Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Peter 1:15
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
15. be ye holy in all manner of conversation ] Better, in every form of conduct. The word “conversation,” once used in its true meaning ( conversari = living, moving to and fro, with others), has during the last hundred and fifty years settled down almost irrecoverably into a synonym for “talking.” Swift is, I believe, the first writer in whom the later meaning takes the place of the earlier. In Cowper’s poem “Conversation” it is used without even a reminiscence of the fuller significance of the word. For its use in the Authorized Version, see Psa 37:14; Psa 50:23 ; 2Co 1:12; Gal 1:13, and many other passages. In the reference to the holiness of God as calling us to reproduce, in our measure, that holiness in our own lives, we have an echo of the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount (Mat 5:48). The Greek of the previous clause has a force which the English but imperfectly represents. More literally we might say after the pattern of the Holy One who called you.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
But as he which hath called you is holy – On the word called, see the notes at Eph 4:1. The meaning here is, that the model or example in accordance with which they were to frame their lives, should be the character of that God who had called them into his kingdom. They were to be like him. Compare the notes at Mat 5:48.
So be ye holy in all manner of conversation – In all your conduct. On the word conversation, see the notes at Phi 1:27. The meaning is, that since God is holy, and we profess to be his followers, we also ought to be holy.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 15. But as he which hath called you] Heathenism scarcely produced a god whose example was not the most abominable; their greatest gods, especially, were paragons of impurity; none of their philosophers could propose the objects of their adoration as objects of imitation. Here Christianity has an infinite advantage over heathenism. God is holy, and he calls upon all who believe in him to imitate his holiness; and the reason why they should be holy is, that God who has called them is holy, 1Pet 1:15.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
But as he which hath called you; God the Father, to whom, as the First Cause, our calling is frequently ascribed, Rom 9:11,24; 1Co 7:15; Gal 1:6,15. It may be rendered: According to the Holy One that hath called you, i.e. according to his example; you are children, and should therefore imitate your Father, Eph 5:1.
Called you; viz. effectually, to the knowledge and faith of Christ.
Is holy; so God is often styled by Isaiah and other penmen of the Scripture, as the fountain and exemplar of holiness.
So be ye holy in all manner of conversation; either, through the whole course, and in the several parts, of your conversation; or, in all manner of conversation, as we read it, i.e. with whomsoever ye converse, believers or infidels, friends or enemies, relations or strangers; and in whatsoever condition ye are in, peace or trouble, prosperity or adversity.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. Literally, “But(rather) after the pattern of Him who hath called you (whosecharacteristic is that He is) holy, be (Greek, ‘become’) yeyourselves also holy.” God is our grand model. God’s callingis a frequently urged motive in Peter’s Epistles. Every one thatbegets, begets an offspring resembling himself [EPIPHANIUS].”Let the acts of the offspring indicate similarity to theFather” [AUGUSTINE].
conversationdeportment,course of life: one’s way of going about, as distinguished from one’sinternal nature, to which it must outwardly correspond. Christiansare already holy unto God by consecration; they must be so also intheir outward walk and behavior in all respects. The outwardmust correspond to the inward man.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But as he which hath called you is holy,…. Which is a periphrasis of God the Father, who had called them, not merely in an external way, by the outward ministry of the word; but internally, powerfully, and efficaciously, by his Spirit and grace; and who had called them to holiness of life and conversation, as well as in calling had implanted principles of holiness in them, and therefore is said to call them with an holy calling; and who himself is holy, naturally, perfectly, and originally, and in such sense as no creature is, angels or men; and is glorious in holiness, and is the source and fountain of holiness in others: therefore
[so] be ye holy in all manner of conversation; which respects not internal holiness, but supposes it; for that is God’s work, and not the creature’s act; it is the sanctification of the Spirit, of which he is the author; this they were chosen unto from the beginning, and made partakers of in regeneration; but external holiness, holiness of life and conversation, in all the parts and branches of it, both with respect to God and men, in matters both of religion and civil life: and to be holy in this sense is an imitating of God, a copying after him, though he is far from being equalled by a sinful creature, or even by an angel in heaven; however, the arguments to it, taken from the nature of God, and of his effectual calling to grace and holiness, are very strong and powerful; for it is walking worthy of him, who has called us to his kingdom and glory; and walking worthy of that calling wherein we are called; and a following of God, as dear and obedient children; and what is according to his will, and what he directs unto, and requires, as appears from what follows.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
But like as he which called you is holy ( ). This use of is a regular Greek idiom (here in contrast with ). “But according to the holy one calling you or who called you” (first aorist articular participle of , to call). God is our standard or pattern (), not our lusts.
Be ye yourselves also holy ( ). First aorist (ingressive) passive imperative of , to become with allusion ( also) to (God as our example), “Do ye also become holy.” For (manner of life) see verse 1Pet 1:18; 1Pet 2:12; 1Pet 3:1-16; Jas 3:13; 2Pet 2:7. Peter uses eight times. The original meaning (turning up and down, back and forth) suited the Latin word conversatio (converto), but not our modern “conversation” (talk, not walk).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
As he which hath called you is holy [ ] . As of the A. V. is according to, or after the pattern of; and holy is to be taken as a personal name; the which hath called being added for definition, and in order to strengthen the exhortation. Render, therefore, after the pattern of the Holy One who called you. So, nearly, Rev., in margin. A similar construction occurs 2Pe 2:1 : the Lord that bought them.
