The First Letter of Peter- 22

Subtitle: Closing Words

1 Peter 5:12-14. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, May 3, 2026.

As we finish this letter, we have reached the place where Peter gives his closing words to the recipients of it. 

It is mostly a basic closing of a letter. It mentions the carrier of the letter and gives greetings to people in the churches of Asia Minor from Peter and others with him.

Yet, there are a couple of items in this passage that have created some controversy. 

Let’s look at our passage.

Peter’s closing words (v. 12-14)

Peter first explains that the letter has come to them through a man named Silvanus.  Silvanus is mentioned as a fellow worker with Paul and Timothy in 2 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians.

We should also make the connection between this Silvanus and the shortened form of his name used by Luke in Acts, Silas.  Though Peter and Paul use the longer form, Luke seems disposed to using a more intimate and informal name for him.

Silas was a Jewish Christian who was among the men of Jerusalem in the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15.  He accompanied Paul back to Antioch in order to verify the decision of the Jerusalem Council.  Luke describes him as a prophet and teacher who is clearly of Jewish descent.  Silas ends up accompanying Paul on his 2^nd Missionary journey through the areas addressed by Peter’s letter.  He would know the people and be familiar to them, having ministered among them with Paul.

Peter refers to Silvanus as a “faithful brother” and comments that this is his opinion or estimation of him.  The gist of this is simply that the one these churches know as a faithful brother already has also been found by Peter to be faithful as a brother in Christ, i.e., a spiritual brother.

By the way, this is how the New Testament really began.  Letters were written by apostles to particular churches or group of churches in a region.  We are not told how Silvanus distributed this letter to so many churches.  Did he come bearing multiple copies?  What church did he go to first?  Some of these questions we cannot know.  However, it is most likely that the letter was first given to a particular church, which would most likely make a copy of it.  Since Silvanus is well acquainted, it is most likely that he personally saw to the distribution.  It would allow him to touch base and minister to the churches similar to Paul’s attitude in his missionary journeys.  Thus, Silvanus would come to a particular town, a church member would make a faithful copy, and he would then take the letter to another town, most likely taking time to exhort the church on the contents of the letter.

Similarly, Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth would slowly be copied and shared with other churches in the region.  At some point, the Church felt it was important to assemble the verified letters of the apostles that had long acceptance in different regions into a collection.  This ultimately became the New Testament.  By the time this assembling happened, it would have been impossible to make up a letter that was not original to the apostles and pretend like it was.  Too many churches had copies of these letters over too long of a time.  The cry of “foul” would have been deafening from the churches if such was attempted.

Peter then summarizes his purpose in the letter.  He has both testified and exhorted them in the true grace of God.  He testified in that he declared what he heard and saw.  He has exhorted in the sense that he is calling them to stay true to what they have received.  This is what I know to be true, and this is what you should do.

So, what is the true grace of God?  We can start with pointing to Jesus.  Jesus as the Son of God and Son of Man had come as God’s Anointed to save Israel and the Gentiles.  This is opposed to all the false claimants to be God’s Messiah.  Jesus is the true Christ versus the false Christs that came before him, and those that came after him.  Peter gave faithful testimony to the person, work, and teaching of Jesus.

These teachings were taught and written down for the strengthening of those who believed.  These Scriptures are an analog revealing Jesus the Messiah to those who read it.

However, it is not enough to receive the truth about Christ in verbal and written form.  We must remain firm in our faith. 

Some versions differ between Peter giving a command, “Stand firm in it,” and Peter simply declaring, “in which you stand.”  The difference between the two is a couple of letters in the verb “stand.”  We do not know how the difference came about in some of the old manuscripts.  Regardless, both are good and true.  They had received the Gospel, so it is entirely appropriate for Peter to testify and to exhort that this is the true grace of God, in which you currently stand firm.

Yet, they will need to be faithful until the end of their lives.  Over time, threats will come against the true grace of God.  They will need to stand firm in what they have received.  Thus, it would be entirely appropriate to voice this as a command.

For us today, we may not know which form Peter initially intended.  However, we do know that Scripture challenges us with both ideas.  It is good for believers to be standing firm in what the Scriptures reveal about Jesus, but it is also important for us to persevere in standing firm to the end of our life.

There is generally nothing controversial in a section that sends greetings, but we have such here.  Peter’s phrase, “She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you,” has two areas of contention.

The first has to do with who or what is the pronoun “she” referencing?  This has been generally interpreted as referring to the body of believers where Peter is, i.e., the church he is at.  The word for church in Greek is a feminine term and thus takes a feminine pronoun.  It is singular because the group is spoken of as a singular entity, a local expression of the greater Church of Jesus.  This also fits with the fact that we know Peter is addressing churches in Asia Minor.  A pronoun without connection to a person or name would more naturally connect to another church.  In fact, the description of being chosen together with the recipients of the letter further strengthens the idea of “she” referring to the local church in Peter’s location.

It wasn’t until later that the idea was floated that “she” could refer to Peter’s wife.  The problem with this is that she is never mentioned in the letter, and it would not be the most natural interpretation of Peter’s words.

Just as the early church referred to each other as brothers and sisters (spiritually), churches were commonly referred to as sisters.  This ties into the Hebrew usage in the Old Testament of the current citizens of a city being the daughters of the city (seen as a mother), e.g., the daughters of Jerusalem etc.

Another example of this in the New Testament is in 2 John 1:13. “The children of your elect sister send you greetings.”  The current believers who make up the chosen sister church where I am at send you greetings. 

