Copyright 2009 (c) American Journal of Biblical Theology 
www.biblicaltheology.com     Scripture quotes from KJV

It is easy to take a close look at the state of the world today, and come away with a doom-and-gloom scenario.  When we look at the pervasive success that is evident in the power of sin to control and manipulate our general population, we could find its impact depressing and discouraging.  In the first chapter of his letter to the church, Peter presented a message of encouragement, that though the consequences of sin do impact our daily lives, there is no reason that our lives have to be defeated under its burden.  Instead of living lives of hopelessness and despair, Christians have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to be lifted out of the miry clay of this world and live above it, standing upon God’s promises as His grace and love emboldens the love of those who trust in Him.  That trust brings with it a promise of salvation and blessing beyond anything this world can comprehend.

That trust brings with it another blessing that much of the world misses: personal, direct access to the LORD of the universe, access to God; access without the need for a human mediator of any kind.  All people realize the holiness of God and the extent of our natural sinfulness, and so we as a species have spent the generations seeking ways to become good enough to be accepted by such a powerful and holy God.  Religions have been formed through man’s creative gifts, religions that intend upon making people righteous enough to enter God’s throne of grace.  However, there is no religion of man that can remove the stain of sin from our lives.  All people are characterized by sin,[1] and that sin serves to condemn us to eternal separation from a Holy God.[2]  God is not expecting people to clean up their lives so that they can be worthy to stand in His presence.  Such a task is impossible for man because no man can live a sinless life.  Access to God can only be provided by a work of God, not a work of man:  a work of God that demonstrates His grace that “while we were sinners,”[3] God provided a way.

Peter is writing to the early church, particularly to those churches that he has not had an opportunity to visit.  He writes in order to encourage them and help them to understand the blessing of the Gospel.  He has declared to them the gospel of grace and now presents a discussion of how one is to live once grace has been received. 

1 Peter 2:1.   Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

The word rendered, “wherefore” clearly attaches this sentence with the previous discussion.  Peter is describing the difference in character of one who has accepted the LORD in faith from one who has not.

Laying aside all malice.  Malice is literally a desire to see harm come to others.  The foundational characteristic of a life that fully submitted to the Holy Spirit is the expression of unconditional agape love.  If one is committed to this type of love, there is simply no room for desiring another’s hurt.  An agape-based desire for others is identical to the agape-based desire that God has for those whom he loves.  Agape love never desires another to come to harm.  Any time we would think we love others, yet could desire their harm, such love is phileo, not agape.  Phileo is the world’s conditional love that has no need for the Holy Spirit.  The faithful can be vigilant to assure that phileo love does not replace agape love in their hearts.  There is simply no appropriate place for any form of malice in the life of a faithful believer. 

And all guile.  To practice guile, is to practice deceit.  Again, there is simply no place for a spirit of deceit in one who is expressing their faith through agape love.  One who truly loves does not desire to deceive others.  Such a desire is unholy, and only serves self.  Like malice, it seeks to hurt others rather than to edify others. There is simply no appropriate place for any form of guile in the life of a faithful believer. 

Hypocrisies.  We may be reminded of Paul’s admonition to “Let your love be without hypocrisy.”[4]  Hypocrisy is the profession of a faith or belief that one does not truly hold, from the Greek word hupokrisis which means to “play a part.” Hypocrisy is evident when one claims to demonstrate agape love in their life without the intent or power to do so, and instead their lives are limited to phileo.  Others can see this instantly when one demonstrates a lack of unconditional love in any way.  People can perceive when an individual claims to be godly, but lives a life that demonstrates ungodliness.  A heart that is sincerely submitted to God recognizes the damaging testimony that hypocrisy produces and seeks to maintain a consistent witness, finding encouragement when that testimony is full of agape, and discouragement when it is consistent with phileo.   There is simply no appropriate place for any form of hypocrisy in the life of a faithful believer.

Envies.  Envy is simply the discontentment that arises from a desire to possess something held by another.  Envy is self-seeking.  An individual who experiences the pain of envy fails to fully appreciate the immeasurable blessings that the individual already has been given by God.  Rather than a spirit of thankfulness towards God, this person resents having not received from God something that God did not intend.  Envy focuses on the possessions of others rather than the glories of God.  Envy is not founded on unconditional love, but rather on one’s desire for personal gain.  There is simply no appropriate place for any form of envy in the life of a faithful believer.   

