1 Peter 1:21

1Pe 1:21. Δἰ αὐτοῦ, by Him) by Christ, in whose resurrection all the argument and efficacy of faith and hope centre.—[πιστεύοντας, who believe) by the power of that manifestation.—V. g.]—ὥστε) that so.—πίστιν ὑμῶν καὶ ἐλπίδα, your faith and hope) These two are most intimately joined together, and yet they differ with respect to the present and the future. [Faith is derived from the resurrection of Christ: hope from His glorification.—V. g.]—εἰς Θεόν, in God) alone, ch. 1Pe 3:5, who hath exalted Jesus, and prepared an anchor for us; Heb 6:19; Rom 8:34; whereas, apart from Christ, we could but have feared Him. Now we clearly believe and hope.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Pe_1:21. τοὺς διʼ αὐτοῦ (i.e. Χριστοῦ) πιστεύοντας (or πιστοὺς) εἰς Θεόν] τούς: the same clausal connection as in 1Pe_1:4-5.

The construction πιστεύειν εἰς is very frequent in the N. T., especially in John; Christ is for the most part named as the object; God, as here, in Joh_12:44; Joh_14:1.

This adjunct, by giving prominence to the fact that the readers are brought to faith in God by Christ, confirms the thought previously expressed by διʼ ὑμᾶς.[96] Nor should it ever have been denied that by it the readers may be recognised as having been heathens formerly.

ΤῸΝ ἘΓΕΊΡΑΝΤΑ ΑὐΤῸΝ ἘΚ ΝΕΚΡῶΝ ΚΑῚ ΔΌΞΑΝ ΑὐΤῷ ΔΌΝΤΑ]

[97] not subjoined aimlessly as an accidental predicate applied by the apostle to God; but, closely linked on to Θεόν, the words serve to describe Θεόν more nearly as the object of the Christian faith. The conviction that God has raised and glorified Christ the Crucified belongs essentially to the Christian faith in God; with the first half of this clause, cf. Rom_4:24; Rom_8:11; 2Co_4:14; Gal_1:1; with the second, Joh_17:5; Joh_17:22; and with the whole thought, Eph_1:20; Act_2:32 f. This adjunct, defining Θεόν more nearly, is not meant to declare how far Christ by His revelation has produced faith in God (Wiesinger),the whole structure of the clause is opposed to this,but what is the faith to which through Christ the readers have attained.

ὥστε] not: ἵνα (Oecumenius, Luther: in order that; thus also the Syr., Vulg., Beza, etc.), nor is it: itaque, as if a δεῖ or a χρή were to be supplied to εἶναι (Aretius); but: so that, it denotes the fruit which faith in God, who raised up Christ from the dead, has brought forth in the readers, which supplies the confirmation that Christ has appeared for their sake (διʼ αὐτούς).

τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν καὶ ἐλπίδα εἶναι εἰς Θεόν] Most interpreters translate: so that your faith and your hope are directed to God; Weiss, on the other hand (p. 43), Brückner, Schott, Fronmüller, Hofmann, take it: so that your faith is at the same time hope toward God. The position of the words seems to favour this last translation, since the genitive ὑμῶν stands between the two substantives, whilst otherwise either ὑμῶν τὴν πίστιν καὶ ἐλπίδα (or τὴν ὑμῶν πίστ.), cf. Rom_1:20, Php_1:25, 1Th_2:12, or τὴν π. κ. ἐλπ. ὑμῶν, cf. Php_1:20, 1Th_3:7, would have been expected;but this is not decisive, inasmuch as in Eph_3:5 τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις αὐτοῦ καὶ προφήταις occurs. On the other hand, the connection of thought gives the preference to the latter view; for, in the former case, not only is it noticeable that the result is exactly the same as that denoted by τοὺς πιστούς (Weiss), but in it ἐλπίδα seems to be nothing more than an accidental appendage, whilst in reality it is the point aimed at in the whole deduction; that is to say, the truth and livingness of faith (in the resurrection and glorification of Christ) are manifested in this, that it is also an hope; cf. 1Pe_1:3; 1Pe_1:6; 1Pe_1:9; 1Pe_1:13.[98] Schott is wrong in thinking that εἰς Θεόν has reference not only to ἐλπίδα, but at the same time to τὴν πίστιν; for though by πίστις here only πίστις εἰς Θεόν can be understood, yet it is grammatically impossible to connect the final εἰς Θεόν, which is closely linked on to ἐλπίδα, likewise with τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν.

