1 Peter 3:15 And The Deity Of Jesus Christ

• Discussion:

          -A High Christology is foundational in Christian theology, affirming that Jesus Christ is not merely a teacher or prophet, but truly divine and worthy of worship. 1 Peter 3:15 is a piece of evidence showing that the authors of the New Testament held to exactly that kind of view concerning the nature of Jesus. The text in question is cited here as follows:

          "but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." (emphasis added)

          1 Peter 3:13-14 is an allusion to Isaiah 8. Peter makes that connection to encourage people of faith to live out their convictions, even in the midst of persecution. He echoes the language of Isaiah 8:13 as he makes his point:

          “But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread." (emphasis added)

          Peter substitutes the Old Testament title "the Lord of hosts" with "Christ the Lord," thereby proving that he believed Jesus Christ to be God in the flesh. Both are given the same degree of reverence. We are to honor Christ as the Holy One. As far as textual differences are concerned, the New English Translation says that:

          "tc Most later mss (P M) have θεόν (theon, “God”) instead of Χριστόν (Christon; “Christ”) here. But Χριστόν is widely supported by excellent and early witnesses (P א A B C Ψ 33 1739 al latt sy co), and as a less common idiom better explains the rise of the other reading."

           This less common idiom of referring to Christ directly may have seemed unusual to some scribes, possibly leading to the alteration in later manuscripts.