1 Peter 2:1-19

Nate Border
Apr 11, 2016
10 min read

2 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

The wherefore is connected to 1 Peter 1:22-25

How does 1 Peter 1:22-25 read?

22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

This is like saying, “Because you have purified your souls through obedience and without hypocrisy, and you have been born again through the incorruptible Word of God, and the physical man will fade away while God’s Word will endure forever; lay aside all the junk that being a human tends to bring your way”.

To lay aside means to put down, cease, stop, quit, or cast down, etc...

Romans 8:13 “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

Mortify the deeds would have the meaning of “to make dead the deeds. By Romans 8:13 we understand that in order to live, we must make dead the deeds of our body. Another way to say that is to take the deeds of our body into captivity and submit them to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Lay aside

Malice
(Naughtiness, Wickedness, Evil, Ill will, Desire to injure, Depravity, a passive form would be Trouble).
Guile
(Craft, Deceit, Subtilty, Decoy, Bait, to Trick)
Hypocrisies
(Dissimulations, Hypocrisies, Condemnation, acting under a feigned part, Deceit)
Envies
(Jealousy)
Evil Speaking
(Back-biting, Defamation)

These types of behavior are exemplified by self serving individuals who though they may claim to be God’s are either falling into this sin from time to time or all out living in defeat.

We are commanded to lay these types of behavior aside for they will create disfunction in the body of Christ (and outside the Body of Christ), and the visitation of God to us will not be realized and the Glory of God will be hidden by our selfishness.

1 Thessalonians 4:4-5

2 Corinthians 4:2

1 Thessalonians 2:3

1 Thessalonians 2:4

1 Thessalonians 2:5

1 Thessalonians 2:6

2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

The milk of the word is shown by truths that are not difficult to comprehend or adhere to. Newborn Christians (those truly born of the Eternal Spirit of God and the Eternal Word) crave this “milk of the Word” and will grow through their obedience and submission to it. The Newborn Babe in Christ should be so focused on God’s Word that everything revolves around it.

There is a distinct call to be so focused on God that as life happens we begin to feel the pulse of God, and we become genetically altered through our obedience and submission unto sanctification.

There is also such a thing as being so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good. A true Child of God will recognize that he still has one foot in this world, and will not sell everything you have and revert to waiting for the coming of the Lord.

3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

God is good and God is gracious and when we experience the goodness and graciousness of God we can then grow into the deliverance that He has prepared for us.

The graciousness/goodness of God toward us gives us the hope and the reason to know that God can be trusted with our lives and our hearts.

4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

The Contemporary English Version says “Come to Jesus Christ, He is the living stone that the people have rejected, but which God has chosen and highly honored”. The Complete Jewish Bible says, “As you come to him, the living stone, rejected by the people but chosen by God and precious to Him”.

What is a living stone?

A living stone is one that is alive, not physically of course, but alive and designated for purpose. This is a metaphoric example of Jesus Christ and was written to first century Christians who understood what living stones meant. The temple of Athena, as well as temple of Solomon was built with such stones. They took rocks in the quarry and chiseled them out, marking them for placement in the temple at another location. Athena was considered the goddess of life the pagans believed that all life-giving water was issued by her. The temple of Athena provided services such as healthcare, clothing, day care, and food often free to the poor.

This living stone, mentioned in 1 Peter 2:4 was disallowed or rejected by the very people He came for. John 1:11 Isaiah 28:16 Psalm 118:22

The rejection of this living stone by his own people and resulted in his death, but God while choosing him and calling him precious gave him the power to rise from the dead and become an ever living stone; never to die again.

We too, at times reject this living stone, this cornerstone; choosing rather that we should go our own way in this situation or that one, but God is rich in mercy and gently calls us to forsake our foolishness.

God has chosen this living stone to be the cornerstone in His temple with other living stones built up around it. Whenever God chooses something, His enabling power overtakes it to be or become what He intends for it to be.

This living stone is held precious in the sight of God and has been honored by God as His Son accomplishing the work he has set out to do. We too can become precious in the sight of God if we humbly submit to the chiseling hand of the Father while we become lively stones cut specifically to fit together in this magnificent temple God is building. As our chiseled stones come into contact with the living stone we become alive!

5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:16

This spiritual house is not just on an individual basis, but is like a household. Each person in this household has his own part to play in helping to serve as the family of God.

We are now being called a holy priesthood. First of all, lively stones, then a household and now a holy priesthood. Under the Old Covenant, the priests were restricted to having coming from a particular family group. They were to come from the tribe of Levi, particularly the family group of Aaron, and then passed down through his respective descendants. The New Covenant, however, issues no such exclusion, rather limits the priesthood to a person’s experience with Christ. Through the New Birth, anyone can be born into a calling of priestly habits. As the Old Testament priests were offering up sacrifices on a daily basis, we also today are to offer our sacrifices to God daily.

