1 PETER 2
"Scripture quotes taken from the NKJV" unless otherwise indicated.
1 Peter 2:1 "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
1 Peter 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
1 Peter 2:3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious."
These opening verses are similar to the opening verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 3, in which Paul rejects the factionalism of some early Christians who saw themselves as followers of Paul or Apollos, or whoever had brought the gospel to them, instead of followers of Christ. Though Peter doesn't say anything here about Christians comparing one leader with another, he seems to be saying that as long as we continue to express malice, deceit, hypocrisy and envy, and as long as we continue to speak evil of others, we are behaving in the same way ordinary men in the world around us behave. The primary theme of this chapter is to conduct ourselves in such a way that we distinguish ourselves from the culture around us, that we are identifiable as Christians by our behavior.
Unlike Paul in 1 Corinthians, or the writer of Hebrews, Peter does not indicate any impatience with us for desiring milk instead of solid food, he merely says we should yearn for spiritual growth, because our initial encounter with God has taught us how good the Lord is.
1 Corinthians 3:1 "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;
1 Corinthians 3:3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
1 Corinthians 3:4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?"
Hebrews 5:12 "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
Hebrews 5:13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
Hebrews 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
The passage in 1 Corinthians is particularly interesting, because Paul rejects favoritism, even when he himself is the favorite. I don't want to stray far from the text here, but favoritism can be a very difficult issue. As the father of two sons, one of whom is relatively obedient and one of whom seems to be constantly in trouble, it is a challenge to convince the more troublesome child that he is equally loved, because he requires a lot more discipline. Ultimately, however, both of them were born into Adam's race, and they both need Christ as Savior and Lord.
1 Peter 2:4 "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,
1 Peter 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
We have houses of worship, but verse 5 implies that God wants to dwell in Christians collectively, not just in the individual way we read about in other passages. Christ's church is not a building, but it is a spiritual community consisting of everyone to whom it has been revealed that Jesus is God's Son, the risen Lord.
In verse 5, Peter says God is building us into a holy priesthood, and we are to offer spiritual sacrifices which are pleasing to God. The concept of a holy priesthood is not an original New Testament concept. It actually goes back to the book of Exodus:
Exodus 19:1 "In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai.
Exodus 19:2 For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain.
Exodus 19:3 And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:
Exodus 19:4 "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.
Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
Exodus 19:6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
Israel was also supposed to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. But only the tribe of Levi was specifically called to the priesthood, and the Israelis were obliged by the old covenant to offer many ceremonial sacrifices, in addition to the blood sacrifices which anticipated the coming of Christ, and his blood sacrifice for them.
Obviously, Christians are not split up into tribes, and we are all called to the priesthood. In fact, this is not exclusively a male priesthood, the passage doesn't say anything which excludes women. But the nature of this priesthood is different, because we are obliged to offer spiritual sacrifices, sacrifices of changed behavior which bear testimony about our faith in Christ. Most of the rest of this book will tell us what those sacrifices are, and how we should behave as Christians in order to bring honor to the name of Christ throughout the world.
1 Peter 2:6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,
“ Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” (Isaiah 28:16)
1 Peter 2:7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,
“ The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” (Psalm 118:22-23, quoted by Jesus in Matthew 21:42-44, Mark 12:10-11 and Luke 20:17-18, and quoted by Peter in Acts 4:9-12.
1 Peter 2:8 and
“ A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” (Isaiah 8:14)
They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
1 Peter 2:10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."
I don't know much about architecture, but a cornerstone, as I understand it, is a large stone which aligns everything else which is built, and this is the function Christ has with us. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:4 that the people of Israel drank from the spiritual Rock, which was Christ, and Psalms 18, 27, 28, 31, 42, 61, 62, 71, 78, 89, 92, 94, 95 and 144 speak of the Lord as the rock of our salvation.
