¹²Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! ¹³She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark. ¹⁴Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ.

Peter now concludes his first letter. His literary contributions to the NT canon are relatively small when compared to the apostle Paul and the gospel writers. While many scholars believe Mark’s gospel account reflects mostly Peter’s teachings, Peter’s personal literary skills may have been limited, as we see that even in the writing of this letter, he used Silvanus as his secretary, or as scholars say, his amanuensis. We know Silvanus elsewhere only from his briefly mentioned association with the apostle Paul (2 Cor. 1:19, 1 Thess. 1:1, 2 Thess. 1:1). Rather than think him insignificant, we note that to have one’s name mentioned in Scripture and in association with these is anything but insignificant. In fact, each of us as believers is mentioned in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev. 13:8, 21:27). That is significant!

Peter summarizes that he has written to exhort them to remember the grace of God. Yes, there is a place for warning one another of God’s expectations, but even this should be seen not as a fear of punishment, but of falling away from the embrace of His grace. His grace is greater than any and all of our sin, for where sin abounds, grace abounds even more (Rom. 5:20). Our salvation is assured and secure, but it is not a once and done event. Rather, it is a continual dynamic: we must live a gospel-centered life. As Paul wrote, “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Col. 2:6). Walking in Him means we live as though today is the day we receive Him, just like we did at salvation (John 1:12). There is nothing worse than to walk outside of a conscious dependence on God’s undeserved grace towards us.

Scholars wrestle with his final greeting from “[s]he who is in Babylon,” so we leave that for them to deal with. For our purposes here, we note the affection that Peter conveys. He extends a greeting from someone—perhaps from believers in Rome or even an individual woman—who shares the common enjoyment of being “chosen.” If election means anything, it means that God has desired us who are believers, and we should relish in this. Mark here probably refers to John Mark, a one-time associate of the apostle Paul and a relative of Barnabas. He was known as a failed disciple who regained his usefulness in service to the Lord and His people (see Acts 12:12 and Col. 4:10). Finally, Peter appeals to their fellowship filled with warmth and affection.

Lord, thank You for showering grace on me. Help me shower grace on others.