Conversation [] . A favorite word with Peter; used eight times in the two epistles. From ajna, up, and strefw, to turn. The process of development in the meaning of the word is interesting.
1. A turning upside down.
2. A turning about or wheeling.
3. Turning about in a place, going back and forth there about one’s business; and so,
4. one’s mode of life or conduct.
This is precisely the idea in the word conversation (Lat., conversare, to turn around) which was used when the A. V. was made, as the common term for general deportment or behavior, and was, therefore, a correct rendering of ajnastrofh. So Latimer (” Sermons “) : “We are not bound to follow the conversations or doings of the saints.” And Shakspeare, 2 Hen 4, 5, 5
“But all are banished till their conversation Appear more wise and modest to the world.”
Our later limitation of the meaning to the interchange of talk makes it expedient to change the rendering, as Rev., to manner of living.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “But as He which hath called you is holy.” Man is called to fulness of salvation by the voice of an Holy God. He is holy in nature, character and all His acts, Psa 22:3; Psa 145:17; Rev 4:8.
2) “So be ye holy” (kai-even or also) (Gk. hautoi hagioi) yourselves be holy ones. Our Lord sets a standard of Holy being and living to which goal all His children are called. Mat 5:48. Rom 12:1.
3) “In all manner of conversation.” This means in all or every course, conduct, or behavior-pattern of life. He is our pattern to follow. Php_2:5-7; Php_2:12-16.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
15 He who hath called you is holy He reasons from the end for which we are called. God sets us apart as a peculiar people for himself; then we ought to be free from all pollutions. And he quotes a sentence which had been often repeated by Moses. For as the people of Israel were on every side surrounded by heathens, from whom they might have easily adopted the worst examples and innumerable corruptions, the Lord frequently recalled them to himself, as though he had said, “Ye have to do with me, ye are mine; then abstain from the pollutions of the Gentiles.” We are too ready to look to men, so as to follow their common way of living. Thus it happens, that some lead others in troops to all kinds of evil, until the Lord by his calling separates them.
In bidding us to be holy like himself, the proportion is not that of equals; but we ought to advance in this direction as far as our condition will bear. And as even the most perfect are always very far from coming up to the mark, we ought daily to strive more and more. And we ought to remember that we are not only told what our duty is, but that God also adds, “I am he who sanctify you.”
It is added, In all manner of conversation, or, in your whole conduct. There is then no part of our life which is not to be redolent with this good odour of holiness. For we see that in the smallest things and almost insignificant, the Lord accustomed his people to the practice of holiness, in order that they might exercise a more diligent care as to themselves.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
2. Godliness 1:15, 16
1Pe. 1:15-16 but like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living; because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy.
Expanded Translation
but (in contrast) according as he who called you is holy, you yourselves must also be holy in every phase of your behavior and conduct, inasmuch as it has been written (and still applies), you must be holy, for I am holy.
_______________________
but like as he who called you is holy.
Christians must be holy (hagios). The word carries the basic thought of separation. When meat or other objects were to be given as a sacrifice to the gods, they were hagiosi.e., not to be employed in their common or ordinary usage, but dedicated to the idol(s). So Gods children are separated for a holy purpose, set aside, as it were, exclusively for Gods use!
Note that our holiness is to extend to every phase of life and conductin ALL manner of living.
because it is written
Literally, it stands written; i.e., Here is a reason from the Scriptures which I am applying to the present case. The Scripture referred to is found in Lev. 11:44; Lev. 19:2, or Lev. 20:7.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(15) But as he which hath called you is holy.More correctly, But according to (or, after, i.e., in the likeness of: see Eph. 4:24, after God) the Holy One who called you. The calling is mentioned because of the obligation it imposes upon us. Bengel notices how fond St. Peter is of the words call, calling. (See 1Pe. 2:9; 1Pe. 2:21; 1Pe. 3:9; 1Pe. 5:10; 2Pe. 1:3; 2Pe. 1:10.) The call here seems to mean specially the call to be children of God.
So be ye holy.Perhaps the imperative would come out stronger thus, Do ye also show yourselves holy in every part of your conduct. Leighton says, He hath severed you from the mass of the profane world, and picked you out to be jewels for Himself; He hath set you apart for this end; that you may be holy to Him, as the Hebrew word that signifies holiness imports setting apart, or fitting for a peculiar use; be not then untrue to His design. It is sacrilege for you to dispose of yourselves after the impure manner of the world, and to apply yourself to any profane use, whom God hath consecrated to Himself.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15, 16. The positive side of the holiness is now set forth, with the same idea of fashioning yourself. Translate, but after the example of the Holy One who called you, be ye also yourselves holy in all your conduct. He is the model of all holiness.
Called From the former lusts and life.
Conversation Conduct, behaviour, with the old idea of walking and turning about, and meaning that holiness is to pervade every part of the life.
