1 Peter 2:1-3
You can spot an order to what Peter is doing here. In the first chapter he established an biblical understanding of salvation and redemption. Now he's going to talk about growing in maturity. It's important to remember Peter is talking to people that are suffering. Even in the middle of life and the junk of this world we are still being sanctified and grown in maturity
There's a priority to the call to holiness. We are to be devoted to it. Peter said, if you have indeed tasted of the grace of God the normal and right response is to get rid of these things in our life that will impede our spiritual growth. We are to rid ourselves of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and evil speaking. Malice is a wickedness that is not ashamed to break laws. This is when we walk knowingly and willfully in disobedience to God with no shame or conscience. Deceit is translated guile in the King James. This is crafting lies or being devious to have your way. Hypocrisy is putting on a show. It's playing the part of one person but in reality, you're something completely different. And envy is the absence of contentment. It's wishing I had another life; 'If I only had more money' or 'I wish I could be like this person or that one'; or maybe the obvious thought, "Why is this happening to me? Why can't I be like those people who never have problems?"
What you have when you put all these together, malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and evil speaking, is a liar and deceiver who doesn't consider themselves a liar and deceiver but would call someone else doing the same thing, a liar and deceiver. They play a part of a Godly person while ignoring the presence of sin in their life. In malice they say, I know what the God says but I choose to think God will look the other way at my sin. In deceit, they have crafted a lie about God and His character. They have created a God in their own making instead of the God revealed in the bible. In hypocrisy, they play the part, calling them self a Christian and walking among Christians. This is done out of envy; desiring a life other than what God has called you to.
You might wonder who this is talking about. Who would do such a thing? Peter and the Holy Spirit are talking to everyone of us. And if you don't think that's built into you, that's an indication that it absolutely is in you. If you're thinking you're not capable of malice, deceit and hypocrisy, the bible tells us you are deceived. That's our sinful nature. And we are all subject to falling prey to it. That's the glory of man working in you instead of the glory of God. It's important we recognize this, because if you can't see it, you can't lay it aside and that's Peter's entire point. He's not beating us up for it. He's just saying recognize it for what it is and lay it aside.
In being set apart for the things of God, malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and evil speaking must go. Then, with them gone, we are to foster a desire for the pure milk of the word. Now that your growth is no longer impeded you can feed on the word that nourishes life. This is the picture of a little newborn baby that has a natural craving for the milk so it may grow. It will cry out when it needs fed. The very life of the infant relies on that milk. That's the picture of us as spiritual children we should be like those little babies. There should be a natural desire for God's Word and a desire to grow spiritually. The word is the source of life and growth for us. As spiritual children, are we growing? Do you feed yourself from God's word regularly? Have you set aside malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and evil speaking? If you haven't those things will stunt your growth. You can't feed on the word and expect to grow in holiness when you allow poison things to have a presence in your life.
The word of God lives forever. The word of God gives life in that we are born again. And the word of God nourishes life giving us what we need to grow. This growth becomes an outward appearance of the change that has happened within. It testifies of a changed heart at the hand of the Lord
1 Peter 2:4-5
The 'coming to Him' in verse four is a coming to Him to stay or remaining in an intimate fellowship with Him. It's not stopping by for a visit once in a while. This is the picture of each of us being unworthy peasants coming before the king. And the King welcomes us and invites us to stay. What an honor. Who am I that the king would take time give His attention to me? Not just that, but He also invites me to stay and sit with Him and eat with Him and be His friend and use His name which carries weight throughout the land.
Jesus is the first Living Stone, rejected but chosen by God and precious. It is by the work of Jesus that we get to be called living stones also. As a living stone I become a building block in the hands of God. Building blocks don't get to choose where they are used in the building; they don't get to be the cornerstone either. Some are very close to the cornerstone. Some are very high up. Some are close to the ground and covered in dirt. Some are in the sunshine while some in the shade. Each is where the master builder placed them, serving their purpose. We, as living stones are built up. Peter pictures a spiritual house here. Jesus is the first living stone all other living stones are born of Him.
In Matthew 16 it is recorded where Jesus asked Peter, who do you say that I am?
Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Remember Peter means stone. He was just a sinful man. He was flighty, uneducated, maybe a little coothless. Peter probably thought he was a pretty good person. When in fact God's wrath was stored up against him. When Peter was called to Christ he suddenly saw what holiness was. He realized his sin and shame. Peter repented and trusted in Christ. And he made this profession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. And suddenly this sinful nobody of a man is ushered into the courts of the king. Suddenly he is somebody, not because of his own doing. It's because he is now associated with the living stone. He became a living stone in the spiritual house of God.
It's the same for each of us. We become like living stones because we identify with Christ. We are to being built up into this spiritual house, a group of integrated believers. The church is to be single minded with the mind of Christ. But we are also a diverse group of individuals in service with our individual gifts and talents. God brings the right balance of leadership and servants and teachers and those with mercy and those with administration and healing and on and on to build up this spiritual house called the church. (See also Hebrews 3:6 and Ephesians 2:19.)
As living stones in the spiritual house Peter also said we are to be holy priesthood. In the Old Testament people didn't approach God on their own, they were to approach God by the priest. Being a priest was a privilege offered by God and not something available to just anyone. The Old Testament priests were Levites. They were called, cleansed, consecrated and dressed for service to the Lord. The priests were to walk with God and they were messengers bringing a message to the world. (See Galatians 1:15-16; Galatians 5:16; and Matthew 28:19)
Since we are redeemed by Christ, made righteous by him, we become priests. As priests we can now approach God. Priests were provided for by the Lord. A priest's entire life was defined as a priest in the God Most High. A priest wasn't a priest once in a while or just when things were bad. A priest wasn't more of a priest on Sunday than Monday.
Again, this is that picture of the lowest of lows, you and I, having access to the throne of the King. This access is a great privilege and honor. It's not to be taken lightly. Maybe we've come to believe He will never take that privilege from us. Maybe that's caused us to treat this amazing access lightly. Maybe because there are so many other priests like us, we somehow think that it's something cheap and easy. Maybe because He called us as low and unworthy peasants, we somehow think it is something small and insignificant we can dabble with now and again. We are living stones in the house of God. We are called to be priests. A priest ministers to God on behalf of the people and ministers to the people on behalf of God. This is a high calling.
One of the functions of the priest is to offer up sacrifices before the Lord. Peter said, as a royal priest of Jesus Christ we are to offer spiritual sacrifices to God. How do you offer spiritual sacrifices? A spiritual sacrifice is the God-honoring work done at the direction of the Holy Spirit. It's not your ideas for your credit or a pat on the back. It's prayer, giving, doing good, witnessing and sharing your resources. It's a sacrifice of time, talent, convenience, comfort or resources.
We are living stones in the house of God. We are priest. We offer living sacrifices.
1 Peter 2:6
This is Peter said they were not only living stones and a royal priesthood offering sacrifices, but also, they had a connection to the chief cornerstone. These things are also true for us. The reference to the chief cornerstone comes from Psalm 118. The Jews claimed this passage. In their mind the chief cornerstone was their messiah added to their Judaism. This cornerstone was not about Christianity and saving gentiles.
In Matthew 21:42 Jesus is talking to the Pharisees:
42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:
This is now Jesus quoting Psalm 118
'The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord's doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes'?
These religious men didn't recognize the cornerstone when He stood before them.
43 "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."
45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.
The Jews would understand the living stones to be Israel. They in no way would include gentile believers. Peter confirms what Jesus said, that He (Jesus) is the stone and He fulfills the Jewish belief. Peter said God put the elect stone of Jesus Christ in Zion. (See also Isaiah 8:14; and Isaiah 28:16.) He said, he is elect and precious and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."
If we believe, Jesus is to be precious to us. 'By no means be put to shame' means when we lean on Him he, won't give way. That's important to know and trust if you are in the middle of suffering. Without deceit can you say that Jesus is precious to you? Are you humbled before your King? Is He the most amazing thing that's ever happened to you?
As we grow in the Lord, we learn how much more awesome He is today than we knew He was yesterday. And we grow to understand how much more wretched we were, and still are, in comparison. We begin to understand how little we deserve and how much He has made over us. That makes His grace more amazing; that makes our presence before Him more phenomenal. The closer we grow to Him and see these things, the more precious he becomes.