Verse 8 says that some people are destined to see Christ as a rock of offense, a rock which they will stumble over, causing them to disobey the word. This raises the issues of predestination versus free will, partial versus complete atonement, and election. This is a complex issue, which theologians haven't reached a consensus about. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on these issues here. I don't really believe Jesus only came to die for the sins of some of mankind, as some say, yet the scriptures do seem to indicate that some people have been part of God's elect since before the foundation of the world, and others are destined to be children of wrath.
For me at least, the central question is what is God's attitude toward those who will be separated from him throughout eternity. The last thing Jesus ever said to Judas was "Friend, why have you come?" (Matthew 26:50). By calling Judas friend, Jesus was not ignoring the fact that Judas was betraying him, nor was he begging Judas to change his mind, but he must have been expressing some sorrow about the destiny of Judas, and that should be enough for us.
Verse 10 reminds me of the book of Hosea, which explains that God has compassion for the people of Israel at certain times and brings them into judgment at other times. In fact, the same thing can probably be said to some extent about God's dealings with all nations. Paul goes into great detail about this in Romans chapters 9-11, indicating that Gentiles have been grafted into a cultivated olive tree, but Jews have been removed from it, yet God has power to graft them in again, and he continues to have a plan for the salvation of the Jews.
1 Peter 2:11 "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
1 Peter 2:12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation."
Certainly, Peter is not advocating only superficial public holiness, but he is instructing us to behave in such a way that non-Christians will glorify God because of us. It usually takes a great deal of consistently good behavior to get self-centered sinners to notice and glorify God, but that's the plan for a priesthood of believers who offer spiritual sacrifices to God.
1 Peter 2:13 "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme,
1 Peter 2:14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
1 Peter 2:15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—
1 Peter 2:16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
1 Peter 2:17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king."
As I read the above verses, Aretha Franklin's "R E S P E C T" comes to mind, as well as the contrast between this attitude and the open fondness for lawlessness which permeates much of our society today. Many people seem to take deliberate delight in not fearing God, honoring people in positions of authority, not loving Christians and not even honoring the people around them. In a way, that's unfortunate. But it gives Christians an opportunity to be sanctified and to have an observable witness, which might have just caused us to blend into the culture in other generations.
1 Peter 2:18 "Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
1 Peter 2:19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
1 Peter 2:20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
1 Peter 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:"
Years ago, I read a book called "Calvary Road" by Roy Hessian. His basic point was that Christians often do not experience God's blessing or his presence in their lives, because they are not willing to suffer, refuse to forgive, demand their own rights, etc. It's not easy for any of us to be insulted without defending ourselves, or to be willing to be punished unjustly. Yet Christ was punished unjustly, and we must carry our cross, as he carried his, if we expect to grow into his likeness. When we feel separated from God, we need to be honest enough to ask him why.
The final verses of this chapter echo Isaiah 53, particularly verses 5-9:
Isaiah 53:5 "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
Isaiah 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
Isaiah 53:9 And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth."
1 Peter 2:22 “ Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
1 Peter 2:23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
1 Peter 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
1 Peter 2:25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
When he was on earth, Jesus dealt with the things he suffered by trusting God as the righteous judge, always regarding his heavenly Father as faithful to him, even on the cross. We also have to trust God's judgment about our trials. Perhaps they are intended to build our character and produce in us a steadfast commitment to Christ. But even in the worst possible case, if we are called upon to give our lives for our faith, God will not lose track of us, he will raise us from the dead and give us the rewards of our labor for him. Obviously, I'm not acquainted with martyrdom, but we have to believe that whatever we are asked to do for Christ, our faithfulness will not be in vain.
Verse 24 is a summary of the new covenant itself. Jesus has paid for our sins, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. Many Christians may spiritualize the portion of the verse which speaks about healing. But because physical healing was so much a part of Christ's ministry on earth, it seems to me that this verse is an explicit declaration that physical healing is part of the new covenant in Christ's blood.
Verse 25 accurately describes the human condition. People are scattering like sheep in every direction, looking for happiness and fulfillment in a million places where it can't be found. Life can only have lasting purpose and value if we come to the great Shepherd, Jesus himself.
For additional study about Jesus in his role as shepherd, I recommend Matthew 18:10-14, Luke 15:4-7, and especially John 10:1-18.
