Bible Study Courses

1 Peter
Instructor's Notes

1 Peter 5:1-14

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 which are among you I exhort—Here Peter returns to specific exhortations having completed the general exhortations. In light of the suffering church, in general, Peter now exhorts, (appeals to their own sense of what is right) the elders (leaders), of the church. “Times of persecution demand that God’s people have adequate spiritual leadership. If judgment is to begin at God’s house, then that house had better be in order, or it will fall apart! This explains why Peter wrote this special message to the leaders of the church, to encourage them to do their work faithfully. Leaders who run away in times of difficulty are only proving that they are hirelings and not true shepherds. Peter was concerned that the leadership in the local churches be at its best. When the fiery trial would come, the believers in the assemblies would look to their elders for encouragement and direction” [PA.Org].

• John 10:12-14—“But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine.”

·        who am also an elder—Peter refers to himself as a “fellow elder” and places himself on a level equal to those that he is exhorting (not speaking down to them). Peter, as it is known, was an apostle of our Lord and Savior. However, these exhortations are of such importance he calls himself an elder and it “shows great humility in him to put himself upon a level with them, and only entreat and beseech them” [J. Gill], and not command them.

·        and a witness of the sufferings of Christ—Peter had a great sorrow of soul for the things he witnessed concerning the sufferings of the Messiah. As a “witness” Peter was a “very fit person to exhort these elders to feed the churches under their care with the preaching of a crucified Christ; since he, from his certain knowledge, could affirm his sufferings and his death: moreover, he was a witness, that is, a minister, and preacher of the sufferings of Christ, and of the doctrines of peace, pardon, justification, and salvation through them”[J. Gill].

·        and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed—Peter, had a glimpse of future glory being present at Christ’s transfiguration (an emblem and pledge of the glory of Christ), but he now had a “living hope” of future glory having a personal experiential knowledge of the resurrection of Christ. This added credence to Peter’s exhortations; having been a partaker, and actual eyewitness of these glorious events.

Synthesis: Peter concludes his epistle with solemn exhortations, first to the church leaders, later to the general membership. As he addressed the elders, he did not refer to himself as the “pope,” nor did he dictate or command. He identified himself as an elder, thus putting on himself the same responsibilities he would exhort them to. Peter was a witness for Christ. He had been a personal eyewitness of the glorious life of Christ, yet, he did not rest in these past revelations but rather looked forward to the promised future glory.

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;”

·        Feed the flock of God which is among you—Shepherds of God feed the flock which God “has chosen, distinguished, and separated from the rest of the world” [J. Gill]. Peter here exhorts the elders to feed the flock committed to their care “not with every wind of doctrine, which blows up the pride of human nature, and swells men with vain conceits of themselves; nor with the chaff of human doctrines; nor with trifling and speculative notions; but with knowledge and understanding of divine and evangelical truths, with the words of faith and sound doctrine, with the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ” [J. Gill].

·        taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint—The “bishop” or “elder” is the overseer of the flock and the verb used here “pictures one who is constantly, diligently, actively and responsibly overseeing the care of the sheep in his flock” [PA.Org]. The elder is to oversee the spiritual feeding of God’s sheep. They were not to be a dictator but a shepherd that loves the flock and is concerned with their welfare. Likewise, they are to shepherd out of a calling to serve and not out of some passive compulsion.

·        but willingly—A shepherd’s motive must be willingness, not a sense of external compulsion: not because you must, but because you are willing. He must sever according to the will of God “with all uprightness and integrity, for the sake of the honor and glory of God; this should be done with all a man’s heart and soul, and should spring from pure love to Christ” [J. Gill]. If not done in the spirit of godly service the task will become a burden and he will serve resentfully.

·        not for filthy lucre—Serving in the ministry may not be for profit or personal gain. This is a characteristic of “false teachers who are usually motivated by greed and desire for money, and use their power and position to rob people of their own wealth” [PA.Org]. Peter thus warns against taking up the work because of a desire for material gain.

·        but of a ready mind—Shepherds who serve with false motives care only for themselves and devour the flock. True shepherds are characterized by being ready, willing and favorably inclined to accept the responsibility. They expresses enthusiasm and devoted zeal to the task assigned and minister from the whole heart.

Synthesis: Peter exhorted the elders to shepherd the believers. As Christ had instructed him to feed His sheep (John 21:17), Peter instructs the elders to feed the flock not out of a sense of constraint, greed or profit, but out of the heart of one that cares for the spiritual welfare of those that committed to is loving care.

