1 Peter 5:11
To Him be the power forever and ever. Amen.
To Him
This phrase directs our attention to God, the ultimate recipient of glory and honor. In the context of 1 Peter, the apostle Peter is concluding his letter with a doxology, a short hymn of praises to God. The Greek word for "Him" here is "αὐτῷ" (autō), which is a pronoun referring to God. This pronoun emphasizes the personal nature of our relationship with God, reminding us that He is not a distant deity but a personal, loving Father who is intimately involved in our lives. Historically, the early Christians faced persecution and trials, and this phrase serves as a reminder that despite their circumstances, their focus should remain on God.

be the power
The Greek word for "power" is "κράτος" (kratos), which denotes strength, might, and dominion. This word is often used in the New Testament to describe the sovereign power of God. In the context of 1 Peter, it underscores the belief that God is in control of all things, even amidst suffering and persecution. The early church, surrounded by Roman authority and pagan influences, found solace in the understanding that true power belongs to God alone. This acknowledgment of God's power is not just a statement of fact but a declaration of faith and trust in His ultimate authority over all creation.

forever and ever
The phrase "forever and ever" is translated from the Greek "εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων" (eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn), which literally means "into the ages of the ages." This expression is a powerful way to convey the concept of eternity. It emphasizes the eternal nature of God's power and dominion, which is unending and unchanging. In a world where everything is temporary and subject to change, this phrase reassures believers of the eternal stability and reliability of God's rule. Historically, this would have been a comforting truth for early Christians who faced uncertainty and persecution, reminding them that God's kingdom is everlasting.

Amen
The word "Amen" is derived from the Hebrew "אָמֵן" (āmēn), meaning "truly" or "so be it." It is a declaration of affirmation and agreement, often used at the end of prayers and doxologies to express certainty and trust in what has been said. In the context of 1 Peter 5:11, "Amen" serves as a final seal of confidence in the truths expressed in the verse. It is a communal affirmation, inviting all believers to join in the declaration of God's eternal power. The use of "Amen" in the early church was a way to unite the congregation in a shared expression of faith, reinforcing their collective hope and trust in God's promises.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Peter
The author of the epistle, one of Jesus' twelve apostles, known for his leadership in the early church and his close relationship with Jesus.

2. The Early Church
The recipients of Peter's letter, consisting of believers scattered throughout Asia Minor, facing persecution and trials.

3. God
The ultimate recipient of glory and power, as acknowledged by Peter in this doxology.

4. Asia Minor
The geographical region where the recipients of the letter were located, which is modern-day Turkey.

5. Persecution
The context in which the early Christians were living, which Peter addresses throughout his letter.
Teaching Points
Acknowledging God's Sovereignty
Recognize that all power belongs to God, and our lives should reflect this truth in worship and obedience.

Eternal Perspective
Understand that God's power is not temporary but eternal, which provides hope and assurance in times of trial.

Worship as a Response
Our response to God's power and glory should be one of worship, both in personal devotion and corporate gatherings.

Living Under God's Authority
Submit to God's authority in every aspect of life, trusting in His ultimate control and purpose.

Encouragement in Trials
In the face of persecution or hardship, remember that God's power is at work, and He will ultimately prevail.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does acknowledging God's eternal power influence your daily decisions and actions?

2. In what ways can you incorporate worship into your daily routine as a response to God's sovereignty?

3. How does understanding God's eternal dominion provide comfort during difficult times?

4. What are some practical ways to submit to God's authority in areas of your life where you struggle with control?

5. How can you encourage others in your community to recognize and rely on God's power during trials?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Romans 11:36
This verse also attributes all glory and power to God, emphasizing His sovereignty and eternal nature.

Revelation 5:13
Similar to 1 Peter 5:11, this verse is a doxology that ascribes power and glory to God, highlighting the worship due to Him.

Ephesians 3:20-21
Paul’s doxology that praises God’s power at work within us, connecting to the theme of divine power and glory.

