V. 1. 2. Peter, an apostle of JEsu Christ, to the elect strangers to and fro in Ponto, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, according to the provision of GOD the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of JEsu Christ.
1 This is the superscription and signature. Here you will soon see that it is the gospel. He says he is an apostle; that is, a mouth messenger. That is why it is properly Germanized, a messenger, or messenger of twelve, because of the twelve. But because it is now understood what Apostolus,
the Greek word, that is why I have not translated it. But actually it means a mouth messenger; not one who carries letters, but a skillful one who presents and advertises a matter orally, which in Latin is called oratores. So now he wants to say: I am an apostle of Jesus Christ, that is, I have a command from Jesus Christ that I should preach about Christ.
2 Notice how all who preach the doctrine of men are soon excluded. For he is a messenger of Jesus Christ, who preaches that which Christ commanded. If he preaches otherwise
he is not a messenger of Christ; therefore he is not to be heard. But if he does, it is just as much as if you hear Christ himself present.
To the chosen strangers back and forth, in Ponto, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.
3 He wrote this epistle in the lands that are here. In former times it was Christian, but now the Turk has it under him; nevertheless one finds perhaps still Christians there. Pontus is a large and wide land by the sea. Cappadocia is also close to it, almost touching it. Galatia lies behind it. Asia and Bithynia in front on the sea, all lie toward the east, and are large countries. Paul also preached in Galatia and Asia; whether also in Bithynia, I do not know. In the last two 1) he did not preach. Foreigners are those whom we call foreigners. So he calls them, because they were Gentiles. And it is a wonder that St. Peter, because he was an apostle of the Jews, nevertheless writes here to the Gentiles. The Jews called them proselytos, that is, fellow Jews, who came to their law, and were not of the Jewish tribe and blood of Abraha. Therefore he writes to those who were Gentiles before, but now converted to the faith, and joined the believing Jews, and calls them "chosen strangers", who are certainly Christians; to them alone he writes. This is also a good point, as we will hear.
V. 2. According to the providence of God the Father.
You are chosen (he says). How? Not by themselves, but according to God's order. For we will not be able to bring ourselves to heaven, or make faith in us. God will not let all people into heaven; He will even count His own exactly. The human doctrine of free will and our powers is no longer valid. It is not up to our will, but to God's will and election.
In the sanctification of the spirit.
God has provided for us that we should be holy, and thus that we should become spiritually holy. The sacred word "holy" and "spiritual" have also been perverted by the ventriloquists,
1) That is, in the first two mentioned, Pontus and Cappadocia. In the second adaptation: "in the other two".
that they have called their status as priests and monks holy and spiritual, and have so disgracefully taken away the noble, precious name, as well as the name "church," that the pope and bishops are the church; they say that the church has commanded it, if they do what they want according to their will. Holiness is not to be monks, priests and nuns, to wear plates and robes. It is a spiritual word, that we are holy from the heart in the spirit before God. And he actually said this to indicate that nothing is holy except the holiness that God works in us. For at that time the Jews had much outward holiness, but it was not true holiness. This is what Peter wants to say: God has provided you to be truly holy; as St. Paul also says, Eph. 4:24: "In righteousness and holiness of the truth", that is, in a righteous and basic holiness; for the outward holiness, as the Jews had, counts for nothing before God.
6 So the Scripture calls us holy, because we still live here on earth, if we believe. But the papists have taken this name from us and say: We are not to be holy, the saints in heaven alone are holy. Therefore we must get the noble name again. You must be holy; but you must make yourself so that you do not think that you are holy of yourself or by your merit, but because you hold the word of God, that heaven is yours, that you are righteously pious and have become holy through Christ. You must confess this if you want to be a Christian. For that would be the greatest dishonor and blasphemy of the name of Christ, if we would not give glory to the blood of Christ, that it might wash away our sins, or believe that the blood makes us holy. Therefore you must believe and confess that you are holy, but through this blood, not through your piety; so that you leave life and what you have, and wait for what may come to you because of it.
To the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of JEsu Christ.
(7) Thus, he says, we become holy when we are submissive and believe the Word.
Christ, and are sprinkled 1) with his blood. And here St. Peter speaks in a slightly different way than St. Paul; but it is just as much as when Paul says that we are saved through faith in 2) Christ. For faith makes us obedient and subject to Christ and his word. Therefore, to be under the word of God and under Christ, and to be sprinkled 1) by His blood, is as much as to believe. For it is hard for nature, it fights against it, and breaks itself 3) very much in that it should give itself so completely under Christ, and cease from all its things, and even despise its things and consider them sin. But still she must give herself up.
8) The Psalm Miserere [Ps. 51, 9.] also says about sprinkling: "Lord, sprinkle me with hyssop and I will be cleansed. It runs 4) on the law of Moses, there St. Peter has drawn it, and wants to reveal to us the Moses, and to lead into the Scriptures. When Moses built the tabernacle, he took the blood of the goat and sprinkled the tabernacle and all the people, Ex. 24, 6. 8. [Hebr. 9, 19,] The sprinkling does not sanctify in the spirit, but only outwardly; therefore a spiritual cleansing must take place [Hebr. 9, 13. 14.] That was an outward and carnal holiness, which is not valid in the sight of God; therefore God meant by this sprinkling the spiritual sprinkling. Therefore Peter says: "The Jews are in the holiness that is outward, are pious before men and of an honorable life; but you are considered wicked men. But ye have a better sprinkling, being sprinkled in the Spirit, that ye may be pure from within. The Jews sprinkled themselves outwardly with the blood of goats; but we are sprinkled inwardly in the conscience, as the heart becomes pure and glad.
9 So the Gentiles are no longer Gentiles, the pious Jews with their sprinkling are no longer pious, but it is now reversed. It must be a sprinkling that turns us around and makes us spiritual. Sprinkling means preaching that Christ has shed his blood.
1) Weimarsche: blown up.
2) Weimarsche: ynn.
3) to break - to toil.
4) Weimarsche: läufst. Bucer translated this passage thus: Hluüitur untern a<1 Llosi
and comes to his Father on our behalf, saying, "Dear Father, do you see my blood that I have shed for this sinner? If you believe this, you are sprinkled. So you see the right way to preach. If all the popes, monks and priests melted all their things into one heap, they could not teach and accomplish as much as St. Peter did here with few words.
(10) Now this is the signature of the epistle, wherein he signifieth his ministry, which he preacheth; as we have heard. Therefore this alone is the gospel; let all the rest, which is not of this nature, be trampled under foot, and let all other books go, where you find pretty titles of works and prayers and indulgences, which do not teach such things, and are not publicly founded thereon. All papal books have not one letter of this obedience, of this blood and sprinkling. Now follows the greeting to those to whom he writes.
Grace and peace multiply among you.
(11) Then St. Peter of the Apostle Paul's way of greeting, though not entirely, is said, "You now have peace and grace, but not yet fully; therefore you must always increase until the old Adam dies. "Grace" is God's grace, which now begins in us, but must work for and for and increase until [death]. Whoever recognizes this and believes that he has a gracious God, has Him; so his heart also gains peace, and fears neither the world nor the devil. For he knows that God, who is powerful in all things, is his friend, and wants to help him out of death, hell, [and] all misfortune, therefore his conscience has peace and joy. This is what St. Peter wishes the faithful; and this is a proper Christian greeting, with which all Christians should greet each other. Thus we have the superscription with the greeting. Now he starts the epistle and speaks:
V. 3-9. Glory be to God, and to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, into an incorruptible and undefiled and unfading inheritance, which is to be
is in heaven upon you, who by the power of God are kept in faith unto salvation, which is prepared to be revealed at the last time, in the which ye shall rejoice, who now for a little while (where it shall be) are sorrowful in many temptations; That your faith may be proved more precious than the gold that perisheth (is proved by fire), to the praise and honour of Jesus Christ, whom ye have not seen, yet love, in whom ye also believe, but see not yet. But for faith's sake ye shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorious, and shall bring away the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
In this preface, you see a proper apostolic speech and entrance to the matter, and as I also said before 1), that this is an example of a beautiful epistle. For there he already begins, and explains what Christ is, and what we have obtained through him, since he speaks that God has born us again to a living hope, through the resurrection of Christ. Item, that all goods are given to us by the Father, without our merit, out of pure mercy. These are true evangelical words that should be preached. Help God, how little of this sermon is found in all books, even those that are supposed to be the best. As St. Jerome and St. Augustine wrote, how it does not rhyme with these words at all! It is therefore necessary to preach about Jesus Christ, that he died and rose again, and why he died and rose again, so that people may believe in him through such preaching and be saved through faith. This is called preaching the right gospel. What is not preached in this way is not the gospel, so be it to whomever will.
