Exhortation to the Church

Inductive Bible Study 1 Peter 5

1 Peter 5 ESV

1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

5:1 I exhort the elders.

Times of suffering and persecution in the church call for the noblest leadership.

The “elder” is the same leader as the “shepherd” (v. 2), and “Guardian” (2:25), or “overseer” (see note on Ac 20:28).

The word “elder” emphasizes their spiritual maturity.

Peter wrote in the plural, indicating it was usual to have a plurality of godly leaders who oversaw and fed the flock. fellow elder … witness … partaker also of the glory.

Peter loaded this exhortation to the elders with some rich motivation.

First, there was motivation by identification with Peter, who refers to himself as a fellow-elder. As such, he could give relevant exhortation to the spiritual leaders.

Second, there was motivation by authority. Peter was affirming his apostleship

Third, there was the motivation by anticipation. The fact that Christian leaders will one day receive from the hand of Christ a reward for their service should be a stimulant to faithful duty.

5:2 shepherd the flock of God.

Since the primary objective of shepherding is

feeding, that is, teaching, every elder must be able to teach

Involved also protecting the flock.

In both duties, it must be remembered that the flock belongs to God, not to the pastor.

God entrusts some of His flock to the pastor of a church to lead, care for, and feed not under compulsion, but voluntarily.

Peter may be warning the elders against a first danger—laziness.

The divine calling along with the urgency of the task, should prevent laziness and indifference.

False teachers are always motivated by money, and use their power and position to rob people of their own wealth.

Scripture is clear that churches should pay their shepherds well (1Co 9:7–14; 1Ti 5:17, 18); but a desire for undeserved money must never be a motive for ministers to serve (cf. 1Ti 3:3; 6:9–11; 2Ti 2:4; Tit 1:7; 2Pe 2:3).

5:3 nor yet as lording it over.

This is the third major temptation for a pastor:

1) laziness (v. 2);

2) dishonest finances (v. 2); and

3) demagoguery. In this context, “lording it over” means to dominate someone or some situation. It implies leadership by manipulation and intimidation. Rather, true spiritual leadership is by example (see 1Ti 4:12).

5:4 Chief Shepherd appears.

The Chief Shepherd is Jesus Christ (Heb 13:20, 21).

When He appears at the second coming, He will evaluate the ministry of pastors at the judgment seat of Christ (cf. 1Co 3:9–15; 4:5; 2Co 5:9, 10).

In the NT world, crowns were given as marks of victorious achievements (cf. 1Co 9:24, 25).

Believers are promised crowns of glory, life (Jas 1:12), righteousness (2Ti 4:8), and rejoicing (1Th 2:19), and all are imperishable (1Co 9:25).

All the crowns describe certain characteristics of eternal life.

5:5 be subject to.

The elders are the pastors, the spiritual leaders of the church (1Ti 3:1–7; Tit 1:5–9).

The church members, especially the young people, are to give honor, deference, and respect to spiritual leadership.

Submission is a fundamental attitude of spiritual maturity (1Co 16:15; 1Th 5:12–14; Tit 3:1, 2; Heb 13:7, 17).

Lack of submission to the elders not only makes the ministry difficult, but also forfeits God’s grace

Clothe yourselves with humility.

Humility was not considered a virtue by the ancient world, any more than it is today

5:6 under the mighty hand of God.

The readers of Peter’s letter were not to fight the sovereign hand of God, even when it brought them through testings.

One of the evidences of lack of submission and humility is impatience with God in His work of humbling believers.

God will lift up the suffering, submissive believers in His wisely appointed time. See notes on Job 42.

5:7 casting all your anxiety on Him.

This verse partly quotes and partly interprets Ps 55:22. “Casting” means “to throw something on something,”

Christians are to cast all of their discontent, discouragement, despair, and suffering on the Lord, and trust Him for knowing what He’s doing with their lives (cf. 1Sa 1:10–18).

Along with submission (v. 5) and humility (vv. 5, 6), trust in God is the third attitude necessary for victorious Christian living.

5:8 Be of sober spirit.

Strong confidence in God’s sovereign care does not mean that the believer may live carelessly.

The outside evil forces which come against the Christian demand that the Christian stay alert.

Your adversary. Gr. for a legal opponent in a lawsuit. the devil … a roaring lion.

The Gr. word for “devil” means “slanderer”; thus a malicious enemy who maligns believers.

He and his forces are always active, looking for opportunities to overwhelm the believer with temptation, persecution, and discouragement (cf. Pss 22:13; 104:21; Eze 22:25).

Satan sows discord, accuses God to men, men to God, and men to men.

He will do what he can to drag the Christian out of fellowship with Christ and out of Christian service (cf. Job 1; Lk 22:3; Jn 13:27; 2Co 4:3, 4; Rev 12).

And he constantly accuses believers before God’s throne, attempting to convince God to abandon them (Job 1:6–12; Rev 12:10).

5:9 resist him, firm in your faith.

“Resist” means “to stand up against.”

The way to resist the devil is not with special formulas, or words directed at him and his demons, but by remaining firm in the Christian faith.

This means to continue to live in accord with the truth of God’s Word (see notes on 2Co 10:3–5).

As the believer knows sound doctrine and obeys God’s truth, Satan is withstood (cf. Eph 6:17). the same … suffering.

The whole brotherhood, the entire Christian community, is always going through similar trials brought on by the roaring lion who never stops trying to devour believers (cf. 1Co 10:13).

5:10 After you have suffered for a little while.

Christians are to live with the understanding that God’s purposes realized in the future require some pain in the present.

While the believer is being personally attacked by the enemy, he is being personally perfected by the Lord, as the next phrase attests (cf. 1:6; also 2Co 1:3–7).

who called you. As always in the NT epistles, an effectual, saving call.

These 4 words all speak of strength and resoluteness.

God is working through the Christian’s struggles to produce strength of character.

In vv. 5–14, Peter elucidated briefly, but in wonderful richness, those attitudes which are necessary for the believer to grow in Christ to effective maturity.

These include

submission (v. 5),

humility (vv. 5, 6),

trust (v. 7),

sobermindedness (v. 8),

vigilant defense (vv. 8, 9),

hope (v. 10),

worship (v. 11),

faithfulness (v. 12), and

affection (vv. 13, 14).

5:12 Silvanus.

He was a prophet (Ac 15:32) and a Roman citizen (Ac 16:37); he was apparently the one who wrote down Peter’s words and later took this letter to its intended recipients .

5:13 She who is in Babylon.

This refers to a church in Rome

my son, Mark. Mark, called John Mark, was the spiritual son of Peter.

Tradition indicates that Peter helped him write the Gospel of Mark (cf. Ac 12:12).

This is the same Mark who once failed Paul (Ac 13:13; 15:38, 39; Col 4:10), but later became useful again for ministry (2Ti 4:11).

Questions of Application

Is there some part of theses passages that ministered your heart?

Why is an elder so important in your life?

What is the job of elders?

What is the benefit of submitting to an elder?

Who is the “flock of God” and why is so important to belong in one?

What are the characteristics of a godly elder capable to lead?

Do you have any elders, spiritual authorities, or mentor in your life? if So how is your relationship with them?

Why do you think Peter includes this instruction in verse 5 towards young men?

What are some ways you can humble yourselves?

Can you think of any examples in the Bible of people who humbled themselves and God exalted them?

What is the reason given for why we should put our worries on God?

Are there any worries you have that you need to take to God?

List several ways you can be on the alert against temptation/Satan.

In what specific ways was Satan trying to devour/tempt the saints Peter was writing to?

What element or elements are key if we want to resist Satan?

What is waiting for us if we remain faithful?