1 Peter 2

CHAPTER 2

 

The Living Stone and a Chosen People (2:1-10)

1 Most Christians do not murder, steal, or fornicate. These sins are found relatively infrequently among Christians. But there are other sins, which sadly are very common among Christians, such as malice … deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. Indeed, among Christian workers, the most common and destructive sins are envy and slander (criticism behind another’s back). If one Christian gets a high post or is successful in some endeavor, others in the church frequently become envious and begin to speak against him. Satan uses these two sins more than any other to divide the church and destroy our fellowship.

Peter warns his readers about the five sins mentioned in this verse. These sins are hidden in our hearts. Often Christians are not even aware they are committing these sins. Many deny that they have committed them. That is why it is so important to always ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us these hidden sins. There are sins like these in each one of us, and we daily need to confess them before God (1 John 1:8-9).

However, the two most basic sins of all are pride and selfishness (or self-love). These two sins give rise to all other sins.³ It is very difficult to uproot these two sins, because they are buried deeply within our hearts. The prophet Jeremiah wrote: The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9). But God fully understands our heart; He sees all our sins. The psalmist wrote: You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence (Psalm 90:8).

2 Having put away the poisonous sins mentioned in verse 1, let us crave pure spiritual milk—that is, God’s word. Just as a newborn infant eagerly desires his mother’s milk, so should we eagerly desire to read and understand God’s word and live according to it. Only by doing this can we grow up in our salvation—that is, become mature Christians and receive the full blessing of our salvation.

But first it is necessary to rid ourselves of the poisonous sins mentioned in verse 1 (and other sins too). Ifour stomach is filled with evil, we will have no appetite for spiritual milk.

3 As we read God’s word, we can “taste” the goodness of His mercy and His other blessings. Through reading and obeying His word, we come to know God Himself and receive His grace. Therefore, when we open our Bible and read, let us not just seek to know God’s word, but through His word to know, to “taste,” to love, God Himself (Psalm 34:8).

4-5 Peter here calls Christ the living Stone. Christ is the cornerstone (verse 6) or capstone⁴ (verse 7) of the church. If one were to remove this stone from a building, the building would fall down. Christ is a living stone, because God brought Him to life from the dead (Romans 6:9). Paul called Christ a life-giving spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). But it is not only Christ Himself who is alive; He also makes alive all who come to Him. Thus we too, who believe in Jesus, become living stones like Him (verse 4). God takes us and builds us into a spiritual house or temple (verse 5), in which God Himself can live (see Ephe-sians 2:18-22 and comment). We ourselves are God’s house!

Not only that, we are also God’s priests; we are a holy priesthood. Among the twelve tribes of Israel, only the Levites could be appointed priests. But among Christians, every believer is a priest. And, as priests of Christ, we must offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. These sacrifices include the sacrifice of obedience—that is, the sacrifice of our own bodies (Romans 12:1), the sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15), and the sacrifice of service to others (Hebrews 13:16). We must never think that there are two kinds of Christians—one kind who are priests and pastors, and another kind who are just ordinary believers. We must never think that some Christians are called to be holy and others are not. All Christians are equally called to be holy; all Christians are equally called to be priests. Thus it is the duty of every Christian to offer these spiritual sacrifices.

Peter says here that Christ the living Stone was rejected by men—that is, by the Jewish leaders and their followers (see Mark 8:31). But Christ was chosen by God and was precious to Him. Notice how opposite God’s thoughts are from man’s thoughts. What man values, God detests (Luke 16:15). What man despises, God honors (1 Corinthians 1:27-30). Men rejected Christ, but God honored Him by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in heaven (Ephe-sians 1:20-21). Peter had preached this very thing many times before (see Acts 2:23-24,32-33; 5:30-31).

6 To illustrate the rejection of Christ by men, Peter here in verses 6-8 quotes three passages from the Old Testament: Isaiah 28:16; Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 8:14. In verse 6, Christ is called a precious cornerstone (see Ephesians 2:20-21). All who trust in Christ will never be ashamed before God; they will be accepted by God (see Romans 10:11-13 and comment). Christ the cornerstone is laid in Zion—that is, in heaven, in the heavenly Jerusalem (see Hebrews 12:22-23).

