1 Peter 1:18–19

Context

First Peter is a letter sent in the name of Peter to Christians scattered throughout several regions of Asia Minor (1 Peter 1:1). Beginning at 1:13, the letter offers an exhortation to holy living. Verse 17 urges readers to "pass the time of your sojourning here in fear," and verses 18–19 give the reason for living this way. It is a fact the readers already know, namely that they were delivered at an immense price: "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:18–19, KJV). Verse 20 continues by describing Christ as one who "verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world."

In this passage, "redeemed" means to buy back by paying a price.

Interpretation

• Reading it as the price of atonement: Many commentators read this passage as a basis for the doctrine of atonement, according to which Christ's death was a price paid on behalf of sinners. The Reformed tradition in particular emphasizes the substitutionary sense that Christ bore punishment in the place of sinners.
• Reading it in light of the Exodus and the Passover: This interpretation compares the phrase "a lamb without blemish and without spot" to the Passover lamb and the sacrificial offerings of the Old Testament, and holds that the passage describes salvation within the framework of the Exodus, the deliverance from slavery.
• Reading it with an emphasis on transformed living: This interpretation focuses on the fact that what believers are redeemed from is "vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers," that is, an inherited way of life. On this reading, salvation is understood not only as the forgiveness of sins but also as release from a former manner of life.

Questions of Application

Scholars differ over who the original readers were, depending on how they understand the phrase "received by tradition from your fathers." Most scholars take it to refer to the practices of pagan religion and therefore regard the readers as predominantly Gentile converts. Others hold that it refers to Jewish tradition.

A further question concerns to whom the price was paid. Some early Church Fathers proposed that it was a ransom paid to Satan. The text, however, does not identify the recipient of the payment, and many interpreters today therefore hold that the focus of the passage lies on the magnitude and preciousness of the price.

Perspective: Korean Protestant practiceHow this idea is used in Korean churches, kept from the original Korean article.

In Korean Bible translation, the older Korean Revised Version renders "redeemed" with a term meaning to buy back by paying a price. The New Korean Revised Version instead renders the phrase as "were ransomed" and changes "vain conduct" to "futile conduct."

In Korean Protestant churches, the common term for Christ's "precious blood" (bohyeol) echoes the language of this passage, and hymns that celebrate the blood of Christ are commonly called "precious blood hymns." The passage is frequently cited in sermons for the Lord's Supper and Holy Week.

Related Passages

• Exodus 12:5
• Isaiah 53:7
• John 1:29
• Mark 10:45
• Revelation 5:9