1 Peter 2
Against Malice and HypocrisyPeter has just encouraged Christians to love one another and has shown how powerful and lasting the word of God is. Now, he urges believers to remove sins that destroy love and stop God’s word from changing their lives. These attitudes and actions must be thrown away so that God’s people can grow stronger in faith and character.v. 1: Peter tells the believers to put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking. These sins ruin relationships and stop us from receiving God’s word. Malice is holding anger and wanting to hurt others. Deceit means lying or tricking people. Hypocrisy is pretending to be good when we are not. Envy is being upset when others do well. Evil speaking is talking badly about others or spreading rumors (1 Peter 2:1; James 1:21 a; 1 Corinthians 5:8; 2 Corinthians 12:20 b; Romans 1:30 c). v. 2: Just like newborn babies want milk, Christians should strongly desire the pure word of God, so they can grow in faith. This “milk” is the teaching from God’s word that nourishes our souls. Peter says it must be pure—not changed or mixed with human ideas. The goal is to grow in spiritual maturity and become more like Jesus (1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18 d; 2 Corinthians 2:17 e). v. 3: Peter reminds them that they have already tasted the goodness of the Lord. Since they have experienced Jesus’ kindness, they should keep seeking God’s word and lay aside sinful attitudes. To “taste” the Lord’s grace means to personally experience his mercy and love, especially through faith and his word (1 Peter 2:3 f). The Living Stone; Cautions against Sensuality In this section, Peter describes Jesus Christ as the foundation of the Christian faith. He teaches that Christians are built upon Christ, like stones in a spiritual house. The passage explains both the honor and rejection of Christ, what it means for believers, and how Christians should live as God’s chosen people in a world that opposes them. v. 4: Peter says that Jesus is the “living stone.” He is chosen by God and precious to Him, but rejected by people. Christians are called to come to Jesus by faith, even though most people do not accept Him. Christ gives life to all who trust in Him, and He is the foundation on which believers are built (1 Peter 2:4 g). v. 5: Believers are also described as “living stones.” Together, they are being built into a spiritual house—a living temple for God. All Christians are like priests who offer spiritual sacrifices, such as praise, prayer, and good works, which are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5 h). v. 6: Peter quotes Scripture to show Jesus is the cornerstone—the most important stone in the foundation. He says, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believes on him will not be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6; Isaiah 28:16 i). If you trust in Jesus, you will never be disappointed or ashamed. v. 7: For believers, Jesus is precious and valuable. But for those who do not believe, “the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone” (1 Peter 2:7; Psalm 118:22 j). Those who reject Jesus miss the most important part of God’s plan. v. 8: Peter continues, saying Jesus is “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” to those who do not believe and disobey God’s word. These people trip over Jesus and are lost, but this was foretold in Scripture (1 Peter 2:8; Isaiah 8:14 k). Unbelief leads to downfall. v. 9: But Christians are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession.” God has chosen believers to declare His praises, because He called them out of darkness into His marvelous light . v. 10: Once, Christians were not God’s people, but now they are. Once they had not received mercy, but now they have received God’s mercy (1 Peter 2:10 l). v. 11: Peter calls Christians “beloved” and urges them, as strangers and temporary residents in this world, to “abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” This means Christians should avoid sinful desires that harm their spiritual life (1 Peter 2:11 m). v. 12: He tells believers to live good lives among non-Christians so that, even if others accuse them of doing wrong, they will see their good deeds and glorify God when He visits them (1 Peter 2:12 n). Christians should be examples of goodness and honesty in everything. Submission to Magistrates; Various Exhortations; Christ's Example as a SuffererChristians are called to live honest and good lives. This means obeying all the duties that come with different relationships. Peter gives detailed advice about how Christians should behave as citizens, servants, and followers of Christ. He explains why it is important to submit to authority, how to deal with suffering, and how Jesus is our perfect example of patience and obedience.v. 13-14: Peter tells Christians to submit to every human authority. This includes both the king, who is the highest ruler, and governors, who are sent by the king. Governments exist for the good of people, to punish those who do wrong and reward those who do right (Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, Romans 13:1 o). – v. 15: Christians should submit to authority because it is God’s will. By doing good, they will silence the lies and accusations of ignorant people (For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, 1 Peter 2:15 p). v. 16: Peter reminds believers that they are spiritually free in Christ (If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed, John 8:36 q). However, this freedom does not mean they can do wrong or disobey those in authority. They must not use their freedom as an excuse for evil, but remember that they are still servants of God. v. 17: Four short commands are given: Honor all people, love the brotherhood (all Christians), fear God, and honor the king. This means showing respect to everyone, loving fellow believers, revering God above all, and giving the king special honor (Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker, Proverbs 17:5 r). v. 18: Servants must also submit to their masters, not only to those who are kind and gentle, but even to those who are harsh and difficult. It is a Christian’s duty to do their work faithfully, with respect and patience. v. 19-20: God is pleased when people suffer patiently for doing what is right. If someone endures pain for their own faults, it is nothing special. But if they suffer for doing good and accept it patiently, God approves of this (But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God, 1 Peter 2:20 s). – v. 21: Christians are called to suffer patiently, just as Christ did. Jesus suffered for us and left us an example to follow. Being a Christian means we must expect to face difficulties and be willing to endure them for Christ’s sake (If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me, Matthew 16:24 t). v. 22-23: Jesus did nothing wrong. He never sinned or deceived anyone (He committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth, Isaiah 53:9 u). When people insulted him, he did not insult them back. When he suffered, he did not threaten his enemies, but trusted God, who judges fairly (When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to Him who judges righteously, 1 Peter 2:23 v). – v. 24: Jesus took our sins upon himself and suffered for us on the cross. Because of his wounds, we are healed and can now live righteously (He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed, Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24 w). v. 25: Before trusting Jesus, we were like lost sheep, going astray. Now, we have returned to Jesus, who is the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls, 1 Peter 2:25 x).
Copyright information for
MHM