Evil speakings.  This may be one of the most predominant sins in the life of our Christian community, and the one that is the most difficult to control.[5]  Unholy speech, speaking in an unloving and uncaring manner towards others, is empowered by those thoughts that enter our minds and are then spoken without applying the filter of godly wisdom.  If you truly love another without condition, you would never speak unkindly of the one loved, and would tend to give a defense when another speaks unkindly.  This should be the character of a person of faith.  You may have heard the testimony of another who says, “I never heard him/her say an unkind word about another person.”  Because of the agape love that is to characterize the life of the faithful, this should be said of every believer.  There is simply no appropriate place for any form of evil speech in the life of a faithful believer.    

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

Peter is writing to the early church, a community that includes new believers and old.  The early church lacked the written resources we now possess, having to rely predominantly on the testimony of more mature believers in order to understand the doctrines of the faith and how they relate to that which some of those who have an Old Testament background might understand.  Note that Peter is writing to communities that are not predominantly Jewish.

Peter first refers to the freshness of the faith that comes with the original knowledge of God’s personal purpose for the believer.  The faith of one who comes to the LORD may be powerful and complete, but that individual still has much to learn about the details of God’s purpose.  A true believer will yearn to know those details, whether a babe in Christ, or a seasoned veteran of the faith.  The desire in a believer shifts from a desire for the things of the world, things that Peter has just mentioned, to things of God.  New believers (and old) should desire to intimately know the basics of the faith, finding these basics in God’s Word and in learning opportunities with more knowledgeable Christians.

When Peter uses the word, “word,” he is referring to more than just the written Old Testament.  His understanding of the word, the logos, includes the power that the word has to produce change and to characterize the nature of the One it describes.  Peter can confidently state that the Word, the logos, is Jesus.[6] 

Peter concludes, as he has experienced in his own life, that a steady and sincere learning of the nature and purpose of God leads to spiritual growth, a growth that is necessary and expected of every believer.  Sometimes we think that our job is done when we have brought someone to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  The truth is that the work has just begun.  Jesus commanded us to make disciples,[7] people who are learners.  God’s purpose for the believer is that the individual will grow in knowledge of the Word, and grow to a continuingly closer relationship with Him.  Growth in the faith is essential to the life of a Christian. 

1 Peter 2:3.  If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

A foundational doctrine of the Christian faith is that of the infinite and loving grace of God.  The word, “tasted,” is important and is used in a similar sense in other New Testament scriptures.[8]  When one is young in the faith they have come to both understand and experience the grace of God.  All mankind deserves eternal separation from God because of their bent to sin.  God chose to grant an undeserved gift when He provided a way of salvation, taking upon Himself at the cross the punishment for sin that we all deserve.

We are reminded by the writer of Hebrews that one can taste the truth, yet still reject it, and a rejection that is taken to the grave results only in eternal separation from God.  Tasting is the beginning of experience, not the end.  I have tasted liver, and I have no intention of ever tasting or swallowing any form of liver again.  I have no intent upon repenting of my rejection of liver.  However, if you allow me to taste chocolate, I can assure you that it will be fully consumed.  Just like we can fully consume the chocolate, we can fully embrace the grace of God, accepting it fully and completely.  When we do this as a babe in Christ, our faith is empowered to grow.

Paul makes it clear to his readers that they have all tasted the graciousness of the LORD.  They have received God’s unmerited favor.  They can all choose to grow in their faith in and knowledge of God, though some may choose to reject the offer of salvation that comes through faith in God. 

1 Peter 2:4.  ⁴To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

The power for growing in the faith is not predicated on one’s own effort, but rather on the power of the Holy Spirit working in the center of a submissive heart.  “To whom coming,”  uses a continuing sense of “as you are coming.”  The “stone” is a single stone that, with others, forms the wall of a building.  This is the beginning of the use of a building as a metaphor for God’s working in the life of a faithful believer.  He is the builder, and it is He who is doing a work in those who trust in Him. 

We are accustomed to building a wall using bricks that are pre-formed and pre-shaped.  The art of building ancient stone walls involved the shaping of the stones by the builder.  It is in this way that God is shaping each person, cutting away that which is no longer edifying (building up) leaving behind that which God can use for His purpose.  This implies the necessity for submission to the hammer of the builder, a hammer that can serve to cut away the malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speech, among other ungodly behaviors that so vex the spirit of man.

