1 Peter 1:22 kjv
Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1 Peter 1:22 nkjv
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
1 Peter 1:22 niv
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.
1 Peter 1:22 esv
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
1 Peter 1:22 nlt
You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.
1 Peter 1 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Pet 1:23 | For you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable... | Connects love to the new birth by the Word. |
| John 13:34-35 | A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another... | The new command of Christ-like love. |
| Rom 12:9-10 | Let love be genuine... Love one another with brotherly affection. | Exhortation for genuine and devoted love. |
| Heb 13:1 | Let brotherly love continue. | Endurance of Christian fellowship love. |
| 1 Thess 4:9 | Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you.. | Brotherly love as an established Christian characteristic. |
| Phil 2:2 | ...being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord... | Unity and love as signs of Christ's presence. |
| Rom 6:17 | ...you became obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching... | Obedience to truth, paralleling 1 Peter's "obedience to the truth". |
| John 8:31-32 | If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth... | Truth bringing freedom and leading to discipleship. |
| Gal 5:7 | You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? | Truth as the path believers are to follow. |
| 2 Thess 1:8 | ...inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. | Consequences of not obeying the gospel/truth. |
| Acts 15:9 | ...having cleansed their hearts by faith. | Purification of heart linked to faith. |
| Jas 4:8 | Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands... purify your hearts... | Practical call for inner and outer purity. |
| Heb 10:22 | ...let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. | Assurance and clean heart for worship, emphasizing inward cleansing. |
| Eze 36:25-27 | I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean... I will give you a new heart... | Old Testament prophecy of internal spiritual cleansing and new heart. |
| Ps 51:10 | Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. | Prayer for a pure heart. |
| Matt 5:8 | Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. | Purity of heart as a blessed state enabling divine encounter. |
| 2 Cor 5:17 | Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away... | New creation implying transformed inner self leading to new conduct. |
| Eph 4:22-24 | ...put off your old self... and to put on the new self... | Putting off old ways and putting on the new righteous life. |
| 1 Pet 4:8 | Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. | Reiterates the command for earnest love, with a practical benefit. |
| 1 Tim 1:5 | The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. | Components of godly living, including love from a pure heart. |
| 2 Cor 6:6 | ...by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love... | Attributes of a minister, including genuine love. |
| Phil 1:9 | And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment. | Prayer for abounding love coupled with spiritual insight. |
1 Peter 1 verses
1 Peter 1 22 Meaning
The verse states that believers, by obeying the truth, have purified their souls, enabling them to have sincere brotherly love. From this cleansed state, they are commanded to love one another earnestly and wholeheartedly from a pure heart. It underscores that love among believers is not merely a suggestion, but an active, intense command flowing from an internal spiritual transformation brought about by their response to God's word.
1 Peter 1 22 Context
This verse serves as a crucial ethical command following Peter's theological foundation laid out in the preceding verses. Chapters 1:3-12 discuss the hope of salvation, their inheritance, and the work of prophets and apostles in revealing Christ. Verses 1:13-21 exhort believers to holiness, obedience, and reverence, emphasizing the redemption bought by Christ's blood. Peter grounds ethical living in theological truth. Verse 22 acts as a hinge, demonstrating how their regenerated nature (discussed in v. 23) leads to the essential fruit of Christian love. The emphasis is on the spiritual transformation enabling practical love. The historical context includes believers scattered as exiles (1:1), facing various trials, underscoring the vital need for internal spiritual fortitude and external brotherly support and love within the community. It counters superficial religious observance with deep, internal purity and genuine love.
1 Peter 1 22 Word analysis
- Having purified (Haginisamenoi - ἁγνισμένοι): This is a participle, indicating a past completed action with continuing results. The word 'hagnizo' means to cleanse, purify, sanctify. It implies a moral and spiritual cleansing, not merely ritual. The purity here is ethical, a preparation for sacred actions like approaching God or loving fellow believers genuinely. This purification is seen as a condition that already exists, enabling the command to love.
- your souls (tas psychas hymōn - τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν): 'Psychē' (soul) here refers to the inner person, the seat of thoughts, desires, and emotions; the life principle or individual personality. It is not just external cleanliness but an internal, fundamental change.
- by your obedience (en tē hypakoē - ἐν τῇ ὑπακοῇ): 'Hypakoē' means hearing under, listening and submitting to what is heard. This indicates that their purification was not passive but involved an active response of submission to the gospel message. It's a willing alignment with God's will.