Written See Lev 11:44; Lev 19:2; Lev 20:7; Lev 20:26. The ritual separation from impurity in these passages is typical of the moral sanctification required then as now. St. Peter’s use of the quotation brings out its spiritual significance as freed from the ritualistic, and presents it as the law of the New Testament. God is holy in his very essence, and the fountain of all holiness in men. His holiness is the reason for their holiness, as well as its pattern.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Pe 1:15. As he which hath called you, &c. The gods which the Heathens worshipped had a very bad moral character, and the imitation of them rendered their worshippers worse than they would otherwise have been. But nothing can lead to higher degrees of holiness and virtue, than imitating the true God, who hath blessed us with the Christian revelation, and who is there displayed as a Being of the most perfect moral character. See 2Co 7:1.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
1Pe 1:15-16 . ] Steiger: “this positive instruction, instead of forming a participial clause of its own, like the preceding (negative), is in animated discourse at once merged into the principal clause;” there is, accordingly, nothing to be supplied; still Oecumenius explains, in sense, correctly: , , , . . .
] is here a substantive, to which the participle . is added as nearer definition (cf. 2Pe 2:1 ), and that by way of strengthening the exhortation (“as ye are bound to do, since He hath called you”). The behaviour of those called must correspond with the nature of Him who has called them. Schott rightly remarks that the must here be taken as “an effectual calling,” by which the readers are delivered from their state of estrangement from God, and introduced into one of fellowship with Him.
] forms the antithesis to ; Schott incorrectly: “as against what God has, on His part, by His calling, done to you and made you.”
] not: in (your) whole (de Wette), but in (your) every walk. [85]
] denotes not the becoming , but the being ; Luther correctly: like Him be ye also holy. [86] 1Pe 1:16 . ] , i.e. , “ for this reason because ,” indicates the reason for the preceding exhortation, and not simply for the use of the word (de Wette). The apostle goes back to the command given to Israel, as to the reason why the Christians, called as they were by the God of holiness, should be holy in their every walk. The holiness of God laid Israel under the obligation to be holy, since God had chosen them to be His people the same is the case, as Peter suggests by , with the N. T. church of believers, the true Israel, on whom, though doubtless in a form adapted to them, for this reason the commandments of the O. C. are still binding. Schott justly observes that the passage quoted by Peter is not meant to establish the duty of holiness in itself, but to show that the fact of belonging to God involves as a matter of duty the necessity of an holy walk. The expression, which the apostle quotes, occurs more than once in the book of Lev 11:44 ; Lev 19:2 ; Lev 20:7 ; Lev 20:26 .
[85] For it must be observed that in the case of a collective expression, is accompanied by the article when the totality is conceived of as forming one whole; the article is wanting when it is considered as composed of many; e.g. means: “the whole people,” but : “all people,” when not: “every people,” in which case the collective expression is the special idea.
[86] Wiesinger asks why? The reasons are (1) because both in the LXX. and Apocrypha of the O. T., as also in the N. T., instead of the imper. of , which is but rarely used, there is very generally the imper. aorist of , in the LXX. translation of , (cf. specially Psa 69:26 ); (2) because the exhortation “be holy” is more suited to the condition of Christians than “become holy.”
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
DISCOURSE: 2386
NECESSITY OF HOLINESS
1Pe 1:15-16. As he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
IT is thought by many, that the Gospel is unfriendly to morality: and it must be confessed, that, when stated in all its freeness and in all its richness, it bears that aspect: for it proclaims a free and full salvation to men; and that solely by faith. It declares, that if men rely on their works, in any measure, for justification before God, or perform them in any respect with a view to obtain justification by them, they make void the cross of Christ, and cut themselves off from all hope of an interest in him. The Gospel authorizes us to say, that the most abandoned of mankind are as welcome to all its benefits as the most moral; and that where sin has abounded, grace shall much more abound. Now, these statements certainly do appear open to the objection that is brought against them: for, if past sins are no bar to our acceptance with God, and moral services cannot procure it, to what purpose is it to avoid sin, or to do good works? We may as well at once give loose to all our evil propensities, and continue in sin, that grace may abound. Now, it is worthy of particular notice, that these were the very objections urged against St. Pauls statements [Note: Rom 5:1; Rom 5:15.]: and he was constrained to answer them, not by weakening the force of his statements, but by obviating the objections themselves; and shewing, that the Gospel, as preached by him, both made provision for holiness, and secured it against a possibility of failure [Note: Rom 3:31.]. The truth is, that though the law, as a covenant, is superseded by the Gospel, which introduces a better covenant, it is in force as much as ever, as a rule of life; and that, whilst we are without the law, in relation to its ceremonial ordinances, we are not without law to God, but under the law to Christ, in relation to its moral power and ascendency [Note: 1Co 9:21.]. St. Peter shews this with peculiar force: for, speaking to persons who were called to the knowledge of Christ and of salvation by him, he cites out of the Levitical law the command of God respecting holiness, and applies it to Christians as still existing in all its primitive force. Without any fear, therefore, of being legal, as it is called, or of clogging the Gospel with duties not pertaining to it, I proceed to set before you,
I.
The injunction given us
Repeatedly was this command given to the Jews of old [Note: Lev 11:44; Lev 19:2; Lev 20:7.]. Let us consider,
1.
