V. 1. Put away therefore all malice, and all deceit, and hypocrisy, and envy, and all speaking evil.
There he begins to instruct what the works and fruits of a Christian life should be. For we have often enough said how a Christian life consists of two things: faith toward God and love toward one's neighbor; item, that the Christian faith is given in such a way that
But always, because we live, there remain in the flesh many evil lusts, for there is no saint who is not in the flesh. But what is in the flesh cannot be completely pure. Therefore says St. Peter: Be ye therefore armed to beware of sins which still cling to you, and to contend against them for ever. For the worst enemies we have are in our bosom and in the midst of our flesh and blood,
sleep and live with us, like an evil guest, whom one has invited to one's home, and cannot get rid of.
Therefore, since through faith the Lord Christ is all yours, and you have obtained salvation and all his goods, let it henceforth be your duty to put away all malice, or all that is evil, and all deceit or guile, that is, that no one deal unfaithfully and falsely with another; as it is said of the world, "The world is full of unfaithfulness," which is also true. We Christians, however, are not to act thus with unfaithfulness, but sincerely and with a loud heart with the people, as against God, badly and rightly, so that no one misleads the other in selling, buying, or vowing, and the like.
So also St. Paul says Eph. 4, 25: "Put away lies, and speak the truth, every one to his neighbor." Truth is that yes is yes and no is no; but hypocrisy is when one presents himself differently in outward appearance than he means in his heart, because it is important to present oneself as one has it in his heart. A Christian should act in such a way that he might suffer all men to see and know what he thinks in his heart; in such a way that in all his conduct and actions he thinks only to praise God and to serve his neighbor, and shuns no one, and that each one may be found in the bottom of his heart as he is looked at, and does not make a mirror fencing to shut people's mouths.
Furthermore, St. Peter also says that one should put away envy and after-talk. There he finely hits the common vices among the people, so one deals with each other. Talking back is almost mean and frivolous, and is soon done so that no one notices it. Therefore beware of it, and diligently seek to know the fruits of the Spirit.
V. 2. And be eager for the sensible, clean milk, as the now born children.
Then he makes a likeness, saying: You are now newborn by the word of God, therefore keep yourselves as newborn babes, who have no more than milk.
As they seek the breasts and the milk, so also be eager for the word, seeking it and desiring it, that you may suck the sensible, unadulterated milk.
These words are again ambiguous, for he does not mean bodily milk, nor bodily seeking, as he does not speak of a bodily birth, but says of another milk, which is sensible, that is, spiritual, which one draws with the soul, which the heart must suck. This should be genuine and pure, not, as one is wont to sell false goods. There is truly much need, and great need, that the milk of the newborn and young Christians be pure and not adulterated. But the milk is nothing but the gospel, which is also the very seed by which we are conceived and born, as we have heard above. So it is also the food that feeds us when we grow up, is also the armor that we may arm ourselves and do evil; yes, it is all with one another. But the addition is man's doctrine, that the word of God may be counterfeited. Therefore the Holy Spirit wants every Christian to see what milk he is sucking, and to learn for himself about all doctrines.
But the breasts that give forth this milk and suckle the young children are the preachers in Christendom; as the bridegroom says to the bride in the Song of Songs, Cap. 4, 5: "Thy two breasts are as two young twins of a roe deer." They should have a bunch of myrrh hanging around them, as the bride says in the Song of Songs, Cap. 1, 13: "My friend is a bunch of myrrh hanging between my breasts," that is, one should always preach Christ; the bridegroom must be mingled in the middle of the breasts, otherwise it is wrong, and the milk is falsified, if one does not preach Christ purely. This is how it is: when one preaches that Christ died for us and saved us from sins, death and hell; that is as sweet as milk. But after that one must also preach the cross, that one may suffer as he did; this is strong drink and strong wine. Therefore, Christians must first be given the softest food, that is, milk. For it is not possible to preach evil to them, except to preach first of all the cross.
preaching Christ alone, which is not bitter, but is sweet and fat grace, and you must not yet bear any pain. This is the right, sensible, and pure milk.
And here St. Peter has reached far into the Scriptures, as he is quite rich in writings. In the Old Testament it is written, 2 Mos. 23, 19. and 5 Mos. 14, 21.: "You shall not boil the people, because they are at their mother's milk. Dear, why did God write this? What does he care that a kid should not be killed because it is still sucking milk? Therefore, he wants to mean that St. Peter teaches here, and so much is said: "Preach carefully to the young and weak Christians; let them feed well and grow fat in the knowledge of Christ. Do not load them with strong teaching, for they are still too young. But after that, when they become strong, let them be slaughtered and sacrificed on the cross. Thus we read also Deut. 24:5: If a man had lately taken a wife, he must not go to war the first year, lest he be slain, but be merry at home with his wife. This is all to the effect that those who are still young Christians should be allowed their time, and should be treated carefully. When they have grown up, God leads them to the holy cross and lets them die like the other Christians; there the little goat is slaughtered. Now follows further:
V. 2. 3. so that by the same you may be made mehmet, if you have been frightened otherwise, that the Lord is kind.
It is not enough to hear the gospel once, we must always press on to increase; after that faith is strong, after that each one must be provided and fed. But this is not said to those who have not heard the gospel; they know neither milk nor wine. Therefore he adds, "If ye have tasted otherwise, that the Lord is good:" as if to say, To him that hath not tasted it, it is not to his heart, it is not sweet: but to them that have tasted it, they always handle the meat and the word, to them it is right and sweet.
But that means tasted, if I have to work with the
I believe in my heart that Christ has given himself to me and has become my own, and my sin and misfortune are his, and now his life is mine. If such things go to the heart, they are tasty. For how can I not have joy and delight from it? I am so happy when a good friend gives me a hundred guilders. But he who does not take it to heart cannot rejoice in 1) anything. But those taste it best who are in mortal distress or who are oppressed by an evil conscience; hunger is a good cook, as they say, who makes this 2) food taste good. The heart and conscience can hear nothing more sweet, when it feels its misery, it is eager for it, and smells the roast far away, and cannot be satisfied. So dear Mary sings in the Magnificat: "He fills the hungry with good things." But those stubborn people who live in their own holiness, build on their works, and do not feel their sin and misfortune, they do not taste it. He that sitteth at the table, and is hungry, savoureth all things well: but he that is full before, savoureth nothing, but hath abhorrence even of the very best of meat. Therefore the apostle says: "If you have tasted otherwise, that the Lord is good," as if he should say: "If you have not tasted, I preach in vain. He goes on to say:
V. 4 To whom you have come as to the living stone.
Here he goes back to the scriptures and touches the prophet Isaiah, Cap. 28, 14-16, where he says: "Hear now the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule over this people who are at Jerusalem. For ye say, We have made a covenant with death, and a covenant with hell: if a flood come, it shall not overtake us; for we have made ourselves a false refuge and a deceitful screen. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I lay in Zion a foundation stone, a touchstone, a precious cornerstone, well established. He that believeth shall not be dismayed. "2c. St. Peter used this saying here, and it is also one of the main sayings in Scripture. For Christ is
1) Wittenberger: "sichs" - sich deß.
2) Erlanger: the.
This precious cornerstone, which God Himself laid, upon which both Jews and Gentiles must be built by faith, lest they otherwise despair, perish and die in their sins.
Just as builders lay the foundation stone when it is certain and firm that it can support the whole building: God Himself has laid Christ as a foundation stone, so that it will stand; and this is so that all who build on Him, that is, are called by the Gospel, accept it and believe that they will be justified and saved through Christ, and be sure that they will remain safe and sound against all calamities, be they sin, death, or the devil; but those who do not build on Him must be lost and condemned, for there is briefly no help or counsel for them. He is also a touchstone, which is well proven, and has been tempted in every way through suffering and the cross, so that he can have compassion and help those who are tempted, just as all those who are built on him encounter this, for they must be conformed to his image, Rom. 8:29. He is also a precious cornerstone. It is precious in the hearts of believers in Christ and before God; but before the world it is despised and rejected by the builders, that is, the best in the world, who teach and govern others, as St. Peter will soon say. But a cornerstone the prophet calls him, because he has gathered together the two 1) walls, that is, peoples, Jews and Gentiles, and has made of them one people and church 2c. So Christ, the living stone, carries the whole structure and joins it together, so that it grows into a living temple in the Lord, so that all the gates of hell cannot overthrow it. For he that is built upon this foundation stone, that is, believeth, as the prophet himself clearly interpreteth, shall not be afraid. More about this hereafter.
He who is rejected by men, but is chosen by God and is delicious.
But here he cites a saying from the 118th Psalm, v. 22 f.: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The
1) Thus the Erlangeners. Wittenberger: "die" instead of: "die zwo". That "zwo" is the right reading can be seen from the conclusion of the next paragraph.
has come from the Lord and is a miracle before our eyes"; which saying Christ also indicates Matth. 21, 42; item. St. Peter Apost. 4:11, where he says: "This is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone"; as if St. Peter should say: "You are builders; God has commanded you his house, that is, his people, that you should build it, improve it, and teach the way to salvation; has ordained your priesthood, Aaron, whose descendants you are, himself, has commanded you the law, the Scriptures, and the ministry. And he hath made you builders, that ye should take heed to the stone which he himself hath laid, and build yourselves and your people thereon, that is, receive him, and direct the people unto him as the right Lord and Saviour, that whosoever believeth in him should not be put to shame 2c. What are you doing? Not only have you not accepted him, but you have most shamefully and disgracefully rejected him, even condemning him to death as a blasphemer, deceiver and rebel, and putting him on the cross 2c., so that among you builders and your disciples he is despised and rejected, but with God he is chosen and precious, who has made him the cornerstone to support the whole building and to bind up the two walls, so that all who are built on him by faith shall not be dismayed; therefore, because you reject him, God has rejected you again and has adopted the Gentiles as his people 2c. In this way Christ Himself introduces this saying, Matth. 21, 42. 2c.
