In verse 22 Peter says that we purify our souls by obedience to the truth unto unfeigned brotherly love. Since the purification of our souls concentrates our entire being on God that we may love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind (Mark 12:30), it results in unfeigned brotherly love. We love from the heart fervently all those whom God loves. First, God’s regeneration issues in a holy life. Then His sanctification (purification) results in brotherly love.
What does the word “unfeigned” mean? It means not to pretend or not to be hypocritical. But in particular it means not to put on a mask. To feign something is to put on a mask to disguise how we really feel. It is to pretend to be something that we are not. Unfeigned brotherly love is brotherly love that is genuine, without pretense; it is brotherly love without any kind of mask. In verse 22 the adjective “unfeigned” is very important. It indicates that through the purification of our soul, all the masks have been taken away.
If a brother takes in dissenting thoughts concerning the Lord’s recovery, he may still love the brothers, but that love will be feigned. This means that it will be love with a mask. The mask is there because the brother has doubts concerning the recovery. If he lives with others in a brothers’ house, he may apparently still love those brothers. But he does not have an unfeigned love, a love without a mask, for them. However, if he decides to obey the truth and by that obedience purifies his soul, this purification will result in unfeigned brotherly love. Then he will love the brothers without any mask.
Many times the saints may put on masks in the church life. They may love one another, but it is a love with a mask. The reason for this feigned love is that these saints have not purified their souls. They have not girded up the loins of their mind, concentrated their emotion, and made a strong decision with their will concerning the recovery. Therefore, everything they do is with a mask. They may realize that as long as they are in the church life they need to behave in a loving way. But inwardly they are doubting, and their souls, including the mind, the emotion, and the will, have been polluted. These saints need to purify their souls by obeying the truth.
When we have purified our souls by our obedience to the truth, we can love one another from the heart fervently. In verse 22 we have both the purifying of the soul and love from the heart. To love from the heart is to have a love that comes not only from the parts of the soul but also from the conscience. Our conscience testifies that we love the brothers with an unfeigned love. When our conscience has this kind of testimony, we love from the heart. But if our conscience does not confirm our love or testify concerning it, then our love is merely from the soul. It is not a love from the heart, because the conscience is not part of the soul, but is part of the heart.
The main part of the sentence in verses 22 and 23 is, “Love one another from the heart fervently.” “Having purified your souls by obedience to the truth unto unfeigned brotherly love” is a clause that modifies the subject (you understood) of “Love one another from the heart fervently.” Then verse 23 continues with another modifying clause, “Having been regenerated, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the living and abiding word of God.” This verse modifies verse 22. Having been regenerated, we have purified our souls unto brotherly love. Regeneration with the divine life is the base, the ground, for the purification, sanctification, of our souls unto unfeigned love. This section of the Word both begins and ends with regeneration, which results in a holy life toward God and a brotherly love toward the saints.
Verse 23 indicates that we have been regenerated through the living and abiding word of God. We have not been regenerated of corruptible seed. A seed is a container of life. The word of God as the incorruptible seed contains God’s life. Hence, it is living and abiding. Through this word we have been regenerated. It is God’s living and abiding word of life that conveys God’s life into our spirit for our regeneration.
We may paraphrase Peter’s writing this way: “Brothers and sisters, don’t you know that we have all been regenerated? We have been regenerated not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible seed. This incorruptible seed is in the living and abiding word of God. Therefore, we have been regenerated of incorruptible seed through the living and abiding word of God. The word of God is not actually the seed itself; rather, it is the container of the seed. For this reason, the seed comes through the word. You need to realize that you have been regenerated of incorruptible seed which is conveyed to us in the living word of God.”
If the seed is not the word of God itself, then what is it? The seed is the eternal life of God. God’s eternal life is a seed containing divine genes. We all have been regenerated of this organic, divine seed through the divine word.
Since we have been regenerated in this way, we need to care for the seed within us, and we should not care for any dissenting talk from those who oppose the Lord’s recovery. Instead of listening to the words of dissenting ones, we need to pay attention to the seed. We should check everything with the seed in us.
Furthermore, with this seed within us as the basis, this seed received through regeneration, we need to purify our soul. Do not listen to the dissenting talk of religionists. Instead, pay attention to the inward seed. Gird up your mind, concentrate your emotion, and strengthen your will. Then make a strong decision for the Lord’s recovery. This is what it means to purify our soul. If you purify your soul in this way, the result will be unfeigned brotherly love.
In verses 24 and 25 Peter goes on to say, “Because all flesh is as grass, and all its glory as the flower of grass. The grass has withered, and the flower has fallen off, but the word of the Lord abides forever. And this is the word which is preached as the gospel to you.” These verses are not nearly as deep as verses 22 and 23, and they are much easier to understand. The flesh in verse 24 refers to fallen man. All the fallen human race is as withering grass, and its glory as the falling flower of grass. The believers were like that, but the living and abiding word of the Lord, with the seed sown into them through regeneration, has changed their nature and makes them living and abiding forever.
The word in verse 23 is logos, referring to the constant word. The word here is rhema (twice), referring to the instant word. When the logos is spoken to us, it becomes rhema.
In verse 25 it is the word of the Lord that abides forever. “Lord” refers to God in verse 23. This indicates that the Lord Jesus is God.
In verse 25 Peter speaks of “the word which is preached as the gospel to you.” The word preached by the apostles is the gospel that regenerates the believers.