parepidemos – Ministry of Grace Church

Beloved, I encourage you as strangers and foreigners, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,

Truth to Learn

We are to live like citizens of heaven, not like earth dwellers.

Behind the Words

The word “encourage” is an interesting one. It is the Greek word, parakaleō which is the verb form of a name given to the Holy Spirit, paraclete (translated “comforter”). It is a compound of para, meaning “alongside or near” and kaleō, which means “to call.” Hence, the Holy Spirit is the One who is “called alongside” with the idea of being the One who walks alongside us on a journey to keep us company and to counsel us. In the verb form, as used in today’s verse, it carries the idea of a coach calling an athlete to him in order to give words of encouragement and support.

Peter then uses two similar words for “strangers” and “foreigners.” These words are paroikos and parepidēmos. They are also compound words that start with the word for “near or alongside” (para, shortened to par). The first of these words, paroikos, means “one who has a home in a place nearby, but not here in this place.” The second word, parepidēmos, means a “foreigner” or an “alien (not of the local race of people) who has temporarily settled locally.”

The word translated “abstain” is apechomai, a compound word of apo (shortened to ap), meaning “from” or “away from” and echo, meaning “to have.” Hence, it means “to have away from” or “to keep away from.” It is expressed here in the middle voice, indicating action that is done by the subject to the subject. Therefore it means, “keep yourself away from.”

Meaning Explained

One of the metaphors used throughout the Bible is that of being on a journey, walking through life. Peter is picking up on that metaphor here as he coaches us as people who don’t live here (on this earth) and who are not local residents (we are heavenly residents who are temporarily wandering through this land). The coach’s message is to abstain from, that is to actively resist and keep oneself away from, the lusts of the flesh that make war against our soul.

You may remember from a previous verse that the world system is made up of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). These things are not of God but of the world, and since we are not of this world (but strangers and foreigners here) we need to resist the local customs and keep ourselves pure like our Father.

There is a fine line between the desires that are a necessary part of us as human beings, and lusts, or overly strong desires, that control us if we do not control them. Peter is coaching us to resist these lusts even as we are daily bombarded by the customs (advertisements) and attitudes of the local residents.

Application

Let us stand fast and resist, keeping ourselves holy because our Heavenly Father is holy and we want to reflect the family image. Let us be lights in the midst of darkness. Let us be witnesses, not by using condemning words, but by showing our kindness to others and by demonstrating our abstinence from the lusts of the flesh.

In God's service, for His glory,

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen sojourners of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

Truth to Learn

If you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins then this letter, written by the Apostle Peter, is for you.

Behind the Words

The word “chosen” is translated from eklektois, meaning “chosen ones” or “the elect”. This word is derived from eklego, which means “to choose for oneself after thoughtful and deliberate consideration.

The word translated “sojourners” is parepidēmois, which is a double compound word made up of para, meaning “beside, near, or close to,” epi, meaning “over, upon, or among,” and dēmos, meaning “a people.” This word literally refers to someone who has become integrated among a nation of people. Hence, its full meaning is a foreigner who has settled down, however briefly, next to or among the native people.

“Dispersion” is translated from the Greek word diasporas, which literally refers to “the dispersion.” This is the same term used by James in the opening of his letter. It is a specific reference to Jews as they were dispersed throughout the world since the Babylonian captivity.

Meaning Explained

Peter opens this letter with a typical salutation indicating, first off, who the letter is from. Historically, there never has been any doubt as to who this letter was from. The unvarying testimony of history, and the uniform belief of the church, both ascribe this Epistle to Peter. Indeed, there is likely no ancient writing whatever of which there is more certainty in regard to its authorship.

Having identified who the letter is from, Peter now identifies who the letter is to. Since the expression “sojourners of the dispersion” refers specifically to Jews, we have to ask ourselves, “Was this letter written to Jews or to Christians?” As you will discover from reading the book of Acts, most early converts to Christianity were Jews. Because of this, many people in the first century, especially Jews, considered Christianity simply a sect of Judaism. 1 Peter 1:3 makes it clear, however, that he is writing to Jews of the dispersion who are also believers in the resurrection of Christ (who … has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead).

Although it appears from this verse that Peter is writing to Jews who had converted to Christianity, it becomes apparent as one reads this letter that he recognized that the Christians he was writing to also included Gentiles (pagans) who had converted to Christianity. Gentile readers would have noted Peter’s exhortation to holy living in light of their background of complete ignorance of God’s Word (1Peter 1:14). Gentile Christians also would have been greatly encouraged by the fact that though they were in ignorance, they were now considered “the people of God” (1Peter 2:10). Clearly Peter carefully included both Jewish and Gentile Christians in his letter of encouragement to the churches of Asia Minor.

The specific Christians Peter is writing to were those who lived in the areas of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. These were all provinces of Asia Minor which are in present day Turkey, the area of the world first evangelized by the Apostle Paul and his associates.

Application

Even though this letter was written nearly two thousand years ago to Jews and Gentiles who had become Christians living in Asia Minor, the truths that Peter teaches in this letter apply to all Christians throughout history, in all parts of the world. This letter is to you, my sister or brother in Christ!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: parepidemos

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