OVERVIEW: The life of the church must be governed by mutual love, which will show itself in tenderness and kindness toward others, not least to those who try to do harm. The proper response to evil is to demonstrate the opposite, even if that means that we end up suffering unjustly. Do good in return for evil (HILARY OF ARLES). Bear insults (ANDREAS). Bless those who do you harm (BEDE). Make a habit of viewing the present always in relation to the future (CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, HILARY OF ARLES). Guard your tongue (CHRYSOSTOM, CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA). God sees and hears everything (CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, ANDREAS). No harm can come to the faithful (HILARY OF ARLES, BEDE), who are blessed in suffering for righteousness’ sake (CHRYSOSTOM, BEDE), who seek peace (BASIL), and who pursue profitable thoughts (CHRYSOSTOM). They will never lose God (AUGUSTINE). Unite in harmony of heart and mind (HILARY OF ARLES, BEDE). Every virtue is based on the law of love (ANDREAS, OECUMENIUS). God’s own holiness shines forth from our hearts (ANDREAS, BEDE).
We must not be afraid of our enemies but always be ready to witness by our words and deeds that we have a living hope in Christ. Give clear reasons to those who ask what faith in Christ is all about (CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA). Reason with meekness. For whoever says anything about God must do so as if God himself were present to hear him (DIDYMUS). Give reasons so that another person may see how absurd it is to ask a reason for things which one cannot grasp until one believes (AUGUSTINE). Your conscience is the part of you that embraces what is good and rejects evil, like a doorkeeper—open to friends, closed to enemies (HILARY OF ARLES). Act in such a way that those who revile you because they cannot see your faith may see your good works (BEDE). We may suffer unjustly for the specific purpose of being trained for what we are meant to be (ANDREAS, OECUMENIUS). Yet injustice is never of itself useful (AUGUSTINE). Christians who are faithful to their Lord will put their enemies to shame and thereby win a greater victory than any form of retaliation could hope to achieve.
THE CALL TO SPIRITUAL UNITY. HILARY OF ARLES: Peter, as the head of the church, calls everyone to unite in harmony, whether they are secular rulers and peasants, princes of the church and monks, or husbands and wives. The same basic principles apply to them all. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 1 PETER.1
THE LAW OF LOVE. ANDREAS: Here Peter moves on from husband and wife and sets out the law of love for everyone. Every virtue is based on it—compassion, mercy, humility, and so on. CATENA.2
UNITED IN HEART AND MIND. BEDE: Peter has already taught that different persons, classes and sexes must live together. Here he exhorts them all to be united with one heart and mind in the cause of the faith of our Lord. ON 1 PETER.3
THIS ADVICE APPLIES TO ALL. OECUMENIUS: Peter now moves on to give general advice to everyone. There was no need for him to target specific groups, since what he says here applies equally to all. This is the law of love, from which every virtue derives. COMMENTARY ON 1 PETER.4
DO GOOD IN RETURN FOR EVIL. HILARY OF ARLES: Of course you should not return evil for good or cursing for blessing either, though some people do. A Christian is called to the exact opposite behavior! INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 1 PETER.5
BEAR INSULTS. ANDREAS: What is humility? It is to bear the insults of others, to accept sins against oneself, to bear punishments. Indeed this is not just humility, but prudence as well. CATENA.6
BLESS THOSE WHO DO YOU HARM. BEDE: Peter forbids us to return evil for evil and even commands us to bless those who harm us, but he also reminds us by quoting Psalm 34:12-16 that God keeps an eye on both the good and the bad and will reward us in eternity for the kindness which we show when we choose to do good to those who persecute us. Furthermore, he will also punish our persecutors if they do not repent, but if they do repent we shall also receive a crown of thanksgiving, because we have prayed to the Lord for their salvation. ON 1 PETER.7
TO SEE GOOD DAYS. CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA: Peter is referring here to those who want to be eternal and incorruptible. ADUMBRATIONS.8
KEEP YOUR LIPS FROM SPEAKING GUILE. CHRYSOSTOM: Guile elicits falsehood, deception, hypocrisy, and slanders which are untrue. It is the friend of the enemy of truth, that is, Satan, the father of lies. Believers are advised to avoid his influence and to prefer the things of God, who is truth. CATENA.9
KEEP YOUR TONGUE FROM EVIL. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: James also said: “If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.”10 It is a great thing to be able to control the tongue, for failure to do so is the greatest of evils. CATENA.11
VIEW THE PRESENT IN RELATION TO THE FUTURE. HILARY OF ARLES: The present is evil, but the future is bright. We should always remember that. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 1 PETER.12
SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT. BASIL THE GREAT: Exhortations and encouragements to godliness are of fundamental importance. It is essential to turn away from the tendency toward evil and from the evil path of acquiescence in wickedness, so as to reach out to what is good. We must first distance ourselves completely from everything evil if we want to enjoy genuine health, free from all disease. The person who seeks peace seeks Christ, for he is our peace, who made us both—Jew and Gentile—one new man, bringing peace by the blood of his cross. He will find it through faith, because our God and Father has called us to this inheritance. CATENA.13
CHOOSE PROFITABLE THOUGHTS. CHRYSOSTOM: These things do not come naturally to us, for bad thoughts are always entering our minds. But if a man is wise, he will put them aside and in their place choose thoughts which will be advantageous and profitable for him. This, I believe, is what it means to turn away from evil. CATENA.14
THE EYES OF THE LORD. CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA: Here Peter is referring to the many different ways in which the Holy Spirit observes us. ADUMBRATIONS.15
THE LORD IS TURNED AGAINST EVIL. HESYCHIUS: The Lord will accept those who repent but will punish those who remain in their sins. CATENA.16
