1 Peter 1:22

1 Peter 1:22 ‘Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for. sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,'

'in obedience to the truth' -1. Which means that the truth can be obeyed. 2. The truth is the message of the gospel (John 14:16; Galatians 5:7; Ephesians 1:13; 1 Timothy 4:3). 3. ‘and obeying the gospel..indicates that conversion is not simply. matter of intellectual change, but of. transformation of behavior, that is,. response to. command (Acts 2:38).' (Davids p. 76) 4. The soul is not purified by submitting to false doctrines. 5. There is not. level of truth beyond what is revealed in the Word of God (John 17:17).

‘purified' -‘purified your lives' (TCNT). Perfect active tense, implying action in the past with existing results. Purification/sanctification is the result of obeying the gospel. It isn't. mystical process. Rather, one hears the gospel, believes that Jesus is the Son of God, turns from. life of sin, confesses Jesus, and submits to the command to be baptized (Acts 2:38). 1. ‘This is the cleansing of the conscience from awareness of sin by removing the sin. Men are commanded to be baptized for remission of sins (Acts 2:38).' (Hamilton p. 53) 2. In Acts 15:9. Peter noted that God had cleansed the hearts of the Gentiles by faith. Which means that the faith that saves is an obedient faith,. conviction that obeys the truth. 3. This purifying of the soul also includes the conscious decision on the part of the individual to give up the sin in their life (James 4:8; 1 John 3:3). 4. In comparing this verse with 1 Peter 1:2, we learn that the sanctifying work performed by the Spirit, is what happens when an individual encounters the truth and is convicted.

‘for. ‘ -‘with. view to, in the direction of' (Alford p.1637)

‘sincere love of the brethren' -Love that is genuine, without hypocrisy and undisguised (Romans 12:9; 2 Corinthians 6:6). This includes. love that is more than talk or profession (1 John 3:18; John 13:34).

‘fervently love one another from the heart' -1. ‘Fervently'-‘eagerly, constantly' (Arndt p. 245). ‘Lit., intensely, with all the energies strained to the utmost.' (P.P. Comm. p. 11). ‘Children of God are not to love one another indifferently, or loosely, but..intensely.' (Woods p. 50) 2. ‘One another'-this quality of love is the obligation of every member. 3. ‘from the heart'-This love isn't forced. Rather, it is. deliberate act of the will. 4. ‘It is. reminder that one of the first marks of genuine growth in holiness in individuals and in churches is earnest love for fellow Christians. It also gives encouragement that human personalities, far from being immutably fixed early in life, can be dramatically and permanently changed through the power of the gospel.' (Grudem pp. 89-90) ‘Loving fellow-Christians is obviously no minor issue..' (Davids p. 77) (See Romans 12:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; Hebrews 13:1; 1 Peter 4:8; 2 Peter 1:7).

The New Birth: