One Peter Five

by Dr. Henry M. Morris

(taken from the Defender's Study Bible)

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1 Peter 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

The elders. The elders of the churches addressed by Peter are urged to “feed the flock” (that is, to “pastor”), while also “taking the oversight” (that is, to “bishop”) the churches they were serving. This admonition indirectly confirms the implication that the offices of elder, pastor and bishop really are synonymous in effect, all being centered in the same man or men. “Elder” implies maturity in the faith, “pastor” implies teaching the Word,” and “bishop” implies oversight administratively.

1 Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

filthy lucre. “Filthy lucre” is one word in the Greek. Lucre, from a Latin word meaning “gain,” only becomes filthy when it corrupts the sincerity of Christian ministry.

1 Peter 5:3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

chief Shepherd. See Isaiah 40:11. The Lord Jesus Christ is called the “good shepherd” in John 10:11, and “that great shepherd of the sheep” in Hebrews 13:20. Actually “pastor” is the same word as “shepherd” in the Greek.

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

grace to the humble. See Proverbs 3:34; James 4:6.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

devil. “Devil” means “slanderer” and “Satan” means “Accuser;” he is also called the “Adversary.” He is adversary to both God and man, slandering and accusing man to God and God to man.

roaring lion. Satan is like a “roaring lion” and is “the great dragon” and “that old serpent” (Revelation 12:9), but he can also be “transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

1 Peter 5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

resist. Despite his deceptions, as well as his accusations, his power, his hatred and his ferocity, Satan can be successfully resisted (James 4:7) and even overcome (xTerm 2:13-14; 4:4; 5:18). He is, in fact, already a defeated foe (Hebrews 2:14). However, for personal victory “against the wiles of the devil” in our present circumstances, we must “put on the whole armour of God” (Ephesians 6:11, 14-17).

1 Peter 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

God of all grace. Despite any sufferings we experience as Christians (1 Peter 4:16), our God is the “God of all grace,” and “He giveth more grace” (James 4:6) as needed. He is also “the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3), as well as “the God of peace” (Hebrews 13:20) and “the God of hope” (Romans 15:13).

suffered a while. A dominant theme of Peter's first epistle is grace and strength while suffering for Christ's sake. This is his final and summarizing reference to this subject, but note also 1 Peter 1:6-7; 2:19-21; 3:14-17; 4:12-19, as he returns again and again, in each of his five chapters, to this vital theme.

1 Peter 5:11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 5:12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.

Silvanus. Silvanus, who evidently was commissioned by Peter to carry his letter around to the various churches in Asia (1 Peter 1:1), is believed to have been Silas, Paul's companion on one of his missionary journeys (Acts 15:40; 18:5).

1 Peter 5:13 The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.

Babylon. Babylon had a large Jewish population, and Peter had evidently gone there to evangelize and make disciples among them, since his special calling was to the Jews, as Paul's had been to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:7). Some have speculated that Babylon was a mystical name for Rome, but no basis exists for this idea, and there was no indication that Peter had ever been there. Paul wrote a letter to Rome about this same time and had no hesitancy in calling the city by name (Romans 1:7).

Marcus. John Mark was Peter's son “in the faith,” and evidently received much of the information for his gospel from Peter.

1 Peter 5:14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.