V. 5 And you also, as living stones, build yourselves into a spiritual house.
How can we build ourselves? Through the gospel and preaching. The builders are the preachers. The Christians who hear the gospel and believe are the living stones that are built and set on the cornerstone; they put their trust in it, so that their hearts will stand and rest on it. 2) They are the ones who are to keep the shape of the stone. It is therefore fitting that they should keep the form which this stone has; for if I am laid upon it by faith, I must also follow its example, do the work and conduct myself as it did, and each one with me.
2) Thus in the first treatment; in the second: "him".
This grows out of faith, and is the work of love, that we all send ourselves to one another, and all become one spiritual building. St. Paul also speaks of this, although in a different way, 1 Cor. 3:16: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"As if to say: He does not dwell in temples made with hands; he wants to have a spiritual house, that is, the Christian assembly, in which we are all alike in one faith, one as another, and all laid on one another, and joined together in love, without all malice, guile, hypocrisy, hatred, and backbiting; as he said.
And to the holy priesthood.
There he puts down the outward and bodily priesthood, which was before in the Old Testament, and at the same time the temple at Jerusalem, in which such priesthood was practiced and carried out, and wants to say thus: The law of Moses with its priesthood, sacrifices and service has now all ceased, and now a new priesthood begins, in which one will offer spiritual sacrifices, which are pleasing to God through Christ 2c.
We have argued a lot about the fact that those who are now called clergy are not priests before God, and this is based on this saying of St. Peter. For St. Peter speaks clearly: You shall build yourselves up to the spiritual and holy priesthood, therefore, whoever has the priesthood must be holy; whoever is not holy does not have it; but how they are holy is public in the day.
Nor does St. Peter make any distinction between the spiritual and secular persons, as they have hitherto called themselves spiritual and the common Christians secular; therefore they must confess this without their thanksgiving, that here St. Peter speaks in general of all Christians, who have all been born again and called to this, that they should put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy 2c., and be as the now-born little children who drink unadulterated milk 2c., and let themselves be built on Christ, the chosen, precious stone. Therefore they cannot prove their priesthood from this text, which they themselves have invented without the foundation of the Scriptures, and the glorious, delicious name priest,
common to all Christians, as the thieves of God alone have snatched and stolen to themselves. As their priesthood is, so are their laws, sacrifices and works; it would be a fine game in the carnival, without that' the divine name is blasphemed under such pretense.
Therefore all believers in Christ are the holy and spiritual priesthood, built on this stone. For since Christ is the bridegroom and we are the bride, the bride has everything the bridegroom has, including his own body. For when he gives himself to the bride, he gives to her all that he is, and in turn the bride also gives herself to him. Now Christ is the eternal High Priest, anointed by God Himself, who sacrificed His own body for us, item, interceded for us on the cross, third, also preached the gospel, and taught all men to know God and Himself. These three offices he also gave to all of us; therefore, because he is a priest and we are his brothers, all Christians have power and command to preach and proclaim God's grace and virtue 2c., and come before God, that one may plead for another, and offer himself to God; but, as St. Paul says, that all things be done in order, that not every one teach in the congregation, nor minister the holy sacraments, but they alone who are called of the congregation, and are commanded to the ministry; the rest shall hear in silence 2c. More about this later.
To offer spiritual sacrifices.
So the bodily sacrifices of the same priesthood are also now over, that both priesthood and sacrifice now cease, and everything is now new and spiritual. For the true, eternal high priest, Christ, is present, as it is written in Revelation John 1:5, 6, "who loved us and washed us from our sins with his blood, and made us kings and priests before God and his Father. As he sacrificed his body, so we must also sacrifice ours, Rom. 12:1. Now here is fulfilled all that is signified by the outward sacrifices in the Old Testament, as they are all kept, and is called preaching the gospel lately; for he that preacheth these things practiseth and practiseth all these things, stinging the calf to death, that is, I the carnal mind, and strangling the old
Adam. For the unreasonable being in flesh and blood must be killed with the gospel, so we let ourselves be sacrificed and strangled on the cross. There the right priesthood goes in the swing, that we sacrifice to God the evil rogue, the lazy old donkey. For in the end, everything that we have from the old Adam must be put away, as we heard in the first chapter above. This is the only sacrifice that is pleasing and acceptable to God. From this you can see where our fools and blind leaders have led us with their illusions, who have neither understood what the right priesthood is, nor what sacrifices we should offer to God.
Now you may say: If it is true that we are all priests and should preach, what kind of being will that be? Shall there be no difference among the people, and shall the women also be priests? Answer: In the New Testament, 1) there should be no priests bearing plates; not because it is evil of him, but because there should be no difference between those who have been called priests and the common Christian man, which faith cannot suffer, so that those who are now called priests should all be laymen like the others, and only some of them who are competent should be chosen by the congregation for the office of preaching. So there is a difference outwardly of the office to which one is called by the congregation, but before God there is no difference; for the fact that some are preferred from among the multitude is because they lead and carry out the office which they all have, instead of the congregation. For, as has been said, all Christians are to sacrifice, pray, and proclaim and confess God's grace in Christ. Therefore none of them should appear and preach in the congregation, but one must be chosen from among the multitude and set up, to be set down again if he would be unrighteous. For St. Paul teaches 1 Tim. 3, 2. and Tit. 1, 6.: Such persons should be blameless 2c.
Therefore, the pope has invented his own priesthood against God's word, and has lied shamefully and unchristianly about it, that the holy
1) "should" put by us after the first editing instead of: "shall" in the Wittenberg.
u^> spiritual, who live in such a priesthood. Rather, outwardly smearing and shaving plates does not make one holy and spiritual; otherwise God would have left it at the Levitical priesthood, which he himself had established. Christ, the eternal priest, must himself stand up for us, die on the cross, and shed his blood, thereby purifying us. Such a doctrine and confession the wretched pope destroyed with his priesthood, and brought it about that there was as great a difference among us Christians as there is between us and the Turks. If you want to look at the Christians, you must make no distinction among them, not say: This is a man or a woman, a servant or a master, old or young, but as St. Paul says Gal. 3, 28: "You are all one in Christ JEsu. Therefore they are also all priests, shall proclaim all God's miracles, each one in the house to his own; those who have the command, in the church; shall all pray, offer praise to God. For, as I have said, no one shall teach in the church unless he is called to do so 2c.
This is now the right priesthood, which stands in the three pieces, as we have heard, that one offers spiritual sacrifices, and prays and preaches for all needs. Whoever then believes in Christ, that he is cleansed from all sins by his blood, is a priest, and is obliged to proclaim such unspeakable grace and love of God, shown to us in Christ; item, that he prays and carries the holy cross, by which the old Adam is killed, and offers thanks to God. Therefore, we are not to be deceived by the monkey business of the papists, if they alone want to be priests and spiritual persons, when they have no other office than that they carry plates and are smeared. By such a jugglery, as said, we are not ordained priests; it must be done by another ordaining bishop, of whom it is written [Ps. 110, 4]: "The Lord has sworn, and will not repent: You are a priest forever" 2c.
Those who are pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.
Since Christ is the cornerstone upon which we are set, what we want to do against God must be done through Him alone, as we
2) Erlanger: or a.
have heard enough above. For God would not see my good works and cross, if I were to torture myself to death; but he sees Christ, through whom my works are valid before God, which otherwise would not be worth a straw. Therefore, the Christian calls Christ a precious cornerstone, who communicates his virtue to all who are built on him through faith. Thus St. Peter teaches us in the saying, how Christ is the living stone, what Christ is; and is a fine similitude, from which it is easy to understand how one should believe in Christ. So now follows:
V. 6. Therefore it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a chosen and precious cornerstone, and whosoever believeth in him shall not be put to shame.
I have said before that St. Peter lards his epistle well and keeps it with scriptures; as all preachers should do, so that their foundation stands entirely on God's word. Thus, he lists here four or five sayings in succession. The first he took from the prophet Isaiah from word to word, that Christ is a precious cornerstone and foundation stone; and is the very saying that we have now acted upon and transfigured in some measure. It is a right main saying of the doctrine of faith, which should be laid as a foundation if someone wants to preach in a place where Christ was not preached before. For it must be begun from this that Christ is the stone on which faith is to be built and to stand.
But that the prophet does not speak of a physical stone in that place is proven by the fact that it follows: "He that believeth on him shall not be put to shame." If I am to believe in him, it must be a spiritual stone; for how can I believe in a physical stone or wood? For this he must truly be God, since God has forbidden in the first commandment that one should believe in no thing but him alone. Since the stone has been laid as the foundation for trusting in it, it must be God Himself. Again, it cannot be God alone, but must also be man at the same time, so that it must be part of the construction and not part of it alone,
but also the head. Now when one builds, one stone must be like another, so that each has its own kind, nature and form. Therefore, because we are built upon Christ, he must be like us, and of the same nature as the other stones that lie upon him, that is, a true man, as we all are. So the Scripture expresses with simple and bad words such a great thing, namely the whole sum of our faith, and comprehends in such short sayings more than no man can express.
I have also said what the building is, namely, faith, by which we are placed on Christ, and put our trust in the stone, and so become like it; and that this must happen so that the building fits together. For the other stones must be laid and aligned after the stone. This then is love, the fruit of faith.
But why does the prophet call him a foundation stone? Because he cannot build a structure unless a stone is first laid as a foundation. For the other stones of the building cannot stand without standing on the foundation stone. So we must all stand on Christ and recognize him as a foundation stone. Therefore we may not boast that the stone must take anything from us, but we must receive benefit from it alone. For we do not bear it, but it bears us, and on it rests sin, death, hell, and all that we have; so that all this and what offends us cannot harm us if we are set on the foundation. For if we therefore abide on him, and rely on him, we must abide where he is, even as the natural stones must rely on their foundation.