This is now Summa Summarum of these words: Christ has led us to the Father through his resurrection. With this, St. Peter wants to lead us to the Father through the Lord Christ, and makes him the mediator between God and us. So far we have been preached that we should call upon the saints,
1) In the preface, § 5.
that they might be our intercessors against God; then we ran to Our Lady and made her our mediatrix, leaving Christ as an angry judge. This the Scripture does not do; it goes and presses closer, and praises the Lord Christ, that he is our mediator, through whom we must come to the Father. Oh, it is an exceeding great good that is given to us through Christ, that we may come before the Father and claim the inheritance of which St. Peter speaks here.
(14) And these words show what the apostle meant, that he begins to praise the Father with great devotion, and wants us to praise and adore him, because of the abundant riches he has given us, in that he has given us birth again, and thus born, before we ever thought of it or had the means to do so. There is nothing to praise but mere mercy. Therefore we cannot boast of any works, but must confess that we have all we have by mercy alone. There is no more law nor wrath as before, when he terrified the Jews to flee, and they did not thirst at the mountain [Ex. 19:16, 20, 19]. He no longer drives us and beats us, but deals with us in the most friendly way, makes us new, and does not give us to do one work or two, but creates in us a new birth and a new being, so that we become something different than before we were Adam's children; namely, planted out of Adam's inheritance into the inheritance of God, that God is our Father, we are His children, and thus also heirs of all the goods that He has.
(15) Behold, so bravely does the Scripture deal with this thing, all is alive, not useless theidings, 2) with which we deal. Because we are born again, children of God and heirs, we are equal to St. Paul, St. Petro, Our Lady and all the saints in dignity and honor; for we have the treasure and all the goods of God just as abundantly as they. For they also had to be born again, like us, so they have no more than all Christians.
2) Theiding - speech.
To a living hope through the resurrection of JEsu Christ from the dead.
(16) The reason we live on earth is not that we should also help other people, otherwise it would be best for God to strangle us and let us die as soon as we were baptized and had begun to believe. But that is why he lets us live here, so that we may also bring other people to faith, as he has done for us. But because we are on earth, we must live in hope. For although we are sure that through faith we have all the goods of God (for faith certainly brings with it the new birth, childship, and inheritance), yet you do not yet see it; therefore it is still in hope, set aside a little, so that we cannot see it with our eyes. This is what he calls the hope of life; this is a Hebrew way of speaking, as when one says: homo peccati. We say: "A living hope", that is, in which we may certainly hope and be sure of eternal life. But it is hidden, and still a cloth is drawn over it, that it may not be seen. It can now only be grasped with the heart and through faith, as St. John writes in a fine epistle, 1 John 3:2: "We are now the children of God, and it has not yet appeared to us that we shall be; but we know that when it shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." For this life and that life cannot bear one another, nor can they stand together, that we may eat, drink, sleep, watch, and do other natural works which this life entails, and be blessed at the same time. Therefore, we cannot come to live forever unless we have died and this life passes away. Thus, while we are here, we must stand in hope until God wills that we see the goods that we have.
(17) But by what do we attain to the living hope? "Through the resurrection of Christ from the dead," he says. I have often said that no one should believe in God in such a way that he would do it without means. Therefore, we cannot act before God by ourselves, for we are all children of wrath [Eph. 2:3], but we must have another through whom we come before God.
who will stand for us and reconcile us to God. There is no other mediator than the Lord Christ, who is the Son of God. Therefore this is not a true faith, as the Turks and Jews believe: I believe that God created heaven and earth. So the devil also believes, but does not help him. For they dare to come before God without Christ, the mediator. Therefore St. Paul says Rom. 5, 1. 2.: "We have access to God through faith", not through ourselves, but "through Christ". Therefore, we must bring Christ, come with Him, pay tribute to God with Him, and do everything through Him and in His name that we want to do with God. This is also what St. Peter means here, and thus wants to say: We are certainly waiting for life, even though we are still here on earth. But all this is not otherwise than through the resurrection of Christ, because he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, and sits at the right hand of God. For this is why he ascended, that he might give us his Spirit, that we might be born again, and that now through him we might come to the Father, saying, Behold, I come before thee, and pray; not altogether that I should rely upon my prayer, but that my Lord Christ should stand for me, and be my Advocate. These are all fiery words where there is a heart that believes; where there is not, it is all cold, and does not go to the heart.
18) From this, however, one can judge what a righteous Christian doctrine or sermon is. For if one is to preach the gospel, it must be, in short, about the resurrection of Christ. He who does not preach this is not an apostle, for this is the main part of our faith. And these are the righteous, noblest books, which teach and practice such things most, as is said above [§ 12j. Therefore it can be felt that the epistle of Jacob is not a true apostolic epistle, 2) because there is almost no letter in it about these things. The greatest power lies in this article of faith. For if it were not for the resurrection, we would not have any
1) Cf. s 12/
2) Compare Luther's short notes on the New Testament at the end of this volume. Likewise Walch, St. Louis edition, vol. XU, 581. Walch, old edition, vol. XIV, 105, §4.
comfort nor hope, and the rest all that Christ did and suffered would be in vain [1 Cor. 15:17.]. Therefore let it be taught: Behold, Christ died for thee, and took upon him sin, and death, and hell, and was laid under them; but nothing could oppress him, because he was too strong; but he rose again under them, and overcame all these things, and brought them under himself; and that for this cause thou mightest be delivered from them, and become a ruler over them. If you believe this, you have it. We cannot do all this with our own ability; that is why Christ had to do it, otherwise he could not have come down from heaven. Therefore it is no different when we preach about our works, because this preaching does not come to pass and cannot be understood. Oh, how we Christians should know this so well, how the epistle should be so clear to us!
To an inheritance imperishable and undefiled and unfading.
19 That is, we do not hope for the good or inheritance which is not present, but we live in the hope of an inheritance which is present, and which is imperishable, and also undefiled and unfading. We have the inheritance eternally without end, but we do not see it now. These are mighty and excellent words; to whom this comes to mind, he will not (I think) ask much about temporal goods and pleasures. How can it be possible for someone to be attached to temporal goods and pleasures, if he certainly believed that? For if one holds the worldly good against this, one sees how it all passes away and only lasts for a time; but this alone remains eternal, is not consumed. In addition, all these things are unclean and defile us, for there is no man so pious whom temporal goods do not defile; but this inheritance alone is pure: he who has it is eternally undefiled. Nor does it wither, wither, or rot. All that is on earth, though it be hard as iron and stone, yet it is changeable, and endureth not. A man, as soon as he 1) grows old, so he is ugly. "But that does not change, remains fresh forever and
1) In the old editions: "it".
green. On earth there is no pleasure so great that it does not wear out, as we see that one gets tired of everything; but this good is not so. We have all this in Christ, through God's mercy, if we believe it, and it is given to us freely. For how should we poor people by our works be able to earn such great good, which no human reason nor sense can comprehend?
Keeping that is in heaven upon you.
(20) Surely the inheritance, imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, is ours; it is only now hidden for a little while, until we shut our eyes, and let ourselves be embraced; then we shall surely find it, and see it, if we believe.
V. 5: Who through the power of God are kept in faith unto salvation.
(21) We are waiting for the precious inheritance (he says) in the hope into which we have come through faith. For so it goes one after another: from the word follows faith; from faith the new birth; from the birth we enter into hope, that we may wait and be sure of the good things. That is why Peter spoke in a Christian way, that it must be by faith and not by works.
22) But actually St. Peter says here: "You are preserved to salvation by the power of God", because many people, when they hear the gospel, how faith alone without all works makes them godly, plump down and say: Yes, I also believe; thinking that their thought, which they themselves make, is faith. Now we have been taught from Scripture that we cannot do the least 3) works without the Spirit of God; how then can we by our powers do the highest work, that is, believe? Therefore, such thoughts are nothing else but a dream and imaginary thing. God's power must be there and work in us to make us believe, as Paul also says Eph. 1, 17. ff, "God give you the spirit of wisdom, that you may know which is the
2) In Latin: KiSniüoanter - apt.
3) Weimarsche: mynsten. Bucer: mininm. Jenaer: geringsten.
the exceeding greatness of his power in us who have believed, according to the effect of his mighty strength" 2c. Not only is it God's will, but it is also God's power that He makes it cost Him much. For when God creates faith in man, it is as great a work as if He created heaven and earth again.
(23) Therefore the fools know not what they say, who say: Well, how can faith alone do it? Some believe, but they do not do good works. For they think that their own dream is faith, and that faith may well be without good works. But we say, as Peter says, that faith is the power of God. Where God works faith, man must be born again and become a new creature; naturally, good works must follow from faith. Therefore, one must not say to a Christian who believes, "Do this or that work," for he is doing good works of his own accord. But this must be said to him, that he deceive not himself with false, imaginary faith. Therefore let the rag-washers 1) go, who can speak much of it, which is nothing but foam and useless talk, of whom also Paul says 1 Cor. 4:19, 20: "I will come to you, and will not ask for the words of the puffed-up, but for the power. For the kingdom of God is not in words, but in power." Now where this power of God is not, there is neither righteous faith nor good works. Therefore, they are vain liars who boast of the Christian name and faith, and yet lead an evil life. For if it were God's power, they would be different.