Jude 1:25
Another doxology that ascribes glory, majesty, power, and authority to God, reinforcing the eternal nature of His dominion.
Concluding ExhortationsR. Finlayson 1 Peter 5:1-11
Counsels for Troubled ChristiansU.R. Thomas 1 Peter 5:6-11
Suspicion of SatanC. New 1 Peter 5:8-11
People
Marcus, Mark, Peter, Silas, Silvanus
Places
Asia, Babylon, Bithynia, Cappadocia, Galatia, Pontus
Topics
Ages, Amen, Dominion, Forever, Glory, Power
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Peter 5:11

     1140   God, the eternal

1 Peter 5:10-11

     8634   amen

Library
Third Sunday after Trinity Humility, Trust, Watchfulness, Suffering
Text: 1 Peter 5, 5-11. 5 Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder. Yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another: for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; 7 casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 whom withstand stedfast
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

Sylvanus
'By Sylvanus, our faithful brother, as I account him, I have written unto you briefly.'--1 Peter v. 12 (R.V). I adopt the Revised Version because, in one or two small points, it brings out more clearly the Apostle's meaning. This Sylvanus is, beyond all reasonable doubt, the same man who is known to us in the Acts of the Apostles by the name of Silas. A double name was very common amongst Jews, whose avocations brought them into close connection with Gentiles. You will find other instances of it
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

An Apostolic Testimony and Exhortation
'... I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.'--1 Peter v. 12. 'I have written briefly,' says Peter. But his letter, in comparison with the other epistles of the New Testament, is not remarkably short; in fact, is longer than many of them. He regards it as short when measured by the greatness of its theme. For all words which are devoted to witnessing to the glory of God revealed in Jesus Christ, must be narrow and insufficient as compared
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

The Church in Babylon
'The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you ...'--1 Peter v. 13. We have drawn lessons in previous addresses from the former parts of the closing salutations of this letter. And now I turn to this one to see what it may yield us. The Revised Version omits 'the church,' and substitutes 'she'; explaining in a marginal note that there is a difference of opinion as to whether the sender of the letter is a community or an individual. All the old MSS., with one weighty exception,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

Marcus, My Son
'... So doth Marcus, my son.'--1 Peter v. 13. The outlines of Mark's life, so far as recorded in Scripture, are familiar. He was the son of Mary, a woman of some wealth and position, as is implied by the fact that her house was large enough to accommodate the 'many' who were gathered together to pray for Peter's release. He was a relative, probably a cousin (Col. iv. 10, Revised Version), of Barnabas, and possibly, like him, a native of Cyprus. The designation of him by Peter as 'my son' naturally
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

The Slave's Girdle
'... Be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.'--1 Peter v. 5. The Apostle uses here an expression of a remarkable kind, and which never occurs again in Scripture. The word rendered in the Authorised Version 'be clothed,' or better in the Revised Version, 'gird yourselves with,' really implies a little more than either of those renderings suggests. It describes a kind of garment as well as the act of putting it on, and the sort of garment which it describes
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

A New Year's Benediction
I have this morning taken this text as a new year's blessing. You are aware that a minister of the Church of England always supplies me with the motto for the new year. He prays much before he selects the text, and I know that it is his prayer for you all to-day. He constantly favors me with this motto, and I always think it my duty to preach from it, and then desire my people to remember it through the year as a staff of support in their time of trouble, as some sweet morsel, a wafer made with honey,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 6: 1860

30TH DAY. A Crown of Life.
"He is Faithful that Promised." "When the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away."--1 PETER v. 4. A Crown of Life. What! is the beggar to be "raised from the dunghill, set among princes, and made to inherit a throne of glory?" is dust and ashes, a puny rebel, a guilty traitor, to be pitied, pardoned, loved, exalted from the depths of despair, raised to the heights of Heaven--gifted with kingly honour--royally fed--royally clothed--royally attended--and,
John Ross Macduff—The Faithful Promiser

The Millennium in Relation to Satan.
In our last chapter we saw that Christ descends from Heaven to find an organized effort to prevent him coming back to the earth. Under the leadership of Anti-christ, the kings of the earth with their armies assemble together at Armageddon with the express purpose of making war upon the Lamb (Rev. 17:14). It is in connection with this impious revolt that we read, "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh" (Ps. 2:4), laugh at their folly and madness, "The Lord shall have them in derision." As well
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

A Preliminary Discourse to Catechising
'If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled.' - Col 1:23. Intending next Lord's day to enter upon the work of catechising, it will not be amiss to give you a preliminary discourse, to show you how needful it is for Christians to be well instructed in the grounds of religion. If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled.' I. It is the duty of Christians to be settled in the doctrine of faith. II. The best way for Christians to be settled is to be well grounded. I. It is the duty of Christians
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Royal Marriage Feast.
PART I.--THE WEDDING GUESTS. "And Jesus answered, and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of
William Arnot—The Parables of Our Lord