A few of the specific sacrifices we are to offer are as follows: Romans 12:1 Present our bodies a living sacrifice, 1 Corinthians 10:31 any actions our body commits are to be dedicated to the Lord, Hebrews 13:15 Praise and Thanksgiving, Hebrews 13:16 Acts of Love Philippians 4:18.

It is only through Jesus Christ that we can be acceptable to God and only after we have been touched by the chief cornerstone and made alive.

6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

Sion was a city that was usually referred to as the city of God. This is not to be confused with Jerusalem though they were often used interchangeably because God was found there. Jerusalem was called the city of peace. References to Sion were often spiritual in nature rather than physical and often was thought of being the place of spiritual renewal and encouragement.

Peter brings us back, yet again to this idea of Jesus being the Chief Cornerstone, elect or chosen and precious. It is interesting that Peter pays so much attention to this idea of Jesus Christ being the foundation of our spiritual house. There was a day once when Jesus addressed Peter by saying, “Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church”. Matthew 16:13-20 What Jesus actually meant by this was this, Peter had just made a declaration of who he thought Jesus was. Peter said that Jesus was the Messiah, the chosen one of God and then Jesus said in response, “Thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church.” Many people read this as saying that Jesus was calling Peter the rock on which Christ’s church would be founded, but what he really said was what Peter said was the rock on which the church would be built.

The word “confounded” in the Greek has a different meaning than what I would have thought it meant. In the Greek it means shame, disgrace, to shame down, or dishonor. The implication is that believing in Jesus as the cornerstone will bring honor to a person and they will live in that honor.

7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

It is through Jesus Christ the cornerstone that we live and have our being.

Whether we choose to believe or disbelieve Jesus Christ is still the chief cornerstone. Our rejection of him as such does not change who He is.

8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Matthew 21:44 - 44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

The message of the Gospel seems to the stubborn as idle tales and foolishness. It seems to defy the appearances of self preservation which many feel is the only way they will get ahead in life. The idea of expending yourself completely for the sake of someone else is foreign to many.

This could read,”They were predestined”. Now looking at the context of the passage here, we begin to see a pattern. First, there is unbelief, then there is dishonor, an offence and stumbling. Living in disobedience is always appointed or predestined to dishonor, offence, and stumbling.

9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;

What does it mean to be a chosen generation?

Chosen means elected or appointed. This does not mean that we are elected and can’t help ourselves, nor does it mean the unbelievers are not elected so they don’t have a chance. What we are looking at here in context is “Ye are a chosen generation to show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”.

We are also called a royal priesthood. We are beginning to see the various components of our adoption take shape. To be given a charge of carrying out priestly activities indicates the responsibility we have been given in guarding and sharing the wealth of truth we have been entrusted.

This group of royal priests have been set aside to be a holy nation. We are to be different than the culture around us, but not just different for the sake of differences; but for the sake of God. Romans 12:1,2 Our mind is to be renewed, which in essence means that our thought process is to be changed from thinking like the world to taking on the mind of Christ. Philippians 2:5

The word peculiar has the meaning of being a purchased possession. We are God’s purchased possession, purchased through the shed blood of his own son. When something is purchased, it is usually completely owned by the purchaser. Though we have been purchased from the domain of the devil, are we really sold out for God? Have we truly accepted the terms of our purchasing agreement? 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20

We as a purchased possession, a royal priesthood, a holy nation have been chosen by God to show His praises, to be a living testimony of his marvelous work in our lives.

10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

What does it mean “in time past were not a people”?

God specializes in taking scum and nobodies to make his treasure. Even in the account of Abraham, he wasn’t really anybody special before God called him. Abraham’s calling was a little different than ours though as he was called to be the father of all who would have faith. In one place it says that God would call a people who were not his people originally. This references to those of us who were adopted into the family of God. Isaiah 55:5 is one such passage. When God calls someone to be his people, those who formerly felt He was against them, now begin to feel his mercy.

11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

The compassion… I imagine Peter writing as if he were writing to his familial relations, ones that he felt a deep attachment for based on his familial relations. Peter, was in fact, writing to a group of people who were by “New Birth” his own family, and his love for them compelled him to write this passage, etc…

Fellow Sojourners, we are not of the world so stop letting your lusts dictate who you are. Your heart, desperately wicked and deceitful though it is, is not to be trusted.

The carnal desires of our hearts will end up warring against our soul to drag it down if we are not pro-active. Peter’s message was abstain or withhold yourself from your fleshly lusts. This is not a message of self infliction for the sake of making things tough for yourself, but a message of bodily, and mental control. We are to take our thoughts and actions captive.

12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Your conversation or your walk of life is to be honest in the site of all men, so that when the pagans view your life there is nothing of which they can truthfully accuse you. The unbelievers may choose to accuse you falsely, but your life and good works will speak for itself and point them to the glory of God and so be visited by him.