1 Peter 1:22-2:3, Love (1)

Be holy, for I am holy (v16).  Conduct yourselves through the time of your stay here in fear (v17).  And now, love one another fervently with a pure heart (v22).

·        Love: Agape, as defined in the gospel the emphasis is on sacrifice, giving. 

·        Fervently: The root meaning of this term is to stretch out the hands.  Some see a great picture of love there in the position of crucifixion; and again we do note that the cross of Christ is the defining illustration of love (John 15:13; 1 John 4:10).  But what it means here is that our love must be extreme.  It is knowing and practicing the love of Christ in all its dimensions (Eph. 3:18-19).

·        Pure heart: A sincere heart, with the highest motivation, without hesitation.  “Pure” is the Greek katharos from which we get catharsis, a purging or cleansing process.  The heart being the seat of desire is free of corrupt desire, guilt (Thayer). 

If we were to ask where this command comes from we might think that Peter is repeating what Jesus said in the Upper Room in John 13:34-35.  Love one another as I have loved you.  Peter was there, certainly.  But look at the first part of v22.  Peter calls us to love with a pure (purged, cleansed) heart since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth, through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren.

Ø                The language is very specific.  Since you have purified your souls.  The “perfect tense” refers to a once-for-all action taken in the past, never needing to be repeated.  When we put our faith in God, trusting His Son’s work of redemption (1:17-21) we were begotten (1:3) or born again.  We became new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).  We need to purify our hearts (James 4:8) but our souls (inner man) have been purified.  We have been raised with Christ.  As Peter notes, as did Jesus, that this regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-8). 

Ø                Literally, we were born again unto unhypocritical brotherly love.  The baptizing work of the Holy Spirit was something Peter knew well.  He saw the Spirit do this work among Jews at Pentecost (Ac. 2:1-4); and he saw it among Gentiles at the home of Cornelius (Ac. 10:44-48).  Peter explained this to the believers back in Jerusalem in Ac. 11:15-17, referring to Jesus’ promise: John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.  Paul explained this connection with our faith for salvation and our connection with the fellowship of believers in 1 Cor. 12:13: For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free – and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. 

Here is something to consider.  We are commanded to love each other fervently from pure hearts because by faith in Christ we have purified our souls that we might be joined to a family of purified souls, our brothers and sisters in Christ.  There is no such thing as a “Lone Ranger Christian;” we were made for fellowship.  Let us not give up that reality; let us not forsake the assembly of believers (Heb. 10:24-25).  Let us love one another fervently with a pure heart.  This is what we were created for!