Its import
[Holiness is a conformity to the mind and will of God. And to it are we called by the Gospel [Note: 1Th 4:7.]. The grace which brings salvation to us, teaches us, that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world [Note: Tit 2:11-12.]. Negative holiness, if I may so express myself, is to be sought in the first instance. We are no longer to fashion ourselves according to our former lusts in our ignorance [Note: ver. 14.]; but, advancing to the positive execution of our duty, we are to be holy in all manner of conversation. In all our walk with God, we must be sincere and upright: there must be no allowed guile in our hearts. And in our intercourse with men, every action, word, and thought, must be under the influence of love, and agreeable to its dictates. Neither times nor circumstances are so to operate as to produce in us any allowed deviation from Gods perfect law. We are to be altogether a holy people unto the Lord. It was for this end that the Lord Jesus Christ both lived and died, even that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works [Note: Tit 2:14.]. And to this are we chosen by God himself: for though we were chosen to salvation, it was to be through sanctification of the Spirit, as well as through the belief of the truth [Note: 2Th 2:13.]. To this effect St. Paul speaks: God has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we may be holy [Note: Eph 1:4.]. And to the same effect St. Peter also says, in the commencement of this epistle; We are elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience [Note: ver. 2.]. The command then is clear, that we are to be holy both in heart and life.]
2.
The reason with which it is enforced
[As children of God, we ought to be children of obedience. The very circumstance of our having been called by divine grace, lays this obligation upon us. But there is a remarkable force in the reason here assigned; Be ye holy; for I am holy. It seems to import these three things: Be ye holy; for without holiness you cannot belong to me, or enjoy me, or dwell with me in my kingdom. I could never acknowledge an unholy person as having an interest in my favour: it would be unworthy of me: it would be to make myself a patron and partaker of his sins. Nor could an unholy being gain access to me: his very dispositions would separate him from me; and prevent his having communion with me. Nor, though he were admitted into heaven, could he be happy there. He would find no one there that resembled him, or that had a like taste with him, or that could join with him in any of his pursuits. He would be out of his element altogether: nor would one in hell pant more for deliverance, to get rid of his pains, than he would for an escape from the company and occupations for which he felt no relish. Hence, when God says, Be ye holy; for I am holy, we must understand him, not as issuing a mere arbitrary command, but as declaring, that none but a holy being has any reason to expect, or any capacity to enjoy, his favour.]
But we shall have a deeper insight into the injunction, if we consider,
II.
The exhortation founded upon it
As he that hath called you is holy, so be ye holy, in all manner of conversation. In these words the Apostle does not merely confirm the authority of the injunction itself, but points out the extent to which it is to be obeyed, and the object we must aim at in order to a full compliance with it.
We must take God himself for our pattern [Note: This is the idea suggested in the original.]
[The natural perfections of the Deity are, and ever must be, peculiar to himself: but his moral perfections must be possessed by us, so far as we are capable of attaining them. His goodness, his patience, his mercy, his love, his truth, his faithfulness, are all to be imitated by us; so that what God himself is in the world, that are we to be also [Note: 1Jn 4:17.]. That we might be at no loss on this all-important subject, the Lord Jesus Christ has set us an example, that we might follow his steps [Note: 1Pe 2:24.]: and we are to walk in all things as he walked [Note: 1Jn 2:6.], and to purify ourselves even as he was pure [Note: 1Jn 3:3.]. Of course, we cannot expect ever to attain his perfection: but that is no reason why we should not aim at it. There is no one point in which we should allow ourselves to fall short of it: we should strive to be holy in all things, even as God himself is holy; and perfect, even as our Father which is in heaven is perfect [Note: Mat 5:48.].]
By this must we shew that we are his people indeed
[It is to this that God has called us. It is the very object which he had in view, in his whole work of grace upon our souls, even that we might be created anew after his image, in righteousness and true holiness [Note: Eph 4:24.]. And, if our hearts be upright before God, this is the thing which we shall pant after, no less than after heaven itself. Sin will be our burthen and aversion; and a conformity to God will be regarded as the first object of our desire. Yea, to be like him will be contemplated by us as the perfection of our happiness, in seeing him as he is [Note: 1Jn 3:2.].]
Address
1.
Those who are yet in natures ignorance
[To exhort you to holiness were a vain attempt. You have no eyes to discern, no heart to appreciate its excellence. You must have the eyes of your understanding enlightened by the Spirit of God, before you can form any just conception of the beauty of holiness: you must have your heart of stone removed, and a heart of flesh given you, before you can be capable of bearing on you any lineaments of the Divine image. Let your first concern, therefore, be to become regenerate: for most assuredly, except ye be born again, you can never enter into, nor ever see, the kingdom of God. Remember, I say not this to those only who are openly and grossly wicked: I say it to the most moral amongst you: if you were as moral and amiable as Nicodemus himself, I would say to you, Ye must be born again [Note: Joh 3:3; Joh 3:5; Joh 3:7.]. A new heart must be given you, and a new spirit must be put within you, ere you can have the very first principles of holiness in your souls. I pray you, therefore, to seek this first of blessings at the hands of God; and not to rest, till, through the operation of his Spirit upon your souls, old things are passed away, and all things are become new.]
2.