1 Peter 2:1 "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
1 Peter 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
1 Peter 2:3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious."
These opening verses are similar to the opening verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 3, in which Paul rejects the factionalism of some early Christians who saw themselves as followers of Paul or Apollos, or whoever had brought the gospel to them, instead of followers of Christ. Though Peter doesn't say anything here about Christians comparing one leader with another, he seems to be saying that as long as we continue to express malice, deceit, hypocrisy and envy, and as long as we continue to speak evil of others, we are behaving in the same way ordinary men in the world around us behave. The primary theme of this chapter is to conduct ourselves in such a way that we distinguish ourselves from the culture around us, that we are identifiable as Christians by our behavior.
Unlike Paul in 1 Corinthians, or the writer of Hebrews, Peter does not indicate any impatience with us for desiring milk instead of solid food, he merely says we should yearn for spiritual growth, because our initial encounter with God has taught us how good the Lord is.
1 Corinthians 3:1 "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;
1 Corinthians 3:3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
1 Corinthians 3:4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?"
Hebrews 5:12 "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
Hebrews 5:13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
Hebrews 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
The passage in 1 Corinthians is particularly interesting, because Paul rejects favoritism, even when he himself is the favorite. I don't want to stray far from the text here, but favoritism can be a very difficult issue. As the father of two sons, one of whom is relatively obedient and one of whom seems to be constantly in trouble, it is a challenge to convince the more troublesome child that he is equally loved, because he requires a lot more discipline. Ultimately, however, both of them were born into Adam's race, and they both need Christ as Savior and Lord.
1 Peter 2:4 "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,
1 Peter 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
We have houses of worship, but verse 5 implies that God wants to dwell in Christians collectively, not just in the individual way we read about in other passages. Christ's church is not a building, but it is a spiritual community consisting of everyone to whom it has been revealed that Jesus is God's Son, the risen Lord.
In verse 5, Peter says God is building us into a holy priesthood, and we are to offer spiritual sacrifices which are pleasing to God. The concept of a holy priesthood is not an original New Testament concept. It actually goes back to the book of Exodus:
Exodus 19:1 "In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai.
Exodus 19:2 For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain.
Exodus 19:3 And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:
Exodus 19:4 "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.
Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
Exodus 19:6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
Israel was also supposed to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. But only the tribe of Levi was specifically called to the priesthood, and the Israelis were obliged by the old covenant to offer many ceremonial sacrifices, in addition to the blood sacrifices which anticipated the coming of Christ, and his blood sacrifice for them.
Obviously, Christians are not split up into tribes, and we are all called to the priesthood. In fact, this is not exclusively a male priesthood, the passage doesn't say anything which excludes women. But the nature of this priesthood is different, because we are obliged to offer spiritual sacrifices, sacrifices of changed behavior which bear testimony about our faith in Christ. Most of the rest of this book will tell us what those sacrifices are, and how we should behave as Christians in order to bring honor to the name of Christ throughout the world.
1 Peter 2:6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,
“ Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” (Isaiah 28:16)
1 Peter 2:7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,
“ The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” (Psalm 118:22-23, quoted by Jesus in Matthew 21:42-44, Mark 12:10-11 and Luke 20:17-18, and quoted by Peter in Acts 4:9-12.
1 Peter 2:8 and
“ A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” (Isaiah 8:14)
They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
1 Peter 2:10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."
I don't know much about architecture, but a cornerstone, as I understand it, is a large stone which aligns everything else which is built, and this is the function Christ has with us. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:4 that the people of Israel drank from the spiritual Rock, which was Christ, and Psalms 18, 27, 28, 31, 42, 61, 62, 71, 78, 89, 92, 94, 95 and 144 speak of the Lord as the rock of our salvation.
Verse 8 says that some people are destined to see Christ as a rock of offense, a rock which they will stumble over, causing them to disobey the word. This raises the issues of predestination versus free will, partial versus complete atonement, and election. This is a complex issue, which theologians haven't reached a consensus about. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on these issues here. I don't really believe Jesus only came to die for the sins of some of mankind, as some say, yet the scriptures do seem to indicate that some people have been part of God's elect since before the foundation of the world, and others are destined to be children of wrath.