(24) What is this that St. Peter says: You are preserved by the power of God unto salvation? This is what he means by it: "Such a tender and precious thing is faith, which the power of God (which is with us and of which we are full) works in us, to give us a right and clear understanding of all things that pertain to salvation, that we may judge all things that are on earth, and say: This doctrine is righteous, this is
1) In Latin: Istos innnitsr Anrrutos.
false; this life is right, that is not; this work is good and well done, that is evil. And what such a man concludes is right and true; for he cannot be deceived, but is preserved and kept, and remains a judge over all doctrine.
(25) Again, where faith and this power of God are not, there is nothing but error and blindness; reason is led back and forth from one work to another, because it would gladly go to heaven by its works, and always thinks: This work will take you to heaven; do this and you will be saved. That is why there are so many monasteries, convents, altars, priests, monks and nuns in the world. God lets the unbelievers fall into such blindness. But for us who believe, he keeps us in a right mind, so that we do not fall into condemnation, but come to blessedness.
What bliss is ready to be revealed at the last time.
(26) That is, the inheritance to which you have been assigned has long been acquired and prepared from the beginning of the world, but now it lies hidden, still covered, closed and sealed. But it is to be done in a little while, and in a moment it will be opened and uncovered for us to see.
V. 6 In which you will rejoice, who now for a little while (where it is to be) are sorrowful in many a temptation.
(27) If thou art a Christian, and waitest for the inheritance or salvation, thou must hold to this alone, and despise all that is on earth, and confess that all worldly reason, wisdom, and holiness are nothing. The world will not be able to bear this; therefore you must consider that you will be condemned and persecuted. Thus St. Peter sums up faith, hope, and the holy cross; for one follows from the other.
28 And he also gives us comfort when we suffer and are persecuted. The mourning will last a little while, but after that you will rejoice, for blessedness has already been prepared for you.
your sufferings. This is also a true Christian comfort, not like the comfort of human teachings, which do not seek more than how to find help from outward misfortune. I do not add bodily comfort (he says); it does no harm that you must have outward misfortune; only go up fresh, and hold fast; do not think how you will be rid of misfortune, but think thus: My inheritance is already prepared and present, is to be done for a short time, the suffering must soon cease. So we should set aside temporal consolation and set against it the eternal consolation that we have in God.
29 It is also to be noted here that the apostle adds: "Where it should be. As he will also say afterwards in chapter 3, v. 17: "If it is the will of God". There are many people who want to storm heaven and soon enter it; therefore they put a cross on themselves at their own discretion. For reason always wants to put up only its own works. God does not want that, it should not be our own works that we choose, but we should wait for what God lays out and sends to us, so that we go and follow as He leads us; therefore you must not run after it yourself. If it should be so, that is, if God sends you to do it, accept it and take comfort in the blessedness that is not temporal but eternal.
V. 7. 8. that the proving of your faith (or, that your proven faith) may be found much more precious than the perishable gold that is proved by fire, to praise, glory and honor, when Jesus Christ is revealed, whom you have not seen, and yet love, in whom also you believe, and yet do not see.
(30) For this purpose the cross and all kinds of adversity are to be used, so that the false faith and the righteous faith may be separated. God therefore attacks us so that our faith may be proven and made manifest before the world, so that other people may also be provoked to faith, and we may also be praised and glorified. For as we praise God, so He will praise, glorify and honor us again; then the false hypocrites will be put to shame who do not go about it in the right way.
The whole of Scripture compares temptation to fire; so here St. Peter also compares gold, which is proved by fire, to the proving of faith through temptation and suffering. The fire makes the gold no less; but it makes it pure and clean, so that all addition comes from it. God has therefore laid the cross on all Christians, so that they may be cleansed and swept clean, so that faith may remain pure, just as the word is pure, so that people may cling to the word alone and not trust in any other thing. For we have daily need of such sweeping and such a cross, because of the old, coarse Adam.
(32) Thus it is for a Christian life to increase and become more and more pure. When we come to faith through the preaching of the gospel, we become godly and begin to be clean; but because we are still in the flesh, we can never be completely clean. Therefore God throws us into the midst of the fire, that is, into suffering, shame and misfortune, so that we are swept away more and more until we die. To this we cannot come with any works. For how can an outward work make the heart inwardly pure? When faith is thus proved, all that is additional and false must depart and fall away. Glorious honor, praise and glory will follow when Christ is revealed. Therefore follows:
V. 8. 9. But for faith's sake you will rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorious, and will bring the end of your faith, that is, the blessedness of your souls.
(33) An inexpressible, glorious joy it shall be (says St. Peter), of which one has honor and glory. The world has such joy, of which one has nothing but shame, and of which one must be ashamed. St. Peter spoke clearly about the future joy, and there is hardly such a clear saying in the Scriptures about the future joy as here, and yet he cannot express it. This is a part of the preface, in which the apostle indicated what faith in Christ is, and how it is to be proven and purified through the adversity and suffering that God sends us. Now follows how this faith is recorded and promised in Scripture.
V.10-12. For what blessedness the prophets prophesied concerning the grace that was to come upon you, seeking and searching for what and to what time the Spirit of Christ which was in them pointed, and testified beforehand of the sufferings which are in Christ, and of the glory afterward to whom it was revealed. For they presented it not unto themselves, but unto us; which is now made known unto you by them that preached the gospel unto you, sent down from heaven by the Holy Ghost; which also the angels longed to behold.
Here St. Peter refers us back to the holy Scriptures, so that we may see how God keeps what He promised us for 1) no merit's sake, but by grace alone. For the whole of Scripture is designed to tear us from our works and bring us to faith. And it is necessary that we study the Scriptures carefully, so that we may be sure of faith. St. Paul also leads us into the Scriptures, where he says Rom. 1, 2, that God promised the gospel beforehand through the prophets in the Holy Scriptures; item, Rom. 3, 21, that the faith by which one is justified is attested through the law and the prophets. So we also read Apost. 17, 2. f., how Paul preached the faith to the Thessalonians, led them into the Scriptures and expounded them to them, and how they went back to the Scriptures daily and searched whether it was as Paul had taught them [Apost. 17, 11.). Therefore we should also do so, that we run behind and learn to base the New Testament on the Old. Then we will see the promise of Christ in it; as Christ Himself says John 5:39: "Search the Scriptures, for it is they that testify of Me." Item, v. 46: "If you believed Mosi, you also believed me, for he wrote of me."
35 For this reason we should abandon the idle talkers who despise the Old Testament and say that it is no longer necessary, when it is from it alone that we must take the foundation of our faith. For God sent the prophets to the Jews for this purpose, that they might
1) Weimarian: by.
were to bear witness to the future Christ. For this reason the apostles have also convicted and overcome the Jews everywhere from their own Scriptures, that this is Christ. Thus the books of Moses and the prophets are also the gospel, since they preached and described the same things about Christ that the apostles preached or wrote afterwards.
(36) But there is a difference between them. For though both are written on paper in the letter, yet the gospel or New Testament is not really to be written, but put into the living voice, that it may resound, and be heard throughout the world. The fact that it is also written is due to abundance. But the Old Testament is written only in the Scriptures, and therefore it is called a letter. And so the apostles call it the Scripture, because it alone pointed to the future Christ. But the gospel is a living preaching of Christ who is to come. There is also a difference among the books of the Old Testament. First of all, the five books of Moses are the main part of the Scriptures and are actually called the Old Testament. After them are also the books of history, in which are written all kinds of examples of those who kept or did not keep the law of Moses. Third are the prophets, who are based on Moses, and what he has written, further and with clearer words have struck out and explained. But it is one opinion of all prophets and Moses.
(37) Now that it is said how the Old Testament is abolished and thrown back, understand it thus. First, there is the difference between the Old and New Testaments, as we have now said, that the Old pointed to Christ, but the New now gives us that which was promised before in the Old, and was signified by the figures. Therefore the figures are now abolished, because what they served for is now completed and fulfilled what was promised in them. Now therefore there shall be no more distinction of meat, or of raiment, or of place, or of time: for all things are alike in Christ, unto whom 2) all things are directed.
2) In the old editions: in.
was. The Jews were not saved by it, for it was not given to them to make them godly, but to model for them the Christ who was to come.
