1 Peter 5:12

1 Peter 5:12 ‘Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so. regard him),. have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!'

‘Through Silvanus' -‘Through': Either he delivered the letter to these Christians and or he wrote the letter as Peter dictated (Romans 16:22). ‘Silvanus'-Probably the same man who is mentioned in the books of Acts under the name ‘Silas' (Acts 15:22; 40; 1 Corinthians 1:19; 1 Thessalonians 1:1. etc…). Silas is. great example of. man who was content to serve in the background as long as God's work was being accomplished.

‘our faithful brother' -‘”brother” has the definite article, the faithful brother, designating him as one well known for his fidelity.' (Vincent p. 672) (Acts 15:22; Acts 15:32) This statement infers that there were Christians who weren't faithful. Why even mention his faithfulness if all were automatically faithful, i.e. once saved, always saved?

‘for so. regard him' -‘This commendation of the bearer of. letter is common and appropriate…(1 Corinthians 16:10; Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7; Titus 3:12).' (Grudem p. 200) 1. ‘For so. regard him'-Peter completely endorses the faithfulness of this Christian. 2. Therefore, the Christians to whom he is writing can trust the message that Silvanus has delivered. This man wouldn't be the type of person who would attempt to alter what had been written. Or to substitute his own letter for what had been revealed through Peter.

‘I have written to you briefly' -Peter considers what he has written to be. brief letter. Consider Hebrews 13:22. Considering the heavy weight topics which Peter has been dealing with,. letter of 105 verses is very brief. ‘Looking back over both Hebrews and. Peter, one cannot help being struck by how much the authors have actually said in. very short space.' (Grudem p. 200)

‘exhorting and testifying' -‘to encourage you and bear my testimony' (Gspd).

‘that this is the true grace of God' -1. In the midst of persecution, one likes to be reassured that one is suffering for the right cause. 2. ‘True grace'-applies to everything which Peter has written. (John 1:17; Colossians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:10). 3. In an day and age when everyone is saying, ‘it's. matter of interpretation', Peter said, ‘this is it'. ‘The entire Christian life is one of grace---God's daily bestowal of blessings,..help, forgiveness, and fellowship with himself..' (Grudem p. 201) ‘They had experienced this grace in conversion and in the blessedness and progress of their lives in Christ. This was no delusion, as they were tempted to supposed by their troubles and afflictions, but the genuine grace of God!' (Oberst p. 243)

‘Stand firm in it!' -‘take your stand' (Robertson p. 135). 1. Which infers that one can depart from the true grace of God, i.e. grace is conditional. 2. Once you have found the “real thing” don't let go of it (Proverbs 23:23; Ephesians 6:11; Ephesians 6:13). ‘Now is not the time to give up, but rather the time to stand fast in faith..and hold on to what they already have.' (Davids p. 201) ‘What is revealed in the epistle answers to reality because there is no equivocation or falsehood in what has been revealed. This is the way grace actually exists in the spiritual world. It is altogether truth and not. lie.' (Hamilton p. 334) 3. Being impressed that this ‘grace of God' carries with it many rules and responsibilities (such as 1 Peter 1:14-15; 1 Peter 2:11ff).