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The Epistles of St. Peter

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The Epistles of St. Peter Author(s): Jowett, John Henry (1817-1893) Publisher: Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library Description: Epistle of St. Peter is a commentary written by English pastor John Henry Jowett on 1 and 2 Peter. He writes 18 entries on 1 Peter and 11 on 2 Peter, moving chronologically through the letters. He engages each verse of the section and at- tempts to further explain or add to what the Apostle Peter has written. Jowett explains metaphors and events, charac- terizes God, and outlines the commands given in the letters. This commentary will always remain fresh due to Jowett©s clean and sincere writing and his attention to detail. This online edition also includes an index of scripture verses, making it easy to locate commentary on the desired verse. Abby Zwart CCEL Staff Writer i Contents Title Page 1 Prefatory Material. 3 Works by the Same Author. 3 Contents 4 The First Epistle of Peter 6 The Possibilities and Dynamics of the Regenerate Life 6 Sorrowful, Yet Always Rejoicing 10 A Twofold Relationship and Its Fruits. 15 Being Fashioned. 20 The Holiness of the Father. 25 The Creation of Culture and Affection. 30 The Living Stones and the Spiritual House. 34 The Ministry of Seemly Behaviour. 39 The Sufferings of Christ. 44 Wives and Husbands. 49 Be Pitiful. 54 Christ Sanctified as Lord. 59 Bringing Us to God. 64 The Suffering Which Means Triumph. 69 Getting Ready for the End. 74 The Fiery Trial. 79 Tending the Flock. 83 Through Antagonisms to Perfectness. 88 The Second Epistle of Peter. 92 Liberty! Equality! Fraternity! 93 The Christian’s Resources. 96 ii Diligence in the Spirit. 102 The Sanctification of the Memory. 106 The Transfigured Jesus. 111 The Mystery of the Prophet. 117 Destructive Heresies. 124 Worse Than the First. 131 The Leisureliness of God. 136 Preparing for the Judgment. 142 Growing in Grace. 148 Indexes 153 Index of Scripture References 154 Index of Scripture Commentary 155 Latin Words and Phrases 156 Index of Pages of the Print Edition 157 iii This PDF file is from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, www.ccel.org. The mission of the CCEL is to make classic Christian books available to the world. • This book is available in PDF, HTML, ePub, Kindle, and other formats. See http://www.ccel.org/ccel/jowett/epistpeter.html. • Discuss this book online at http://www.ccel.org/node/3769. The CCEL makes CDs of classic Christian literature available around the world through the Web and through CDs. We have distributed thousands of such CDs free in developing countries. If you are in a developing country and would like to receive a free CD, please send a request by email to [email protected]. The Christian Classics Ethereal Library is a self supporting non-profit organization at Calvin College. If you wish to give of your time or money to support the CCEL, please visit http://www.ccel.org/give. This PDF file is copyrighted by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. It may be freely copied for non-commercial purposes as long as it is not modified. All other rights are re- served. Written permission is required for commercial use. iv Title Page Title Page The Devotional and Practical Commentary Edited by i W. Robertson Nicoll M.A., LL.D. THE ii DEVOTIONAL AND PRACTICAL COMMENTARY Crown 8vo, Cloth, 5s. each. ST. PAUL’S EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. By JOSEPH PARKER, D.D. ST PAUL’S EPISTLES TO THE COLOSSIANS AND THESSALONIANS. By the Same Author. THE EPISTLES OF ST. Peter. By J. H. JOWETT, M.A. LONDON: HODDER AND STOUGHTON iii 1 Title Page THE EPISTLES OF ST. Peter BY THE REV. J. H. JOWETT, M.A. THIRD EDITION HODDER AND STOUGHTON LONDON MCMX iv 2 Prefatory Material. WorksPrefatory by the SameMaterial. Author. WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR APOSTOLIC OPTIMISM 5th Edition. Cloth, 6s. FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH ONE OF THE “LITTLE BOOKS ON RELIGION” Cloth, 1s. net. LONDON: HODDER AND STOUGHTON v 3 Contents Contents CONTENTS THE FIRST EPISTLE OF Peter CHAP. VERSE PAGE I. 3-5. THE POSSIBILITIES AND DYNAMICS OF THE 1 REGENERATE LIFE I. 6, 7. SORROWFUL, YET ALWAYS REJOICING 11 I. 8, 9. A TWOFOLD RELATIONSHIP AND ITS FRUITS 24 I. 13-16. BEING FASHIONED 34 I. 17-21. THE HOLINESS OF THE FATHER 45 I. 22-25. THE CREATION OF CULTURE AND AFFEC- 56 TION II. 1-10. THE LIVING STONES AND THE SPIRITUAL 67 HOUSE II. 11-17. THE MINISTRY OF SEEMLY BEHAVIOUR 78 II. 21-25. THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST 90 vi III. 1-8. WIVES AND HUSBANDS 102 III. 8. “BE PITIFUL” (“TENDERHEARTED”) 114 III. 8-15. CHRIST SANCTIFIED AS LORD 126 III. 18-22. BRINGING us TO GOD 138 IV. 1-6. THE SUFFERING WHICH MEANS TRIUMPH 150 IV. 7-11. GETTING READY FOR THE END 161 IV. 12-19. THE FIERY TRIAL 173 V. 1-7. TENDING THE FLOCK 181 V. 8-10. THROUGH ANTAGONISMS TO PERFECTNESS 193 THE SECOND EPISTLE OF Peter I. 1, 2. LIBERTY! EQUALITY! FRATERNITY! 