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

·        Neither as being lords over God's heritage—“lords over” includes the idea of domineering as in the rule of a strong person over one who is weak. In other words, elders are not to “govern with tyranny, and in a haughty, imperious, and arrogant manner” [J. Gill]. “All genuine rule in the church is in no sense a lordship but an administration of Christ’s lordship by His willing servants” [PA.Org].

·        but being ensamples to the flock—Elders are to examples to their flocks. The characteristics of the pastor are often emulated by the flock. A loving caring pastor will grow a congregation with like qualities. Elders are not to drive God’s people, but to lead them by their example of mature Christian character. Sheep aren't driven. They are led. So as spiritual shepherds they must lead, not drive.

• John 10:3—“To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.”
• Psalms 23:2—“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.”

Synthesis: Elders are not to be autocrats, ruling in a high-handed fashion. They have been called to lead God’s people with a mature Christian comportment.

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

·        And when the chief Shepherd shall appear—“shall appear”  is in the aorist tense denotes a single event, specifically the 2nd coming of Christ. Christ is the “chief Shepherd” for He is “the Shepherd and Bishop of the souls of men; all other bishops, pastors, and elders, are under him; they receive their commissions from him to feed his lambs and sheep” [J. Gill]. Christ knows His sheep and His sheep know His voice and “as the “Chief Shepherd” Christ is in charge of the entire flock and all the elders are under-shepherds whose work will be evaluated and rewarded by Him” [PA.Org].

·        ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away—Christ will reward the faithful servant with a crown of eternal glory that will not fade away (when they have finished their work, they will enter into the joy of their Lord). This acts as encouragement to those that are under the scrutiny of the world, the congregation and the watchful eyes of the Lord.

Synthesis: Here Peter spoke of Christ, the “chief Shepherd,” in a way that recognized the elders as undershepherds. When Christ shall appear He will reward the faithful undershepherd with a crown the will not fade away, a crown of glory, a symbol of immortality.

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.”

·        Likewise, ye younger—“Likewise” shows that now Peter is switching from exhorting the elders and moving to the younger men of the church. The likewise indicates that as the elders were under the authority of the chief Shepherd, the younger men were under the authority of the elders. Peter, in chapter 4, shows that submission is an act of faith and a trust in God to act according to our best interests.

·        submit yourselves unto the elder—This type of submission has to do with respect for such who are of greater age, and longer standing and experience. It is an acknowledgement of the maturity and leadership responsibilities of the elder. It recognizes the authority of God to place these individuals in leadership positions. Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

·        Yea, all of you be subject one to another—If we have a correct estimate of ourselves we are more likely to recognize and accept authority. We are to be subject “to one another, esteeming each other better than themselves, and not be tenacious of their own way of thinking and judging of things” [J. Gill].  

·        and be clothed with humility—To be clothed with humility means to tie, as in a knot, humility to ourselves without which there is no subjection. A person that is proud, is haughty and thinks himself superior to everyone. However low mindedness (humility), is an attitude that one is not too good to serve in the place God has appointed. Humility is seen in not aspiring to things too high, always acknowledging one’s own meanness, baseness, and unworthiness, ascribing all the we possess to the grace and goodness of God, whether it be gifts of nature, providence, or grace [J. Gill].

·        for God resisteth the proud—God treats proud men just as they treat others. When dealing with the proud God “eludes all their artifices, and frustrates their schemes, and disappoints their ambitious views, and scatters them in the imagination of their hearts, and brings their counsels to confusion, and opposes himself to them, and as their adversary” [J. Gill]. If God is against the proud, how great is the exhortation by Peter to “be clothed with humility”!

Story of the young Scottish minister who walked proudly into the pulpit to preach his first sermon. He had a brilliant mind and a good education and was confident of himself as he faced his first congregation. But the longer he preached, the more conscious everyone was that “the Lord was not in the wind.” He finished his message quickly and came down from the pulpit with his head bowed, his pride now gone. Afterward, one of the members said to him, “If you had gone into the pulpit the way you came down, you might have come down from the pulpit the way you went up.”

·        and giveth grace to the humble—We can never be submissive to each other until we are first submissive to God. Proverbs 3:34 says, “Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.” Also we should note James 4:6; “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” The grace of God takes away the vain and ostentatious nature that the proud seem to have.

Synthesis: God is set against those that cannot recognize and submit themselves to His appointed leadership. Humility is the call word for the Christian for God opposes the proud but rewards the humble.

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

·        Humble yourselves therefore— The Aorist Imperative is here used and is a command which conveys a sense of decisive urgency. Do this now! Do it resolutely! Don't delay! Allow yourself to be humbled, accepting your lot and circumstances either sent by or allowed by the omnipotent, sovereign God, Who loves you and desires your best and His glory through you. We need to humble ourselves because of God’s resoluteness against the proud. John Gill aptly says that we are to be  “humbled before God, and in his sight; quietly submit to his will; patiently bear every affliction without murmuring, repining, or replying against him; be still under the rod, and despise not the chastening of the Lord; mourn over sin as the cause, acknowledge your vileness and unworthiness, and stand in awe of his majesty.”

·        under the mighty hand of God—The hand of God is an Old Testament idiom that pictures His active presence and power. Such is the omnipotence of God that one would be crazy (depraved) to oppose Him. To be under the powerful hand of God is to “be under it in an humble manner is safe and profitable; such are hid as in the hollow of his hand, and are safe as in a pavilion, and comfortable under the shadow of his wings; and such humiliation and submission to him, and putting themselves under his mighty hand and care, is the way to exaltation” [J. Gill].

·        that he may exalt you in due time—God never exalts anyone until that person is ready for it. Christ first suffered the cross, then He received His crown; the saint must first humbly bear suffering, and then he will receive his glory.

Synthesis: The Greek for “humble yourselves” is an aorist imperative which describes and action that requires immediate attention. Yet, it also passive and teaches that as we become submissive to God, He humbles us. The process that God uses to humble us is persecution and is the reason that Peter exhorted his readers to accept it willingly without resentment or rebellion (one might attempt swimming up Niagara Falls rather than to fight against God). Humble submission to God will in time result in exhalation.

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

·        Casting all your care upon him—“We must once and for all give all of our cares—past, present, and future—to the Lord. We must not hand them to Him piecemeal, keeping those cares that we think we can handle ourselves” [PA.Org]. When tribulation comes or there is a need that arises we must remind ourselves that we have turned all our cares and needs over to Him; we are to rest in the providence of God, Who will not desert us in our hour of need.

• Psalms 55:22—“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

·        for he careth for you—God cares for every aspect of His chosen people. As He provided for the Israelites in the wilderness, He likewise will provide for those that He loves enough to send His Son to secure redemption. God desires the best for us and we can rest in the knowledge that He will care and provide not only for our physical needs but that we will be kept “by his power through faith unto salvation” [J. Gill].

Synthesis: Pride makes one self-sufficient, whereas humility is a recognition of one’s dependence on God. Believers demonstrate humility by casting their cares upon the Lord. Persecution and cares may tempt us to worry, but we had as our shepherd the chief Shepherd, Who cares for us.

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

·        Be sober, be vigilant—Again an aorist imperative which conveys a sense of urgency—Do this NOW! Christians are to keep a clear head; we are not to let our thoughts concerning our place and duties to become clouded as though our minds were drunk. Without a clear decisive understanding and a watchful concern over our bodily members, we can never have clear thoughts and be vigilant (confidence in God is not license to lead one to slackness).

·        because your adversary the devil—Satan is the adversary to all that belongs to God. It is Satan who accuses God to men, and men to God.

·        as a roaring lion—Satan is compared to “The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God” (Ps. 104:21); “so called, both on account of his strength, and also because of his rage, malice, and cruelty, which he breathes out against the saints, who, though he cannot destroy them, will do all he can to terrify and affright them” [J. Gill].

·        walketh about—As lions roam wild so does Satan as he travels to and fro throughout the earth and “denotes the insidious methods, wiles, and stratagems Satan takes to surprise men, and get an advantage of them” [J. Gill].

·        seeking whom he may devour—The end of Satan’s roaming is finding someone to dine on. To fill the gluttony of his evil appetite. Satan desires to find reason to bring charge against the people of God using whatever means at his disposal; “seeking to do mischief, either to the souls, or bodies, or estates of men” [J. Gill]. Regardless of his seeking to cause one to stumble and therein bring accusation, he yet is held back “with respect to the souls of any of God’s elect, which are safe in Christ’s hands, and out of his reach; this hinders not but that saints should be sober and watchful” [J. Gill].

Synthesis: The believer who is too proud to feel his utter dependence on God is in grave peril and may come under the ferocious attack of Satan, the great adversary of all the righteous and holy. God’s adversary roams around the flock with a voracious appetite. Therefore, the shepherd and the flock must be on constant guard and we are not to stray from the Shepherd nor the flock. As David protected his sheep, Christ will protect His flock.     

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.”

·        Whom resist—We are to take our stand on the Word of God and resist him in the faith. We are in no way to give in to him by indulging in sin or by yielding to temptation!

• James 4:7—“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

·        stedfast in the faith—The way to “stand up against” Satan is not with special formulas, or words directed at him and his demons, but by remaining firm (stable, steadfast) in the Christian faith.