7-8 For believers, Christ is a precious stone (verse 7). But for non-believers, Christ is a stone that causes men to stumble (verse 8). Paul calls Him a stumbling block (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). For believers, Christ is Savior; for non-believers, He is Judge (John 5:22; Romans 14:10).

The Jews rejected Christ. They refused to believe in Him. They threw out the “cornerstone.” But then they stumbled on it (see Romans 9:30-32 and comment). In the same way, if we reject Christ and disobey his message, we too will stumble and be condemned.

All man’s sins have their origin in unbelief, which is basically a refusal to acknowledge that God is greater than we are. Always associated with unbelief is disobedience; to disbelieve God and to disobey God always go together (Hebrews 3:18-19; 11:6). When we refuse to believe, we are, in effect, disobeying God (John 6:29). The destiny or end of every person is determined by whether or not he or she has believed in Jesus Christ (see John 1:10-12; 3:18,36; Romans 2:8; 10:9; 1 John 5:1112). Those who reject and disobey Christ are destined to stumble; that is, they are destined to be condemned.

9 Here Peter describes Christians by quoting some expressions from the Old Testament about Israel, the Jewish nation. Indeed, Christians are the new and true “Israel.” They are a chosen people (Isaiah 43:20), a royal priesthood and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6), a people belonging to God (see Titus 2:14). God has made us His people so that we might declare [His] praises (Isaiah 43:21). God has called us out of darkness—out of the world of sin and unbelief—and brought us into his wonderful light—that is, into the kingdom of heaven (see Acts 26:17-18; Ephesians 5:8; Colossians 1:13-14).

10 We were once unbelieving Gentiles (non-Jews). We did not belong to God’s people, the Jews; we were not part of Israel, the Jewish nation. But now we have become the people of God; we have received God’s mercy, God’s salvation, through Christ (see Romans 9:23-25 and comment). But we are not merely God’s people; we are His sons—sons of the living God (Romans 9:26).

Servants of God (2:11-17)

11 Because we are God’s children, members of His holy household, we must abstain from sinful desires (see 1 Peter 1:14). Such sinful desires war against our soul (see Romans 7:21-23; Galatians 5:16-17,19-21). We are not citizens of this world; we are only passing through, like aliens and strangers. Therefore, let us not become entrapped by the sinful desires of the world; let us not partake of its sins.

12 Instead, let us live in the world as God’s holy children, so that men will honor God because ofour good deeds (Matthew 5:16). People will certainly slander and abuse us, as they slandered and abused Christ (see John 15:18-20). But we do not need to answer back. Rather, we need only to continue doing good, and in the end those who speak against us will be silenced (verse 15).

The day [God] visits us is that day when God draws near to us and calls us to repent. May men and women, because of our good deeds, be led to repent and glorify God on the day he visits them.

13-14 Every law and every authority among men is instituted by God. A ruler may be evil, but his authority has still been given to him by God. All authority comes from God; there is no other authority (John 19:10-11; Romans 13:1).

God has appointed rulers to punish evildoers and to reward welldoers. It is His will that we submit to these rulers and obey them. We must submit to them for the Lord’s sake—that is, we must submit to them in order to show our submission to God’s authority and to set an example of righteous living for others to follow. However, if the earthly authority or ruler commands us to do anything clearly opposed to God’s word, we must not obey that command; rather, we must obey God’s word (see Acts 4:18-20; 5:29; Romans 13:1-5; Titus 3:1 and comments).

15 When people oppose and slander us, let us not argue with them, let us not defend ourselves. We must never try to get even, or take revenge. Instead, we must show them love and continue to do good (verse 12). In the end their evil and foolish talk will be silenced (see Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:14,17-21; Titus 2:7-8; 1 Peter 3:9,16).

In Peter’s time, Christians were considered to be outlaws and rebels, because they worshiped only Christ and refused to worship the Roman emperor. The Jews also opposed the Christians. Therefore, to avoid bringing upon themselves unnecessary accusations, it was important for Christians, as far as possible, to obey all civil laws and to submit to their rulers.