About this, the prophet also calls him a cornerstone. The Holy Spirit has his way of speaking much in short words. Christ is a cornerstone because he brought together the Gentiles and the Jews, who were deadly enemies among themselves, and thus the Christian church was gathered from both people; St. Paul writes much about this. The Jews boasted that they were God's people, in whom alone God had entrusted His word, and therefore despised the Gentiles. But now Chri-
stus came, took away the glory of the Jews, and also claimed us Gentiles, and thus made us both one through one faith, and acted with us in such a way that we both must confess that we have nothing of our own, but are all sinners, and must alone wait for righteousness and salvation from him, and that we Gentiles also believe that Christ has come to help us, as well as the Jews. Therefore he is the cornerstone that joins two walls together, Jews and Gentiles, so that they become one building and one house, of which St. Paul also writes Eph. 2:20 ff.
Now the prophet thus concludes, "He that believeth on him shall not be put to shame." Since the Holy Spirit says that those who believe in Christ will not be put to shame, he gives us to understand what he has in mind, namely, that he has already let the judgment go, and has decided that all the world must be put to shame and disgraced; yet he wants to draw some out of the heap, so that no one may escape disgrace except the one who believes in Christ. Thus Christ himself lays it down from Marci in the last: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned"; with which words he also touches the prophet here. Therefore St. Peter has said in the first chapter that the prophets searched the time and searched for salvation, and prophesied of the future grace beforehand. So now Christ is to be preached, that he is the one who has delivered us from this disgrace in which we have all been.
Now let him who will, stand up and praise free will, and defend the powers of man. If you want to overthrow all the works and teachings of man and what comes from man, then you have had enough of this saying alone, which overthrows everything so that it must fall like the dry leaves from the tree. For it is decided: What is not on the stone is already lost; he will not suffer you to build anything with works. The Holy Spirit and the divine majesty speak so plainly that no one pays attention, but with such force that all things are cast down. Who then will act against it, or who will not be frightened by it? Therefore, God wants us to
to despair of us altogether, and to take comfort and comfort in the goods which he has, and to build on the foundation which no creature can overthrow, that no one may rely on his own piety, but on Christ's righteousness, and all that Christ has. But what does it mean to rely on his righteousness? Nothing else, but to despair of myself, and to think that my righteousness, my truth, must all fail, and to trust in his righteousness, his truth, his life, and all the goods that he has, to endure forever. There lies the foundation, since I stand on it. What does not stand on this foundation, all will have to fall. But he that trusteth on it shall not be put to shame, and shall abide, that no violence shall hurt him. Therefore Christ shall not be a stone alone, but God will also lay him as a foundation; of this we shall take comfort. God has said that he will not be able to lie.
Now this stone does not serve itself, but can be kicked and buried in the ground so that it is not seen, and the other stones lie on it and can be seen; therefore it is given to us, that we should take from it and rely on it, and believe what it has, that it is all ours, what it can do, that it has benefited us, so that I may say: This is my own good and treasure, of which my conscience can be comforted. Now St. Peter speaks further:
V. 7, 8: Now to you who believe it is precious, but to unbelievers the stone that the builders rejected and made into the cornerstone is a stumbling block and a rock of offense.
This stone, says St. Peter, is to some chosen and precious; it is also to some a stone to stumble against and a rock of trouble, Isa. 8:14. How does this work? Scripture speaks of two kinds of people: There are some who believe in Christ, and there are many who do not believe in him. To them that believe he is precious: for if I put my trust and comfort in him, I shall be glad in my heart, because I have comfort in him, that I shall not be put to shame. Therefore he says, "He is precious to you who believe, that is, who think much of him.
For though he himself is good and precious, yet he is of no use to me, nor does he help me; for I believe that he, as the right living foundation stone, sustains me, so that I cannot be lost. So then he is delicious to us who believe in him, that he gives us many precious things, like a precious stone that does not keep its virtue with it, but breaks out and gives all its strength from itself, so that I have all that he is.
The unbelievers, however, do not consider him to be such a chosen, precious stone, but reject him, and stumble at him; therefore he is not comforting to them, but harmful and annoying, although otherwise he is chosen in himself and is delicious and comforting to the believers. These are not only the gross, public sinners, but rather the great saints, as in the time of Christ there were the Pharisees, scribes, 2c., who held firmly above the law, and practiced it with all seriousness, thinking that they thereby intended to attain salvation; and in our times the works saints, who rely on their free will, on their works and piety: they must bump against this stone and run up against it. God then makes a judgment that those who sit on this stone and allow themselves to be built upon it come to righteousness through faith alone, without works; but those do not come to it, because they want to come to it through their own piety, as St. Paul says Rom. 9, 31.
Therefore the stone, says St. Peter, which the builders rejected and became the cornerstone, is to the unbelievers a stone of offence and a rock of trouble; and there he interlaces the Scripture, but draws on the saying which he touched above, from the 118th Psalm, v. 22: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." Who the builders are, is said above, namely, those who teach the law and want to make people godly by works; they come over with Christ as winter and summer. Therefore, the preachers of works and teachers of the law must reject this stone.
St. Peter always introduces one saying after another from the Scriptures. Is. 8, 13. is written: "Sanctify the LORD of hosts. Let him be your fear and your dread, so that
He will be a sanctification, but a stone of stumbling and a rock of trouble to the two houses of Israel" 2c.; the prophet thus wants to say: The Lord shall be a sanctification for you, that is, he shall be sanctified in your hearts; you must have no other sanctification, neither this nor that, except that you believe in him. But to those who do not believe, he will be a stone against which they will stumble and be angry. Who then are the unbelievers? Not only the godless Gentiles, but also the people of Israel and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who are God's people and circumcised, and have the Law of Moses and keep it externally 2c.
But what is the annoyance and tarnishing or bumping? This is it: When one preaches Christ, and thus says: Behold, this stone is laid for a foundation, that thou shouldest despair and despair of thyself altogether, and think thy works and own godliness vain, and that thou canst not be saved by the works of the law, 2c. and that thou shouldest rely on him alone, and believe that Christ's righteousness is thy righteousness; when they hear this, they recoil, and are offended and angry, and say: How can you say that the law of Moses, the beautiful worship that God Himself established, circumcision is nothing? item, as our adversaries are wont to say, that virginity and mass-keeping and such good works are nothing? That is the devil's way of talking. For they cannot judge themselves that their conduct should not be good, thinking that it is well done in the sight of God, and they also bring scriptural sayings to bear on it, and say that one should do good works. Right, but such good works should be done, which God has commanded, but if they are already done in the best way, we cannot be justified or saved by them, much less by works of our own choosing without God's command 2c. So they raise their voices and cry: Heretic, heretic! Fire, fire! Therefore they cannot stand the stone, and want to overturn it; so they clash against each other, so that they must be crushed against this stone, as Christ says Matth. 21, 42: "Have you not read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?" (follows, v. 44.:) "And whosoever shall fall upon this stone shall be dashed to pieces; upon which
but it falls, it will crush him." Therefore do as you will, there is no shame in the stone; it is laid and will remain. Whoever now wants to run up against it and rub against it will have to break.
Now this is the offence and the vexation of which the Scriptures speak much. So the Jews are still striking at the stone today, and there is no end to it until the last day; then this stone will fall on all unbelievers and crush them. Therefore, though Christ is such a chosen and precious stone, yet he must be called a stone of offense and stumbling, through no fault of his own. As the Jews did, so do our adversaries now. They boasted in God's name that they were God's people, so it was impossible that they should err; 2c. So it is also now that they deny Christ under Christ and the church's name, and reject the precious stone. Cause: They are to let go of their wisdom, righteousness, holiness 2c.; this they will not and cannot do; before they reject this chosen, precious stone. But it remains unthrown, but they must go to the ground over it and go to the devil; nothing else will come of it. Follow on:
Those who take offense at the word and do not believe in it, from which they are set.
Then hear thou what the cause is, that the word and preaching of Christ shall not enter into them, neither taste that we must be built upon him, or be lost with us. Therefore, when they hear: By the works of the law no man can be justified before God; vowing and keeping chastity, poverty, obedience, does not appease God's wrath, but believing in Christ 2c., they do not believe such preaching of grace, indeed, they resent and are offended by it. Therefore St. Paul also calls the gospel an angry word from the cross, which those who are lost consider to be a loud foolishness. "We preach," he says, "Christ crucified, a vexation to the Jews and a foolishness to the Greeks; but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, we preach Christ, divine power and divine wisdom," 1 Cor. 1:23 ff.
V. 9. But you are the chosen generation, the royal priesthood, the holy nation, the people of ownership.
Then he gives the Christians a righteous title, and has taken the saying from Moses, Deut. 7, 6. where he says to the Jews: "You are a holy people to God, your Lord; God, your Lord, has chosen you as a people of ownership from all the peoples that are on earth. And Ex. 19:5 f. he saith, "If ye will obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be my possession before all nations, and shall be unto me a priestly kingdom, and a holy nation." There you see what St. Peter is talking about. As I said before, so I still say that one should pay attention and be accustomed to how the Scriptures speak of priests; let no one worry about whom people call priests; let them call everyone what they want, you stay with the true word of God; what that same priest is called, you call after him, so you do not err. We will let it happen that those who are ordained by bishops and pope call themselves priests, but so far that they do not call themselves God's priests; for they cannot find a word of it for themselves from the Scriptures.