(38) In the Old Testament, God had two kinds of rule, an outward and an inward rule. He took it upon himself to govern the people, both inwardly in the heart and outwardly in the body and in the goods. That is why he gave them so many laws mixed together. So this was a physical rule, that a man would give his wife a letter of divorce if he did not want her, and put her away [Deut. 24:1]. But to the spiritual regiment belongs the commandment [Deut. 19, 18]: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." But now he reigns in us only spiritually, through Christ. But the bodily and outward government he directs through the worldly authorities. Therefore, when Christ came, the outward things were abolished; God no longer ordained outward persons, times and places for us, but governed us spiritually through the Word, so that we are masters over all outward things and are not bound to any bodily thing. But what belongs to the spiritual rule is not abolished, but still stands, as there are the laws in Moses about the love of God and the neighbor; which God still wants to have kept, and will condemn all unbelievers by the law.
(39) For this also the figures remained spiritual, that is, that which is spiritually signified by the outward figures, though it is outwardly abrogated. So that a man divorced his wife and let her go because of adultery, that is a figure and meaning that is now also spiritually fulfilled. For so God also rejected the Jews, because they would not believe in Christ, and chose the Gentiles. Item, so he still does, if someone does not want to walk in faith, he lets him out of the Christian community, so that he is better. Likewise also [Deut. 25:5, 6], that a woman after her husband's death should take her husband's brother, and beget children by him, and he should be called after him, and sit in his goods. This, although it has now ceased, or even become free, that one may do it without sin.
or not, it is nevertheless a figure that also points to Christ. For he is our brother, died for us and ascended into heaven, and commanded us to make souls pregnant and fruitful through the gospel; so that we keep his name, are called after him, and also enter into his goods. Therefore I must not boast that I convert people, but must ascribe it all to the Lord Christ. It is the same with all the other figures of the Old Testament, which would be too long to tell.
40 Thus everything that is not external to the Old Testament, such as all the sayings of the prophets concerning faith and love, still stands; therefore Christ also confirms Matth. 7:12: "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: this is the law and the prophets. In addition, Moses and the prophets are also witnesses of the future Christ. So when I preach about Christ, that he is the only Savior, through whom everyone must be saved, I may take before me the saying Genesis 22:18: "In your seed shall all the Gentiles be blessed." From this I make a living voice, and say: Through Christ, who is Abraham's seed, all men must be blessed. From this it follows that in Adam we are all cursed and damned; therefore it is necessary that we believe in the seed, if we want to escape damnation. From such sayings we must lay a foundation of our faith, and let them remain, that we may see in them how they testify of Christ, that faith may be strengthened thereby. This is what St. Peter wants with these words when he speaks:
V. 10: For what blessedness the prophets sought and searched, who prophesied of the grace to come upon you.
41 Paul also speaks in this way in Romans 16:25, 26: "After the discovery of the mystery, which was kept secret from the beginning of the world, but has now been revealed and made known through the Scriptures of the prophets. And so you will find in the New Testament many sayings taken from the prophets, so that the apostles can prove that everything happened in this way.
is as the prophets prophesied. So Christ himself proves it Matth. 11, 5. from the prophet Isaiah [Cap. 35, 5. 6.]: "The blind see, the lame walk" 2c. As if he wanted to say: As it is written there, so it goes there. Item, so we read Apost. 9, 22. by Paulo, and Cap. 18, 28. by Apollo, how they drove in the Jews, and proved by the Scriptures that this was the Christ. For what the prophets had proclaimed, all this had now come to pass concerning the Christ". Item, Apost. 15, 14. ff. the apostles prove how the gospel had to be preached to the Gentiles so that they would believe. All this took place, and the Jews were transferred and had to confess that it was just as the Scriptures had said before.
V.11. And have inquired what time and what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them pointed to.
Thus St. Peter says: "Although the prophets did not actually know a certain and definite time, yet they generally indicated all the circumstances of the time and place, such as how Christ would suffer and die, and how the Gentiles would believe in him, so that one could certainly know by the signs when the time would be. Daniel the prophet came near, but still spoke obscurely of when Christ would suffer and die, when this or that would happen. Item, so they had a certain prophecy that the kingdom of the Jews should end before Christ came; but the day and certain time when this should happen was not determined. For it was sufficient, when that time should come, that they should then know assuredly that Christ was not far off. So the prophet Joel also prophesied of the time when the Holy Spirit would come, saying [Cap. 3:1], "In the last days I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh." 2c. . Which saying St. Peter indicates Apost. 2, 17. and proves that he just spoke of the time and certain persons.
43) From all this you see how with great diligence the apostles have always been able to establish and prove their authority.
We have shown our disobedience to their preaching and teaching. So now the concilia and the pope approach, and only want to deal with us without scripture, and command by obedience of the church, and by the ban, that we believe them. The apostles were full of the Holy Spirit, and were sure that they were sent by Christ, and preached the true gospel; yet they threw themselves down, and would not have them believed, unless they proved it thoroughly from the Scriptures, that it was so, as they said, that the mouths of the unbelievers also might be shut, that they could not raise anything against it. And we should believe the coarse, unlearned heads, who preach no word of God at all, and can do no more than cry out forever: Yes, the fathers could not have erred, and has long been thus decreed, therefore one must not give an account of it. We can certainly prove this from the Scriptures, that no one will be saved except he who believes in Christ, so that they can say nothing against it; but they will not prove their deed to us with Scriptures, that he will be condemned who does not fast on this or that day; therefore we do not want to and should not believe them. Now St. Peter goes on to say:
Which Spirit testified beforehand of the sufferings that are in Christ, and of the glory afterward to whom it is revealed.
44 This may be understood of the two kinds of suffering that Christ and we suffer. St. Paul also calls all Christians suffering the suffering of Christ [Col. 1, 24]. For as the faith, the name, the word, and the work of Christ are mine, because I believe in him; so also his suffering is mine, because I also suffer for his sake. So the suffering of Christ is fulfilled daily in Christians until the end of the world. This is our comfort in all suffering, that we know that everything we suffer is common in Christ, so that he counts it all for his own suffering, and that we are sure that as soon as suffering is over, glory will follow. But we must also know that just as Christ did not come to glory before suffering, so we must also bear the cross with him beforehand, so that we may have joy with him afterwards.
45. all that we now preach speaks
he prophets of old proclaimed clearly and said it beforehand, because the Holy Spirit revealed it to them. But that we now understand the prophets so little is because we do not understand the language; otherwise they have spoken clearly enough. Therefore, those who know the language and have God's Spirit, which all believers have, do not have difficulty understanding, since they know where all Scripture reaches. But if one does not hear their language, and does not have the spirit or Christian understanding, then it can be seen as if the prophets were drunk and full of wine. However, where one should lack one, better is the spirit without the language than the language without the spirit. The prophets have a peculiar way of speaking, but they mean just what the apostles preach, for they have both spoken much, 1) of the passion and glory of Christ, and of those who believe in him. As when David speaks of Christ, Ps. 22:7, "I am a worm, and not a man," so that he indicates how deeply he is cast down and humbled in his suffering. Item, so he also writes of his people and the repugnance of the Christians, Psalm 44, 23: "We have been regarded as sheep for slaughter.
V. 12 For they presented it not to themselves, but to us; which is now preached unto you by them which preached the gospel unto you, sent down from heaven by the Holy Ghost.
(46) That is, the prophets were satisfied in this, that they knew it; but when they left it behind them, they did it for our love, and became our servants, and so served us, that we might go to school with them, and learn the same also. Now we have a reason, that our faith may be the stronger, and that we may arm ourselves and protect ourselves against all false teaching.
Which the angels also desire to behold.
47. such great things the apostles have proclaimed to us through the Holy Spirit, who came from the
1) "Both" is referred by Bucer (iitriyiis) to the prophets and the apostles, but it belongs to the following, and "they" is to be taken from "the prophets". This can be clearly seen from the second treatment of this epistle.
Heaven has come upon them, which even the angels love to see. Then he tells us to close our eyes and see what the gospel is, and we will have pleasure and joy from it. We cannot yet see it with our bodily eyes, but must believe that we are partakers and fellows of the righteousness, truth, blessedness and all the goods that God has. For since He has given us Christ, His only Son, the highest good, He also gives us through Him all His goods, riches and treasures, from which the angels in heaven take all pleasure and delight. All this is offered to us through the gospel, and if we believe, we must also have such pleasure in it. But our delight cannot be as perfect as the angel is, because we live on earth. Now it may well begin in us to feel something of it through faith, but in heaven it is so great that no human heart can comprehend it. But when we get there, we will also feel it.
(48) So you see how St. Peter teaches us to arm ourselves with the Scriptures. And hitherto he hath written what is the gospel to preach, and how it was preached aforetime by the prophets, that it should thus be done and preached. Now he continues, exhorting us in this chapter to adhere to the same preaching of the gospel by faith, and to follow it by love, saying thus:
Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and with all your mind set your hope on the grace that is offered to you by the revelation of Jesus Christ, as children of obedience, not like the former lusts of your ignorance, but according to Him who called you and made you holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, according to which it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy.