- to the truth (tēs alētheias - τῆς ἀληθείας): 'Alētheia' here refers to the revealed truth of God, primarily the Gospel message about Jesus Christ, which brings salvation and new life. It contrasts with deception or falsehood.
- for a sincere brotherly love (eis philadelphian anypokriton - εἰς φιλαδελφίαν ἀνυπόκριτον):
- Sincere (anupokriton - ἀνυπόκριτον): Means "unhypocritical," "without pretense," "genuine." It refers to an unfeigned reality, devoid of play-acting.
- Brotherly love (philadelphian - φιλαδελφίαν): 'Philadelphia' specifically denotes the love within the Christian brotherhood—love for fellow believers, born of a shared spiritual family. It’s distinct from romantic (eros) or universal (agape) love, though flowing from agape.
- love one another (agapēsate allēlous - ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους): 'Agapaō' is a command (imperative verb). 'Agape' love is volitional, self-sacrificial love, patterned after God's love for humanity and Christ's love for the Church. It is not based on emotion but on decision and commitment.
- earnestly (ektenōs - ἐκτενῶς): This adverb means "intensely," "strenuously," "fervently," "with all one's might." It suggests a stretched-out effort, indicating zeal and deep commitment in the act of loving.
- from a pure heart (ek katharas kardias - ἐκ καθαρᾶς καρδίας):
- Pure (katharas - καθαρᾶς): Refers to moral and spiritual cleanness, free from defilement.
- Heart (kardias - καρδίας): In biblical terms, the heart is the core of a person's being—the center of thought, will, and emotion. This emphasizes that the commanded love must originate from an inward state of purity, not merely outward action.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth: This phrase highlights the past transformation. The cleansing of the inner self occurs when one hears and actively responds in submission to the Gospel. It indicates that salvation involves a purification from sin and dead works, preparing believers for holy living and true fellowship. This is not self-purification, but a purification through the work of the Spirit responding to their obedient faith.
- for a sincere brotherly love: The purpose or result of this purification is to enable genuine, non-hypocritical love for fellow believers. It's the divine objective of their inner cleansing—to make authentic Christian community possible.
- love one another earnestly from a pure heart: This is the core command, stemming directly from the completed purification and new spiritual capacity. The command for 'agape' love, directed towards fellow Christians ('allēlous'), is to be 'ektenōs'—not passively or superficially, but with fervent effort and unwavering commitment. The origin of this love is internal: it flows from a heart already made 'katharas' (pure) through the redemptive work of God and the believer's obedient response. It implies that true love must be rooted in inner spiritual purity, which distinguishes it from worldly or self-serving affection.
1 Peter 1 22 Bonus section
The concept of purification (katharizō) in this verse connects with the Old Testament laws of ritual purity, but transcends them. Here, it refers to a moral and spiritual cleansing that touches the very core of a person (their 'psyche' and 'kardia'). This purification is not achieved by human rituals but by responding in obedience to the transformative power of God's 'truth'—the Gospel. It highlights the work of God enabling human response, allowing for an authentic, Spirit-driven love that is otherwise impossible. The intensity commanded ("earnestly") indicates that Christian love is not weak or lukewarm but energetic and intentional, especially vital in a scattered and suffering church.
1 Peter 1 22 Commentary
1 Peter 1:22 reveals the direct ethical consequence of the new birth in Christ. It teaches that internal spiritual purity, a result of having obediently responded to the truth of the Gospel, is the essential foundation for genuine, active love among believers. This purity enables 'sincere brotherly love' (phildelphia), not a feigned affection. The subsequent imperative command to 'love one another earnestly' (agapēsate allēlous ektenōs) stresses that this love must be an intense, deliberate, and sustained act. It must flow 'from a pure heart', emphasizing that this love is not an external show or mere obligation, but a natural outflow from a transformed inner being, which itself was cleansed through the gospel. This verse highlights a theological indicative (what God has done) leading directly to a spiritual imperative (what believers must do). True love among believers is predicated on internal holiness and spiritual integrity.
Examples:
- A Christian community known not just for shared beliefs, but for tangible, selfless care and commitment to each other, especially in difficult times, demonstrating 'earnest love'.
- Forgiving a fellow believer deeply, even when it is personally costly, demonstrating love 'from a pure heart'.