For me at least, the central question is what is God's attitude toward those who will be separated from him throughout eternity. The last thing Jesus ever said to Judas was "Friend, why have you come?" (Matthew 26:50). By calling Judas friend, Jesus was not ignoring the fact that Judas was betraying him, nor was he begging Judas to change his mind, but he must have been expressing some sorrow about the destiny of Judas, and that should be enough for us.
Verse 10 reminds me of the book of Hosea, which explains that God has compassion for the people of Israel at certain times and brings them into judgment at other times. In fact, the same thing can probably be said to some extent about God's dealings with all nations. Paul goes into great detail about this in Romans chapters 9-11, indicating that Gentiles have been grafted into a cultivated olive tree, but Jews have been removed from it, yet God has power to graft them in again, and he continues to have a plan for the salvation of the Jews.
1 Peter 2:11 "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
1 Peter 2:12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation."
Certainly, Peter is not advocating only superficial public holiness, but he is instructing us to behave in such a way that non-Christians will glorify God because of us. It usually takes a great deal of consistently good behavior to get self-centered sinners to notice and glorify God, but that's the plan for a priesthood of believers who offer spiritual sacrifices to God.
1 Peter 2:13 "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme,
1 Peter 2:14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
1 Peter 2:15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—
1 Peter 2:16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
1 Peter 2:17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king."
As I read the above verses, Aretha Franklin's "R E S P E C T" comes to mind, as well as the contrast between this attitude and the open fondness for lawlessness which permeates much of our society today. Many people seem to take deliberate delight in not fearing God, honoring people in positions of authority, not loving Christians and not even honoring the people around them. In a way, that's unfortunate. But it gives Christians an opportunity to be sanctified and to have an observable witness, which might have just caused us to blend into the culture in other generations.
1 Peter 2:18 "Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
1 Peter 2:19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
1 Peter 2:20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
1 Peter 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:"
Years ago, I read a book called "Calvary Road" by Roy Hessian. His basic point was that Christians often do not experience God's blessing or his presence in their lives, because they are not willing to suffer, refuse to forgive, demand their own rights, etc. It's not easy for any of us to be insulted without defending ourselves, or to be willing to be punished unjustly. Yet Christ was punished unjustly, and we must carry our cross, as he carried his, if we expect to grow into his likeness. When we feel separated from God, we need to be honest enough to ask him why.
The final verses of this chapter echo Isaiah 53, particularly verses 5-9:
Isaiah 53:5 "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
Isaiah 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
Isaiah 53:9 And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth."
1 Peter 2:22 “ Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
1 Peter 2:23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
1 Peter 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
1 Peter 2:25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
When he was on earth, Jesus dealt with the things he suffered by trusting God as the righteous judge, always regarding his heavenly Father as faithful to him, even on the cross. We also have to trust God's judgment about our trials. Perhaps they are intended to build our character and produce in us a steadfast commitment to Christ. But even in the worst possible case, if we are called upon to give our lives for our faith, God will not lose track of us, he will raise us from the dead and give us the rewards of our labor for him. Obviously, I'm not acquainted with martyrdom, but we have to believe that whatever we are asked to do for Christ, our faithfulness will not be in vain.
Verse 24 is a summary of the new covenant itself. Jesus has paid for our sins, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. Many Christians may spiritualize the portion of the verse which speaks about healing. But because physical healing was so much a part of Christ's ministry on earth, it seems to me that this verse is an explicit declaration that physical healing is part of the new covenant in Christ's blood.
Verse 25 accurately describes the human condition. People are scattering like sheep in every direction, looking for happiness and fulfillment in a million places where it can't be found. Life can only have lasting purpose and value if we come to the great Shepherd, Jesus himself.
For additional study about Jesus in his role as shepherd, I recommend Matthew 18:10-14, Luke 15:4-7, and especially John 10:1-18.
posted by TAPIOCA at 8/26/2007 03:54:00 AM
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