49) This is an exhortation to faith, and this is the opinion: Because these things have been preached to you and given to you through the gospel, that 3) the angels also rejoice, and that
2) gleichbertig - of the same form, of the same donor. Cf. § 61 of this chapter.
3) Thus the Jena. Weimar: that. Cf. § 47: "davon die Engel" 2c.
Therefore hang on to it, and put your trust in it with all your mind, so that it may be a righteous faith, and not a dyed or made-up delusion and dream.
V. 13. Gird up the loins of your mind.
50 Peter speaks of a spiritual girding of the mind, as a man bodily girds his sword on his loins. Christ also spoke of girding, Luc. 12, 35, when he said, "Let your loins be girded." In some places in Scripture "loins" are called unchastity, bodily; but here St. Peter speaks of spiritual loins. After the body the Scripture calls the loins, since the natural birth comes from the Father. So we read in Gen 49:10, 1) that from the loins of Judah Christ was to come. So the bodily girding of the loins is nothing else than chastity, as Isaiah Cap. 11, 5. says: "Righteousness shall be a girdle to his loins, and faith a girdle to his kidneys"; that is, by faith alone one restrains and constrains evil desire. But the spiritual girding (of which the apostle says here) goes like this: As a virgin is bodily pure and incorrupt, so the soul is spiritually incorrupt through faith, by which it becomes Christ's bride. But if it falls from faith to false doctrine, it must be put to shame. Therefore Scripture everywhere calls idolatry and unbelief adultery and fornication, that is, when the soul clings to the doctrines of men, and thus lets faith and Christ fall away. This is what St. Peter means here, when he calls us to gird up the loins of our minds, as if to say, "You have now heard the gospel and have entered into the faith; therefore take care that you remain in it and do not allow yourselves to be led astray by false teaching, so that you do not waver and run to and fro with works.
(51) And here he speaks in a peculiar way, not as St. Paul speaks when he says, "The loins of your mind. "Mind" is what we call "being minded." As when I say, "This seemeth me right"; and as St. Paul speaks Rom. 3:28, "So we hold it," so we are minded. With this
1) Gen. 49, 10. No mention is made of the loins, but Gen. 35, 11. (If. Ed.)
He actually means faith, and thus wants to say: You have created a righteous mind, that one must be justified by faith alone; now stay in this sense, gird it well, hold fast to it, and do not let yourselves be torn away from it, so you will stand well. For many false teachers shall arise, and set up doctrines of men, to pervert your minds, and to loose the girdle of faith: therefore be warned, and take heed. The hypocrites, who stand on their works, and therefore walk in an honorable, fine life, are so minded that God must set them in heaven because of their works, are puffed up, and ride high, standing hard on their mind and conceit, like the Pharisee Luc. 18, 11. 12. Of whom also Mary says in the Magnificat [Luc. 1, 51.], since she uses the very word that is written here in Petro: "He has scattered those who are hopeful in the mind of their heart", that is, in their mind.
Be sober.
(52) Sobriety is external to the body and is the noblest work of faith. For even though a man has been justified, he is not yet completely free from evil desires. Faith has begun to subdue the flesh, but it is still stirring and raging in all kinds of lusts that want to come forth again and do its bidding. Therefore the spirit has to work daily to tame and subdue it, and must beat with it without ceasing, and take heed to the flesh, lest it repel faith. Therefore they deceive themselves who say they have faith and think that is enough, living according to their will. Where faith is righteous, it must attack the body and keep it in check, so that it does not do what it desires; therefore St. Peter says that we should be sober.
But he does not want the body to be ruined or weakened too much, as many are found who have fasted and martyred themselves to death. St. Bernard was also for a time in such foolishness (although he was otherwise a holy man) that he broke off so much of his body that his breath was stinking, and he could not be with people; yet he came to the church.
Afterward he came out again, and he also forbade his brothers not to harm the body. For he saw that he had made himself unfit to serve his brethren. 1) Therefore St. Peter demands no more than that we should be sober, that is, break off from the body as far as we feel that it is still too horny. He does not determine a certain time how long one should fast, as the pope has done, but rather he instructs each one to fast in such a way that he always remains sober and does not load the body with gluttony, so that he may remain sane and sensible and see how much he needs to mortify the body. For it is not at all fitting to make a commandment of this for a whole multitude and congregation, since we are so unequal among ourselves; one strong, another weak in body, that one must break off much, another little, so that the body may remain healthy beside it, and able to do good.
(54) But that the other company should fall in, and so go, that they cannot fast and eat flesh, is also not right; for these also do not grasp the gospel, and are of no more use than the others, doing no more than despising the commandment of the pope, and yet will not gird up their minds and spirits, as Peter says; leaving the body its will, that it may remain slothful and lecherous. It is good to fast, but fasting means not to give the body more food than it needs to keep it healthy, and to let it work and watch, so that the old donkey does not become too stubborn and go dancing on the ice and break a leg, but walk in a bridle and follow the spirit; not like those who fill themselves so full with fish and the best wine at once when they fast that their belly swells. 2) Here St. Peter means to be sober. And now says further:
And with all your mind set your hope on the grace that is offered to you.
1) Cf. Walch, St. Louis edition, vol. VII, 1950; vol. XII, 1300, § 18.
Weimarsche Ausgabe, vol. XII, p. 283, note 3 distinguishes "tönen"-to give a tone, and "dönen"-to swell.
55 Christian faith is so skillful that it sets itself freely on God's word with complete trust, ventures freely on it, and goes joyfully. Therefore Peter says: "Then the loins of your mind are girded, and your faith is righteous, if you dare to do it, whatever it may be, good, honor, body or life. So he has described with these words a truly fine righteous and unsealed faith. It does not have to be a lazy and sleepy faith, and only a dream, but a living and active thing, that one gives oneself to it with all one's mind, and hangs on the word, God grant, it may go with us as it will, that we get through happiness and misfortune. When I am about to die, I have to consider Christ freshly, stretch out my neck freely, and defy the word of God, which cannot lie to me. Faith must go straight through, not be deceived, and put out of sight all things that it sees, hears, and feels. St. Peter demands such a faith, which does not stand in thoughts or words, but in such power.
Secondly, St. Peter says: "Put your hope in the grace that is offered to you," that is, you have not earned the great grace, but it is offered to you freely. For the gospel which proclaims this grace we have not devised, nor invented, but the Holy Spirit sent it down from heaven into the world. But what is offered to us? That which we have heard above [§ 21 ff]: He that believeth on Christ, and holdeth fast to the word, hath him with all his goods, to be lord over sin, death, the devil, and hell, and is sure of eternal life. This treasure is brought to our door and put into our 3) bosom without our doing or earning, yes, unawares and without our knowledge or thought. Therefore, the apostle wants us to look forward to it with joy, because God, who offers us such grace, will certainly not lie to us.
Through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
God does not allow anyone to offer His grace except through Christ. Therefore
3) In the old editions: "die schoß".
No man can come before him without this mediator, as we have heard enough above [§ 18]. For he will hear no man, except he bring with him Christ his dear Son, whom he alone looketh upon, and for his sake they also that cleave unto him. Therefore he wants us to know the Son, as we have been reconciled to the Father through his blood, so that we may come before him. For to this end the Lord Christ came, taking on himself flesh and blood, and clinging to us, that he might obtain for us such grace from the Father. Thus all the prophets and patriarchs were also preserved and saved through such faith in Christ; for they all had to believe in the saying that God said to Abraham: "Through your seed shall all the Gentiles be blessed." Therefore, as we have said [§ 18), the faith of the Jews and Turks is not valid, and of those who stand on their works and' thereby want to go to heaven. So Peter says: "Grace is offered to you"; but "through the revelation of Jesus Christ", or (that we translate it more clearly) because Jesus Christ is revealed to you.
(58) Through the gospel it is made known to us what Christ is, that we may know him, that he is our Savior, takes away sin and death from us, and helps us out of all misfortune, reconciles us to the Father, and makes us godly and blessed without our works. Whoever does not recognize Christ in this way must be lacking. For even though you already know that he is the Son of God, dead and risen, and seated at the right hand of the Father, you have not yet rightly recognized Christ, nor do he yet help you, but you must know and believe that he did it all for your sake, to help you. Therefore it is a useless thing what has been preached and taught in high schools, which have not known anything about this knowledge, and have come no further than to consider how painful the suffering was for the Lord Christ, and how he now sits idle in heaven, and has joy with himself; and thus only dry hearts remain, in which faith cannot come to life.
The Lord Christ is not to stand for Himself, but is to be preached.
that he is ours. Otherwise, what need would there have been for him to come to earth and shed his blood? Since he was sent into the world for this reason, as he said in John 3:17, that the world might be saved through him, he must have done what he was sent to do by the Father. For the sending and going forth from the Father is not to be understood according to the divine nature alone, but according to the human nature and his ministry. As soon as he was baptized, this began, and accomplished that for which he was sent and came into the world, namely, that he should preach the truth, and that he should preach it unto us, 1) that whosoever believeth in him should be saved. So he revealed himself and made himself known, and offered grace to us himself.
