No, he is not. For Peter now inserts a command: “Love one another earnestly from a pure heart.” In this command the apostle uses a different word for “love”—agape—than he used a moment earlier (translated as “brotherly love”). The word in the present phrase describes a much deeper “love” than the previous word philos. It is the same word that Jesus used in the new command he gave to his disciples after he had washed their feet: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34). Jesus’ love for his disciples went far beyond enjoying togetherness to extend even to laying down his life to atone for his enemies’ sins (Romans 5:10), including the sins of disciples who denied him and fled to save their own skin. This is the sort of “love” Peter wants his readers to display.
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,