But if they come with this saying of St. Peter, and pretend that he speaks of them, ask them to whom St. Peter speaks these words, they will have to stand with shame. For it is ever clear and public that he speaks to the whole multitude, to all Christians, in that he says: "You are the chosen generation" 2c.; for he has spoken of no one so far, except of those who are laid on the stone and believe; therefore it must follow that whoever does not believe is not a priest.
Yes, they say, one must interpret the words 1) as the holy fathers have interpreted them; so you say: Let the fathers and teachers, whoever they are, interpret as they wish; so St. Peter tells me, he has greater testimony from God than those; in addition, he is also older, therefore I will keep it with him. So the saying is not allowed to be a gloss, because it speaks of those who believe with expressed words.
1) "So" is in the first edit, but is missing in the Wittenberg.
Now the Scriptures call those faithful who know Christ as their Lord and Savior, and certainly hope to be saved, not by works, hard living and merit, but by his death and resurrection, as has been sufficiently said above. Therefore we will gladly grant them that they may call themselves so, for we do not ask how they will be reproached; but the dispute is whether they are called priests in the Scriptures, and whether God calls them so. Some can be drawn from the congregation to serve as ministers, and they are appointed to preach in the congregation and to administer the sacraments; but all who believe in Christ are priests before God; for since they are placed on the stone, which is the true, eternal high priest before God, they also have all that he has.
Therefore I would very much like that this word "priest" would be just as common as that we are called Christians, because it is all one thing, priests, baptized, Christians. Just as we should not suffer that the smeared and corrupted multitude should call themselves Christians and baptized alone, so we should not suffer that they should want to be priests alone; nor have they taken it upon themselves alone. Thus they have also snatched the word "church" to themselves alone, so that we must accept everything they have decided and established, even if it has already been publicly contrary to God's word, as articles of faith and hold them to be blessed if we lose our souls; but the Scriptures call this group the church, if they have the pure word of God and the right understanding and use of the sacraments, and believe to be saved through Jesus Christ. 2c. Therefore, notice this carefully, so that you know how to make a distinction between those who are priests before God, namely, those who proclaim God's glory and good deeds shown to us in Christ, pray, do good and suffer evil, and those who want to be called priests because of their consecration, plates and long robe; they are priests, as Baal's priests were prophets 2c.
So it is also true that we are all kings. Priests and kings are all spiritual names, like Christians, saints, church. For just as you are not called a Christian because you have much money and goods, but because you are built on the stone and believe in Christ:
So you are not called a priest because you wear a plate or a long skirt, but because you have access to the Father through Christ, and you may ask in His name and be sure that you will be heard. Likewise, you are not a king because you wear a crown of gold and have much land and people under you, but because through Christ you are lord over death, sin, hell, and all creatures. For you are as much a king as Christ is a king, if you believe in him. Now he is not a worldly king, nor does he wear a crown of gold, nor does he ride forth with great pomp and 1) many horses; but he is a king above all kings, to whom all authority has been given in heaven and earth, and, as the Psalm says, all things have been put under his feet. As he is a lord, so am I and so are you a lord; what he has, I have and you have also; for through him we are God's children and heirs, his brothers and fellow heirs, Rom. 8:17.
Just as Christ is not a worldly king (for in the world he had no place of his own where he could have laid his head), but a spiritual, eternal king, to whom the Father gave all things, so that he might save his own from all misery and make them righteous and blessed, so also those who believe in him are spiritual kings through him, partakers of eternal, heavenly goods, which neither death nor the devil can take away from them. I say this so that you may understand the words priest, king 2c. in the Scriptures, not like the world, which knows of no other kings than those who wear golden crowns, have lands and people under them, who may also be wicked, godless people, as they also commonly are. They are glorious, powerful, rich and proud in the eyes of the world, but when death comes, their power and honor are over. But with the kings, of whom St. Peter says here, it is the same the other way round; on earth they are commonly poor, miserable, afflicted and despised people 2c.; but before God the richest and most glorious, who have little or nothing, and yet have everything; who are poor, and yet many
1) "and" put by us after the first edit instead of "off" in the second.
make us rich. Whoever does not recognize Christ and does not know what God has given us through Him, does not understand anything about it.
Therefore, when St. Peter says here: You are the royal priesthood, it is just as much as if he said: You are Christians. If you want to know what title, authority and prize the Christians have, here it is, that they are kings and priests, and the chosen people. Now follows what they are ordained for, what their priesthood is, and how they are to exercise it.
That you may proclaim the virtues of Him who called you from darkness to His marvelous light.
This belongs to a priest, that he is God's messenger and has orders from God to proclaim His word. Virtue (says St. Peter), that is, the miraculous work that God has demonstrated in you, that He has brought you from darkness to His marvelous light, you are to preach, which is the highest work of your priestly office; And so your preaching shall be done, that one may proclaim to another the great deeds of God, how you have been redeemed from sin, hell and death and all misfortune through Christ, whom he sent as Savior of the world, and have been called to eternal life; in the same way you shall also teach other people, so that they also come to such light. For all things are to be directed to this end, that ye may know what God hath done for you, and let it be your noblest work to proclaim it publicly, and to call every man to the light whereunto ye are called. Where you see people who do not know this, you are to instruct them and also teach them as you have learned, namely, how one must not come from darkness to light and be saved by human virtue and strength, but by God's virtue and strength.
Here you see that St. Peter clearly says that there is only one light, and concludes that all our reason, however wise it is, is darkness. For although reason can count one, two, three, and also see what is black or white, large or small, and judge other external things, it cannot see what faith is. It is so blind that, even if all men can see their intelligence, it cannot see what faith is.
If they were to come together, they would not be able to understand a single letter of divine wisdom. Therefore, here St. Peter speaks of another light, which is wonderful, and says freely to all of us, no one excluded, that we are all in darkness and blindness, and would also have to remain in it forever, if God did not call us to His wonderful light.
This is also taught to us by experience. For when it is preached that we cannot come before God by works, but must have a mediator who may come before God and reconcile us to Him, reason must confess that it knew nothing of this. If it is to understand this, it must have a different light and knowledge and draw it from the word of the Gospel. Therefore, what is not God's word and faith is all darkness. For reason gropes like a blind man, always falling from one to the other, and does not know what it is doing. But if one says this to the scholars and wise men of the world, they do not want to hear it and start to scream and rave against it. Therefore St. Peter is truly a bold apostle, that he may call darkness, which all the world calls light.
So we see that the first and most noble office that we Christians should do is to proclaim the virtues of God. What then are the virtues and great deeds that God has shown us? They are, as we have often said, that Christ by God's power has swallowed up death, destroyed hell, strangled sin, and set us on the path to eternal life; these are such great virtues that no man is able to comprehend them, let alone do them. Therefore it is a wretched and wrong thing that we Christians are preached the doctrine of man; we should be preached of such divine power, which overcomes the devil, sin and death.
And here St. Peter has once again stirred up many sayings, as he then through and through almost always leads one saying into the other. For all the prophets say that God's name and glory, and his arm or power should be honored and praised, and that he should do such a work that the whole world should sing and say about it. The prophets are of this
All places are full; St. Peter points to all of them. They have also spoken much about light and darkness, that we must be enlightened with God's light; so that they also indicate that all human reason is darkness. St. Peter continues:
V.10. You were not a people before, but now you are God's people, and you were not in grace before, but now you are in grace.
This saying is expressed in the prophet Hosea at 2, v. 23. St. Paul also referred to it in Romans at 9, v. 25: "I will call this my people, which was not my people, and my love, which was not love". All this is based on the fact that God Almighty specially chose the people of Israel and gave them great and mighty honor, and gave them many prophets, and also did many miraculous works with them, so that He would make Christ, His only begotten Son, man out of the people; for the Son's sake it all happened; that is why they are called God's people in the Scriptures. But the prophets went on to say that this promise should break out and also affect the Gentiles. That is why St. Peter says: "You are God's people, who were not God's people in the past. From this it is clear that he wrote this epistle to the Gentiles, not to the Jews; thus he wants to indicate that the prophet's saying is now fulfilled, that they are a holy people who have property, priesthood and kingdom and everything that Christ has, if they believe. So now follows in Petro:
V. 11. Dear brethren, I exhort you as strangers and pilgrims, 1) abstain from the fleshly lusts which war against the soul.
St. Peter here speaks a little differently than St. Paul, who would not speak as we will hear; for every apostle has his own way of speaking, as does every prophet. So far he has laid the right foundation of the Christian faith, and taught how through Christ they are children of grace, God's people and heirs.
1) Wittenberger: "Bilgerin" from the Latin xereZrinus.
He sets them in the hope of eternal blessedness and builds them on him as the chosen, precious stone, so that they will be safe from all misfortune, who just before lived as unbelieving pagans in error and idolatry, knowing nothing about Christ and salvation 2c. Now he continues, first of all admonishing them and all Christians in general to abstain as aliens and pilgrims from fleshly lusts, not to be like this world 2c.; then how each one, in whatever station, high or low, he may be, should conduct himself; as if to say: You have now heard the gospel, have been baptized, and know what Christ has purchased for you, namely grace and forgiveness of sins, righteousness, life and salvation. Now sin is forgiven, but it has not yet been swept out of you, killed and buried. Since you have been called to be God's chosen, holy people, kings and priests in His kingdom, make every effort to fulfill your calling, to consider yourselves guests and pilgrims on earth, to turn your faces and hearts to the right fatherland, in which you are citizens 2c.Not that they should not be aware of the nature of this world at all, for he instructs all classes how they should conduct themselves in their profession, but that they should know that they are citizens in heaven, but here on earth they are pilgrims and guests who lie in a foreign inn, since they do not belong to their home, therefore they should have a hearty desire for their right dwelling place 2c.