V. 14. As children of obedience.
60 That is, present yourselves as the obedient children. "Obedience" is the name of faith in the Scriptures. But the pope, with his high schools and monasteries, has also torn apart this little word for us and pointed to their lie, what is written about this obedience, as the saying 1 Sam. 15:22: "Obedience is better than sacrifice." For since they see that obedience is much praised in the Scriptures, they have taken it to themselves, that they may deceive the people, that they may think that theirs is the obedience of which the Scriptures speak. So they bring us from God's word to their lies, and to the devil's hearing. He who hears the gospel and God's word and believes in it is an obedient son of God; therefore, whatever is not God's word, trample it underfoot and do not turn away from it.
Not equal to the previous lusts of your ignorance.
(61) This is that you do not conduct yourselves as you did before, and that you are not seen in the way you were before. Before you were idolatrous, and lived in unchastity, gluttony, drunkenness, avarice, pride, anger, envy and hatred; this was an evil, heathenish nature and unbelief, and you have gone away in such a nature,
1) advertise - to deliver a message. Cf. Walch, old edition, Vol. Ill, 1173. Bucer: IncHaars.
like the blind, have not known what you have done. Now put away this evil desire.
62 Here you see how he blames ignorance for all the misfortunes that come from it. For where there is no faith and no knowledge of Christ, there remains all error and blindness, so that one does not know what is right and what is wrong. This is how it has been up to now; since Christ has perished and been obscured, error has set in; the question of how one could be saved has spread throughout the whole world. That is already a sign of blindness or ignorance, that the right understanding of faith has gone out, and no one knows anything about it anymore. That is why the world is so full of various sects, and everything has been divided, because everyone wants to make his own way to heaven. Out of misfortune we must always fall deeper into blindness, because we cannot help ourselves. That is why St. Peter says: "You have now been fooled enough; therefore, stop now, because you have now become knowledgeable and have come to a right understanding.
V. 16. 16. But according to Him who called you and is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, as it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy.
63 St. Peter cites a saying from the Old Testament, Deut. 19:2, where God says: "You shall be holy, for I am holy," that is, because I am your Lord and God, and you are my people, you shall also be as I am. For a true lord makes his people like him, and they walk in obedience, and do the will of the Lord. Therefore, as God our Lord is holy, so his people are also holy; therefore we are all holy if we walk by faith. The Scriptures do not speak much of dead saints, but of those who live on earth. So the prophet David boasts Ps. 86, 2: "Lord, keep my soul, for I am holy."
(64) But our scholars have again perverted the saying, and say that the prophet had a special revelation, that he calls himself holy. In this way they themselves confess that they lack faith, and that the revelation is not true.
They do not have the revelation of Christ, otherwise they would feel it. For he who is a Christian feels such a revelation in himself, but those who do not feel it are not Christians. For he who is a Christian enters into the fellowship of all his goods with the Lord Christ. Since Christ is holy, he must also be holy, or deny that Christ is holy. If you are baptized, you have put on the holy garment, which is Christ, as Paul says [Gal. 3:27]. The word "holy" means that which is God's own, and due to Him alone, which we call "consecrated" in German. So Peter says: You have now given yourselves to God as your own. Therefore see to it that you are not led again into worldly lusts, but let God alone rule, live and work in you, and you will be holy as he is holy.
So far he has described the grace that is offered to us through the gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, and has taught how we are to hold ourselves against it, namely, that we remain in a pure, unaltered sense of faith, so that we know that no work that we can do or think up can help us. Now when one preaches such things, reason goes and says, "Well, if that is true, then I must not do any good work;" and so the coarse heads fall upon it, and make a carnal liberty out of the Christian being, thinking that they should do what they will. They are met here by St. Peter, who comes before them and teaches how Christian freedom must be used against God alone. For there is nothing more necessary than the faith that I give God His glory and consider Him to be my God, that He is just, true and merciful. Such faith makes us free from sins and all evil. If I have given such things to God, what I then live, I live to my neighbor, to serve and help him. The greatest work that follows from faith is that I confess Christ with my mouth, testify to him with my blood, and put my life where it should be. God is not allowed to do this work either, but for this reason I should do it, so that my faith may be proven and made known, so that other people may also be brought to faith. After that, other works also follow, which must also all be directed so that I can
to serve the neighbor; all of which God must work in us. Therefore it is not valid to raise a carnal being and do what we desire. This is why St. Peter speaks:
V. 17-21. And since ye call upon the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, conduct your walk, the time of your pilgrimage, with fear, knowing that ye are not redeemed with corruptible silver or gold, from your vain walk in the statutes of your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as an innocent and unblemished Lamb, who, though provided before the beginning of the world, was revealed in the last times, for your sake, who through him believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that you may have faith and hope in God.
66 Thus says St. Peter: You have now come to be children of God through faith, and he is your Father, and have obtained an inheritance in heaven that is imperishable (as he said above, v. 4); so now there is nothing left but to take away the cloth and to uncover what is now hidden; you must still wait until you see it. Forasmuch then as ye are come to the state that ye may cheerfully call God Father, yet is he so just that he giveth to every man according to his works, and regardeth not the person.
Therefore, you must not think, even if you have the great name of a Christian or the Son of God, that he will spare you if you live without fear, and think it is enough that you boast of this name. The world judges according to the person, so that it does not punish everyone equally, and spares those who are friends, rich, beautiful, learned, wise and mighty; but God does not look at anyone, everything is equal to him, no matter how great the person may be. Thus in Egypt he smote to death the son of Pharaoh the king, as the son of a bad miller. For this reason the apostle wants us to take this judgment to God and to stand in fear, so that we do not boast about the title of Christianity and rely on it as if he would give us more credit for it.
than other people. For this also deceived the Jews of old, who boasted that they were Abraham's seed and God's people. The Scripture makes no distinction according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. It is true that he promised that Christ would be born of Abraham, and a holy nation would come from him; but it does not follow that all who are born of Abraham are God's children. He also promised that the Gentiles would be saved, but did not say that he would save all the Gentiles.
(68) But here a question arises: Since we say that God alone makes us blessed through faith, regardless of works, why does St. Peter say that he does not judge according to the person, but according to the works? Answer: What we have taught, how faith alone makes us justified before God, is undoubtedly true, since it is so clear from Scripture that it cannot be denied. Now that the apostle says here that God judges according to works is also true, but it must certainly be held that where there is no faith, there can be no good works; and again, that where there are no good works, there is no faith. Therefore join faith and good works together, so that in the two there may be the sum of the whole Christian life. How you live now, that is how it will be for you, according to which God will judge you. Therefore, even though God judges us by our works, it remains true that the works alone are the fruits of faith, by which one can see where there is faith or unbelief; therefore God will judge you by your works and convince you that you have believed or not believed. Just as a liar cannot be judged and condemned except from his words; nor is it evident that he does not become a liar by his words, but was a liar before he told a lie; for the lie must come from the heart into the mouth.
(69) Therefore, understand this saying most simply, that works are fruits and signs of faith, and that God judges people by such fruits, which must surely follow, so that it may be seen publicly where faith or unbelief is in the heart. God will not judge you according to whether you are a
If you are called a Christian or baptized, he will ask you: "If you are a Christian, tell me, where are the fruits so that you can prove your faith?
Therefore, St. Peter says: "Since you have such a Father, who does not judge according to person, conduct your lives in fear during your pilgrimage; that is, fear the Father, not for the sake of chastisement and punishment, as unbelievers and the devil fear, but lest he abandon you and withdraw his hand, as a pious child fears lest he anger his father and do something that would not please him. God wants to have a good fear in us, so that we may beware of sins and serve our neighbor, because we live here on earth.
A Christian, if he believes righteously, has all the goods of God, and is God's son, as we have heard. But the time he is still alive is only a pilgrimage; for the spirit is already in heaven through faith, by which he is lord over all things. For this reason God allows him to still live in the flesh, and the body to walk on earth, so that he may help other people and also bring them to heaven. Therefore we have no other use for all things on earth, except as a sojourner who goes through a field and comes to an inn, where he must lie down for the night, and takes only food and lodging from the host, does not say that the host's goods are his. So we must also deal with temporal goods as if they were not ours, and enjoy only as much of them as we need to maintain the body, helping our neighbor with the other. So the Christian life is only a night's lodging. For we have no lasting city here [Heb. 13:14], but must go where the Father is, that is, to heaven; therefore we should not live here in ease, but stand in fear, says St. Peter.
V. 18. 19. And know that you have not been redeemed with corruptible silver or gold from your vain walk in the statutes of your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ.
