First Peter Chapter One Verse Twenty-Two
Words Of Truth

Words Of Truth


"That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth..." (Proverbs 22:21).

First Peter 1:22
The Purified Soul In Obeying The Truth Through The Spirit Unto Sincere Brotherly Love

I. Introduction: In our two previous lessons we’ve talked about redemption through the blood of Christ and faith in God the Father through Christ (I Peter 1:18-21). Now, among several wonderful items of truth, we are going to talk about the Holy Spirit.

A. When we talk about our salvation, it is very easy to remember the Father and the Son (John 3:17).

  1. The continuation of the faith focuses upon the Father and His Son Jesus Christ (I John 2:22-24).
  2. What we see in this letter from Peter is that the Spirit is not put off in the far distance (I Peter 1:1-2).
B. From the beginning (II Thessalonians 2:13)?

  1. We will talk about the role of the Spirit in the revelation of the word of God later in this lesson. It is certain that the Spirit and the word of God are inseparable (Ephesians 6:17).
  2. Let’s just remember, the Spirit was/is not only at work in the revelation of the word of God or first century spiritual gifts (Titus 3:3-7).
  3. The sad thing is, people lose their minds when you mention the Holy Spirit. If you say you are sanctified through the word (John 17:17) or through Jesus (I Corinthians 1:30), there are no questions. You say the Holy Spirit sanctifies and the discussion goes dumb times a billion. People of God, don’t allow that ignorance to keep our minds off of the work of the Holy Spirit.

II. Body: I Peter 1:22

A. Jesus told His disciples that they were clean through the word He spoke to them (John 15:3).

  1. Obeying the truth makes one free from sin (Romans 6:16-18).
  2. A Christian must maintain his or her purity in Christ (I Timothy 5:22, James 4:8, and I John 3:1-3).
B. Let’s consider the word “souls.” If you do a word study [ψυχή] (Strong’s # 5590) you find this Greek word translated in various ways:

  1. “Life” (Matthew 2:20, Matthew 6:25, Matthew 10:39, Matthew 16:25-26, Matthew 20:28, Mark 3:4, Mark 8:35, Mark 10:45, etc….).
  2. “Soul(s)” (Matthew 10:28, Matthew 11:29, Matthew 12:18, Matthew 26:38, Mark 8:36-37, Mark 12:30, Mark 12:33, etc….).
  3. “Lives” (Luke 9:56, I John 3:16, etc.).
  4. The soul in relation to that which goes on beyond physical life in this world (Acts 2:31 and I Peter 1:9).
  5. “Minds” (Acts 14:2 and Hebrews 12:3).
  6. “Heart” or “heartily” (Ephesians 6:6 and Colossians 3:23).
C. The phrase “through the Spirit” in this verse is in relation to the indirect work of the Spirit through the word of God (I Peter 1:23-25).

  1. The Holy Spirit is the Revealer of God’s word (Acts 1:1-2, I Corinthians 2:9-13, II Peter 1:20-21, and Revelation 2:11).
  2. Consider how Jesus said David spoke (Mark 12:36; cf. Psalms 110:1 and II Samuel 23:2).
  3. When you put all of this together, the Spirit brings life (John 6:63).
D. After initial obedience to the Gospel, a person is added to the body of believers known as the church (Acts 2:36-41; Acts 2:47).

  1. Being then a part of the body, the church (I Corinthians 12:27); you are in a spiritual family (Ephesians 3:15 and Hebrews 12:22-23).
  2. Within the church, relationships matter (I John 3:14).
E. Unfeigned [sincere; without hypocrisy] love for the brethren (Romans 12:9-10).

  1. Not lip service (I John 3:14-18; cf. James 2:14-16).
  2. Not as Cain (I John 3:11-12; cf. Genesis 4:1-16).
  3. Not your sect; party (I Corinthians 11:16-19).
F. Above all things (I Peter 4:8-11); but don’t get lost in that wording (cf. James 2:10).

  1. From the beginning of the work of Christ (John 13:34-35, John 15:17, and I John 3:23).
  2. If you don’t sincerely love your brethren you don’t love God (I John 4:20-21).
G. Fervent [intensely] brotherly love with a pure heart (I Timothy 1:5).

  1. Let’s think about impure motives (Jude 1:16).
  2. Not a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch your back approach” (Luke 14:12-14 and Galatians 5:13).
  3. It is a simple as this, I love you because you are my brother or sister in Christ. Thus, love “as brethren” (I Peter 3:8).
  4. When I think of intense love, I think about what Christians will do [have done] for one another (Romans 16:3-4 and Philippians 2:25-30).

III. Conclusion: Our next study: I Peter 1:23-25