1 Peter 1:22

Seeing ye have purified your souls ; literally, having purified . The verb ἁγνίζω is used of ceremonial purification in John 11:55 , and in Acts 21:24 , Acts 21:26 ; Acts 24:18 . St. James and St. John, in their Epistles, give it the spiritual sense in which St. Peter uses it here ( James 4:8 ; 1 John 3:3 ). In this sense it implies consecration to God's service, and an inward cleansing of the heart from all that defiles—from sensual desires, from hypocrisy, from selfishness. The tense shows that this inward purification must precede the love to which the apostle exhorts us; there can be no true love in an unclean heart. In obeying the truth through the Spirit; literally, in the obedience of the truth . Obedience is the condition of purification. God's people are elect unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. While they walk in the path of obedience they are walking in the light, the light of truth, the light of God's presence, and then the blood of Jesus Christ is cleansing them from all sin ( 1 John 1:7 ). The genitive ( τῆς ἀληθείας ) seems to be objective, "obedience to the truth," rather than obedience wrought by the truth. The truth is God's truth, the truth revealed in his Holy Word. So the Lord himself said, "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy Word is truth" ( John 17:17 ). The words, "through the Spirit," are not found in the best manuscripts; they may be a gloss, but a true one. Unto unfeigned love of the brethren . St. Peter had not forgotten the new commandment, "That ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." The word rendered "love of the brethren" ( φιλαδελφία ) is scarcely found except in Christian writings. St. Peter uses it again in his Second Epistle ( 2 Peter 1:7 ), and also St. Paul ( Romans 12:10 ; 1 Thessalonians 4:9 ). It must be unfeigned, without hypocrisy, not in word, but in deed and in truth ( 1 John 3:18 ). Our hearts must be purified in the obedience of the truth before that unfeigned love can dwell in them. See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently; literally, love one another from the heart . The word "pure" is omitted in two of the most ancient manuscripts; it may be a gloss, but it is most true and suitable. Christian love must he from the heart, true and pure. The word rendered "fervently" ( ἐκτενῶς ) means, literally, "intensely," with all the energies strained to the utmost. It is interesting to observe that the only other place where the adverb occurs is in Acts 12:5 (according to the reading of the most ancient manuscripts), where it is used of the prayer offered up for St. Peter himself.