Request your free, three-month trial to Tabletalk magazine. You’ll receive the print issue monthly and gain immediate digital access to decades of archives. This trial is risk-free. No credit card required.
Try Tabletalk NowAlready receive Tabletalk magazine every month?
Verify your email address to gain unlimited access.
1 Peter 5:12–13
“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. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son.”
Before ending his first epistle, Peter makes sure to include in his concluding thoughts a terse summary of the entire message. We see this in today’s passage, where he writes: “This is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it” (1 Peter 5:12). By the word “this,” Peter refers to the message of the letter as a whole, the message of Christ’s suffering for the sins of His people and granting them new life, by the Holy Spirit, through faith in the Savior. Ultimately, as we know from this letter itself as well as other passages in Scripture, this granting of life by God’s grace is the work of God alone. He causes us to be born again through the preaching of the Word, and He gives us saving faith in Jesus as a gift, not as something we work up in ourselves (1:22–25; see Eph. 2:8–9).
God’s sovereignty in salvation, however, does not take away our responsibility. His decree by which He governs whatsoever comes to pass establishes the “liberty” and “contingency” of “second causes,” as Westminster Confession of Faith 3.1 puts it. That is, we, the second cause, are not puppets of God, the First Cause. He does not force us to act against our will, though all those whom He has chosen to save will certainly persevere in faith until the end. He glorifies everyone whom He justifies (Rom. 8:28–30). Nevertheless, we must believe and repent. God is sovereign and human beings are responsible. Peter presents our responsibility in the phrase “stand firm in it [the true grace of God]” (1 Peter 5:12). All of God’s elect will continue believing on Jesus and not finally deny Him. We know that we have been elected for salvation as we continue to believe and repent of our sin, even the sin of not standing as firm as we should.
In today’s passage, Peter also states that he wrote his letter “by Silvanus” (v. 12). Silvanus is another form of the name “Silas,” so this Silvanus is almost certainly the Silas who traveled with Paul on his second missionary journey and helped him evangelize and plant churches in Philippi, Berea, Thessalonica, and Corinth (Acts 15:36–18:22). Likely he served as an amanuensis, or secretary, to Peter and provided assistance in writing the letter.
“She who is at Babylon” and “Mark” (1 Peter 5:13) convey greetings by way of the Apostle. Early Christians referred to Rome as “Babylon,” so Peter likely wrote his first canonical epistle in Rome. He extends greetings from the church (“she”) there. Mark is John Mark (Acts 12:25), who wrote the gospel of Mark based on Peter’s preaching.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Peter’s extension of greeting from others besides himself to the original audience of 1 Peter demonstrates that from the start, making disciples of the nations was a collective work of all believers. Each of us has a role to play in the work of the church, and we are responsible to find that role and perform it in love for God and for His people.
For further study
- Acts 12:12
- 2 Corinthians 1:19
The bible in a year
- Job 10–12
- Acts 8:26–40
- Job 13–17
- Acts 9:1–31