Those who have been called out of darkness into Gods marvellous light
[You are longing for the very blessing of which we have spoken. But in many of you there yet remains a considerable degree of ignorance respecting the appointed method of obtaining it. You are looking too much to your own exertions, and too little to the Saviour: and hence you make but little progress in the divine life. Hence, also, you obtain but little comfort in your own souls. You are ready to say, How can I be a child of God, when I bear so little of his image? and how can I venture to apply to myself his promises, whilst I am so unworthy of them. But these persons need to be informed, that they reverse Gods method of making his people holy. They would become holy first, and then apply to themselves the promises of God: whereas they must first take to themselves the promises of God as sinners; and then, through their influence upon the soul, obtain a conformity to the Divine image. God has given to us exceeding great and precious promises, that by them we may be made partakers of the Divine nature [Note: 2Pe 1:4.]. Hence the Apostle says, Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness, both of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God [Note: 2Co 7:1.]. Adopt this method, then: look to the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, and lay hold on him as your sure hope and refuge. First receive him in all the freeness and all the fulness of his salvation; then shall you attain the holiness you desire; and be able to say with the Apostle, We, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord [Note: 2Co 3:18.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
Ver. 15. In all manner of conversation ] Our very civilities must savour of sanctity, and our common conversation relish of religion. St Paul’s civil conversation, , was in heaven, Phi 3:20 . Holiness must be written upon our bridles when we war; upon our cups when we drink,Zec 14:20-21Zec 14:20-21 . It is said of a certain Scotch divine, that he did even eat, and drink, and sleep eternal life.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
15 .] nay rather (owing to the broken construction, is not, strictly speaking, the negation of ., but of whatever we supply to complete it; and thus is stronger than merely ‘but.’ So c., , , , . . .) after the pattern of (the prep. still carries on the idea of conformity of ) that Holy One ( is a substantive, not an adjectival predicate, as c. above, E. V., and De Wette) who called you, be ye yourselves also ( , aor. imperat., setting forth the completeness with which this holiness is to be put on. But the passive sense of must not be every where pressed: see notes on 1Th 1:5 ; Heb 4:3 . The attempt to assign an agent wherever is used, quite breaks down in some passages, e. g. 2Co 3:7 ; 2Co 7:14 ) holy in all (manner of, every instance of: not nor : nor need we suppose, as De W., an irregular construction such as it is almost impossible to avoid recognizing in Eph 2:21 ) behaviour (conversation, in the old sense of turning and walking about in life: “Nulla sit pars vit qu non hunc bonum sanctitatis odorem redoleat.” Calv.):
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
1Pe 1:15 f. The command Ye shall be holy for I am holy is connected originally with the deliverance from Egypt and the distinction between clean and unclean, which lays down the principle of separation involved in the Exodus (Lev 11:44-46 , etc.; cf. Isa 52:11 ). St. Peter combines the Scripture with the Word of Jesus for corresponds to of Mat 5:48 . Gentiles needed God’s summons before they could regard Him as their heavenly Father; hence Him that called you . Compare Deu 18:13 (whence of Matt. l.c. ) where also contrast with abominations of the heathen. is better taken as predicate than as substantive, since ( ) is well-established as a title of God in His relation to Gentile Christians ( cf. 1Pe 2:9 , etc.). , cf. 1Pe 1:18 , 1Pe 2:12 , 1Pe 3:1-2 ; 1Pe 3:16 ; Tob 4:19 , . . The corresponding verb, is found as rendering of in the same sense (Pro 20:7 , ); both verb and noun are so used in late Greek authors (especially Epictetus). become as you were not or show yourselves as you are ; the latter sense suits . which is distinctively outward behaviour.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
1 Peter
THE FAMILY LIKENESS
1Pe 1:15 .
That is the sum of religion–an all-comprehensive precept which includes a great deal more than the world’s morality, and which changes the coldness of that into something blessed, by referring all our purity to the Lord that called us. One may well wonder where a Galilean fisherman got the impulse that lifted him to such a height; one may well wonder that he ventured to address such wide, absolute commandments to the handful of people just dragged from the very slough and filth of heathenism to whom he spoke. But he had dwelt with Christ, and they had Christ in their hearts. So for him to command and for them to obey, and to aim after even so wide and wonderful an attainment as perfecting like God’s was the most natural thing in the world. ‘Be ye holy as He that hath called you is holy, and that in all manner of conversation.’ The maximum of possible attainment, the minimum of imperative duty!
So, then, there are three things here–the pattern, the field, and the inspiration or motive of holiness.
I. The Pattern of Holiness.
‘As He that hath called you is holy.’ God’s holiness is the very attribute which seems to separate Him most from the creatures; for its deepest meaning is His majestic and Divine elevation above all that is creatural. But here, of course, the idea conveyed by the word is not that, if I may so say, metaphysical one, but the purely moral one. The holiness of God which is capable of imitation by us is His separation from all impurity. There is a side of His holiness which separates Him from all the creatures, to which we can only look up, or bow with our faces in the dust; but there is a side of His holiness which, wonderful as it is, and high above all our present attainment as it is, yet is not higher than the possibilities which His indwelling Spirit puts within our reach, nor beyond the bounds of the duty that presses upon us all. ‘As He which hath called you is holy.’ Absolute and utter purity is His holiness, and that is the pattern for us.