Now this is the right way to preach, that first of all faith should be described, what it does, and what its nature and power are, namely, that it brings us everything that is necessary for our piety and salvation, in sum, that through it we have everything that God has. Now that God has come with us, has given us all that is His, and has become our own, so that we have all goods and sufficiency through faith, what shall we do? shall we walk idly? It would be best for us to die, then we would have it all. But because we live here, we should also do the same to our neighbor, and give ourselves to him as God has given Himself to us. Thus faith makes us blessed, but love
serves the neighbor; for where faith is, it does not celebrate, but is active through love, Gal. 5, 6. Thus faith takes from God, but love gives to the neighbor. That is the Christian life in a nutshell. One can also preach a lot about it, and then go on to describe it, as St. Peter does here.
This, then, is the apostle's opinion when he says: "Dear brethren, I exhort you as strangers and pilgrims." Forasmuch then as ye are one with Christ, and his goods are yours, and your loss is his loss, and he taketh unto himself all that ye have: therefore ye ought to follow him, and so keep yourselves, as though ye were no more citizens of the world: for your goods are not on earth, but in heaven; and though ye have lost all temporal goods, yet have ye Christ, who is far more and better than heaven and earth. On the other hand, the devil is a prince and lord of this world, and reigns mightily in it over its citizens, who are those who do not believe in Christ and live according to the lusts of the flesh 2c. But because ye are pilgrims in the world, do even as a stranger in an inn, which hath not his goods there, but taketh only meat, and giveth his money for it, and thinketh only how he may speedily come home. For it is only a passage here, since we cannot stay, but must travel on. Therefore we should have no more need of worldly goods, but to cover ourselves with them and fill ourselves with them, and so be gone. We are citizens in heaven, pilgrims and guests on earth. Therefore we have no lasting city here, but we seek the city that is to come, Hebr. 13:14.
Abstain from fleshly lusts, which fight against the soul.
I do not want to discuss here whether St. Peter is talking about external fornication, or how St. Paul uses to talk, who calls everything carnal, which a man does without faith, who is in the body and carnal life. But I think that St. Peter has a slightly different way, nor do I think that he takes the word soul, like St. Paul, for the spirit; but St. Peter (as I think) has given himself further into the common Greek language than St. Paul. But there is no power in it, one understands it from all kinds of pleasures, or only from
of carnal desire or fornication. But this is what he wants to indicate here, that no saint on earth can be completely perfect and pure.
The high schools have applied the saying to sinners alone, as if the saints no longer had and felt any evil desire. As they understand the Scriptures, so they interpret them. But whoever wants to study the Scriptures correctly must understand a difference, for it sometimes speaks of the saints as if they were completely pure; on the other hand, it also speaks of them as if they still have an evil desire and always bite themselves with their sins. They cannot be judged by these two things. Therefore let it be understood that Christians are divided into two parts: the inward being, which is faith, and the outward being, which is the flesh. Now if you look at a Christian by faith, he is pure and completely clean, because the word of God has nothing unclean about him. When this comes into a heart that is attached to it, it also makes it completely pure. Therefore, in faith all things are perfect. Accordingly, we are kings and priests and God's people, as stated above. But because we still live on earth and still wear the old sackcloth on our necks, which still has sin, we still feel evil inclinations, as impatience, anger, fear of death, 2c. These are all still infirmities of the old man, because faith is not yet as it should be, does not have complete power over the flesh.
You can understand this from the parable in the Gospel, Luc. 10, 30. ff., about the man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among the murderers, who beat him and left him half-dead, whom the Samaritan then took up and bandaged his wounds, nursed him and kept him waiting. You see that this man, because he is now being cared for, is now never deathly ill and is sure of life, but he is not whole. Life is there, but his health is not yet complete; he is still under the care of physicians and must still be healed. So we also have the Lord Christ complete, and are assured of eternal life; but we do not have complete health, there still remains something in the flesh of the old Adam. This is also shown in the parable of Matthew 13,
33. ff., where Christ says: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman takes, and mixes it under three bushels of flour, until it 1) becomes thoroughly leavened." When you make a dough from flour, the leaven is all in it; but it has not gone all the way through, and has not worked its way through; but it lies in the work until it is thoroughly leavened, and now no more leaven is to be added to it. So you also have what you ought to have by faith, so that you may grasp the word of God; but it has not completely penetrated, therefore it must work until you are completely leavened. In this way you shall discern the Scriptures, so that you do not also torture them as the papists do.
Therefore I say: When one reads in the Scriptures about saints that they have been perfect, then understand that they have been completely pure and without sin according to faith. But because the flesh was still there, it could not have been completely pure. Therefore Christians desire and ask that the body or the flesh be put to death, so that they may become completely pure. Those who teach otherwise have not felt nor tasted this, therefore they speak as they think and understand with their reason; for this reason they must also fail. The great saints who have written and taught much have stumbled here. Origen has not a word of it in his books. Jerome did not understand it either. If Augustine had not had to quarrel with the Pelagians, he would not have understood it either. When they speak of saints, they exalt them as if they were something different and better than other Christians, just as if they had not felt the flesh and complained about it, just as we do. Therefore St. Peter says here: Ye are now clean through faith, and have righteousness wholly: therefore henceforth contend with evil lusts. So also Christ says John 13:10, "He that is washed must not but wash the feet, but is altogether clean," saying that they are altogether clean, and yet he would have them wash the feet. So also St. Paul teaches Col. 2, 10: "In Christ you are perfect"; and yet he admonishes them
1) i.e. the dough.
Then in chapter 3, v. 1 f., just like St. Peter here, he says: "Since you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Seek that which is above, not that which is on earth." Item, v. 5: "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth" 2c.
What does St. Peter mean when he says: "Abstain from the lusts that war against the soul"? This is what he means: You must not think that it will be all right to play and sleep. Because you believe in Christ, sin is forgiven you; but it is not yet dead, it still stirs because you are alive, for you still have the flesh, which is still senseless and raging. Therefore see to it that you do not leave the bridle to it, but press it under. It will have to be done by force that you conquer and curb the lusts: the greater your faith is, the greater will also be the impulses. Therefore you must be armed and hardened, and fight against them without ceasing with faith and prayer. For they will attack you with multitudes and want to take you captive. Therefore St. Paul also says Rom. 7, 22. f.: "I delight in the law of God according to the inward man; but I find another law in my members, which is contrary to the law in my mind, and takes me captive in the law of sin, which is in my members"; as if he should say: I fight against it, yet it will not cease; I would gladly be rid of it, but it will not be, my will is of no avail. What shall I do then? "I poor, wretched man (he says), who will deliver me from the body of this death?" So all the saints cry out.
But the people who are without faith, the devil leads so that they go safely in sins, follow the fleshly lusts, and do not beat themselves with it at all. But the others, as saints of works and hypocrites, he thinks, I have already caught with unbelief; so I will let them go, that they will not do gross sin, and will not have great temptation, and so will cover them with grief and mischief. On the other hand, the believers have enough temptation all the time, they have to fight all the time, and those who are without faith and spirit do not feel it; therefore they break out,
and follow the evil desire. But as soon as the spirit and faith come into the heart, man becomes so weak that he thinks he cannot resist the slightest temptation, and sees that he is full of sin from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. For before he believed, he went as he pleased; but now that the Spirit has come and wants to make him clean, the controversy arises, and the devil, the flesh and the world oppose faith. All the prophets complain about this in the Scriptures.
Therefore learn to understand this saying of St. Peter's, that the conflict does not take place in raw sinners, but in believers; and it also gives Christians a fine consolation that they do not think, when they feel evil desires, that they will soon be condemned because of this; but they should not consent to this, but abstain from it. Therefore, if you have unbelief, impatience, or other evil thoughts, do not despair; only see that you do not let them take you captive. Our teachers have tried to advise people to torture themselves until they no longer feel sin and evil thoughts, until at last many of them have become mad and insane. But if you are a Christian, learn that you will undoubtedly feel all kinds of impulses and evil inclinations in the flesh. For when faith is there, a hundred evil thoughts, a hundred more temptations, come to thee than before; only see to it that thou be a man, and not be taken, and always resist, saying, I will not, I will not. O Lord Christ, thou hast promised, Ask, and ye shall receive. 2c. Help, dear Lord, against all temptations.
This means a righteous Christian life that is never at rest, and is not the opinion that one should feel no sin at all; one will feel it, but one should not consent to it. One should fast, work, pray, and defend oneself with God's word, so that one may curb and suppress lust. Therefore, you must not think that you want to become a saint, as those fools talk about it. Because blood and flesh remain, sin also remains; therefore it must always be disputed. Whoever does not experience this must not boast that he is a Christian.
Up to now we have been taught that if we had confessed or entered a spiritual state, we would be pure and would no longer be allowed to argue about our sins. They also said that baptism makes one pure and clean, so that no evil remains in a person: Now I will have good rest. Then the devil came and overthrew them worse than before. Therefore, if you believe and are baptized, and earnestly purpose to be a Christian, you must act like a man of war who is in the forefront of the battle; he must have his cause in mind, be armed with his weapons, and confidently strike out and not stop until the battle is over. For he goeth about, saith St. Peter in the 5th chapter, v. 8, like a roaring lion 2c.
Therefore, the Christian life is nothing else but a battle and army camp, as the Scripture says. Therefore our Lord God is called Dominus Zebaoth, that is, Lord over the hosts; item: Dominus potens in proelio; thus he shows that he is almighty, for he is miraculously victorious through us against the prince and god of this world, the devil, and against the infernal gates, which we, however, are weak, against the devil we can hardly count a dull fly. Therefore St. Paul says in 2 Cor. 4, 7: "We have our treasure in earthly vessels, that the abundant power may be of God, and not of us.
V. 12. And lead a good walk among the Gentiles, that they who speak evil of you, as of evildoers, may see your good works, and glorify God, when it shall come to pass.