1 Peter 2:7-8
As the chief cornerstone; He is the One on which all other stones will be aligned with and built upon. From this one cornerstone a spiritual house is built. He will be the one to remove all your shame and make you a living stone to be used in this house.
To those who refuse to believe He will stumble them. They will be offended at the idea of Him being the cornerstone of the Jews and the Gentiles. Peter said they will stumble. Jesus is a rock in the road that they tripped over. (See also Psalm 118:22; Exodus 28:1 and John 15:16.) This stumbling, this refusal to see is being disobedient to the word that they were given. The Jews examined Jesus first hand. They heard the words he preached and saw the signs and wonders yet they cast Him away.
The cornerstone established the building and everything else is referenced from it. It was the beginning of the building. To reject the cornerstone was to reject the building. The Jews rejected Jesus thereby rejecting the entire house of God built on the cornerstone of Jesus. This stone is the source or redemption or judgment. We need to notice there is no in between. There is no other way and no other choice. He is either precious to you or an offense. He will either save you or judge you.
1 Peter 2:9-10
This is the contrast to the previous verses. Those that were stumbled and didn't believe were destined to doom and destruction. But we are chosen to salvation by God. We are God's people, a royal priesthood and a holy nation. This is a quote from Exodus 19:6.
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: 4 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. 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. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.'
This was originally spoken to the nation of Israel and they would not be happy that Peter took this verse and applied it to these gentile believers. However, Peter sees this royal priesthood extended to believers and the church being the holy nation.
It is awesome to be chosen, to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a part of the people belonging to God. Jesus is the King and the High Priest. By our belief in Him we become a royal priesthood. As a royal priest, we belong to the king and live to serve Him.
We were once nothing, standing in the darkness without mercy, lost without hope, spiritually dead with no hope for life.
Now we are standing in a marvelous light and have obtained mercy. We stand in the court of the High King and the High Priest. He not only saved us but he called us to be co heirs to His kingdom. Now we have a living hope. Now we have life eternal. Now we are God's special people. This should bring us to praises with a thankful heart.
1 Peter 2:11-12
You can almost feel Peter softening his tone up, as if to speak to those who don't understand. It wouldn't be far off to imagine these people saying, "Peter, people are dying. We are suffering. The torture and affliction is awful. Life is cruel and every day we wonder if this is it. Where is this mercy? Where is this light?"
Peter starts off by calling them 'beloved.' Its endearment, even for those he may never have met. They have one primary thing in common and that is their lives were formed with Christ at the center. When we are born again, we are born into an extended family of believers. There's peace is this passage. There's a gentleness that speaks to the spirit. Peter reminds these believers that they are the beloved and that they aren't of this world. All those who trust in Christ find themselves as aliens in a world we once called home. Now we are pilgrims on a journey. Our eternity began when we first believed but so did our journey. From that moment on things would never be the same.
Peter was begging, pleading with these folks. He wanted them to remember whose they are and act like it even in the face of suffering and amidst hard times. Pilgrims are moving and going somewhere, they are focused on a destination. Pilgrims don't get caught up in the cares of the place they are passing through. Our lives are now in God's hands. We've been purchased and we are now to be above reproach.
It's easy to imagine the temptation of hiding your Christianity when it is causing you pain. Peter did that very thing in denying Christ. So Peter is totally qualified to speak to these people. Instead of lying low or being invisible and going into hiding, Peter calls for them to be honorable in a place and time where they would not be honored. They were to be about good works when no appreciation or credit would be directed their way. They were called to abstain from the fleshly lust in a world that was all about the flesh.
These fleshly lusts Peter refers to are more than just sexual in nature. It's the things that come from our sin nature. It's our carnality. The natural part of us desires to be our own God, rule over our own life, have all things our way and have every desire met. The root of these lusts of the flesh is pride and idolatry. These fleshly lusts are the things that are natural that war against the supernatural. They war against the soul. We need to hear that. The things your sinful nature draws you to are detrimental to your soul. What are these lusts of the flesh? Paul defines them Galatians 5:16-21:
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Peter said we must abstain from those things. To abstain is to keep our distance from them. You can't taste them, dabble in them or deceive your self into thinking you can control these lusts better than any other. You can't deceive your self into thinking God won't care, that he will wink at our sin or that He isn't looking or can't see. Peter said in verse 1 to lay aside malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking. Now he calls for us to keep our distance from those things that war against our soul.