The object of hope is specified in the words τὸν ἐγείραντα αὐτὸν κ.τ.λ.; it is the resurrection and attainment of the δόξα which is given to Christ; cf. Rom_8:11; Rom_8:17.

[96] Hofmann: The assertion that Christ was foreordained and made manifest for their sake is actually justified in this, that they have faith in God through Him.

[97] Weiss (p. 243) lays stress on δόντα in order to prove the low plane of Peters conception of the person of Christ; yet Christ also says in the Gospel of John, that God had given Him ζωή, κρίσις, ἐξουσία πάσης σαρκός, δόξα, etc. Paul, too, asserts that God exalted Christ and gifted Him (ἐχαρίσατο) with the ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα; there is a similar passage too in Hebrews, that God has appointed or made Him κληρόνομος τάντων.

[98] Weiss is wrong in saying that, according to Peters view, faith is but the preparatory step to hope, since it rather includes the latter.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Pe 1:21 . διʼ ὑμᾶς , for the sake of you Gentiles, i.e. , ἵνα ὑμᾶς προσαγάγῃ τῷ θεῷ , 1Pe 3:18 . The resurrection of Jesus and His glorification are the basis of their faith in God and inspire not merely faith but hope. διʼ αὐτοῦ . Compare for form Act 3:16 , ἡ πίστις ἡ διʼ αὐτοῦ and for thought Rom 5:2 ; Eph 2:18 πιστοὺς εἰς θεόν . This construction occurs not infrequently in the Bezan text and is simply equivalent to π . with the Dative (Act 16:15 ) corresponding to נאמן ל֙ . But π . keeping construction has changed its meaning. Already it is semi-technical = believing, sc. in Jesus and here πίστιν … εἰς θεόν follows immediately. So the verb πιστεύοντας is a true gloss; the addition of εἰς θεόν corrects the common conception of faith, which ultimately gave rise to a distinction between belief in Christ and belief in God. δόξαν αὐτῷ δόντα , so e.g. , the prophecy (Isa 52:13 ) ὁ παῖς μου … δοξασθήσεται σφόδρα was fulfilled when the lame man was healed by St. Peter and St. John; ὁ θεὸς Ἁβραὰμ … ἐδόξασεν τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν (Act 3:13 ). But the glory is primarily and generally the glorious resurrection and ascension, in which state Jesus sent the Holy Spirit ( ἦν τὸ πνεῦμα ὅτι οὔπω ἐδοξάσθη , John). ὥστε … θεόν . καὶ ἐλπίδα may be part of the subject of εἶναι εἰς θεόν , so that your faith and hope are in God, or predicate so that your faith is also hope in God . In either case ἐλπίς is rather confidence than hope , in accordance with LXX usage (= בטחה ), and supplies an adequate climax patient faith leads up to the appropriation of the Hope of Israel.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

