2:13 that blessed hope. The second coming of Christ, specifically the very first event of that coming, namely, the resurrection of those who died in Christ and the rapture of those believers still living when He comes, is the “blessed hope” of the Christian. When a believer is truly looking for that hope (notice that he is to be looking for the imminent coming of Christ), it is a great incentive to witnessing and godly living. “Every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure” (I John 3:3).

2:14 purify unto Himself. Christians tend to think of Christ’s death mostly in terms of what it means to them, but it also means much to Christ Himself. He wanted to “purify unto Himself a peculiar people.” He died for sinners, so that “they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him” (II Corinthians 5:15). He “bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness” (I Peter 2:24).

2:14 peculiar people. That is, the death of Christ was not just to save us, but also to create a group of people peculiarly and particularly dedicated to Himself. This is the only occurrence in the New Testament of the Greek word translated “peculiar.”