22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,
"All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever."
And this is the word that was preached to you.
Dig Deeper
When I began teaching high school in Milwaukee, it was somewhat of a unique situation in a unique school. It was an expected part of the ethos of the teachers at the school that concern for students was paramount and was our primary concern. Thus, it was simply assumed by the fact that someone taught at this school that they would be willing to work extra hours into the night if need be or come in quite early, whatever it took to meet the needs of the students. Caring for our students was not something that needed to be instituted, it was assumed. At most, it was something that we might remind each other from time to time, but that was all that it took because we all knew that being a teacher at our school was synonymous with putting students first.
Peter does not question that his readers have become Christians; he is, in fact, quite sure of that. Because of that, he doesn’t need to tell them that part of the expectation is that they love one another. That’s part of the deal. The very nature of being a disciples of Jesus involves loving one another (Jn. 13:34-35). You simply cannot separate out one from another. That’s why the thought of being an isolated Christian simply doesn’t work. It’s a category mistake. Peter, in calling his readers to the fullness of the Christian life, does not call them to love one another. That is a given. He simply reminds them of who they are and their new nature of loving one another before he moves on to how that love should manifest itself in their lives. Love, then, is part of the very foundation of the Christian life. It is not something Christians do, it is part of who we are.
Again, Peter confirms that his readers are no doubt Christians and firmly in Christ, as he assumes that they have purified themselves by obeying the truth ("purified" here is in a tense in the Greek which describes a past one-time event with its effects extending into the future). This is, no doubt, an allusion to purifying and sanctifying blood of Christ with which they came in contact at their baptisms. Those who have entered into Christ have been cleansed in the sight of God and now have the signifying quality of those who belong to Christ: love for one another. Jesus stated quite clearly that the world would be able to identify his true disciples by the way that demonstrated their love for one another. This is a challenging and wonderful reminder for those of us who live in a world where markers of true discipleship so often include what church we belong to, what doctrine we confess, who our preacher is, or even how moral of a person we are. It is a striking reminder, however, that Jesus did not say that people would be able to identify his disciples by how much they prayed, evangelized, read the Bible, or even loved God, but by how much they loved one another. Peter stresses that this is not just a surface love either, it is deep and from the heart. True, genuine support and love of this nature would go a long way in strengthening and building up a young church to stand together in the face of mistreatment and persecution.
No one should think, though, that this is a love that can be put on through human effort or obedience. This genuine love for one another does not come from obedience, but it is our obedience that brings the word of God into our life. The imperishable nature and origins of the word of God couples with our obedience, allowing Christians to love one another and live the life of Christ in general. The fact is, for Christians in our day, that the word of God is available to us through the Scriptures. It is the Scriptures that give us the power and insight to love one another deeply, from the heart. Perhaps, the Christian who struggles with unity and love within the body of Christ should return to word of God and, as Paul says in Romans 12:2, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." It should not be lost that immediately after this call to not conform to worldly thinking, Paul says "in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others" (Rom. 12:5). Paul understood what Peter confirms here. The identifying mark of Jesus’ disciples is our commitment to one another.
Peter quotes from Isaiah 40:6-8 to make an important point. The new birth, as Peter pointed out in verse 3, comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is accessible through the imperishable word of God. Those who have died to themselves and entered into the life of Christ are those who have heeded Jesus’ words that "whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it" (Matt. 16:25). This new birth into the life of Christ, Peter wants to stress, will last forever. Isaiah, in predicting the coming of the Messiah and the New Covenant, pointed out that people are like grass that withers and the flowers that fall. In other words, the promises and words of man aren’t something you can take to the bank, but, says Isaiah, "the word of our God endures forever," meaning he has applied the words of the prophet concerning the one, true God, to Jesus Christ. When Jesus said that those who would remain in his life would bear much fruit (John 15:5), he meant it because his love endures forever (Ps. 136).
Peter’s overriding point in this first chapter is that the new birth into which they have all entered has given them a new likeness, and a new family which provided them with the ability to love one another. They need not worry, however, that their love and commitment to one another was like all other human abilities and commitment that fade away. This ability to love one another finds its source in the imperishable, immutable word of God. This word lasts forever and will enable them to stand regardless of persecution that may face them. This would have been an important reminder for those that were willingly leaving behind any human claims to importance, status, and community, and banking on the love and community of the new people of God. Would this loving community last even in the face of persecution? The resounding answer was "yes" because the love did not generate from human effort but from none other than the word of God.
Devotional Thought
Have you put your time, your energy, your resources, your hope in things that are perishable? Peter says that the hope that comes through the word of God is imperishable. It is only the word of the Lord that endures forever. Remember that the next time you are deciding what to do with your time, energy, and resources.
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