples of what agape love looks like in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. For example, agape love is to be patient. Patience is choosing to endure an annoyance because there is a greater good to be pursued. Agape love is to choose not to be provoked, and thereby be distracted from serving others by seeking retribution for one’s self. Agape love is seeking the best for others, and setting aside self.

The action to sacrificially love like Christ did is described as fervently, which contains the ideas of persevering eagerly, and constantly. The command to “fervently love” must come from the heart, meaning the place where Christ dwells in the believer’s life (Ephesians 3:17-19). This is our inner person, our place of motivation.

The heart is where we make choices. It is implied that this good choice to love others will stem from an inner belief that God’s ways are for our best, and that following Him will ultimately work out for our best. As Peter will say in the last chapter of this letter, if we humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand, He will exalt us in due time (1 Peter 5:6). If we believe this, then we will follow His commands.

Just like believers are to have a genuine brotherly love for each other, they are also commanded to eagerly, constantly, and sacrificially love one another like Christ did for us.

The reason why believers should show this kind of brotherly love and Christlike sacrificial love to each other is now explained, for you have been born again (v. 23). Being born again looks back to the beginning of this letter where Peter informs us that “God, according to His great mercy, has caused us to be born again” (1 Peter 1:3). In both verses, 1 Peter 1:3 as well as 1 Peter 1:22, the concept of being born again refers to the action of the Holy Spirit, creating in us a spiritual rebirth (John 3:2-7).

These believers are new people, new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). They are no longer mere walking appetites. They are now indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Therefore they ought to reflect their new design. They ought to live out the reality of their true identity in Christ. In order to be fulfilled in their new design, they need to live consistent with that design.

Peter looks on his reader’s experience of having been born again as happening in the past with the results continuing into the present time. This is because they have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable (v. 23). The Greek word seed was a farming term, “sporas,” from which we get our English word “spores.” Typically, it was used of seeds that were planted to produce crops (Mark 4:27). Sometimes, however, it was used figuratively to refer to the Word of God, like in the parable of the sower (Luke 8:11-16) and our passage (1 Peter 1:23).

Peter describes the seed that germinates into new life (born again) as not of seed which is perishable, meaning subject to decay or destruction (1 Peter 1:18), but imperishable, meaning not subject to destruction or decay, but that which is immortal and eternal (1 Peter 1:4, 1 Timothy 1:17). This refers to the reality that when believers are created anew and born again, that is a gift that is irrevocable (Romans 11:29).

Peter confirms what he has in mind in this context, that is, through the living, meaning life-producing (Hebrews 4:12, 1 Peter 1:3, 2:4-5), and enduring, meaning to continue to exist, word of God (v. 23). The word of God refers to God’s revelation to men spoken through both the Prophets in the Old Testament and the Apostles of the New Testament (Ephesians 2:20, 2 Peter 3:15-16). The word of God is the seed that sprouts to new life. Since we have a new life, we ought to live consistent with that new life. We should set aside the perishable ways of the world and the flesh.

To support the idea that God’s Word is both living and enduring, Peter quotes from the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 40:6-8): For, “All flesh, speaking of the material that covers the bones of both humans and animals, is like grass. grass is a metaphor indicating the temporary nature of our flesh. Like grass, our bodies live for a season, then die.

And all its glory like the flower of grass. The glory here likely refers to the beauty of the blooming head of wheat. The grass withers, And the flower falls off (v. 24). The emphasis is that both grass and flower are temporary and do not last. They endure only for a short season. In direct contrast, But the word of the Lord endures forever (v. 25).

The point being emphasized from the quote from Isaiah is that in contrast to the temporary nature of the flesh of humans and animals, and in contrast to the temporary nature of what is planted and blooms, God’s word is eternal and will last forever. In context, this would infer that the new, born-again nature of believers is also eternal. This makes sense, since each believer is placed into the Body of Christ (Romans 8:1).

Peter reminds his readers and this, referring to the life-giving, eternal Word of God, is the word that was preached to you (v. 25). The readers of Peter’s letter had previously heard God’s Word proclaimed through the preaching of Jesus, Peter, Paul, and the other apostles. They had believed, and now were born again, being new creations in Christ.

The truth of Chapter 1 of this letter has many applications for believers today. It is the same life-giving eternal Word of God, when proclaimed by believers today, that causes lost people to be born again (John 3:3). Jesus explained that all it took to be born again was to have sufficient faith to look upon Jesus, hoping to be delivered from the deadly venom of sin (John 3:14-15). It is by grace through faith that we are saved from the penalty of sin, and made new creations in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9, 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Each believer then may have the confident expectations of future blessings based on the promises of God. Knowing this, we also can greatly rejoice, even during the many kinds of stressful trials we might endure. God uses trials to strengthen our character and refine our faith.

As we grow our trust in Him, we come to know Him by faith. To know God is the path to the greatest fulfillment of life (John 17:3). To know God by faith is an opportunity we will have only in this one, short life on earth. It therefore remains for us to choose the perspective offered here by Peter, to view difficulty through the lens of eternity. Every circumstance is an opportunity to grow our faith, and thereby gain a greater experience of life, an experience that will compound through eternity.

It is worthwhile to continue to increase in righteous deeds and actions knowing that God will evaluate and reward them when Christ returns (Revelation 22:12, 3:21). Until then, we need to concentrate on having and expressing both brotherly affection and Christlike love for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

If we humble ourselves and accept whatever circumstances God gives us as being for our best, we can trust that He will exalt us in His time, and in His way (1 Peter 5:6). This will far exceed anything we can even imagine (1 Corinthians 2:9). To choose these faith perspectives leads to the greatest benefits we can gain from this life, both now and in eternity.