See how St. Peter keeps such a fine order 1). Now he has taught what we should do, that we should subdue our flesh with all its lusts; now he also teaches why the same should be done. Why should I subdue my flesh? That I may be saved? No, but that I may walk in righteousness.
1) Wittenberger: "ein fein orden".
may lead before the Well. Good conduct does not make us righteous before God, but we must be righteous and believe before we begin to conduct good conduct. Therefore, I should not lead an outward walk in order to atone for sin before God and earn salvation, but in order to improve and provoke the Gentiles, so that they may also come to Christ through us (which is a true work of love). They speak evil of us, and reproach us, and think us the worst of boys; therefore we should show ourselves with such a fine conduct that they must say, "Well, we cannot blame them.
We read that when the emperors ruled and persecuted the Christians, they could not be blamed except that they worshipped Christ and considered him a god; as Pliny wrote to the emperor Trajan that he knew of no evil that the Christians did, except that they came together early in the morning and sang several hymns to honor their Christ and to take the sacrament; otherwise no one could blame them. Therefore, St. Peter says: "You must suffer that you are reproached as evildoers; therefore you should lead such a way that you do not offend anyone, so you will make the unbelievers better.
"When the day comes," that is, you will have to suffer so long that you will be shouted at, until one day it will break out and be revealed that they will see how they have wronged you, and then they will praise God in you. Further on now St. Peter speaks:
V. 13. Be subject to all human order.
So St. Peter goes along in a fine and orderly way, teaching how we should conduct ourselves in all things. So far he has spoken in general and admonished that each one should abstain from carnal pleasures and lead a good life among the unbelievers 2c.; now he begins to teach how one should keep oneself against the worldly authorities. For since he has now said enough, first of all, what one should do against God, for oneself, and against one's enemies, he now goes on to say how one should conduct oneself against all people, beginning with the authorities.
2c., saying, First of all, and above all things, when ye have done all things, that ye walk therefore in righteousness of faith, and keep your bodies in discipline, that they follow not evil lusts, and walk in an honorable and chaste manner before all the world, let this be the first work, that ye obey the authorities.
That I have here translated: "of all human order", is called in Greek language κτίσις, and in Latin creatura. Our scholars have not understood that either. The German language expresses it finely, what the little word means, if one says thus: What the prince creates, that one shall keep. So he also needs the little word here, as if he should say: What the authorities create, in that show your obedience. For to create is to command, and order is a creature of men. Those have drawn it that creatura means an ox and an ass; as the pope also speaks of it. If St. Peter meant this, then one would also have to be subject to a servant. But it is called human order laws or command of the authorities, and what they create that one should do. What God creates, gives and wants, that is his order, namely that one believes, loves, hopes and is patient 2c. Now there is also a human and worldly creation, 1) namely, which is written with commandments, how the outward rule should be; to which we are also to be subject. Therefore understand the little word so that creatura humana means: Quod creat et condit homo.
V. 13. 14. For the sake of the Lord, whether it be to the king as the ruler, or to the captains as the messengers from him, for vengeance on the wicked, and for praise to the pious.
We are (he says) obliged to be obedient to the authorities, not only for their sake, so that if we disobeyed, they would punish us, but primarily for the sake of God, whose children we are. This is to provoke us, not that we have any merit in it; for if I am to do something for God's sake that is pleasing to Him, I must do it with a willing, joyful heart, for His glory and thanksgiving, even if the flesh is sore. But why should one be obedient to the authorities for the sake of the Lord? Because it is his will that
1) Create - order.
to punish the evil-doers and protect the pious, so that unity may remain in the world. This is how God wants us to promote outward peace. For since we do not all believe, but most of the people are unbelievers, he created and decreed that the world should not devour one another, that the authorities should wield the sword, and that if they do not want to have peace, they should defend it. This is what he decrees through the authorities, so that the world may be governed well in all places.
So you see, if there were not wicked people, no authority would be allowed; therefore he says, "for the vengeance and punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of the pious." The pious shall have a price, if they do right, that the worldly authorities praise and crown them, so that the others may take an example from it; not that one wants to earn something from it before God. So also St. Paul says, Rom. 13, 3: "The mighty are not to be feared for good works, but for evil. But if thou wilt not fear the authorities, do good; and thou shalt have praise of them."
V. 15. For this is the will of God, that with benevolence ye should stop up the ignorance of foolish men.
With these words, St. Peter silences the useless talkers who boast of the Christian name and status, and refutes that they would object here and say: Since a Christian has enough in faith, and works do not make him righteous, what need is there that one should be subject to the worldly authorities, giving them interest and lap? To this he answers: "Even though we are not justified before God by this, we should still do it freely to please God, who wants it, so that the mouths of God's enemies may be shut, who reproach us and speak of us as of evildoers, so that [they], when they see our honorable conduct and good works, can raise nothing against us, and must say that we are pious, obedient people. Thus one reads of many saints that they have gone to war among the pagan princes, and have slain the enemies, and have been submissive and obedient to the same, even
as well as we owe obedience to Christian authorities; although it is now considered that we could not be Christians if we were under the Turk.
Now you may say here, Did Christ command that we should not resist evil, but if we are struck on one cheek, we should offer the other also; how then can we strike and choke other people? Answer: In the past, the pagans also said such things to the Christians, saying that if such were to be the case, their regiment would have to perish. But to this we say: It is true that Christians should not resist evil for themselves, nor take revenge when they are harmed, but should suffer injustice and violence; therefore they cannot be hard on unbelievers, but this does not forbid the authorities to use the sword. For although the pious Christians are not allowed to use the sword and the law (since they live in such a way that no one can complain about them, they do neither harm nor injustice, but do good to everyone and suffer everything that is done to them): But the sword must be used for the sake of unbelievers, so that those who harm others may be punished, and those who do not want to do wrong themselves may be forced by force not to do harm, so that peace may be preserved and the pious protected.
Thus the authorities are appointed by God to punish the wicked and to protect the pious. This is a deliciously good work, through which (says St. Peter) God's will is done. Therefore, St. Paul also calls the authority God's servant, good to him who does good, but punishment to him who does evil, because it does not bear the sword in vain 2c. Rom. 13, 4. Therefore, believers in Christ may also wield the power of the sword, knowing that they are doing God a service by forcing and punishing the wicked, so that the pious may remain in peace before them; and yet the saying of Christ remains that one should not resist evil, so that a Christian, even if he wields the sword, does not need it for himself, nor does he need himself 1).
1) Wittenberger: "not yet" instead of: nor himself.
But this is also the work of Christian love, that one protects and defends a whole community with the sword, and does not suffer that they are offended. The great multitude in the world cannot be ruled by kindness, therefore one must resist subtle courage; if not, no one could be safe from it.
So there are two kinds of government in the world, just as there are two kinds of people, namely believers and unbelievers. Christians obey the authorities for God's sake without any coercion. Therefore, it must not wield the sword for their sake, but for the sake of unbelievers who do not want to abide by God's word. Otherwise, if we were all Christians and followed the Gospel, there would be no need or benefit to use the secular sword and force. For if there were no evildoers, there could be no punishment. But since this cannot be, that we are all pious, God has commanded the wicked to be governed by the authorities as they must be governed; but the pious he keeps for himself, and governs them himself by the mere word. Therefore the Christian rule is not against the worldly rule, nor the worldly rule against Christ. The secular government does not belong to Christ's office at all, but is an external thing, like all the other offices and estates; and as these are offices apart from Christ, so that an unbeliever leads them just as well as a Christian: so also is the office of the secular sword, that it makes people neither Christians nor un-Christians. But of this I have often said enough elsewhere. Now follow on:
V. 16. as the free, and not as having liberty to the cover of wickedness, but as the servants of GOD.
This is especially said to us who have heard of Christian freedom, that we should not go and abuse freedom, that is, under the name and appearance of Christian freedom, do everything we desire, and thus freedom becomes insolence and carnal will; as we see that it is now going on, and also already started in the apostles' times (as can well be seen from St. Peter's and Paul's epistles), that one has also done as the great crowd is doing now. We
have now, by the grace of God, come to the knowledge of the truth again through the dear gospel, and know that what the pope, bishops, priests and monks have taught, set down and written up to now is vain deceit, and our conscience has been saved and freed from the laws of men and all the coercion they have exercised with us, that we are not guilty of doing anything they have commanded for the loss of our blessedness. We must now hold fast to this freedom and never let ourselves be torn away from it. But we must also be careful not to make this freedom a cover of shame.
The pope acted wrongly in wanting to force and enforce people with laws. For there should and can be no coercion in a Christian people, for if one tries to bind the consciences with external laws, the faith and the Christian nature will soon perish. Therefore, Christians should and must be led and governed in the spirit alone, so that they know that through faith they have everything that is necessary for salvation, and that they are not allowed to do anything else, and that henceforth they owe nothing more, except to praise and glorify God through Jesus Christ, and to serve and help their neighbor with everything they have, as Christ has helped them; So that all the works they do are done freely and without compulsion, and flow from a merry and glad heart that gives thanks to God for the unspeakable goods it has received from Him. Therefore, St. Paul says in 1 Tim. 1, 9, that no law is given to the righteous, for he does everything freely of himself and without commandment, which God wants him to do.