16 Christians are free men. They have been freed from sin, from selfish desires, and from Satan’s power. They have been freed from the Jewish law and its condemnation (see John 8:31-32,34-36; Romans 8:1-2; Galatians 5:1 and comments). However, Christians are not free from God! They are servants of God (see 1 Corinthians 7:22-23 and comment). Christians are free from sin, but they are not free to commit sin. Therefore, Christians must not use their freedom as a cover-up for evil. They must never say: “I am free from the law; therefore, I don’t have to obey God” (see Galatians 5:13 and comment).

We believers submit to other men, not because we are their servants but because we are God’s servants. We submit to others not out of compulsion but out of love, desiring thereby to serve both them and God (see 1 Corinthians 9:19). For this reason Jesus taught that if anyone forces us to go one mile, we should go with him two miles (Matthew 5:41). Only a person who is free—free of sin and pride—is ready and willing to do more than is required (see Matthew 5:39-41 and comment).

17 We must show respect to everyone—whether believer or non-believer, whether good or evil; because all men are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27).

We must especially love our Christian brothers and sisters. Here Peter says that we must love the brotherhood of be-lievers—that is, the church. It is possible to misinterpret this verse. Some Christians claim to love the church, but they show little love to the members of the church! Such people seek to purify the church, but in so doing they mistreat their brothers and sisters. Let us never think that we can love the church and at the same time oppose other Christians. To love the church means to love each and every brother and sister in the church.

Christ the Example of Suffering (2:1825)

18 Just as we must all submit to our rulers (verse 13), so must slaves (or employees) submit to their masters (or employers). Even if a master is harsh, the slave must willingly submit to him (see Ephesians 6:5-8; 1 Timothy 6:1; Titus 2:9-10 and comments).

19-20 In these verses, Peter gives us a difficult but very important teaching: It is commendable in God’s sight when we bear unjust suffering—that is, when we suffer for doing good (see Matthew 5:10-11,44,46-47; Luke 6:32-35). This teaching is the opposite of the world’s teaching! Even Christians have difficulty accepting this teaching. The moment we suffer some small injustice or hurt from our employer, we cry out; we at once begin to oppose our employer, to talk against him. When we do this, we lose the commendation of God.

21 Instead, when we suffer unjustly, let us endure it patiently and quietly, because to this we were called. Christ was called to suffer for us (Mark 8:31; 10:45; 14:24; Luke 24:25-27,46). And those who follow Christ are called to suffer also (Mark 8:34-35; John 15:20; 2 Timothy 3:12).

22 Here Peter quotes from Isaiah 53:9. Christ was completely innocent in word and deed. He committed no sin; nevertheless, men despised and mocked Him, and in the end, they put Him to death as a criminal.

23 When He was abused, Christ did not retaliate. He did not behave badly to any man; He did not seek revenge. He suffered quietly (Isaiah 53:7; Mark 14:61,65). He entrusted Himself to God (see 1 Peter 4:19). In this world, men may judge and condemn us, but it is God who is the final judge. And God always judges justly; we can entrust ourselves to Him.

24 Christ suffered for us (verse 21). He suffered not for His own sins but for ours. Because Christ, being sinless, did not have to bear His own punishment, He was able to bear our punishment. He himself bore our sins in his body; that is, He bore the punishment for our sins (Isaiah 53:12). That punishment was death (Romans 4:25). Christ was put to death on the tree—that is, the CROSS. Christ died so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. Christ not only erased our sins and delivered us from the power of Satan, but He also turned our lives completely toward God and gave us a new mind and a new power to live righteous lives (see Romans 6:2,6,11-13,18,22-23 and comment).

… his wounds you have been healed (Isaiah 53:5). Christ was wounded at the hands of Roman soldiers (Mark 15:15; John 19:1). Here we see a deep and important spiritual principle: By suffering we are healed. Not only that, by our suffering others also are healed. If we suffer for God’s sake and in accordance with His will, then tremendous healing power will be released through our suffering (see 1 Peter 4:14-16). When we suffer for Christ’s sake, people will see that our faith is genuine, and they will turn to God. When we suffer for Christ, strife and divisions between us will be healed. Through our suffering God can accomplish great things.

25 We are like sheep who have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). But our Shepherd has called us back to Him. We are one flock, because we have one shepherd, Jesus Christ (John 10:14-16).

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