1 Peter 1:10-16
Chapter 1
But they could only understand when the Spirit of Christ within them revealed the timing and circumstances—specifically, the suffering of Christ and the glories to come.
It was shown to them that they were working not for themselves but for you. Therefore, in these days, after the Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven, the gospel preachers have taught you these mysteries, which even angels long to look!
Christian Conduct
So, then, let your spirit be prepared. Stay alert, with confident trust in the grace you will receive when Jesus Christ appears.
As obedient children, avoid returning to your old way of life driven by ignorance and passions.
Imitate the one who called you. Just as he is holy, you also should be holy in all your conduct,
for scripture says: Be holy, for I am holy.
Commentaries
Christian Hope.
After the greeting, the letter begins with a solemn blessing in the style of Jewish blessings (see 2 Cor 1:3). Blessing God is equivalent to giving thanks to Him. The author, or a disciple of Peter, offers this blessing for the salvation that the communities received through being reborn into new life. The hymn functions as a profession of faith, recited in a prayerful setting, emphasizing the main themes of the baptismal catechesis in which his listeners have already been initiated (see Tit 3:5). The hymn contains the central theme of the letter: the passion of Christ and His glorification, which continues in the suffering of Christians and in their future and ultimate liberation. However, it would be wrong to interpret everything that follows as purely spiritual, since “the future heaven” must already become a present reality through believers’ daily effort.
Christian Conduct.
The certainty of the promised good causes Christians to experience their waiting time as a period of salvation and, therefore, a time of joy. And this is not only despite present sufferings but precisely because of them. It is the paradoxical joy of the persecuted mentioned in the Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:12). “Live soberly” (13) is how the disciple views the conduct of his followers during this waiting period.