This 'war' is to be a daily organized military campaign. This isn't a brawl we accidentally stumble into from time to time. The implication is these lusts stand as an enemy that is organized for one purpose; that is to war against your soul. These lusts become a tool of Satan as he tries to drag you away from the things of God. We are not to enter that war. We are not to entertain those things of the flesh. They aren't to be part of our life. If you enter that war you will lose. If you examine yourself, you'll know what these things are in your life. These are those weak areas that draw you away from God. It's the things you know are wrong but every time you turn around they are right there again. We have to recognize them for what they are and keep them out of your life.
Our conduct must be a reflection of the inner victory that has already been won over these things. We are not to enter this battlefield but we are to be in a place of honor. We might say we are to rise above these things because the victory was won by Christ. We can sit in the place of victory.
Then, when the unbelieving world speaks against you, your good conduct is a testimony to those people. They look at the Christian and say why didn't they cuss me out when I acted that way to them? Why didn't they rise up in anger? Why did they show honor when I dishonored them?
Peter said, those actions are a testimony to the unbeliever. Those good works will glorify God in the end. This happens in one of two ways. First, the unbeliever is drawn to God by your actions and attitude and on the Day of Judgment that person may be standing by you justified by Jesus Christ. The second way is that the unbeliever has no excuse on the day of visitation. They can't stand before God and offer you up as an excuse for why they are still in their sins.
The day of visitation is an Old Testament term for the time when the Lord is moving. On that day you will either be blessed by Him or judged by him. We don't want to lead someone to judgment.
1 Peter 2:13-17
We are called to honorable conduct, "Therefore......." This means that because this conduct is important, there are some thing we need to keep in our mind. The people that Peter was writing to were just normal people like us. This is not what they wanted to hear. They wanted to hear of some Old Testament justice like Elijah calling down fire and smiting all their enemies. They wanted out of this persecution and suffering. At first glance, they would not embrace Peter's message to the suffering and persecuted. It is knowledge of Grace, a call to holiness and submission with a full knowledge of your standing in the Lord.
The word Submit is a military term that means to fall in line and be subject to authority. We get the same idea in Romans 13:1:
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
Now we might be tempted to think, well that was for those people and it doesn't apply to us. Or maybe we could deceive our self into thinking that God didn't know the world would turn out like it has. Our sovereign God is sovereign over the rulers of this earth. God has never changed and neither have the hearts of men. We are responsible to obey the law and be model citizens. Think about this now. There was no democracy at that time. Peter is talking to mostly Jews who formerly submitted only to their religious laws. Now he's saying, welcome to Christianity boys, submit yourself to those gentiles that desire to kill you. Here's what this submission should look like to us. A pilgrim is passing through a foreign land. He doesn't make a permanent home there. He doesn't adopt the habits and ways of the people there. He doesn't worship their gods. The pilgrim serves a different king in a different land. Yet, he submits to the authority of the land he is passing through. Their laws apply to him because he is there.
As pilgrim's we are to submit. Our king wants us to honor the authority of the land we are passing through. But, when the laws of the land violate the higher law we serve. We must stand on that higher law and trust God to sort it out.
(See Acts 4:18-20; Acts 5:28-29 and Titus 3:1-2 for more on submitting. )
We are to submit for one purpose, for the Lord's sake. This is God's will. As people that have a freedom in the Lord, we choose to use that freedom in submission. That is a picture of our servant's heart because we are bondservants of God. Peter said this Submission will silence the ignorance of foolish men. Being free and choosing to be bondservants is a great testimony to God as opposed to using our freedom to break the laws and fuel the condemnation of those who war against God. Our submission 'shuts their mouth' in that they can't bring charges against us. Our adherence to the law becomes a testimony.
Peter wraps this into a few simple directions for the life of these being persecuted and suffering. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. Honor the people who are watching you. Love the brotherhood that needs you. Fear God who loves you. And Honor the king who persecutes you.