(72) This shall provoke you, he saith, to the fear of God, wherein ye shall stand, to remember how much it hath been, that ye should not
have been redeemed. Before you were citizens of the world and sat under the devil, but now God has torn you out of such a state and placed you in a different one, so that you are citizens in heaven, but strangers and sojourners on earth. And behold how great a reward God has bestowed upon you, and how great is the treasure that you have been bought and brought to be the children of God. Therefore, conduct yourselves with fear, and see to it that you do not despise these things and lose the precious treasure.
What then is the treasure that we may be redeemed? Not perishable gold or silver, but the precious blood of Christ, the Son of God. The treasure is so precious and noble that no human sense and reason can comprehend that only a drop of this innocent blood would have been enough for all the sins of the world; nor did the Father want to pour out his grace on us so abundantly, and let it stand for so much, that he let his Son, Christ, shed all his blood, and gave us the treasure in its entirety. For this reason he does not want us to throw such great grace to the wind and consider it small, but to be moved to live with fear, so that this treasure will not be taken away from us.
74 And here it is to be noted that St. Peter says: "Redeemed are ye from your vain walk in the statutes of your fathers. For with this he strikes to the ground all the supports on which we stand, and think that our thing must be right, because it has been so from time immemorial, and our forefathers have all so held, among whom also have been wise and pious men. For thus he says, "All that our fathers did and established was evil; what you learned from them 1) about God's service is also evil, that it cost the Son of God his blood to redeem people from it. Now what is not washed by the blood is all poisoned and cursed by the flesh. From this it follows that the more a man presumes to make pious and does not have Christ, that he only hinders himself more, and the deeper into blindness and wickedness he goes.
1) Weimarsche: "hatt" instead of: habt. This is not a printing error, but also Cap. 2, s 11 "hat" occurs again in the meaning of "habt".
The first time, the first time, the first time, the first time, the first time.
(75) The outward rude things are yet small compared to this, that they teach how to become godly by works, and to establish a worship according to our reason. For there the innocent blood is most profaned and blasphemed. The heathen sinned much more in worshipping the sun and the moon, which they considered to be the right worship, than in any other sin. Therefore, human piety is blasphemy, and the greatest sin a man can commit. This is also the way the world now behaves, and what it considers godliness and piety is worse in the sight of God than any other sin, such as being a priest or a monk, and what seems good in the sight of the world, but is without faith. Therefore, whoever does not want to obtain grace from God through the blood, had better never appear before God's eyes, for he will only anger His Majesty more and more.
As an innocent and unblemished lamb.
76 Now Peter interprets the Scriptures, for it is a powerful and rich epistle, even though it is short. Now that he has spoken of the vain walk in fatherly statutes, he also finds many sayings in the prophets, as in the prophet Jeremiah, Cap. 16, 19: "The Gentiles shall come unto thee from the end of the world, saying: Our fathers have gone about with lies" 2c. As if St. Peter should say: The prophets also proclaimed that you should be redeemed from the paternal statutes. So he also wants to point us to the Scriptures here, since he says: "You are redeemed by the blood of Christ, as an innocent and unblemished lamb", and explains what is written in the prophets and Moses, as Isa. 53, 7."He was led as a lamb to the slaughter"; item, the figure of the paschal lamb in Exodus 12:3 ff; all of which he interprets here, saying, "The lamb is Christ; and as that should be unblemished, so is this also unblemished and innocent, whose blood is shed for our sins.
V. 20. Who, though provided before the beginning of the world, is revealed in the last times.
That is, we have not earned it, nor have we ever asked God to shed the precious blood of Christ for us; therefore we can boast of nothing. The glory belongs to no one but God alone; God has promised it to us without any merit on our part, and has also revealed or made known that which He has provided and decreed from eternity, before the creation of the world. In the prophets it was also promised, but it was hidden and not made public; but now, after the resurrection of Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit, it has been publicly preached to the whole world.
(78) Now this is the last time, as St. Peter says, wherein we are, now from the ascension of Christ until the last day. Thus the apostles and prophets, and Christ Himself also, call it the last hour; not that as soon as after Christ's ascension the last day should come, but because after this preaching of the gospel of Christ there should come no other, neither should it be revealed and explained any more than it has been explained and revealed. For one revelation has always gone out after another. Therefore God says 2 Mos. 6, 3: "My name, Lord, I have not made known to them." For the patriarchs, even though they knew God, did not at that time have such a public preaching of God as went out afterwards through Moses and the prophets. Now no more glorious and public preaching has come into the world than the Gospel. Therefore it is the last; all times have now passed away, but now at last it is revealed to us.
79 Secondly, it is also not long after the end of the world, as St. Peter explains in 2 Ep. 3, 8, when he says: "One day is like a thousand years before the Lord, and a thousand years like one day. And so he wants to lead us from the account of this time, so that we may judge according to the sight of God; since it is the last time and already has an end; but what still remains is nothing before God. The blessedness is now already revealed and completed, but God leaves the world still longer, so that His name may continue to be honored and praised, even though it has already been revealed for itself in the most perfect way.
V. 21. For your sake, who through him believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, that you might have faith and hope in God.
(80) For our sake (he says) the gospel was revealed, for God and the Lord Christ had no need of it, but made it profitable for us to believe in him. And this not through ourselves, but through Christ, who stands for us against the Father, whom he raised from the dead to rule over all things; so that he who believes in him has all his goods, and through him ascends to the Father. So we have faith in God, and also a hope through the same faith: faith alone must make us blessed. But it must be faith in God, for if God does not help you, you are not helped. Therefore it is not enough if you have the friendship of all men, but you must have the friendship of God, so that you may boast that he is your father and you are his child, and that you trust him more than your physical father and mother, that he will help you in all your needs; and this only through the one Mediator and Savior, the Lord Christ. Such faith does not come from human powers 1) (he says), but God creates it in us, because Christ earned it with his blood; to whom he therefore gave the glory and put it at his right hand, so that he created faith in us by the power of God.
So far we have heard how St. Peter admonishes us to gird up the loins of the mind, so that we may remain pure and live by faith; after which, since so much has been said, we should walk with fear and not rely on being called Christians, since God is such a judge that He does not inquire of anyone, judging one as well as another, without distinction of persons. Now he continues, and concludes the first chapter:
V. 22-25. And chastise your souls by the obedience of the truth in the Spirit, to undyed brotherly love, and love one another fervently out of a pure heart, as those who
1) Weimarsche: "menschlicher krefft".
Again are born, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, even of the living word of God, which abideth for ever. After whom all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass is withered, and the flower is fallen: but the word of the Lord abideth for ever. Now this is the word which is preached among you.
The fruits that follow after faith, Paul tells Gal. 5, 22: "The fruits of the Spirit (he says) are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, chastity. So here St. Peter also says fruit 2) of faith, namely, that we should make our souls chaste through obedience to the truth in the Spirit. For where faith is righteous, it casts the body under itself, and compels the lust of the flesh; and though it does not kill it, yet it makes it submissive and obedient to the Spirit, and keeps it in check. This is what St. Paul means when he speaks of the fruits of the Spirit. It is a great work that the Spirit should rule over the flesh, and tame the evil desire that is inborn in us from father and mother; for it is not possible without grace that we should live well in marriage, much less illegitimately.
83 But why does he say, "Make your souls chaste"? He knows well that the lust of the flesh for baptism remains in us to the grave. Therefore it is not enough for one to abstain from the work, and remain a virgin outwardly, and let the evil desire remain in the heart, but one must strive for the soul to be chaste, so that it comes out of the heart, and the soul is free from evil desire and lust, and always beats itself with it, until it is rid of it.
And here he adds a fine addition, that one should make the soul chaste "through obedience to the truth in the spirit. Much has been preached about chastity, and many books have been written about it; they have said that one should fast so long, one should not eat meat, one should not drink wine, 2c., that one may be rid of temptation. It has probably helped with something,
2) Jenaer: of fruits. - Luetzr: yui kruetus [nnt üd6i Uo66t.
But it was not enough; it did not dampen the desire. So St. Jerome writes of himself, 1) that he had so prepared his body that he had become like a Moor; nevertheless it did not help, and he still dreamed how he was in Rome at the singing dance among the metzes. So St. Bernard also hurt him so badly and ruined his body so that he stank, as I said above [§ 53]. They had hard temptation, and thought they wanted to dampen it with external things; but because it is external, the plaster is only applied on the outside, not on the inside; therefore it is not enough that it dampens lust.