Religion is imitation. The truest form of worship is to copy. All through heathenism you find that principle working. ‘They that make them are like unto them.’ Why are heathen nations so besotted and sunken and obstinate in their foulnesses? Because their gods are their examples, and they, first of all, make the gods after the pattern of their own evil imaginations, and then the evil imaginations, deified, react upon the maker and make him tenfold more a child of hell than themselves. Worship is imitation, and there is no religion which does not necessarily involve the copying of the example or the pattern of that Being before whom we bow. For religion is but love and reverence in the superlative degree, and the natural operation of love is to copy, and the natural operation of reverence is the same. So that the old Mosaic law, ‘Be ye holy as I am holy,’ went to the very heart of religion. And the New Testament form of it, as Paul puts it in a very bold word, ‘Be ye imitators of God, as beloved children,’ sets its seal on the same thought that we are religious in the proportion in which we are consciously copying and aspiring after God.
But then, says somebody or other, ‘it is not possible.’ Well, if it were not possible, try it all the same. For in this world it is aim and not attainment that makes the noble life; and it is better to shoot at the stars, even though your arrow never reaches them, than to fire it along the low levels of ordinary life. I do not see that however the unattainableness of the model may be demonstrated, that has anything to do with the duty of imitation. Because, though absolute conformity running throughout the whole of a life is not possible here on earth, we know that in each individual instance in which we came short of conformity the fault was ours, and it might have been otherwise. Instead of bewildering ourselves with questions about ‘unattainable’ or ‘attainable,’ suppose we asked, at each failure, ‘Why did I not copy God then; was it because I could not, or because I would not?’ The answer would come plain enough to knock all that sophisticated nonsense out of our heads, and to make us feel that the law which puts an unattainable ideal before the Christian as his duty is an intensely practical one, and may be reduced to practice at each step in his career. Imitation of the Father, and to be perfect, ‘as our Father in heaven is perfect,’ is the elementary and the ultimate commandment of all Christian morality. ‘Be ye holy as He that hath called you is holy.’
Then let me remind you that the unattainableness is by no means so demonstrable as some people seem to think. A very tiny circle may have the same centre as one that reaches beyond the suburbs of the universe, and holds all stars and systems within its great round. And the tiniest circle will have the same geometrical laws applied to it as the greatest. The difference between finite and infinite has nothing to do with the possibility of our becoming like God, if we believe that ‘in the image of God created He him’; and that men who have been not only made by original creation in the Divine image, but have been born again by the incorruptible seed of the Word into a kindred life with His, and derived from Him, can surely grow like what they have got, and unfold into actually possessed and achieved resemblance to their Father the kindred life that is poured into their veins.
So every way it is better indefinitely to approximate to that great likeness, though with many flaws and failures, than to say it cannot be reached, and so I will content myself down here, in my sins and my meannesses. No! dear brethren, ‘we are saved by hope,’ and one prime condition of growth in nobleness is to believe it possible that, by His blessing we may be like Him here on earth in the measure of our perception of His beauty and reception of His grace.
II. Again, notice the field of this Godlike holiness.
‘In all manner of conversation.’ Of course I do not need to remind you that the word ‘conversation’ does not mean talk, but conduct; that it applies to the whole of the outward life. Peter says that every part of the Christian man’s activity is to be the field on which his possession of the holiness derived from and like God’s is to be exhibited. It is to be seen in all common life. Here is no cloistered and ascetic holiness which tabooes large provinces of every man’s experience, and says ‘we must not go in there, for fear of losing our purity,’ but rather wherever Christ has trod before we can go. That is a safe guide, and whatever God has appointed there we can go and that we can do. ‘On the bells of the horses shall be written Holiness to the Lord.’ The horse-bells that make merry music on their bridles are not very sacred things, but they bear the same inscription as flamed on the front of the high priest’s mitre; and the bowls in every house in Jerusalem, as the prophet says, shall bear the same inscription that was written on the sacrificial vessels, and all shall belong to Him.
Only, whilst thus we maintain the possibility of exhibiting Godlike holiness in all the dusty fields of common life, let us remember the other side.
In this day there is very little need to preach against an ascetic Christianity. There has been enough said of late years about a Christian man being entitled to go into all fields of occupation and interest, and there to live his Christianity. I think the time is about come for a caution or two to be dropped on the other side, ‘Blessed is he that condemneth not himself in the thing which he alloweth.’ Apply this commandment vigorously and honestly to trade, to recreation–especially to recreation–to social engagements, to the choice of companions, to the exercise of tastes. Ask yourselves ‘Can I write Holiness to the Lord on them?’ If not, do not have anything to do with them. I wonder what the managers of theatres and music-halls would say if anybody proposed that motto to be put upon the curtain for the spectators to read before it is drawn up for the play. Do you think it would fit? Don’t you, Christian men and women, don’t you go into places where it would not fit. And remember that ‘in all manner of conversation’ has two sides to it, one declaring the possibility of sanctifying every creature of God, and one declaring the impossibility of a Christian man going, without dreadful danger and certain damage, into places where he cannot carry that consecration and purity with him.