When such compulsion of the doctrine of men is lifted and Christian freedom is preached, then the nefarious hearts, which are without faith, fall in and want to be good Christians by not keeping the laws of the pope, pretend this freedom, that they are not guilty of this; And yet they do not do that which righteous Christian freedom demands, namely, that they set their hope firmly on the grace that is offered to them, and serve their neighbor with a cheerful mind, regardless of the fact that it is commanded, as true Christians do. So they make the Christian freedom only a cover, under
They disgrace, defile, and tarnish the noble name and title of freedom that Christians have. This is what St. Peter means here, because he wants to say: "Although you are free in all outward things (if you are Christians), and should not be forced by laws to be subject to worldly authority, since no law is given to the righteous (as we have said), you should nevertheless do it willingly and freely of your own accord; not as if you had to do it out of necessity, but for the sake of God and to serve your neighbor. So Christ Himself did, as we read in Matth. 17, 25, that He gave the interest, since He was free and a Lord over all things, because of which He should not have done it at all. So he also submitted to Pilate and let himself be judged, since he himself said to him [John 19:11]: "You would have no power nor authority over me, if it was not given to you from above"; with which words he also confirms the authority himself and therefore submits to it, so that it pleases his father.
From this you see that that group has no part in Christian freedom, which does none, neither what the world wants, nor what God wants. Therefore it does them no good at all, because they remain in the old disorderly nature, that they boast of the Gospel, yes, under the Christian name they are worse than the heathen. We are free from all laws, but we must also spare the weak and inexperienced Christians, which is a work of love. For St. Paul says Rom. 13:8: "Ye owe no man any thing, but to love one another." Therefore, whoever wants to boast of freedom, let him do beforehand what a Christian should do, namely, to serve his neighbor, and then, when the pope or someone else suggests his commandment to him, let him urge him to keep it for the loss of his soul, so that he may say: Dear Pope, I do not want to do it for this very reason, that you want to make a commandment out of it for me, and encroach on my freedom; for we are to act in freedom as servants of God (as St. Peter speaks here), not as servants of men. Peter speaks), not as servants of men. Otherwise, if someone desires it from me, whom I could serve with it, I will gladly do it out of good will, not considering whether it is commanded or not.
but for the sake of brotherly love, and that it pleases God that I serve my neighbor. So I do not want to be forced to be subject to worldly rulers and lords, but will do it willingly of my own accord; not because they command me, but for the honor of God, who wants it, and for the service of my neighbor. So let all our works be, that they flow from desire and love, and all be directed toward our neighbor, because we may not do anything for ourselves, that we may thereby become godly. Further follows:
V. 17. Do honor to everyone.
We owe honor to everyone, even though we are free; for freedom does not extend to wrongdoing, but only to good deeds. Now we have often said that every Christian by faith obtains all that Christ himself has, and so becomes his brother and joint heir. Therefore, as I give all glory to the Lord Christ, so I should also do to my neighbor. This is not only in outward gestures, such as leaning toward him and the like, but rather that I think much of him inwardly in my heart, as I think much of Christ. "Christians are the temple of God," says St. Paul, 1 Cor. 3:16, "for the Spirit of God dwells in them." He who knows this will certainly show all reverence for his neighbor, who is a living temple of God. Thus St. Paul also teaches us in Romans 12:10 that one should precede the other with reverence, so that each one may sit down under the other and lift him up. The gifts of God are manifold and unequal, so that one is in a higher position than another; but no one knows which is the highest in the sight of God. He may well exalt one who is in the lowest estate here to the highest there. Therefore, even if each one sits high, he should throw himself down and honor his neighbor and hold him high.
Love the brothers.
I have said above how the apostles separate from each other common love and brotherly love. We are guilty of loving even our enemies, that is the common Christian love. But brotherly love is that we Christians
to love one another as brothers, and to care for one another, since we all have the same goods from God. This love is especially required by St. Peter.
Fear God; honor the King.
He says to honor kings and all authorities, even if they are Gentiles; as Christ also did John 19:11, and Jeremiah the prophet exhorted the Jews who were carried away to Babylon to pray for those who held them captive 2c.
Here you want to speak: Here you see that one should also be obedient to the pope and do what he commands. Answer: Yes, if the pope assumes temporal authority and acts like another overlord, one should also be obedient to him, as if he were to say, "I command you to wear a cap or plate, item, to fast on this day, not that it counts for anything before God, nor as if it were necessary for salvation, but because I want it so, as a temporal lord. But if he comes and says, "I command you to do this in God's stead, that you accept it as if it came from God himself, and stop at the ban and a mortal sin," then you say: I will not do it; for I shall so honor thee, and be obedient unto thee, that it be not against God, who will be feared. Therefore we are to be subject to the authorities, and do what they command; but that they do not bind our conscience, and command only outward things, even if they ride along with us tyrannically. For he that taketh away our skirts, let us also leave our coats. But if they want to take hold of the spiritual government, and catch the conscience, in which God alone must sit and rule, one should not obey them at all, and also leave the neck over it.
The temporal realm and government extends no further than to external and bodily things; but the pope not only takes this to himself, but also wants to have the spiritual, and yet has none; for his realm is nothing other than clothes, food, endowments, benefices, etc., which belong neither to the temporal nor to the spiritual government. For what is the world improved by it? It is against God to make sin and good works out of it,
because he is not one; therefore Christ cannot suffer it. But he can suffer the temporal government, since it is not concerned with sins or good works and spiritual things, but has to do with other things, such as how to keep and fortify cities, build bridges, establish customs, take taxes, keep escorts, protect land and people, and punish evildoers. Therefore, a Christian can not only be obedient to such a ruler (as long as he does not strike a commandment on his conscience) for the sake of punishment, but also for the sake of conscience, Rom. 13:5, which he also does willingly and without constraint.
Therefore, if any emperor or prince should ask me now what my faith is, I shall tell him, not for the sake of his territory, but that I am bound to confess my faith publicly before everyone. But if he would go further and command me to believe otherwise or so, I shall say: Dear Lord, wait thou on thy worldly rule; thou hast no power to take hold of God in his kingdom, therefore I will not obey thee at all. You cannot suffer anyone to encroach upon your territory; if someone crosses your path without your will, you shoot with guns afterwards: do you think that God should suffer that you want to push him off his throne and put yourself in his place? St. Peter calls the worldly authorities only a human order; therefore they have no power to fall into God's order and to command by faith. Let that be said of it enough. Now continue in the epistle:
V. 18-20. Servants, be subject with all fear to the lords, not only to the kind and gentle, but also to the wicked. For this is grace, if a man for conscience' sake bears with God iniquity, and suffers iniquity. For what price is this, if ye suffer strokes for iniquity? But if you suffer and endure for goodness' sake, that is grace with God.
St. Peter has so far taught how we should be subject to secular authorities, and how we should respect them, saying how far their power should extend, so that they do not encroach on things that belong to the faith. This is what is said about the authorities in general, and a
Teaching for everyone. But now he continues, and speaks of such authority, which does not extend over a community, but only to particular persons. First, he teaches how the household should behave toward their masters, and this is the opinion:
Servants, maids, laborers, day laborers 2c. are Christians as well as other people, who are of high standing before the world, because they have the word, faith, baptism and all heavenly, eternal goods of Christ as others; therefore they are as great and high before God as they are; but according to the outward nature and before the world there is a difference, that they are inferior and must serve others. Therefore, because they are called to the position of God, they should let this be their office, that they are subject to their masters, and look to them and take care of them; therefore also the prophet in the 123rd Psalm, v. 2, gives a fine similitude, thereby indicating how they should serve: "As the eyes of the servants look to the hands of their masters, as the eyes of the maidservants look to the hands of their wives, so our eyes look to the Lord our God" 2c.; that is. Servants and maids should do with fear and humility what the master or the wife wants; this is what God wants, therefore they should also do it gladly with all their hearts; in this way they can be sure and certain that God likes their work and is pleased with it, if they do it in faith and in obedience to God. Therefore, these are the best works that each one does according to God's command in his profession. A servant or maidservant must not think, "Oh, how I am in such a low, wretched condition, always having to wait for work, so I cannot serve God," as was the common complaint in the Pabst. Even if you are a servant, maid 2c., says [t. Peter, nothing hinders you; you can serve God just as well as another who is of a higher station. Believe that through Christ you have obtained forgiveness of sin, righteousness and blessedness, and be obedient for his sake to your Lord, whether he be pious or wicked, kind or strange and angry, and remember: The Lord be what he will, and I will serve him, and do this in honor of Christ, who served me and died for me, because he will have it from me.
This is the righteous teaching to be found in the
This is a tradition that has unfortunately been completely suppressed and extinguished in the papacy. But no one follows it, except those who are serious Christians. Therefore, if you want to be God's child, put this into your heart, that you serve as if Christ Himself called you; as St. Paul also teaches: "You servants are to be obedient to God. Paul teaches, "Ye servants, be obedient in all things unto your physical masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as unto Christ; not with service only in view, as pleasing men, but as the servants of Christ, that ye do such will of God from the heart, with a good will, Let it seem unto you that ye serve the Lord, and not men. "2c. "For ye serve the Lord Christ," Eph. 6:5-7, Col. 3:24.
No priest, monk or nun can have such fame and security. For none of them can say: God has commanded me to keep Mass, to sing matins, to pray the seven times, and the like; for they have no command from Scripture for themselves. Therefore, if you ask them whether they are sure and certain that their position pleases God, it is impossible for them to say yes. But if you ask a lowly maid why she sweeps the house, washes the dishes, milks the cows 2c., she can say: I know that my work pleases God, since I have His word and command for me to be obedient to my lord and wives 2c. This is a great good and a precious treasure, which a saint of works is not worthy to know. So also a prince can do in his state what God commands and is pleased with, if he punishes the wicked and protects the pious 2c., as said above; a householder, if he presides over his wife and child and his household in a good and Christian way 2c. God does not look at how small or great the works are, but at the heart, which in faith and obedience to God does what its profession requires. But it goes on weakly enough: What God gives, nowhere wants to go; what men establish and command, everyone often runs to.