GOD SEES AND HEARS EVERYTHING. ANDREAS: It is not those who are still in their sins who are worthy of such divine oversight, but those who have been cleansed from them. The phrase “the eyes of God” is a metaphor for those divine powers which see everything. It is they who watch over the righteous, but his ears are also ready to hear their prayers. If you want to enjoy this experience, however, you must first turn your eyes away from evil. God never distances himself from the righteous. Whenever the hand of a righteous man does mercy, it has the eye of God watching over it. And whenever his tongue prays, it inclines the divine ear to hear, as for example the prayer of Cornelius was rewarded.17 CATENA.18
YOU WILL NEVER LOSE GOD. AUGUSTINE: If you love the good, you will suffer no loss, because whatever you may be deprived of in this world, you will never lose God, who is the true Good. SERMONS 335C.5.19
WHO IS THERE TO HARM YOU? HILARY OF ARLES: Who can prevent you from being blessed, for the Scriptures say that no one can take our joy from us.20 INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 1 PETER.21
NO HARM CAN COME. BEDE: Peter is speaking here of things like abuse, damage and bodily injury which come to us from our enemies. These and similar things are the common lot of believers, both because they are good imitators of Christ and because they know that such things, far from doing them any harm, actually bring glory to those who endure them with patience. At the same time, harm does in fact come to those who do such things, because they are storing up eternal punishment for themselves. ON 1 PETER.22
BLESSING OUT OF SUFFERING. CHRYSOSTOM: No one can harm a person who does not do evil himself. Peter shows that trials which come from the Gentiles cannot harm those who live according to virtue. On the contrary, they turn those who endure them into blessed people. CATENA.23
YOU WILL BE BLESSED. BEDE: Not only does Peter say that believers will not suffer any harm for being persecuted, but they will even be blessed. Here he repeats what Jesus said: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”24 ON 1 PETER.25
REVERENCE CHRIST AS LORD. CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA: This is just what the Lord’s Prayer says: “Hallowed be your name.”26 ADUMBRATIONS.27
WITH GENTLENESS AND REVERENCE. DIDYMUS THE BLIND: We must be so well instructed in the knowledge of our faith that whenever anyone asks us about it we may be able to give them a proper answer and to do so with meekness and in the fear of God. For whoever says anything about God must do so as if God himself were present to hear him. CATENA.28
BE PREPARED TO MAKE A DEFENSE. AUGUSTINE: The apostle tells us to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us for an explanation of our faith, because if an unbeliever asks me a reason for my faith and hope and I perceive that he cannot accept it unless he believes, I give him that very reason, so that he may see how absurd it is for him to ask a reason for things which he cannot grasp until he believes. LETTERS 120.29
MAKING CLEAR ONE’S FAITH. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: The one who decides to do this is not doing anything new, nor is he making up some new explanation. Rather he is making clear to those who ask him what his faith in Christ is all about. LETTERS 40.8.30
SANCTIFY THE LORD IN YOUR HEARTS. ANDREAS: Just as magnifying God cannot add anything to his greatness and glorifying him does not make him any more glorious, so sanctifying the Lord does not mean that there is any addition to his existing holiness. Rather we are called to sanctify him in our hearts, and if we form a clear understanding of his holiness, then we do not sanctify him on one occasion only, but rather by doing this we have a better understanding of what his holiness is and something of it is implanted in our hearts. Likewise someone who magnifies God receives a share of his greatness, and someone who glorifies him is glorified in turn. It is a prophetic voice which says that there should be no fear in you which might prevent you from confessing Christ in your hearts. You should sanctify him there also. For this confession is sanctification both for the soul and for the body. Some people wonder why the Savior said: “Do not worry about what you will say,”31 but here the apostle writes: “Be ready to give an explanation.” However, there is no contradiction. Jesus was speaking about bearing witness, whereas Peter is talking about teaching others the faith. CATENA.32
GOD’S HOLINESS SHINES FORTH. BEDE: What does it mean to sanctify God in your heart if not to love that holiness of his which is beyond understanding, in the innermost depths of your heart? Think what strength to overcome all enemies God gives to those from whose hearts his holiness shines forth. ON 1 PETER.33
CONSCIENCE DEFINED. HILARY OF ARLES: Do not get angry or threaten anyone. Your conscience is the part of you which embraces what is good and which rejects evil. It is like the doorkeeper of a house which is open to friends and closed to enemies. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 1 PETER.34
PUT TO SHAME THOSE WHO REVILE YOU. BEDE: Act in such a way that those who revile you because they cannot see your faith and your hope for a heavenly reward may see your good works and be put to shame by them, because they cannot deny that what you are doing is good. For it is quite certain, my brothers, that those who despise your good behavior will be put to shame when the last judgment comes and they see you crowned along with Christ, while they are condemned along with the devil. ON 1 PETER.35
WHETHER INJUSTICE IS SOMETIMES USEFUL. AUGUSTINE: Everyone who lies acts unjustly, and if lying ever seems to be useful to someone, it may be that injustice sometimes seems useful to him. But in fact injustice is never useful, and lying always does harm. ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE 1.40.36
UNJUST SUFFERING IS STILL MEANINGFUL. ANDREAS: Once again, Peter exhorts us not to grieve over unjust suffering, if that is God’s will for us. He teaches us that we suffer for the specific purpose of being trained for what we are meant to be according to the mercy of God. CATENA.37
UNJUST SUFFERING HAS UNEXPECTED BENEFITS. OECUMENIUS: There are two benefits to be gained from unjust suffering. First, the righteous person who suffers grows in righteousness as a result of his patience. Second, the sinner who is spared in this way may be converted by seeing someone else suffer on his behalf. COMMENTARY ON 1 PETER.38