Again the field is all trivial things. ‘In all manner of conversation.’ There is nothing that grows so low but that this scythe will travel near enough to the ground to harvest it. There is nothing so minute but it is big enough to mirror the holiness of God. The tiniest grain of mica, upon the face of the hill, is large enough to flash back a beam; and the smallest thing we can do is big enough to hold the bright light of holiness. ‘All’! Ah! If our likeness to God does not show itself in trifles, what in the name of common sense is there left for it to show itself in? For our lives are all made up of trifles. The great things come three or four of them in the seventy years; the little ones come every time the clock ticks. And as they say, ‘Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves.’ If we keep the little things rigidly under the dominion of this principle, no doubt the big things will fall under it too, when they emerge. And if we do not–as the old Jewish book says:–’He that despiseth little things shall fall by little and little.’ Whosoever has not a Christianity that sanctifies the trifles has a Christianity that will not sanctify the crises of his life. So, dear brother, this motto is to be written over every portal through which you and I go; and whatsoever we can put our hands to, in it we may magnify and manifest the holiness of God.
III. Now, lastly, note the motive or inspiration of holiness.
The language of my text might read like ‘the Holy One who hath called you.’ Peter would stir his hearers to the emulation of the Divine holiness by that thought of the bond that unites Him and them. ‘He hath called you.’ In which word, I suppose, he includes the whole sum of the Divine operations which have resulted in the placing of each of his auditors within the circle of the Christian community as the subjects of Christ’s grace, and not only the one definite act to which the theologians attach the name of ‘calling.’ In the briefest possible way we may put the motive thus–the inspiration of imitation is to be found in the contemplation of the gifts of God. What He has said and done to me, calling me out of my darkness and alienation and lavishing the tokens of His love, the voice of His beseechings, the monitions of His Spirit, the message of His Son, the Incarnate Word, and invitation of God–all these things are included in His call. And all of them are the reasons why, bound by thankfulness, overcome by his forbearance, responding to His entreaties, and glued to Him by the strength of the hand that holds us, and the tenacity of His love, we should strive to ‘walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called.’
And not only so, but in the thought of the Divine calling there lies a fountain of inspiration when we remember the purpose of the calling. As Paul puts it in one of his letters: ‘God has not called us to uncleanness but to holiness.’ That to which He summons, or invites for you may use either word, is holiness like His own. That is the crown of all His purposes for men, the great goal and blessed home to which He would lead us all.
And so, if in addition to the fact of His ‘gift and calling’ and all that is included within it, if in addition to the purpose of that calling we further think of the relation between us and Him which results from it, so as that we, as the next verse says, call Him who hath called us, ‘Our Father,’ then the motive becomes deeper and more blessed still. Shall we not try to be like the Father of our spirits, and seek for His grace, to bear the likeness of sons?
My text speaks only of effort, let us not forget that the truest way to be partakers of His holiness is to open our hearts for the entrance of the Spirit of His Son, and possessing that–having these promises and that great fulfilment of them–then to perfect holiness in the fear and love of the Lord.
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
as, &c. Literally according to (App-104.) the (One) having called you (is) holy.
so, &c. = become ye yourselves also.
all manner of = all.
conversation = behaviour. Greek. anastrophe. See Gal 1:1, Gal 1:13.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
15.] nay rather (owing to the broken construction, is not, strictly speaking, the negation of ., but of whatever we supply to complete it; and thus is stronger than merely but. So c., , , , …) after the pattern of (the prep. still carries on the idea of conformity of ) that Holy One ( is a substantive, not an adjectival predicate, as c. above, E. V., and De Wette) who called you, be ye yourselves also (, aor. imperat., setting forth the completeness with which this holiness is to be put on. But the passive sense of must not be every where pressed: see notes on 1Th 1:5; Heb 4:3. The attempt to assign an agent wherever is used, quite breaks down in some passages, e. g. 2Co 3:7; 2Co 7:14) holy in all (manner of, every instance of: not nor : nor need we suppose, as De W., an irregular construction such as it is almost impossible to avoid recognizing in Eph 2:21) behaviour (conversation, in the old sense of turning and walking about in life: Nulla sit pars vit qu non hunc bonum sanctitatis odorem redoleat. Calv.):
Fuente: The Greek Testament
1Pe 1:15. , according to) The highest example.-, who hath called you) Peter often brings forward this calling, ch. 1Pe 2:9; 1Pe 2:21, 1Pe 3:9, 1Pe 5:10; 2Pe 1:3; 2Pe 1:10.-, in conversation) 1Pe 1:17-18.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