by him--Compare "the faith which is by Him," Act 3:16. Through Christ: His Spirit, obtained for us in His resurrection and ascension, enabling us to believe. This verse excludes all who do not "by Him believe in God," and includes all of every age and clime that do. Literally, "are believers in God." "To believe IN (Greek, 'eis') God" expresses an internal trust: "by believing to love God, going INTO Him, and cleaving to Him, incorporated into His members. By this faith the ungodly is justified, so that thenceforth faith itself begins to work by love" [P. LOMBARD]. To believe ON (Greek, "epi," or dative case) God expresses the confidence, which grounds itself on God, reposing on Him. "Faith IN (Greek, 'en') His blood" (Rom 3:25) implies that His blood is the element IN which faith has its proper and abiding place. Compare with this verse, Act 20:21, "Repentance toward (Greek, 'eis,' 'into,' turning towards and going into) God and faith toward (Greek, 'eis,' 'into') Christ": where, as there is but one article to both repentance and faith, the two are inseparably joined as together forming one truth; where "repentance" is, there "faith" is; when one knows God the Father spiritually, then he must know the Son by whom alone we can come to the Father. In Christ we have life: if we have not the doctrine of Christ, we have not God. The only living way to God is through Christ and His sacrifice.

that raised him--The raising of Jesus by God is the special ground of our "believing": (1) because by it God declared openly His acceptance of Him as our righteous substitute; (2) because by it and His glorification He received power, namely, the Holy Spirit, to impart to His elect "faith": the same power enabling us to believe as raised Him from the dead. Our faith must not only be IN Christ, but BY and THROUGH Christ. "Since in Christ's resurrection and consequent dominion our safety is grounded, there 'faith' and 'hope' find their stay" [CALVIN].

that your faith and hope might be in God--the object and effect of God's raising Christ. He states what was the actual result and fact, not an exhortation, except indirectly. Your faith flows from His resurrection; your hope from God's having "given Him glory" (compare Pe1 1:11, "glories"). Remember God's having raised and glorified Jesus as the anchor of your faith and hope in God, and so keep alive these graces. Apart from Christ we could have only feared, not believed and hoped in God. Compare Pe1 1:3, Pe1 1:7-9, Pe1 1:13, on hope in connection with faith; love is introduced in Pe1 1:22.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 21. Who by him do believe in God] This is supposed to refer to the Gentiles, who never knew the true God till they heard the preaching of the Gospel: the Jews had known him long before, but the Gentiles had every thing to learn when the first preachers of the Gospel arrived amongst them.

Gave him glory] Raised him to his right hand, where, as a Prince and a Saviour, he gives repentance and remission of sins.

That your faith] In the fulfilment of all his promises, and your hope of eternal glory, might be in God, who is unchangeable in his counsels, and infinite in his mercies.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

21 Who believe The manifestation of Christ refers not to all indiscriminately, but belongs to those only on whom he by the Gospel shines. But we must notice the words, Who by him believe in God: here is shortly expressed what faith is. For, since God is incomprehensible, faith could never reach to him, except it had an immediate regard to Christ. Nay, there are two reasons why faith could not be in God, except Christ intervened as a Mediator: first, the greatness of the divine glory must be taken to the account, and at the same time the littleness of our capacity. Our acuteness is doubtless very far from being capable of ascending so high as to comprehend God. Hence all knowledge of God without Christ is a vast abyss which immediately swallows up all our thoughts. A clear proof of this we have, not only in the Turks and the Jews, who in the place of God worship their own dreams, but also in the Papists. Common is that axiom of the schools, that God is the object of faith. Thus of hidden majesty, Christ being overlooked, they largely and refinedly speculate; but with what success? They entangle themselves in astounding dotages, so that there is no end to their wanderings. For faith, as they think, is nothing else but an imaginative speculation. Let us, therefore, remember, that Christ is not in vain called the image of the invisible God, (Colossians 1:15;) but this name is given to him for this reason, because God cannot be known except in him.

The second reason is, that as faith unites us to God, we shun and dread every access to him, except a Mediator comes who can deliver us from fear. For sin, which reigns in us, renders us hateful to God and him to us. Hence, as soon as mention is made of God, we must necessarily be filled with dread; and if we approach him, his justice is like fire, which will wholly consume us.

