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1Pe_1:21. τοὺς διʼ αὐτοῦ (i.e. Χριστοῦ ) πιστεύοντας (or πιστοὺς ) εἰς Θεόν ] τούς : the same clausal connection as in 1Pe_1:4-5.
The construction πιστεύειν εἰς is very frequent in the N. T., especially in John; Christ is for the most part named as the object; God, as here, in Joh_12:44; Joh_14:1.
This adjunct, by giving prominence to the fact that the readers are brought to faith in God by Christ, confirms the thought previously expressed by διʼ ὑμᾶς .[96] Nor should it ever have been denied that by it the readers may be recognised as having been heathens formerly.
ΤῸΝ ἘΓΕΊΡΑΝΤΑ ΑὐΤῸΝ ἘΚ ΝΕΚΡῶΝ ΚΑῚ ΔΌΞΑΝ ΑὐΤῷ ΔΌΝΤΑ ]
[97] not subjoined aimlessly as an accidental predicate applied by the apostle to God; but, closely linked on to Θεόν , the words serve to describe Θεόν more nearly as the object of the Christian faith. The conviction that God has raised and glorified Christ the Crucified belongs essentially to the Christian faith in God; with the first half of this clause, cf. Rom_4:24; Rom_8:11; 2Co_4:14; Gal_1:1; with the second, Joh_17:5; Joh_17:22; and with the whole thought, Eph_1:20; Act_2:32 f. This adjunct, defining Θεόν more nearly, is not meant to declare “how far Christ by His revelation has produced faith in God” (Wiesinger),—the whole structure of the clause is opposed to this,—but what is the faith to which through Christ the readers have attained.
ὥστε ] not: ἵνα (Oecumenius, Luther: “in order that;” thus also the Syr., Vulg., Beza, etc.), nor is it: itaque, as if a “ δεῖ ” or a “ χρή ” were to be supplied to εἶναι (Aretius); but: “so that,” it denotes the fruit which faith in God, who raised up Christ from the dead, has brought forth in the readers, which supplies the confirmation that Christ has appeared for their sake ( διʼ αὐτούς ).
τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν καὶ ἐλπίδα εἶναι εἰς Θεόν ] Most interpreters translate: “so that your faith and your hope are directed to God;” Weiss, on the other hand (p. 43), Brückner, Schott, Fronmüller, Hofmann, take it: “so that your faith is at the same time hope toward God.” The position of the words seems to favour this last translation, since the genitive ὑμῶν stands between the two substantives, whilst otherwise either ὑμῶν τὴν πίστιν καὶ ἐλπίδα (or τὴν ὑμῶν πίστ .), cf. Rom_1:20, Php_1:25, 1Th_2:12, or τὴν π . κ . ἐλπ . ὑμῶν , cf. Php_1:20, 1Th_3:7, would have been expected;—but this is not decisive, inasmuch as in Eph_3:5 τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις αὐτοῦ καὶ προφήταις occurs. On the other hand, the connection of thought gives the preference to the latter view; for, in the former case, not only is it noticeable that “the result is exactly the same as that denoted by τοὺς πιστούς (Weiss), but in it ἐλπίδα seems to be nothing more than an accidental appendage, whilst in reality it is the point aimed at in the whole deduction; that is to say, the truth and livingness of faith (in the resurrection and glorification of Christ) are manifested in this, that it is also an hope; cf. 1Pe_1:3; 1Pe_1:6; 1Pe_1:9; 1Pe_1:13.[98] Schott is wrong in thinking that εἰς Θεόν has reference not only to ἐλπίδα , but at the same time to τὴν πίστιν ; for though by πίστις here only πίστις εἰς Θεόν can be understood, yet it is grammatically impossible to connect the final εἰς Θεόν , which is closely linked on to ἐλπίδα , likewise with τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν .
The object of hope is specified in the words τὸν ἐγείραντα αὐτὸν κ . τ . λ .; it is the resurrection and attainment of the δόξα which is given to Christ; cf. Rom_8:11; Rom_8:17.
[96] Hofmann: “The assertion that Christ was foreordained and made manifest for their sake is actually justified in this, that they have faith in God through Him.”
[97] Weiss (p. 243) lays stress on δόντα in order to prove the low plane of Peter’s conception of the person of Christ; yet Christ also says in the Gospel of John, that God had given Him ζωή , κρίσις , ἐξουσία πάσης σαρκός , δόξα , etc. Paul, too, asserts that God exalted Christ and gifted Him ( ἐχαρίσατο ) with the ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα ; there is a similar passage too in Hebrews, that God has appointed or made Him κληρόνομος τάντων .
[98] Weiss is wrong in saying that, according to Peter’s view, faith is but the preparatory step to hope, since it rather includes the latter.