I think it is most natural and most fitting with the evidence of history to see this as a reference to the believers of a particular church.

The second question in the above phrase is the identity of Babylon.  Is this a literal reference to Babylon or is it a symbolic reference to Rome?

The earliest evidence we have that still exists is from around AD 313.  Eusebius in his Church History cites an earlier work from Papias.  He states that Papias had written a five-volume work called Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord.  Eusebius claims that Papias, along with other early church fathers, believed Babylon in verse 13 to be a symbolic reference to Rome.

We should also note that there is no known counterclaim that literal Babylon was intended.  Thus, the evidence of history at this point would be on the side of a symbolic reference to Rome.

However, it is not implausible that Peter could have gone to literal Babylon.  There was a large Jewish community in Babylon that eventually became the source for the Babylonian Talmud.  It would make sense that the Apostle to the Jews could be sent by the Holy Spirit to testify there.  Yet, there is no evidence from history that states such.  It is simply a conjecture that could only be substantiated if we assume Babylon is literal here.

John has a similar thing in the Revelation of Jesus Christ.  There is a reference to “Mystery Babylon” which sits on seven hills.  The testimony of the early church is that this referred to Rome.

Babylon was prophesied against by the Old Testament prophets.  But, a close reading of those prophecies will note that Babylon comes to be treated as a Symbol or a System that is created by a rebellious spirit behind it.  This spirit of empire and domination by wicked spirits is used of an end-time city/powerhouse that will be destroyed by the Beast.

Why has this become an issue?  The Reformation led to many arguments between Protestants and Roman Catholics.  A main contention between them had to do with the authority of the Pope.  Did God give him authority to command all the Church of God on earth?  Roman Catholics say yes and Protestants say no.

In arguing these cases, several lines of arguments cross this verse.  The Roman Catholics point to Peter as being the Rock (foundation) of the Church.  They also claim that he was the first Bishop of Rome.  He then handed his authority down to the next Bishop upon his death.  They then claim an unbroken line of succession from Peter to the current Pope.  The authority of Peter belongs to the current Pope.

Protestants may argue against Peter ever being in Rome, except perhaps at his execution.  They will also argue that Peter was never a bishop in Rome, definitely not the first bishop.  In fact, the New Testament never speaks of Peter going to Rome.  Even when Paul goes to Rome at the end of Acts, it already has a church of believers there.  If there were not already a bishop of this church, then he would have definitely set some faithful elders into those positions, as was his way among all the churches he started.  Peter is not mentioned as residing there.  He is most likely still in Jerusalem or that region.

Regardless of all of the above, Protestants can be polarized into believing that they have to believe this is literal Babylon in order to prove the argument of the Romanists wrong.  I believe this is a fallacy.  Regardless of whether this is a symbolic reference to Rome or a literal reference to Babylon, this does not matter with the argument over Papal succession and authority.  The truth is the truth, and men are quite capable of taking a true statement and using it to substantiate a false claim.  It is the claim that is false and not the statement used to support it.

Ultimately, it has no bearing on our faith where Peter is writing this letter.

Peter then gives them greetings from “my son, Mark.”  Mark is not his literal son, but his son spiritually.  This is the nephew of Barnabas who abandoned Paul’s first missionary journey into Asia Minor.  He eventually became a helper with Barnabas and then later with Peter.  Mark with Peter was similar to the way Timothy was for Paul, a younger minister that aided them in their ministry.

This Mark is the same one who wrote the Gospel of Mark.  Mark was too young to know all that Jesus did, but his Gospel has historically been described as the account of Jesus from Peter’s perspective.

Peter takes advantage of the greetings that he gives in order to remind them to greet one another with the kiss of love.  Now, the kiss of love is the opposite of the kiss of betrayal given by Judas to Jesus.  The kiss of betrayal is a superficial pretense that covers wickedness underneath.  Christians are to greet one another with a kiss of love, not hypocrisy. 

Of course, how cultures greet one another are various.  It was common in those days to kiss on the cheek those you meet.  In our culture, we might say to greet one another with a handshake of love.  We should not be outward jerks to one another, but neither should we be fake with one another.  Christians must do the inner work of being able to love other Christians.

Personality clashes and events that happen between two people can muddy the waters of our love for one another.  It takes forgiveness and repentance for a group too remain in the love of Christ for one another.

Finally, Peter blesses them by saying, “Peace be unto you all who are in Christ.”  The Christian has peace with God because they have believed upon the One that He has sent to save us.  When we embrace Jesus, we are no longer enemies to God, and He is no longer an enemy to us.  If this is rightly understood and believed, it gives a person an inner sense of peace by the Holy Spirit regardless of the chaos and threats of suffering that surround them.  It is a peace that passes all understanding.  If you know that you are okay (right) with God, then the threats and slander of men are easier to ignore.

Yet, Peace also describes the eternal purpose of God for those who belong to Jesus by faith.  We are in Christ like Noah and his family were in the ark.  Judgment is coming upon this earth, but the one who believes and follows Christ is in the safe place that God has provided for them.  Jesus is not just a way to avoid judgment.  He is one with whom we have a relationship through the Holy Spirit.

Our challenge is to hold fast the proven and true Word of God we have received from faithful believers before us.  Yet, that word teaches us how to know the Lord Jesus and how to follow him.  May we stay faithful to Jesus, the Faithful One, until the end of our life!

Closing Words audio