It is hence evident that we cannot believe in God except through Christ, in whom God in a manner makes himself little, that he might accommodate himself to our comprehension; and it is Christ alone who can tranquillize consciences, so that we may dare to come in confidence to God.

That raised him up from the dead He adds, that Christ had been raised up from the dead, in order that their faith and hope, by which they were supported, might have a firm foundation. And hereby again is confuted the gloss respecting universal and indiscriminate faith in God; for had there been no resurrection of Christ, still God would remain in heaven. But Peter says that he would not have been believed in, except Christ had risen. It is then evident, that faith is something else than to behold the naked majesty of God. And rightly does Peter speak in this manner; for it belongs to faith to penetrate into heaven, that it may find the Father there: how could it do so, except it had Christ as a leader?

“By him,” says Paul, “we have confidence of access.” (Ephesians 3:12.)

It is said also, in Hebrews 4:16, that relying on our high priest, we can come with confidence to the throne of grace. Hope is the anchor of the soul, which enter into the inner part of the sanctuary; but not without Christ going before. (Hebrews 6:19.) Faith is our victory against the world, (1 John 5:4) and what is it that makes it victorious, except that Christ, the Lord of heaven and earth, has us under his guardianship and protection?

As, then, our salvation depends on the resurrection of Christ and his supreme power, faith and hope find here what can support them. For, except he had by rising again triumphed over death, and held now the highest sovereignty, to protect us by his power, what would become of us, exposed to so great a power as that of our enemies, and to such violent attacks? Let us, therefore, learn to what mark we ought to direct our aim, so that we may really believe in God.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(21) Who by him do believe in God.—The sentence is joined on to the foregoing verse just as in 1Pe_1:5, “Who are kept.” The “who” might be rendered by “and you;” and the clause adds a kind of proof of the foregoing statement, drawn from the result of God’s manifestation of Christ to them. “This Christian doctrine is no innovation, nothing to lead you away from the God of our fathers. That same God had had the scheme in His thoughts from the beginning, and it is in that same God that you have been led thereby to believe.” There is a better supported and more forcible reading, Who through Him are faithful towards God, which combines the ideas of believing, i.e., putting the whole trust in God, and of loyal inward observance of Him. And if any one asks whether it be possible to say that Hebrew men only came to believe in God through the revelation of Christ, we must answer by pointing to the whole scope of the Epistle to the Hebrews, and especially to Heb_3:12, where it is not faith in Christ, but faith in a living God, which they are warned not to abandon: and to Heb_6:1, where faith toward God is part of the “word of the beginning of Christ.”

That raised him up.—These clauses give the historical facts which had led them, “through Christ,” to a living faith in God. Though the thought is common with St. Paul (e.g., Rom_1:2-4), St. Peter was familiar with it years before St. Paul’s conversion. See this in Act_2:23-24; and Act_2:33-36 of the same chapter will show what he means by “gave Him glory”—not to be confined to the Ascension, though that is the prominent thought; the glory was already partly given in the Resurrection. Comp. Joh_17:1, where there is the same reciprocal glorification of the Father and the Son, as here.

That your faith . . . might . . .—An inexact rendering which obscures the connection. Literally it is, so that your faith and hope is in (or, toward) God; that is to say, “Your faith and hope does not stop short in Jesus.” Hammond seems, to be quite right in paraphrasing, “Who by believing on Him (Jesus Christ) are far from departing from the God of Israel, but do, indeed, the more firmly believe and depend on Him as that omnipotent God who hath raised Christ from the dead.” The co-equal Son is less than the Father (Joh_14:28); and we should terribly mistake the meaning of the gospel were we content to rest in the love of Christ Himself without accepting His revelation of the Father. This is the “living hope” of 1Pe_1:3, brought about by Christ’s resurrection. Some of the German commentators translate, “So that your faith may be also hope in God;” which has nothing ungrammatical in it, but does not suit the context so well.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