Yes, you say, how, then, if I have a whimsical and wrathful lord, whom no one can serve with thanksgiving? as many such are found. To this St. Peter answers: If you are a Christian and want to live to please God, you do not have to ask about it,
how strange and wondrous your Lord is, but always turn your eyes and see what God has given you and wants you to do. Therefore you should think: That I serve my strange, angry Lord faithfully, I do this for Christ's sake, who took on the form of a servant for my sake, Phil. 2, 7, who wants it from me, and lets me know through his apostle St. Paul that it is for his sake. Therefore, do not be deceived by the appearance or glitter of hypocritical works, but pay attention to what God commands you to do and do it with all fear. Certainly, if you allow yourself to sin not only against your physical master, but also against God, and bring upon yourself his wrath, which is infallible to you, he says, "with all fear. Again, if you do what God has commanded you, you are doing Him a pleasing service and sacrifice. The least work of a servant or maidservant is better in the sight of God, if it is done according to His command, than the works of all the priests and monks in one heap.
But here St. Peter speaks of servants, as it was with them at the same time, when they were serfs, such as are still found in some places, especially in Turkey, who were sold like cattle, were badly treated and beaten by their masters, who also had such freedom that they were without danger, even if they beat their servants to death. Therefore it was necessary that the apostles admonished and comforted such servants with so many beautiful, excellent words, that they should also be subject to the angry, whimsical masters, whom one can do nothing to thank, and serve them faithfully, and suffer, even if they did them harm and injustice.
For he is praiseworthy, he says, who has received a good, happy conscience toward God through faith in Christ, and thus thinks: "If my Lord were still once so angry and strange, I would still not be moved by impatience and disobedience, much less pay evil with evil, but with all my will endure evil and suffer injustice. For if I am greatly wronged and afflicted, what is it but that Christ, my Lord and Savior, who never committed sin 2c.?
has shown the greatest, yes, unspeakable good deeds to the world, and yet he was so shamefully rewarded for it that he had to die as a blasphemer and rebel on the cross between two evildoers 2c.? He suffered for the sake of good deeds and endured the highest suffering, the like of which no man on earth has experienced; I will follow him. For the yoke and the burden that he has laid on is easy and light. But he who suffers for iniquity, as the wicked, disobedient servants, cannot have this glory 2c.
Therefore, not only servants, but all Christians must bear their cross and follow Christ, and the more one suffers injustice, the better it is for him; therefore, you should willingly take up such a cross from God and thank Him. This is the right suffering that pleases God. For what would it be for you to be badly beaten and to deserve it, and to boast of the cross? Therefore, St. Peter says: "If you suffer and endure for goodness' sake, this is grace with God," which is pleasant and a great thanksgiving before God, and a right service to God. Behold, there are described right, delicious good works to be done; whereas the pope with his own has trampled this doctrine underfoot, and invented and raised up other works. Therefore, we should lift up our hands, give thanks to God, and be glad from the heart that we have come to this again, and also follow them with all seriousness. Now follows further:
V. 21-24. For to this end were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow in his footsteps: who did no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth; Who reproached not when he was reproached, neither grieved when he suffered; but reproved him that judgeth righteously; who himself offered up our sin in his body upon the wood, that we might be freed from sin, and live unto righteousness, by whose wounds ye were healed.
This is what I have said, that the servants should be formed in the heart and be moved to be willingly subject even to their whimsical masters, and to suffer evil for their faithfulness and good deeds. Because they hear here that Christ, their
The same thing has happened to our Lord and Savior, against whom they are nothing; therefore let them remember: Christ, the innocent and undefiled Lamb of God, the chosen and precious cornerstone, who has done no sin, in whose mouth no deceit is found, sacrificed our sin Himself in His body on the cross, not for Him, but for us poor, miserable people, so that we might be healed by His wounds, and yet has earned no thanks from the wicked world: What wonder is it that we, who are by nature children of wrath, should receive evil reward for our faithful service and labor from our physical masters? 2c.
So now St. Peter wants to say: You servants have two reasons that should move you to be gladly and willingly subject even to your strange masters. First, your profession requires that you suffer for the sake of good, and not only endure evil, but also repay it with good 1). Secondly, it also requires the example of Christ; for over and above the fact that he suffered for us, and by his death and resurrection redeemed us from the power of the devil, made us righteous and blessed, he has also left us an example that we should follow in his footsteps, that is, that servants, yes, all of us, each in his profession, should show all loyalty and good deeds to their masters and to everyone, and in return expect ingratitude, hatred, envy, persecution and all misfortune as a reward; to this, says St. Peter, we are called. This, says St. Peter, is what we are called to do. Christ also teaches us this with his own example, who with the highest good deeds, both bodily and spiritual, not only served his people to whom he was promised, made the sick and lepers well and clean, raised the dead 2c., preaching the gospel to the poor, but he also became a curse, that all the race might be blessed through him: for which he received this reward, that he not only heard that he was a Samaritan, possessed with the devil, a glutton and a winebibber, a publican's and a sinner's companion, but he was also finally mocked, reviled, scourged, 2c., He is also mocked, scorned, scourged, crucified, blasphemed there in the most bitter and venomous way, and hanging between two evildoers, as an arch-villain, both of them,
, 1) "with good" is missing in the Wittenberg.
He died because he had blasphemed God and stirred up rebellion against Caesar; and he suffered all these things willingly and patiently, not smelling his enemies, not reproaching them again, nor grieving them, but bringing his cause to him who judges rightly. Yes, he prayed for them on the cross, saying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Therefore, if you want to be a true Christian, you should follow your Lord and let yourself mourn for those who harm you, and also pray for them that God will not punish them. For they do much more harm to their souls than they do to your body. If you took this to heart, you would forget your misfortune and suffer everything gladly.
But whom such admonition of St. Peter does not move to bear all kinds of evil and suffer misfortune, let him not boast that he is a Christian; for if the Lord himself goes before and treads in the mire, the servant ever goes after. If Christ expresses his divine nature and becomes the servant of us all, much more should we, who are conceived and born in sins, deeply humble ourselves, let ourselves go down and become the servants of others 2c. But if this were to happen, what would our humility, obedience, benevolence and suffering be in comparison to this high person's humility, obedience, benevolence and suffering? of which St. Peter testifies that she has not committed any sin 2c., which title belongs to him alone. For no saint can boast that he is an apostle, prophet or patriarch, that he has not committed any sin 2c. But they do have the title, as it is written Ps. 14, 3: "They have all gone astray, and have all become unfit; there is not one who does good, not even one" 2c. That is why they all prayed in 2) all of Christendom: Forgive us our trespasses, Ps. 32, 5, and were as well comforted by the article: Forgiveness of sins through Christ, as we are. This is strongly preached, and with many excellent words the servants are highly exhorted to obedience; but it is a lesson and admonition for the godly who follow Christ, for they will not go like him; he does it to all of us far before.
2) "in" is missing in the Erlanger.
But the great multitude remains as it is, yes, becomes worse, as one now hears everywhere a common complaint that the servants are disobedient and unfaithful 2c.; God will find them well in his time, punish here temporally and there eternally 2c.
Here St. Peter introduces some sayings from the prophet Isaiah in the 53rd, namely these [v. 9]: "He who has done no sin, no deceit is found in his mouth"; item [v. 5]: "By whose wounds we are healed. All that Christ did and said in preaching, counseling, and punishing was good, useful, comforting, and blessed; therefore he deserved that all should fall at his feet, and bear him up in their hands; and had power and right to avenge himself on his enemies: neither did he suffer himself to be reproached, mocked, blasphemed, and slain, and not open his mouth. You should follow the example, and if you look at it rightly, and earnestly pursue it, you would praise and thank God that you were worthy to become like Christ, not grumbling or impatient when you are harmed, because your Lord did not rebuke or condemn again, but also interceded for his enemies, as I said.
Here you may speak: How then shall I justify them that do me wrong, and say that they have done well? Answer: No; but thus shalt thou say: Though I have not deserved it, and thou hast wronged me, I will gladly suffer it with all my heart, for the sake of my Lord Christ, who for his divine, unspeakable good deed suffered all evil, and at last an ignominious death upon the cross. "He who sacrificed our sin in his own body" (says St. Peter), that is, he did not suffer for himself, but for the whole human race, so that he might atone for the terrible fall of Adae, and set right what the devil had corrupted. Whoever does not recognize his gratuitous love, nor is grateful to him for it, will not be grateful to God.
He will not escape the wrath and punishment of the one who judges. The Jews, Greeks, Romans 2c. have to serve; he will find those who blaspheme and persecute the gospel of Christ in his time.
V. 25 For ye would have been as sheep going astray: but now are ye converted unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
As if to say: Remember that before you also lived in the same error and unbelief as those who now put you to all harm; but now you are visited and converted through Christ, your faithful shepherd and bishop of your souls.
But this is again a saying from the prophet Isaiah, Cap. 53, 6. which thus speaks: "We all went astray like sheep; each one looked to his own way." But now we have received a shepherd (says St. Peter); the Son of God came for our sake, that he might be our shepherd and bishop; he gives us his Spirit, guides us and feeds us with his word, so that we now know how we are helped. Therefore, if you know that through him your sins have been taken away, you are his sheep, he is your shepherd; item, he is your bishop, who strengthens and comforts you, so that your soul may have peace and rest. Now this is the precious treasure that all Christians have.
So we have two chapters in this epistle, in which St. Peter first taught righteous faith, then righteous works of love; and he spoke of two kinds of works, first, what we should all do in general toward the worldly authorities, then how the household servants should behave toward their masters; 1) and what St. Peter says here about household servants also extends to several other persons, namely craftsmen, day laborers, and all kinds of hired servants. Now he will go on to teach how husband and wife should behave toward each other in a Christian manner.
1) Erlanger: "has" instead of: hold.