1 Peter 1:18
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;
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
For Gentile Christians in Asia Minor, "vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers" referred to pagan religious practices, idolatry, immoral behaviors, and empty philosophies inherited from ancestors. Many faced family pressure to continue ancestral practices—abandoning family gods brought accusations of impiety and family disloyalty. Peter assures them: these traditions, however ancient and culturally revered, were ultimately empty, requiring redemption. The phrase may also address Jewish Christian readers who might elevate ancestral traditions (Pharisaic regulations, oral law) above gospel liberty. Jesus similarly critiqued traditions that nullified God's word (Matthew 15:1-9). The emphasis on silver and gold's inadequacy echoes Old Testament teaching that material wealth cannot redeem souls (Psalm 49:7-9). In ancient world, wealthy individuals could purchase freedom for enslaved persons or pay ransoms for war captives. But spiritual slavery to sin required different currency—precious blood, not precious metal. Early church fathers contrasted Christianity's costliness (requiring God's Son's death) with pagan religions' cheapness (requiring only ritual observance).
Questions for Reflection
- What specific 'empty' traditions or cultural practices from your background does Christ's redemption free you from?
- How does understanding redemption's costliness (not silver/gold but Christ's blood) affect your valuation of salvation and motivation for holy living?
Analysis & Commentary
Peter grounds holiness in redemption's costly nature. "Forasmuch as ye know" (eidotes hoti) indicates settled knowledge—believers definitively know what follows. "Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things" (ou... elythrōthēte phtharetois) uses lytroō, the marketplace term for purchasing slaves' freedom by paying ransom price. Believers were enslaved to sin; Christ paid ransom securing liberation. Peter specifies what was NOT the price: "corruptible things, as silver and gold" (phtharetois, argyriō ē chrysiō)—precious metals were ancient world's ultimate currency, yet inadequate for spiritual redemption. "Corruptible" (phtharetois) means perishable, subject to decay—even gold and silver ultimately perish. They cannot purchase eternal redemption. Believers were redeemed "from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers" (ek tēs mataias hymōn anastrophēs patroparadotou). "Vain" (mataias) means empty, futile, purposeless—describing pre-conversion life's ultimate meaninglessness apart from God. "Received by tradition from your fathers" (patroparadotou, literally "father-handed-down") indicates ancestral customs and inherited lifestyles passed through generations. This likely refers primarily to pagan traditions (given audience) but includes any human tradition apart from Christ.