21. who by him do believe in God …] Literally, who through him are faithful (or believing) towards God; the adjective expressing a permanent attribute of character rather than the mere act which would be expressed by the participle in Greek, and the present indicative in English.

that raised him up from the dead …] The prominence given to the Resurrection as the ground of Faith and Hope is eminently characteristic of St Peter (Act_2:32-36; Act_3:15; Act_4:10). The redemptive act was completed in the shedding of the “precious blood,” but the Resurrection and the “glory” of the Ascension were the foundation of man’s confidence that the work had been completed. The “in God” expresses the Credo in Deum rather than Credo Deo; faith and hope were to find their object in God, be directed towards Him.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Who by him do believe in God,.... Christ, as God, is the object of faith; as Mediator, he is the way to the Father, by which men come to him, believe in him and lay hold upon him, as their covenant God and Father; and is also the author of that faith by which they believe in him; and all their encouragement to believe is taken from him; and such who do come to God by Christ, and stay themselves upon him, trusting in him, may know, and comfortably conclude, that Christ, who was foreordained from all eternity to be the Redeemer of his people, was manifest in the flesh for their sakes, and to obtain eternal redemption for them, which he was sent to do, by him

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John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

Ver. 21. Might be in God] And so in a safer hand than our own; he hath laid help upon one that is mighty.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Who by him do believe in God - Faith is sometimes represented particularly as exercised in God, and sometimes in Christ. It is always a characteristic of true religion that a man has faith in God. Compare the notes at Mar 11:22.

That raised him up from the dead - See the Act 2:24; Act 3:15, Act 3:26; Act 4:10; Act 5:30; Act 13:30 notes; Rom 4:24; Rom 6:4 notes; 1Co 15:15 note.

And gave him glory - By exalting him at his own right hand in heaven, Phi 2:9; 1Ti 3:16; Eph 1:20-21.

That your faith and hope might be in God - That is, by raising up the Lord Jesus, and exalting him to heaven, he has laid the foundation of confidence in his promises, and of the hope of eternal life. Compare the notes at 1Pe 1:3. Compare 1 Cor. 15; Col 1:27; 1Th 1:3; 1Ti 1:1.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Who by him do believe in God; both as revealing God to you, Mat 11:27; Joh 1:14; and making way for you to God, who, out of Christ, is a consuming fire, so that there is no coming to him but by Christ, Joh 14:6; Eph 2:18; 3:12; Heb 7:25.

Gave him glory; viz. in his resurrection, ascension, sitting at the right hand of God, &c., Phi 2:9-11; Heb 2:9,10.

That your faith and hope might be in God; that seeing Christ raised and glorified, ye might be fully confirmed in the belief of a thorough satisfaction made to Divine justice for sin, and perfect reconciliation wrought (for had not Christ fully paid the price of redemption, his Father would never have let him out of the prison of the grave, in which his justice had shut him up); from which faith ariseth a hope, which looks to the resurrection of Christ your Head, as the certain pledge and earnest of your resurrection to life and glory. Christ’s resurrection and glory are the great grounds of faith, 1Pe 3:21; Act 2:32,33; 5:31; 10:40; Rom 4:24,25; 1Co 15:14,17.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

21. By him—As mediator. Only through him do we believe in God; not in a god, as did the heathen, nor in the true God as the Jew knew him, the deliverer from Egypt, but the God who raised our Lord from the dead, and exalted him to the throne of glory. (See St. Peter’s speech, Act_2:22-36.)