• James 1:6-7—“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”

·        knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world—Such afflictions are to be endured without murmuring, and with patience and cheerfulness because they not new and are the “same afflictions” and trials which others have been exercised within all ages.

Synthesis: A cowardly shepherd may flee when he hears the roar of the lion, but a courageous one will resist and remain steadfast (strong or firm) in the faith. Christians are exhorted to remain faithful because these attacks by Satan are nothing new. This may not make the pain any less, but it should keep us from losing strength and confidence through self-pity.

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.”

·        But the God of all grace—The God that imparts all needful graces will impart such grace sufficient to resist or endure the attacks of his adversary.

·        who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus—Because we have been called to eternal glory by Christ, we shall be saved; Christ will not deny us nor forsake that which is His. If we do not deny Him he will not deny us before His Father.

·        after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you—After we have suffered as long as he has appointed such suffering (suffering is short when compared to eternity), He will make us perfect and set us fast  in our faith. Trials will strengthen us and settle us as a strong foundation of the faith.

Synthesis: Believers can find comfort in knowing the “God of all grace” is with them. God has called us to salvation and eternal glory and He seeks to perfect us while in this life. Trials bring about purification and purification results in being made perfect in sanctification. Thus both the individual and the church are brought together in likemindedness.  Corinthians 1:10 says, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and [that] there be no divisions among you; but [that] ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

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

·        To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen—John Gill wites, “‘glory’ is due to God for all the grace he bestows on men; and to give it to him shows a sense of divine goodness, and a grateful heart; and to him very fitly is “dominion” ascribed, whose kingdom rules over all, and who dispenses his grace, as well as his providential favors, in a sovereign way.”

Synthesis: Peter burst into an exclamation as he contemplated the perfection of God’s plan for His people. Notice the similarity of 1 Peter 4:11; “If any man speak, let him speak]as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise 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.”

·        By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you—Silas, a companion of Paul “whom Peter met with in his travels, and sent this letter by him, or used him as his amanuensis, or both: his character is, that he was “a faithful brother” to those persons to whom this epistle is written” [J. Gill].

·        as I suppose—Peter has no doubt about the message he was sending.

·        I have written briefly—the sense of this is that Peter says “for what I have written is according to the best of my understanding and knowledge” [J. Gill].

·        exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand—“The intent of the exhortation here is not unlike that of our Lord to the embattled church at Thyatira, whom He commanded, “hold fast until I come” (Rev 2:25). You need to be strengthened in the inner man, letting your mind be affected by the truth, and letting the Spirit of Christ motivate you (Ezek. 36:27) and live His life through you. Stand firm by being in His word, obeying His word, repenting quickly and returning to your first Love” [PA.Org].

Synthesis: Peter had only written briefly on such things that concerned these believers but the things that he wrote he considered to be the truth to the best of his knowledge. He therefore admonished them to stand fast in the grace of God; this being sufficient to stand against the wiles of the devil.

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

·        The church that is at Babylon—This may be understood as literally the church, of Babylon in Assyria, the metropolis of the dispersion of the Jews, and the center of it, to whom the apostle wrote.

·        elected together with you—These were chosen from the foundation of the earth and as the elect of God were of the same faith and under the same grace.

·        saluteth you—They as believes wished “all peace, happiness, and prosperity of every kind” [J. Gill].

·        and so doth Marcus my son—This may have been the natural son of Peter or it may have been his spiritual son Mark the writer of the Gospel of Mark. “He is said to be the interpreter of Peter, and to have wrote his Gospel from what he heard from him; and who approved of it, and confirmed it, and indeed it is said to be his” [J. Gill].

Synthesis: The city here referred to as “Babylon” is not Rome for there is no proof that Peter was ever in Rome. We should not assume anything of scripture, for where it is silent on a particular subject it behooves us to keep our mouths shut. Peter in all likelihood was writing from Babylon to the Euphrates, a business haven for many believing Jews. Regardless, he wrote that the believers there were of the same election as the recipients of the epistle and they wished them peace and happiness.

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

·        Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity— A holy kiss is expressive of true love and affection and is opposite to everything that is lascivious and impure. It is a Christian salutation a wishing of all temporal, spiritual, and eternal happiness, to one another [J. Gill].

·        Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus—Those that “are in Christ Jesus” have been so from the very foundation of the world. They are the elect of God of which the apostle Peter wishes peace, temporal, spiritual, and eternal.

·        Amen—“as is common; the apostle wishing that this might be the case, and believing that it would be” [J. Gill].