1 Peter 2:18-19
The word 'servant' is actually a reference to the slavery of that day. Those in bondage, in service to another. The vast majority of slaves in that day were agricultural workers earning a living. Abuse of slaves wasn't normal or acceptable though some lived in poor circumstances. You can read this word as employees, be submissive to your bosses. But it's also speaking about anyone who is master over you in our social structure. This could be the boss, the police, the tax man. It might be Cub Scout master, coach or teacher.
They were to be submissive in all fear. The word for fear is Phobos. You can hear Phobia in it. This means our submission should be complete. Christians are to be complete in their submission, not phony or putting on a show. Anyone can submit to a good boss. This says submit to your master, period. If you end up suffering because of them then God says it's commendable because you suffered wrongly and endured grief.
1 Peter 2:20
But God's not going to have sympathy for you when you are punished for what you deserve. There's no credit in that, it's a just punishment. However, when you suffer unjustly and take it patiently, God is pleased. I wonder what the response of these people was to this concept. Submit to those who persecute you and cause you to suffer wrongly and this will be commendable before God. It becomes commendable to endure in a situation where unjust suffering occurs.
How does this fit into our world? How do we bear up under undue suffering? Are we willing to submit and suffer? The world says to cry "unfair", get a lawyer and file a big fat lawsuit because your rights have been violated. When the natural man feels wronged our pride rises up in us and wants to fight back. We live in a world where we just want all the blessings, all the time. Yet the bible tells us it is commendable to suffer wrongfully.
There's a freedom in this submission. To submit to an authority, you don't respect or agree with in any way, you have to trust that God is on the throne. You have to believe they are only in power because God allowed it for His purpose. To be obedient in this submission just shows that Jesus is the Lord of your life. Your submission is done in obedience to Jesus, the king of kings and not to the kings or princes of this world. As a pilgrim passing through, we are respectful and submit to the earthly kings because we are only passing through for a short time.
Here's the hard passage for these people.
1 Peter 2:21-25
To those who were suffering and dying at the hands of evil man Peter said, for to this you were called. You were called to redemption, to holiness, to submission and to suffering. Why? Because Christ suffered and gave us this example of committing himself to God the Father, even in suffering. Do we deserve better treatment than Jesus? He was sinless, no deceit in His mouth. He was reviled but did not revile in return. Yet like a silent lamb He was led to slaughter. All the while, in reality, with a thought He could have vaporized them all.
We are sinful and we've uttered deceit. When we are reviled, we deserve it. Yet, many times we revile in return. Any suffering that is directed our way is far less than what we deserve. While Jesus was a sheep led to slaughter for the salvation of your soul, you were like a sheep that has gone astray. As unbelievers and those in our sin, we were like sheep wandering without purpose or direction. We were lost and not even smart enough to even know it. But when we come to Christ, we have returned to the one who gives us that knowledge, and then He gives us direction. When we trust in Him, we have returned to our shepherd. We have put our faith in the overseer of our souls.
Jesus was the perfect example of submitting to unjust suffering. Yet Jesus was more than just an example. He was the substitute for the punishment of your sins. Jesus didn't make a defense during his trials because he was in our shoes and bore our sin for which we would have had no defense. He stood condemned, so we don't have to. Jesus left the vindication to the Father in the Father's time. Imagine that Christ, as the creator, took this abuse from the ones he created so He could pay for their sins. He did this without complaint and without vindication.
Listen to part of Isaiah 53. This is what was on Peter's mind as he wrote this.
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
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.
(Peter quoted this)
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.
What would you say to these Christians who were being killed? What does our bible tell us our reaction should be? They were submitted to the will and the sovereignty of God. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. The submitted Christian life doesn't put our life in the hands of the government of the police or congress or the UN or anyone else in this world. Our submission identifies us with Jesus Christ and puts our life in His hands. Our submission in the face of suffering becomes a picture of the obedient suffering of Jesus. Our submission is an act of obedience. How can we submit to God if we can't even submit to these small and less significant authorities in our pilgrimage?
Each of us will suffer in some way. We must have a theology of suffering. So, we must know the Grace of Jesus Christ. We walk in holiness laying aside the carnal and pursuing the holy. And we enjoy and trust in a right standing in the kingdom of God. Not because of us but because of Jesus. In that belief we walk in the spirit. We submit to God first and to the authorities of our pilgrimage second. We can do no better than to place our self in the hands of a loving God and the overseer of our soul.
©2020 Doug Ford
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