1 Peter 5:10 - Meaning and Application

Now we come to the close of this letter.

Peter begins with a strong prayer to God, whom he calls the God of all grace, the source and giver of every heavenly gift and virtue. He speaks for these believers and recognizes that God has already called them to share in his eternal glory, a glory that belongs to God himself and that he promised to them through the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ.

Peter’s request is not that they would be spared from suffering altogether. Rather, he asks that their trials would be limited and brief, and that after they have suffered for a little while, God would bring them back to a stable and peaceful condition and finish his work in them. He asks God to make them firm so they will not waver in faith or duty, to strengthen those who are weak, and to settle them on Christ, the foundation, so securely that their union with him can never be broken.

From this prayer we learn several things. All grace comes from God, and he is the one who restrains people, turns them to himself, comforts them, and saves them by his grace. All who are called into a life of grace are also called to share in eternal glory and happiness. And those who are called to be heirs of eternal life through Jesus Christ must still suffer in this world, but only for a little while. The work of perfecting, establishing, strengthening, and settling good people in grace, and keeping them in it, is so hard that only the God of all grace can do it. For that reason, he should be sought continually in prayer, while we depend on his promises.

Peter then adds praise to God. From this doxology we learn that those who have received grace from the God of all grace should and will give him glory, dominion, and power forever.

He then explains the purpose of this letter. He wanted to bear witness, in the strongest way, that the message of salvation he had taught, and they had received, was the true account of the grace of God. It had been foretold by the prophets and made known by Jesus Christ. He also wanted to urge them to remain firm in that gospel, even if deceivers tried to mislead them or enemies persecuted them.

This shows what ministers should mainly aim at in their work. They should labor to convince people of the certainty and greatness of the Christian faith. That is what the apostles did, as they exhorted and testified with all their strength. And when we are fully persuaded that we are on the true road to heaven, that firm confidence will help us stand fast and keep going.

Peter also recommends Silvanus, the man who carried this short letter. He calls him a brother, faithful and friendly to them, and hopes they will think of him that way too, even though he was a minister to the uncircumcised, that is, to the Gentiles. A respectful view of faithful ministers greatly helps their work. When we are convinced they are trustworthy, we are more likely to profit from their service. Any prejudice some of these Jewish believers might have had against Silvanus because he served among Gentiles would soon fade once they knew him as a faithful brother.

Peter ends with greetings and a blessing. He was in Babylon, in Assyria, when he wrote this letter, and from there he sends greetings from that church to the other churches he is addressing. He says that the Christians in Babylon were chosen by God out of the world to be his church and to share in eternal salvation through Christ Jesus, along with these believers and all other faithful Christians. He especially joins Mark the evangelist in sending greetings, and Mark was with him then as a spiritual son, since Peter had led him to Christ.

All the churches of Jesus Christ should care deeply for one another. They should love one another, pray for one another, and help one another as much as they can. Peter also urges them to show warm Christian love and charity to one another by giving the kiss of peace, according to the custom of that time and place. He closes with a blessing, and he directs it to those who are in Christ Jesus, united to him by faith and counted among the true members of his spiritual body.

The blessing he gives is peace, which means every kind of needed good, every form of blessing and prosperity. He adds his amen as a sign of his sincere desire and confident expectation that peace would belong to all the faithful.