as: 1Pe 2:9, 1Pe 5:10, Rom 8:28-30, Rom 9:24, Phi 3:14, 1Th 2:12, 1Th 4:7, 2Ti 1:9, 2Pe 1:3, 2Pe 1:10
is: Isa 6:3, Rev 3:7, Rev 4:8, Rev 6:10
so: Mat 5:48, Luk 1:74, Luk 1:75, 2Co 7:1, Eph 5:1, Eph 5:2, Phi 1:27, Phi 2:15, Phi 2:16, 1Th 4:3-7, Tit 2:11-14, Tit 3:8, Tit 3:14, Heb 12:14, 2Pe 1:4-10
in: 1Pe 2:12, 1Pe 3:16, Phi 3:20, 1Ti 4:12, Heb 13:5, Jam 3:13, 2Pe 3:11-14
Reciprocal: Exo 15:11 – glorious Exo 19:6 – and an Exo 22:31 – holy Exo 28:36 – HOLINESS Lev 11:44 – ye shall Lev 14:14 – General Lev 19:2 – Ye shall Lev 20:7 – General Lev 20:26 – the Lord Num 15:40 – be holy Deu 10:12 – to walk Psa 50:23 – ordereth his conversation Psa 99:9 – for the Isa 35:8 – The way Hab 1:13 – of Luk 6:36 – General Joh 17:11 – Holy Act 17:30 – but Rom 1:7 – called 1Co 1:2 – called 2Co 5:15 – henceforth 2Co 10:5 – the obedience Gal 1:6 – that called Col 3:10 – after Heb 12:10 – partakers 1Pe 3:2 – behold 1Jo 2:1 – that 1Jo 3:7 – even
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Pe 1:15. The Lord is the one who has called them into divine service. Such a call would have been fruitless had they not accepted the call, thereby acknowledging it to be a righteous invitation. Hence they should imitate the character of the One who called them, which would require that they live a life that is holy since He is holy, which is another word for righteousness. Conversation means manner of life.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
1Pe 1:15. But according to the Holy One who called you, prove ye yourselves also holy. Instead of letting their life revert to the type of those renounced impurities, they must show it conformed to no lower standard than that of God. The A. V. misses the point here. What it rendered as means after the pattern, or after the measure of (as in 1Pe 4:6; Rom 15:5; Eph 2:2, etc.), and what it gives as a mere adjective holy is a personal name God obtains here a twofold designation appropriate to the precept, and furnishing motives for its observance. He is the Holy One,in the Old Testament the great theocratic title, expressing on the one hand the ethical separateness of God, His incomparable elevation above other gods, and above everything creaturely; and on the other hand, His approach to the creature in the selection of a separated people Holiness would not be holiness, but exclusiveness, if it did not presuppose Gods entrance into multifarious relations, and thereby revelation and communication (Schmieder, cf. Oehlers Theology of the Old Testament, i. 44). And He is the One who called them,here (as in 2Pe 1:3; Gal 1:6; Rom 8:30, etc., where we have the same tense) of the act of grace which took them effectually out of their old world, and brought them into their new relation. The act of the call (which is one of Peters most familiar thoughts, occupying a larger space with him than even with Paul in proportion to the extent of his writings) corresponds, therefore, with the character of God as the Holy One, as the latter title implies His assuming men into near relation with Himself.
in your every walk. A holiness after Gods pattern, and befitting children of obedience, must needs be a separateness from the world complete enough to show itself in all and every part of their behaviour. The word rendered conversation in the A. V. (cf. Shakespeares Octavia is of holy, cold, and still conversation, Ant. and Cleo. 1Pe 2:6; 1Pe 2:13), but denoting the whole course of life, is another of Peters recurrent terms. It is rendered by the Revised Version manner of life in 1Pe 1:18; 1Pe 2:16, and in all the Pauline occurrences (Gal 1:13; Eph 4:22; 1Ti 4:12), but variously elsewhere, as manner of living here, behaviour in 1Pe 2:12; 1Pe 3:1-2; life in 2Pe 2:7, Heb 13:7, Jas 3:13; and living, in 2Pe 3:11.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Striving To Be Holy, Like God
Peter did not question whether they would call on God as their Father, but gave direction for how they should do that calling. First, they needed to be reminded that God is no respecter of persons but will judge each based upon his deeds ( Act 10:34 ; Rom 2:11 ; Gal 2:6 ; Gal 6:7-8 ). Also, when one calls upon the Father, he should remember he is just a pilgrim in this life. This life should be lived in fear. This is not trembling fear, but the fear Woods describes as the “worshipful awe of obedient children toward their beloved parents” ( 1Pe 1:17 ).
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
Verse 15
In all manner of conversation; in all your conduct.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
Positively we should emulate our holy God who called us to be holy and to be holy in all our behavior: thoughts, words, and deeds (cf. 1Pe 2:9; 1Pe 2:21; 1Pe 3:9; 1Pe 5:10; Mar 1:17). Holy means set apart from sin to God. We are to strive after sinless living, namely, purity. Peter was not implying that his readers had been living unholy lives but that holiness should mark them.
This verse contains the first use of a key word in 1 Peter: "behavior" (Gr. anastrophe; cf. 1Pe 1:18; 1Pe 2:12; 1Pe 3:1-2; 1Pe 3:16). Other frequently recurring words include "bear up" (Gr. pascho; cf. 1Pe 2:19-21; 1Pe 2:23; 1Pe 3:14; 1Pe 3:17-18; 1Pe 4:1 [twice], 15, 19; 1Pe 5:10), "submit" (Gr. hypotasso; cf. 1Pe 2:13; 1Pe 2:18; 1Pe 3:1; 1Pe 3:5; 1Pe 3:22; 1Pe 5:5), and "do right" (Gr. agathopoieo; cf. 1Pe 2:15; 1Pe 2:20; 1Pe 3:6; 1Pe 3:17). Taken together these words indicate one of this epistle’s distinctive emphases, namely, the importance of bearing up submissively and practicing good deeds while enduring persecution for one’s faith.