Closing remarks (1 Peter 5:12-14)

 Peter concludes his letter with a number of personal references and descriptions of the Christian life. Although they are his closing remarks, they are also inspired words. One way to see how they apply to us is to ask a string of questions. So we can ask five. The questions are not inappropriate, but normal ones to use of this passage.

1. What does it mean to be a faithful brother (v. 12)?

It is generally assumed that this Silvanus is the same person as the Silas who was with Paul at an earlier period. Peter could be referring to Silvanus as the deliverer of the letter as well as the amanuensis who wrote down what Peter had dictated to him. It was customary for senders of letters to comment about the deliverer, because often the deliverer would give information about the circumstances of the sender. If he was the deliverer, it was important that the recipients knew that he was more than a postman with nothing to say about Peter’s situation.

There are two ideas in this description of Silvanus. One is that he belonged to the family of God through having been adopted into it when he believed in Jesus. That was a great privilege for him, a sinner, to have been given. No doubt he valued it highly. We can see the degree of how he valued it in the other idea mentioned by Peter, the fact that he was faithful. Peter could have meant faithful to him, but I suspect he means faithful to Christ. Silas’ character gave confidence to Peter about the genuineness of his salvation. It is good to be a faithful member of the family of God.

2. What is the difference between exhorting and declaring?

Peter is not referring to vocal preaching here because he uses both these words to describe what he has written in this letter. Perhaps he uses the two words to describe the same thing, but I don’t think so. Declaring points to Peter’s authority which he had as an apostle of Christ. It was a serious matter to ignore or disobey him because he was a representative of Christ. Exhorting refers to the animation with which Peter declared his message. He was not casual in his approach. His words were earnest and heartfelt. He felt the burden of what he was writing to his readers and demanding of them.

3. How do we stand firm?

Peter, as we know, knew what it was to fail to stand firm when he denied his Master on the night of his arrest. From an external point of view, he failed to do so because he was afraid of the opposition, and no doubt that would be a fear in some of his readers that they too would fall because of their great troubles. Peter knew by painful experience that one’s inner strength and resolve are not sufficient for maintaining loyalty to Jesus. Rather we need strength from outside ourselves, and the only resource we can use that will bring success is the grace of God. 

The word ‘grace’ covers a wide range of concepts. Indeed, it is available in every area of life. Moreover, since it comes from God, it is supernatural which means that it can deal with all natural problems and issues. Given the topics covered in the letter, we could say that it is sovereign grace, saving grace, sanctifying grace, sympathising grace and strengthening grace. If we read through the letter, we will see examples of those aspects of grace.

Standing firm has the emphasis of immovability. In recent weeks, we have seen sturdy trees uprooted by powerful winds. Beforehand, the trees seemed strong enough, but when tested by the gales they were not as strong as they seemed. They did not stand firm. Psalm 1 reminds us of a person who can stand firm because he has his roots down deep in God’s Word. The secret of standing firm is not based on what people can see but from what they cannot see, the roots on which stability depends. We are living in stormy days, but we need to use the means of grace in order to remain standing.

4. What is a Christian greeting (vv. 13-14)?

Peter probably uses cryptic language in verse 13. Who is he referring to by ‘she, who is at Babylon’? Babylon is probably a reference to Rome; he would have used this term to hide his location during the period of persecution that was taking place. 

‘She’ could refer to the church in Rome, but it could also refer to Peter’s wife - Paul mentions in one of his letters that Peter and his wife travelled together as he served the Lord (1 Cor. 9:5). If it is a reference to his wife, then perhaps she was in the room as Peter dictated this closing section of the letter to Silvanus. 

Peter describes her as one of the elect, one chosen by God in eternity. No doubt, Peter had chosen her to be his wife, but a far higher choice had been made of her, and this was made by the Father. That is a good way to describe one another, because to be chosen by God is a great privilege. 

Mark is also with them in Rome. Although once a failure, he is now a credible servant of the Lord. Peter’s description of Mark as his son points to Peter having a type of mentoring relationship with Mark similar to that which Paul had with Timothy. 

They probably sent greetings because they knew the readers. But what does that mean? At a basic level, it is a recognition that they exist. It is also a recognition that their should be acknowledged. Again, it is a recognition of the unity of a congregation, and beyond that, of the unity of God’s people. Moreover, it includes prayerful good wishes for them. It would be invalid to send greetings without prayer.

One way of expressing greetings was by an embrace. Here Peter calls it the kiss of love and in other passages Paul calls it a holy kiss. It seems obvious from Peter’s words that he is giving an instruction about what should happen in a service rather than what could happen in an encounter in a shop. Indeed, in the early church, this form of greeting occurred prior to the Lord’s Supper or shortly after it.

We may smile at this request, or we may reduce it to a symbol that is like shaking of hands. But imagine the impact of witnessing a master kissing a slave, a Jew kissing a Gentile, a rich person kissing a poor believer. It becomes a non-verbal but very powerful acted parable.

5. What is the peace desired?

The last matter that Peter mentions is contained in his brief benediction at the close when he expresses the desire that his readers would experience peace. He does not mean peace with God because the peace he desires is only for those who are already in Christ, united to him by faith. What he asks for is either inner peace for all of them or for them to be at peace with one another. Maybe he means both options, and all churches need both.

There is something impressive about this closing wish of the apostle. He is not referring to calm surroundings that his readers have, but to the presence of peace in the middle of a furious storm that showed no sign of abating. Peter could not promise them deliverance from their troubles, but he could desire blessings for them in their troubles. His desire for them was right, reasonable, and relevant to where they were. He was not asking for the impossible, but he was asking for the incredible. And it is appropriate for us to believe that the Spirit who inspired Peter to write this letter brought about in their lives what he desired for them in his benediction.

Conclusion

No doubt, many things could be said about this letter. But I will make four brief comments. First, there is the wonder of the fulfilment of the Saviour’s prediction that Peter, after his restoration, would strengthen his brothers. Peter is doing this through his letter. And by extension, the strengthening he gives blesses all Christians as they profit from reading his letter.

Second, there is the wonder of the preservation of God’s Word. Where was this letter sent to initially? To gatherings of Christians experiencing intense persecution, who were liable to and likely to lose their possessions. What today remains of their witness? Only the letters that Peter sent to them. God can protect his Word from disappearing from sight. 

Third, there is the wonder of the progression of Christ’s church despite the intense persecution that they endured. While there is no doubt that many of them suffered terribly in those periods of persecution, the church not only survived but increased numerically.

Fourth, one day we will meet those Christians. What will we say to them if they ask us if we found Peter’s letter to be as helpful as they did?