But here St. Peter has given a proper remedy for it, namely the obedience of the truth in the spirit, as the Scripture also does in other places, as Isa. 11:5: "Faith shall be a girdle to his kidneys," which is the proper plaster that girds the kidneys. It must come out from within, not from without; for it is grown in the blood and flesh, marrow and veins, not on the outside in the cloth, nor in the garment; therefore it is not advisable to dampen the desire with external things. The body can be weakened and killed with fasting and work, but evil desire cannot be driven out with it. But faith can dampen it and ward it off, so that it must leave room for the spirit. Thus also the prophet Zacharias Cap. 9, 17. says of a wine that Christ has, from which virgins grow, which he gives them to drink. The other wine tends to provoke evil desire; but this wine, that is, the gospel, curbs it and makes chaste hearts. This is what St. Peter says, that if one grasps the truth with the heart, and is obedient to it in the spirit, this is the right remedy, and the most powerful medicine for it; otherwise you will not find any that could thus quench all evil thoughts. For when this comes into the heart, the evil inclination soon goes away. Try it, whoever wants to, will find it, and those who have tried it know it well. But the devil does not let anyone
Ill" lAitur 6AO,. 8Ä6P6 "tioris intkrerÄin puÄIarlim. (Weim. ed.) Cf. Walch, St. Louis ed. vol. VIII, 1053, s 57. vol. VII, 1838, s 126.
easily come to grasp the word of God so that it tastes good to him; for he knows well how powerful it is to curb evil desires and thoughts.
So now St. Peter wants to say: If you want to remain chaste, you must grasp the obedience of truth in the spirit, that is, one must not only read and hear the word of God, but grasp it in the heart. Therefore, it is not enough to preach or hear the gospel once, but one must always press on and continue. For such is the grace of the word, the more it is acted upon, the sweeter it becomes.' Although it is always the same doctrine of faith, yet it cannot be heard too much where there are not impudent and raw hearts. Now the apostle adds:
To undyed brotherly love.
For what purpose should we live a chaste life? That we may be saved by it? No, but to serve our neighbor. What shall I do to ward off my sin? I should grasp the obedience of truth in the spirit, that is, faith in God's word. Why do I resist it? That I may be useful to others; for I must first tame the body and the flesh by the Spirit, and then I may be useful to others. Follow on:
And love one another fervently from a pure heart.
The apostles Peter and Paul distinguish between brotherly love and common love. Brotherhood is that Christians should all be like brothers and make no distinction among them. For since we all have one Christ in common. One baptism, one faith, one treasure, I am no better than you; what you have, I have also, and am as rich as you. The treasure is the same, though I may have it more abundantly than you, so that I have it lying in gold, but you in a poor cloth. Therefore, as we have in common the grace of Christ and all spiritual goods, so we also ought to have in common life and limb, goods and honor, that we may serve one another in all things.
89. Now he speaks clearly, "In unconditional brotherly love." The apostles need the word
We have gladly seen that we would be called Christians and brothers among ourselves, but it would be a false, dyed or fictitious thing, and only glitter. We have set up much brotherhood in the world, but it is all lies and deception, which the devil has devised and brought into the world, which only fights against right faith and righteous brotherly love. Christ is mine as well as St. Bernard's; yours as well as St. Francis. If then one comes and says, I shall go to heaven if I am in this or that brotherhood, then say, It is a lie, for Christ cannot stand it, will have no other brotherhood but the common one which we all have among ourselves; then you come here, you fool, and want to set up one of your own. I would allow it to be made, not for the help of the soul, but that some would be united to put in and make a treasure, from which those who would be helped would be helped.
90 Thus we Christians have all received one brotherhood in baptism; no saint has more of it than I and you. For just as much as he was bought, so much am I bought; God has given as much to me as to the greatest saint, except that he may have a better grasp of the treasure and a stronger faith than I do. Love, however, is greater than brotherhood, for it reaches out even to enemies, and especially to those who are not worthy of love. For as faith does its work when it sees nothing, so love also should see nothing, and do its work most where there seems nothing lovely, but only displeasure and hostility; where there is nothing that pleases me, I should for that very reason put up with it. And this should be done fervently, says St. Peter, with all my heart, as God loved us when we were not worthy of love. Now follows further:
V. 23: When they were born again.
91 Thirdly, this should be done because you are not what you were before (he says), but new men. This did not happen by works, but it required a birth. For the new
1) Cf. Walch, St. Louis Edition, vol. XIX, 444 ff.
You cannot make a man, but he must grow or be born. Just as a carpenter cannot make a tree, but he himself must grow out of the earth, and just as we all were not made Adam's children, but were born that way, and have brought sin from our father and mother, so it cannot happen by works that we become God's children, but must also be born anew. This is what the apostle wants to say: Because you are now a new creature, you should now also keep yourselves differently and lead a new life; as you lived in hatred before, so you must now walk in love, however contrary. But how did the new birth happen? As follows:
Not from perishable seed, but from imperishable seed, namely from the living Word of God, which abides forever.
We are born again through a seed; for no thing grows otherwise, as we see, than through seed. Now if the old birth came from a seed, the new birth must also be from a seed. But what is the seed? Not flesh and blood. What is it? It is not perishable, but is an eternal word; that is all with one another, by which we live, food and meat. 2) But first of all he is the seed, by which we are born again, as he says here.
Now how does this happen? So: God lets the word, the gospel, go out and the seed fall into the hearts of men. Where the seed sticks in the heart, the Holy Spirit is there and makes a new man, there becomes another man, other thoughts, other words and works. So you will be completely changed. Everything that you fled from, you seek, and what you sought before, you flee. Physical birth is like this: When a man has received seed, the seed is changed, so that it is no longer seed; but this is a seed that cannot be changed, it remains eternally. But he changes me, so that I am changed into him, and what is evil in me of my nature even passes away. Therefore it is ever a strange birth, and from a strange seed. Now St. Peter continues:
2) Cf. cap. 2, § 6.
V. 24, 25: After which all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as a flower of grass. The grass is withered, and the flower is fallen: but the word of the Lord abideth for ever.
94 This saying is taken from the prophet Isaiah Cap. 40, 6-8, where the prophet says: "Shout! What shall I shout? Shout thus: All flesh is grass, and all its glory like a flower of the field. The grass is withered and the flower has fallen away, but God's word abides forever." These words are led here by St. Peter. For this, as I have said [§ 76], is a rich epistle and well peppered with Scriptures. So now the Scripture says that God's word abides forever. That which is flesh and blood is perishable, as the grass when it is young, that therefore it flourishes. Item, if it is rich, mighty, wise and pious, and therefore green (which all belongs to the flower), the flower nevertheless begins to thorn. What is young and beautiful becomes old and ugly, what is rich becomes poor, and so on, and all must fall by the word of God. But this seed cannot perish. Now Peter concludes:
This is the word that is proclaimed among you.
95. as if to say: you must not open your eyes wide when you come to the word of God; 1) you have it before your eyes; it is the word that we preach. There you can curb all evil lusts with. You must not fetch it far; do not do more than catch it when it is preached. For it is so near that it can be heard, as Moses also says, Deut. 30:11 ff: "The word which I command thee is not far from thee, that thou shouldest go far to hear it, or ascend into heaven, or go over the sea: but it is near thee, even in thy mouth, and in thine heart." It is soon spoken and heard, but when it comes into the heart, it cannot die or pass away, nor let thee die; so long as thou cleavest to it, so long shall it keep thee. So when I hear that Jesus Christ died, took away my sin, and purchased heaven for me, and gave me all that he has, I hear this
1) Bucer: ut uä Uoe Verbum Del perveuiutis.
Gospel. The word is soon gone when it is preached; but when it falls into the heart, and is grasped with faith, it can never fall away. No creature can overthrow this truth; the foundation of hell can do nothing against it, and even if I am already in the devil's jaws, if I can seize it, I must come out again, and remain where the word remains. Therefore he says: You must not wait for any other than that which we have preached.
96 St. Paul also says, Rom. 1, 16: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God that saves everyone who believes in it. The Word is a divine and eternal power. For though the voice or speech soon vanishes, yet the substance, that is, the understanding, the truth, which is written in the voice, remains. As when I put a cup to my mouth, in which the wine is put, I drink the wine into it, even though I do not put the cup down my throat with it. So also is the word that brings the voice; it falls into the heart and comes to life, yet the voice remains outside and passes away. Therefore it is a divine power, even God himself. For thus he speaks to Moses, Ex. 4, 12: "I will be in your mouth." And Ps. 81, 11: "Open your mouth wide", preach confidently, say it out until hungry, "I will fill you", I will speak enough there presently. Also Joh. 14, 6. Christ says: "I am the way, the truth and the life", whoever hangs on this is born of God [1 Joh. 5, 1.]. Thus the seed is our Lord God Himself. All this is to teach us how we cannot be helped by works. Even though the word is small and seems to be nothing, because it comes from the mouth, there is such an overwhelming power in it, that it makes those who are attached to it children of God, Joh. 1, 12. Our salvation is based on the high estate.
97) This is the first chapter of this epistle, in which you see how masterfully St. Peter preaches and acts the faith; from this it can be seen that this epistle is the right gospel. 2) Now follows the other chapter, which will teach us how we should conduct ourselves in works toward our neighbor.
2) Cf. preface s 6.