205 I. 1-4. THE CHRISTIAN’S RESOURCES 213 4 Contents I. 5-9. DILIGENCE IN THE SPIRIT 227 I. 12-15. THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE MEMORY 237 I. 16-18. THE TRANSFIGURED JESUS 249 I. 19-21. THE MYSTERY or THE PROPHET 263 II. 1. DESTRUCTIVE HERESIES 279 II. 20, 21. WORSE THAN THE FIRST 296 III. 3, 4, 8, 9. THE LEISURELINESS OF GOD 307 III. 10-14. PREPARING FOR THE JUDGMENT 321 III. 18. GROWING IN GRACE 334 viii 1 5 The First Epistle of Peter The PossibilitiesThe and First Dynamics Epistle ofof Peterthe Regenerate Life THE POSSIBILITIES AND DYNAMICS OF THE REGENERATE LIFE 1 Peter i. 3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. How easily these early disciples break into doxology! Whenever some winding in the way of their thought brings the grace of God into view, the song leaps to their lips. The glory of grace strikes the chords of their hearts into music, and life resounds with exuberant praise. It is a stimulating research to study the birthplaces of doxologies in the apostolic writings. Sometimes the march of an argument is stayed while the doxology is sung. Sometimes the Te Deum is heard in the midst of a procession of moral maxims. The environment of the doxology varies, but the operative cause which gives it birth is ever the same. From the height of some ascending argument, or through the lens of some ethical maxim, the soul catches a glimpse of the “riches of His grace,” and the wonderful vision moves it to inevitable and immediate praise. I am not surprised, therefore, to find the doxology forming the ac- 2 companiment of a passage which contemplates the glory and the privileges of the re-created life. It is a Te Deum sung during the unveiling of the splendours of redeeming grace. Let us turn our eyes to the vision which has aroused the grateful song. “Blessed be the God and Father . who begat us again.” [Verse 3] “Begat again.” That is one of the unique phrases of the Christian vocabulary. It is not to be found in systems of thought which are alien from the Christian religion. It is not to be found in the vocabulary of any of the modern schools which are severed from the facts and forces of the Christian faith. The emphasis of their teaching gathers round about terms of quite a different order, such as culture, training, discipline, education, evolution. The Christian religion has also much to say about the process of evolution. It dwells at length upon the ministries of “growth,” “training,” “increasing,” “putting on,” “perfecting.” But while it emphasises “growth,” it directs our attention to “birth.” While it magnifies the necessity of wise culture, it proclaims the necessity of good seed. So while the Bible lags behind no school in urging the importance of liberal culture, it stands alone in proclaiming the necessity of right germs. You cannot by culture develop the thorn-bush into a ladened vine. You cannot by the most 3 exquisite discipline evolve “the natural man” into the “measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” If we had merely to do with perverted growths, then the trainer and pruner might twist the crooked straight. But we are confronted with more than perverted growths; we have to do with corrupt and rotting seed. If all we needed was the purification of our condi- 6 The Possibilities and Dynamics of the Regenerate Life tions, then the City Health Department might lead us into holiness. But we need more than the enrichment of the soil; we need the revitalising of the seed. And so the Christian religion raises the previous question. It begins its ministry at a stage prior to the process of evolution. It discourses on births and generation, on seeds and germs, and proclaims as its primary postulate, “Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Now, man is not enamoured of that dogmatic postulate. It smites his pride in the fore- head. It lays himself and his counsels in the dust. It expresses itself in an alien speech.
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