seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Peter 2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”[b]
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”[b]
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”[c]
has become the cornerstone,”[c]
8 and,
“A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”[d]
and a rock that makes them fall.”[d]
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 “He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”[e]
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”[e]
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,”[f] but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
a. 1 Peter 2:5 Or into a temple of the Spirit
b. 1 Peter 2:6 Isaiah 28:16
c. 1 Peter 2:7 Psalm 118:22
d. 1 Peter 2:8 Isaiah 8:14
e. 1 Peter 2:22 Isiah 53:9
f. 1 Peter 2:25 Isaiah 53:4,5,6 (see Septuagint)
This is from enduringword.com.
Coming to Him as to a living stone: Peter’s picture here is that God is building a spiritual temple (a spiritual house) using living stones (Christians), those who have come to the ultimate living stone (Jesus).
Chosen by God and precious: As much as God chose Israel, so the church is also chosen. As much as Israel had a priesthood, so Christians are a holy priesthood. And as much as Israel had sacrifices, so Christians offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.
A holy priesthood: The believer is his own priest before God. He does not need any mediator except his great High Priest, Jesus. “There can no longer be an elite priesthood with claims of special access to God, or special privileges in worship or in fellowship with God.” (Grudem)
Peter’s idea isn’t that God has abandoned Israel or that they have no place in His redemptive plan, but that Christianity is in no way inferior to Judaism.
To offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ: God does the work of building (being built), but we do the job of offering sacrifices pleasing to Him, as we come to Jesus as who we are – living stones, made by Him.
Even a living stone cannot build something great for God as it sits all on its own. What God does in us together is important. He is building something out of us together.
We can only serve as priests as we do it through Jesus Christ. In ourselves, we have no priestly authority, but only in Jesus.
The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone: Those who reject the Chief Cornerstone and refuse to build on Him instead stumble over Him. Instead of being their salvation, Jesus becomes to them a rock of offense.
Jesus quoted this passage from Psalm 118 in regard to Himself (Matthew 21:42). A chief cornerstone is the starting point of a building; everything is laid out according to its connection to the chief cornerstone. Because it stands at the corner, the same stone is the starting place for two walls.
Thus Jesus set out the course for both Jew and Gentile to be joined together into one glorious house for God. This in itself was a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense for the Jews, who thought that Gentiles should not have equal share with the Jews into God’s great house.
In the thinking of many Jews of that time, God should not have built a new building with both Jew and Gentile. He should have simply renovated the present structure of Judaism (adding Jesus as the Messiah) and invited Gentiles to come into that structure. But God did something different, and it was a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense for many first-century Jews.
Therefore these great titles of 1 Peter 2:9-10 now apply to all believers, Jew and Gentile alike; whereas before they only applied to the Jewish people as God’s covenant people.
They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed: It is appointed that those who are disobedient to the word should stumble over Jesus.
When Jesus spoke of Himself as the stone of Psalm 118, He spoke of what those who rejected Him are appointed to: “And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” (Matthew 21:44)
Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles: This kind of godly living makes our conduct honorable among those who don’t know God yet. Though we can expect that they will speak against you as evildoers, they can still be brought to glorify God by seeing our godly conduct.
Christians were falsely accused of great crimes in the early church. Pagans said that at communion Christians ate the flesh and drank the blood of a baby in a cannibalistic ritual. They said that Christian “agape feasts” were wild orgies. They said that Christians were antisocial because they did not participate in society’s immoral entertainment. They said that Christians were atheists because they did not worship idols.
But over time, it was clear that Christians were not immoral people – and it was shown by their lives. “The striking fact of history is that by their lives the Christians actually did defeat the slanders of the heathen. In the early part of the third century Celsus made the most famous and the most systematic attack of all upon the Christians in which he accused them of ignorance and foolishness and superstition and all kinds of things – but never of immorality.” (Barclay)
That by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: Peter knew that our conduct is a way to defend the gospel. He knew that those who never read the Bible will read our lives, so it is by doing good that we put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.
Yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God: We are warned against taking the liberty we have in Jesus as an excuse for sin. Instead we use our liberty in Jesus to show the kind of love and respect that Peter calls for.
Well it looks really heavy but it's not when it's in context. The Christian church had been accused of burning Rome to the ground.... and they had been accused by Nero himself. See... Nero was suffering.... his fans were burnt out of their homes... and jobs... and markets. Nero's base was in trouble and they were blaming Nero because it had been reported that Nero wanted to destroy the Roman city so that he could rebuild in in the Greek style. Nero was really an entertainer at heart [not a emperor... that was his mom's ambition]..... so he wanted everything around him to be beautiful. Yesterday, it was reported, in commentary, that Nero was a good 35 miles away when the fires started.... [you know "Nero fiddled"]. Nero couldn't have his fans hating him.... so he blamed the Christians.
The Christians were unlikable to most of the Gentiles. They were goodie two shoes..... they claimed that a Jew from Nazareth survived the Roman Cross. That had to be a lie. After all the Roman Cross was extremely evil.... and they drove a sword through His side before they took Him off the Cross. They knew He was dead.... so the Christians were labeled liars. According to the commentary.... they were accused of eating their babies and having orgies. It occurs to me that the propaganda machine that Nero ran must have been quite organized. He was, after all, an entertainer at heart.
Peter and the Christians had their work cut out for them. Not only were they responsible for healing the sick, feeding the hungry, helping the widows and orphans and sharing the Gospel with anyone who would listen..... they now had to defend themselves from lies spread by the emperor himself. They were persecuted for things they didn't do because Nero needed a scapegoat.
Peter is telling the Christians that they are not alone. Those very same morons hung Jesus on the Cross and Jesus was the Cornerstone of the Church. Jesus didn't stop them from beating Him. Jesus didn't stop them from accusing Him of horrible things. Jesus didn't jump off the Cross and whip their butts. Jesus didn't call down a legion of angels to tear every Roman limb from limb. Jesus didn't throw Peter out of the Church when Peter denied knowing Jesus. Peter says Jesus was persecuted and He took it better than any human. Jesus survived the horror of the Cross and the church can too. Jesus is the example.
Peter used the persecution of Jesus as an example. "If He tolerated it.... so can we". In the first chapter... Peter reminded the church that Jesus gifted them with eternal life and explained that this earthly portion of life will pass quickly.... compared to the eternal life they will enjoy. Even if they live to be 100 years old... which is old in earth years... it's not a click on the clock compared to the millions of years they have left in their eternal life.
It's my opinion that the church is in trouble today. The church is responsible for caring for people. Instead... it's my opinion.... that a large number of people who claim to be the church.... are taking shortcuts by supporting their favorite "feel good" preachers... buying their books on how to be at peace... for the low low price of $39.99. They are proud of giving 10% of their net to the church religiously to cover the cost of the pew they sit in to see and be seen. They claim to be Christian and then when their brothers and sisters come to their business... they slip their thumb on the scale and charge them more.... because the meek won't notice or argue.
There are, I am reminded, good Christians in every church. It only takes two Christians together to get Jesus' attention. I think Peter is writing to the good Christians in the church. Those good Christians are both Jew and Gentile.... their focus is Jesus. They go to church to worship... not to see or be seen. They go to church to help out those less advantaged. They are there to run the food bank... to help run the clothes closet.... to help find resources for those who are hurting. They are the true Christians.
It's my opinion that Peter is saying.... use your time wisely.... be a good example.... like Jesus. He's the foundation the church was built on... not the preacher or the priest or the apostle or the disciple or the elder or the deacon..... He is the reason for all of this.... so Peter says....we should try to be a spitting image of Jesus.
It doesn't matter what the rest of the world says..... It only matters what Jesus says..... We are only here for a little while.... and We have an example to live by.... now get back to work. Jesus showed us how to live in a Pagan Society.