Faith… hope—Not in order that they might, but rather so that they do, as a result of that resurrection and glorification, sweetly rest in God.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Who by him do believe in God; or, according to two of the most ancient manuscripts, who through him are faithful towards God. Through himself, not only through his incarnation and atoning death, but through his grace and abiding presence. He was manifested for your sake who through him are faithful; for all the faithful, whether Jews or Gentiles; "for your glory," St. Paul says. (1Co_2:7) The thought shows the greatness of God"s love for his elect. The eternal Son was manifested for their sake; it gives an additional stimulus for Christian effort. That raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory. St. Peter returns to the "after-glories," which he had mentioned in ver. 11. The death of Christ is the atonement for sin; his resurrection and ascension are the grounds of our confidence and hope. They throw back a halo of Divine glory upon the awful cross; they bring out the beauty and the dignity of the atoning sacrifice; they show that it is accepted, that the work of our redemption is complete. The Resurrection held a very prominent place in the preaching of St. Peter, and, indeed, of all the apostles. (Act_2:32-36 Act_3:15 Act_4:10; comp. also Act_4:33; Rom_1:4, etc.) That your faith and hope might be in God; rather, so that your faith and hope are in God directed towards God (eijv Qeon); or perhaps, as Weiss, Huther, and others, "so that your faith is at the same time hope towards God." The resurrection and the glory of Christ not only inspire the Christian with confidence in God, but they also give his faith the character of hope; they fill it with hope. Christ had promised that where he is there should his servant be; he had prayed that those whom the Father had given him should be with him where he is, to behold his glory. He is in heaven, on the right hand of God. Thus the Christian"s faith assumes the attitude of hope; he hopes to be where Christ is, to see him as he is, to be made like unto him. This is "the hope of glory" for which we offer our thanksgivings. St. Peter is the apostle of hope.

The Divine means to faith and hope.

In admonishing his readers to holiness and obedience, Peter supported his injunctions by appeals to the highest motives. He placed his reliance upon especially Christian principles. He brought before the minds of his brethren the preciousness and the power of the Savior"s resurrection.

I MAN"S NEED OF FAITH AND HOPE IS IMPLIED. If man have a higher than a merely animal life, he requires higher principles by which the higher life may be sustained. He must be related to the unseen in the present and in the future. Faith must have an object, and hope a ground and aim. If we were without these we should be left sinful, ignorant, and helpless; without a Divine law for life, without a Divine assurance of pardon, without a Divine prospect of immortality. The unseen present and the eternal future being alike unknown, self-indulgence or brutal apathy would take the place of a spiritual life. But in fact we have a nature capable of infinite aspiration, and the Creator has not set us narrow limits or appointed for us inevitable poverty of spirit.

II GOD"S RAISING OF CHRIST FROM THE DEAD IS DECLARED. There is in this statement of Peter, that God raised his Son from the dead, nothing opposed to Christ"s declaration, "I take it i.e. "my life" again;" and nothing inconsistent with the assertion that Christ was "quickened by the Spirit." The New Testament is one continuous witness to our Lord"s resurrection. The Gospels circumstantially record it; the Book of the Acts represents it as the chief theme of apostolic preaching; the Epistles base upon it the whole of Christian doctrine and life. If Christ was not raised, the New Testament is full of misstatements, our Lord"s own predictions were unfulfilled, the apostles" witness was deceptive, the Lord"s Day and Easter-tide had no historical origin, and Christianity itself remains unaccounted for. Further, God, who raised Jesus from the dead, gave him glory. It was in obedience to the Father that Christ endured pain, humiliation, and death. But it was also by the will of the Father that Christ partook of glory. This glory was partly external and palpable, yet chiefly spiritual.

III THE MEANS OF FAITH AND HOPE ARE BY THIS RISEN SAVIOR THUS ASSURED TO MEN. It is not asserted that, before and apart from Christianity, faith and hope were unknown on earth; but that Christianity imparts to humanity a firmer confidence in God and a livelier anticipation of heaven.

1. More especially, a risen Christ encourages and justifies faith in a personal God, a righteous Ruler, a gracious and forgiving Father. They who believe that God raised Jesus from the dead have faith in the supreme Lord as interested in us, as caring for us, as sending and commissioning his own Son to make himself known and to bring himself near to us. They have faith in the just moral government of the world, and they do not doubt this even when they see the good oppressed and in some cases persecuted and slain. They have faith in the fatherly affection of the Eternal, and are assured that "all things are theirs.