Consolations against Impatience in Sickness.
If in thy sickness by extremity of pain thou be driven to impatience, meditate-- 1. That thy sins have deserved the pains of hell; therefore thou mayest with greater patience endure these fatherly corrections. 2. That these are the scourges of thy heavenly Father, and the rod is in his hand. If thou didst suffer with reverence, being a child, the corrections of thy earthly parents, how much rather shouldst thou now subject thyself, being the child of God, to the chastisement of thy heavenly Father,
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Exhortations to Christians as they are Children of God
1 There is a bill of indictment against those who declare to the world they are not the children of God: all profane persons. These have damnation written upon their forehead. Scoffers at religion. It were blasphemy to call these the children of God. Will a true child jeer at his Father's picture? Drunkards, who drown reason and stupefy conscience. These declare their sin as Sodom. They are children indeed, but cursed children' (2 Peter 2:14). 2 Exhortation, which consists of two branches. (i) Let
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Some Other Writers of the New Testament
[Illustration: (drop cap L) Ancient engraving of man reading scroll] Let us now look at the rest of the books which make up the New Testament. In the days when Paul preached at Athens, the old capital of Greece, much of the ancient splendour and power of the Greek people had passed away, for the Romans had conquered their country, and they were no longer a free nation. Yet, although the Greeks had been forced to yield to Rome, their conquerors knew that the Grecian scholars and artists were far
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

Its Source
Let us here review, briefly, the ground which we have already covered. We have seen, first, that "to justify" means to pronounce righteous. It is not a Divine work, but a Divine verdict, the sentence of the Supreme Court, declaring that the one justified stands perfectly conformed to all the requirements of the law. Justification assures the believer that the Judge of all the earth is for him, and not against him: that justice itself is on his side. Second, we dwelt upon the great and seemingly insoluable
Arthur W. Pink—The Doctrine of Justification

The Scriptures
apo blefouV ta iera grammata oidaV Many Allusions to Scripture In the year 1729,' wrote John Wesley, I began not only to read but to study the Bible.' The results of that devoted study of the Word of God are to be seen in every page that he wrote. Both the brothers must have had a most profound, exact, and extensive acquaintance with the Scriptures. Indeed, it is only a close study of the Bible on our own part that can reveal to us the extent of their intimacy with it. There can hardly be a single
Charles H. Kelly—The Hymns of Methodism in their Literary Relations

How the Gospels came to be Written
[Illustration: (drop cap B) Early Christian Lamp] But how did the story of the Saviour's life on earth come to be written? We have seen that many years passed before any one thought of writing it down at all. The men and women who had really seen Him, who had listened to His voice, looked into His face, and who knew that He had conquered death and sin for evermore, could not sit down to write, for their hearts were all on fire to speak. But as the years passed, the number of those who had seen Christ
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

Some Gospel Truths Opened, According to the Scriptures; Or, the Divine and Human Nature of Christ Jesus;
HIS COMING INTO THE WORLD; HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, DEATH, RESURRECTION, ASCENSION, INTERCESSION, AND SECOND COMING TO JUDGMENT, PLAINLY DEMONSTRATED AND PROVED. AND ALSO, Answers to several Questions, with profitable Directions to stand fast in the Doctrine of Jesus the Son of MARY, against those blustering Storms of the Devil's Temptations, which do at this Day, like so many Scorpions, break loose from the bottomless Pit, to bite and torment those that have not tasted the Vertue of Jesus, by the Revelation
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

In the Dungeon of Giant Discourager
IN THE DUNGEON OF GIANT DISCOURAGER I feel very discouraged at times, and sometimes the spells of discouragement hang on for a long while. I wonder if I am sanctified. From unaccountable sources, bad feelings of every description depress my soul, and along with these bad feelings come doubts that cast gloom over me. I have prayed and prayed that these feelings of discouragement might leave me; but they have not done so. I despair of prayer bringing me the help I need. Really, I know not what to do.
Robert Lee Berry—Adventures in the Land of Canaan

The Poor in Spirit are Enriched with a Kingdom
Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3 Here is high preferment for the saints. They shall be advanced to a kingdom. There are some who, aspiring after earthly greatness, talk of a temporal reign here, but then God's church on earth would not be militant but triumphant. But sure it is the saints shall reign in a glorious manner: Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.' A kingdom is held the acme and top of all worldly felicity, and this honour have all the saints'; so says our Saviour, Theirs is the
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

The Providence of God
Q-11: WHAT ARE GOD'S WORKS OF PROVIDENCE? A: God's works of providence are the acts of his most holy, wise, and powerful government of his creatures, and of their actions. Of the work of God's providence Christ says, My Father worketh hitherto and I work.' John 5:17. God has rested from the works of creation, he does not create any new species of things. He rested from all his works;' Gen 2:2; and therefore it must needs be meant of his works of providence: My Father worketh and I work.' His kingdom
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

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