2. A risen Christ awakens and sustains hope. For themselves, Christians have hope of individual salvation; for the world, they have hope of the victory of the good; for the Church, of final, reciprocal, and immortal communion. J.R.T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Who through him believe - For all our faith and hope proceed from the power of his resurrection. In God that raised Jesus, and gave him glory - At his ascension. Without Christ we should only dread God; whereas through him we believe, hope, and love.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

21. That your faith and hope might be in God. Faith, with Peter as well as Paul, is essential to salvation. The salvation is of God, not of ourselves, and is made ours by faith.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

21. διʼ ὑμᾶς, for the sake of you Gentiles, cf. Eph 3:5; Rom 16:26. The revelation of Christ was made for your sake, because it is through Christ that you are enabled to be faithful as resting upon God (πιστοὺς εἰς θεόν). πιστός in the LXX. never means “believing” or trustful, but is used to translate the Hebrew word נֶאֱמָן = firm, secure. As applied to persons, a firm friend is one who is trustworthy, and so πιστός acquired the meaning trustworthy, faithful. But in the N.T. the active use of πίστις, viz. belief, is much more common than the passive trustworthiness, fidelity, and so the adjective πιστός is occasionally used in the sense of believing—e.g. six times in the Pastoral Epp., possibly also in Eph 1:1 and Col 1:1—and with a new application of Abraham’s old title in Gal 3:9. It is also used in the sense of a believer as opposed to ἄπιστος, an unbeliever, in Joh 20:27; 2Co 6:15; and without ἄπιστος in Act 16:1. But there is no instance of πιστός in the sense of believing, followed by a preposition. So here Hort would translate “faithful as resting on God” rather than believers in God (as the R.V.). If St Peter had intended this he would have written πιστεύοντας, which is the reading of the T.R. Moreover, in that case, the words which follow at the end of the verse would be a meaningless repetition. The remembrance that death led to resurrection and glory in the case of Christ enables the Christian to be “faithful unto death” as leading to the crown of life; cf. Heb 2:9, Jesus is crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, and this perfecting of the Captain of their salvation through sufferings befits God’s purpose in bringing many sons to glory; cf. Rom 8:17.

ὥστε might be taken as a final particle = in order that, i.e. God’s purpose in raising Christ to glory was that your faith and hope should be centred upon Himself. More probably it is here a consecutive particle = so that. St Peter sums up the result of all that he has said, and shews that God is the foundation and the goal of human faith and hope.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

21.] who are through Him (surely not only, as Wies., through His manifestation; but through Him personally, made to you all that He is made as the medium of your faith in God: the resurrection and glory being included. In fact τὸν ἐγείραντα κ.τ.λ. is an epexegesis of διʼ αὐτοῦ) believers on God (a similar specification is found at ver. 4, εἰς ὑμᾶς τοὺς κ.τ.λ.) who raised Him from the dead, and gave Him glory (“That we are redeemed from our vain conversation, is owing to the blood of Christ: but that we have faith and hope in God, is brought about by God having raised Christ from the dead, and given Him glory.” Hofm. Schriftb. ii. 1, p. 383. Wies. remarks that the δόξαι of ver. 11 are here separately specified), so that your faith and hope are (not, as Syr., Vulg., Œc., Luth., Calv., Beza, Est., al., and E. V., “that your faith and hope might be;” nor, as Aretius (in Huth.), “so that your faith and hope ought to be:” but simply announcing a matter of fact. Your faith rests on Christ’s resurrection—it was God who raised Him: your hope, on Christ’s glorification: it is God who has given Him that glory. Closely accordant with this is St. Peter’s first public speech in the Act 2:22 ff., where all that has happened to Christ is referred to God as the doer of it) on (resting on and in) God.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Which raised. Compare Rom 4:24.

That your faith and hope might be in God. Some render, that your faith should also be toward God.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.