When the ancient builder inspects stones, he makes a distinction among them, accepting those that will serve his purpose and rejecting those which cannot.  The living stones to which Peter refers, the community of faithful believers, find that they are chosen of God, precious for the building of the wall.  The word for “precious” is literally, “well-hewn,” consistent with Peter’s metaphor.  However, this living stone, unlike the dead stones of this world and its mythical and powerless gods, is rejected by the builders of this world.  It should be no surprise to the faithful that they find rejection at the hands of man.

1 Peter 2:5.  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.

The building that God is erecting has a definite and important purpose.  Each stone is selected, hewn, and placed at the appropriate point in the structure to accomplish that purpose:  a community of faithful, the house of the LORD.   The stones, those who place their faith and trust in God are called to a holy priesthood.  The ancients had a very well-defined understanding of the position of the priest.  The priest was ordained by God to bring sacrifices for the people.  God set the priests apart to a special ministry.  In the early years of the nation of Israel one of the twelve tribes, the Levites, were to serve as priests.  These served as a mediator between the nation and God.  According to the Mosaic Law only members of the tribe of Levi could serve as priests and conduct priestly duties.  Any time someone from outside the tribe took upon himself the work of a priest, judgment fell upon the transgressor.  For example, Samuel prophesied Saul’s fall following his taking upon himself the role of the priest and offering a burnt sacrifice.  Even the King of Israel was to leave the priesthood to the priests. 

The age of the priesthood came to an end with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  All who place their faith in God have all of the “rights and privileges” of a priest.  This represents a completely new order of priesthood.  Christians pray directly to God, and have no need for a mediator.  Jesus died on the cross to bring complete forgiveness to all who place their faith and trust in Him, and by so doing opens the door to the throne room of heaven.  Prayers offered up directly to God are acceptable to Him, as is the individual who is offering the sacrifice of prayer. 

Together, the community of the faithful are a priesthood, ordained to love God, to glorify Him, and to share the good news of His love with others.  The initial call of the Levites to the priesthood carried the same responsibilities, including sharing the Word of God with the lost world.  Instead, the Israelites kept their knowledge of God to themselves and used it as a barrier to separate themselves from the very world they were ordained to serve.

1 Peter 2:6.  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.

One cannot understate the importance of the cornerstone of an ancient building.  The artisan spent a good deal of time working on the cornerstone to assure its square angles and its level installation.  Once installed, all other stones are laid with respect to the cornerstone, using it to sight the placement of each individual stone for both line and level. 

The cornerstone that Peter mentions is a “chief cornerstone.”  This does not represent one who is in charge, as it does the type of cornerstone.  We think of a cornerstone as a small marker at the corner of a building.  Archaeological digs have found foundation cornerstones as long as sixty feet or more.  One such stone has been found that is over 10,000 cubic feet.[9]  This type of stone provides, not only the source for dimensioning the building, but also provides its solid foundation, supporting all of its walls.  In a sandy and arid region, such a foundation would be particularly solid and sure.

The cutting and moving of such a stone was a monumental task, giving some context to Peter’s description of the stone as chosen and precious, on upon which one can stand without ever being “put to shame.” 

Quoting Isaiah 28:16, the prophet points to the coming Messiah as He serves as this type of cornerstone as the foundation of Sion, a reference to the mount upon which the Jerusalem temple was erected, a reference to the future temple, the church of Jesus Christ. 

Peter has given us a picture of the part that the cornerstone plays in the formation of the building, the church.  Each person who has placed their trust on Him are one of the stones in the edifice that is placed into position by God; placed into the walls in the place of His choosing based upon the individual’s character.  The placement of the individual in the church is not only laid in-line with the carefully built Cornerstone, but also the walls of the edifice stand on it.  The foundation upon which the walls stand is sure and solid, never to be compromised.  Peter makes it clear that the church, the collection of stones in this edifice, are comprised of those who have placed their faith and trust in the Cornerstone, Jesus Christ. 

1 Peter 2:7-8. ⁷Unto 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,

The word translated precious, may more accurately be translated “honor” or “with honor.”  Jesus is certainly precious and holds infinite honor in the hearts of those who have turned to Him in faith.  This differentiates those who believe in Jesus and those who have faith in Jesus.  Those who have faith in Him stand on the foundation of the cornerstone and have been placed into His edifice by Him.  However, the cornerstone also stands to separate those who have faith from those who not.  Those who have rejected this cornerstone are building their own edifice on a foundationless pride.  The rejected stone is a quote from Psalm 118:22, where the builders reject the very stone that would be the foundational and final stone that completes the structure.  The One who those have rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

1 Peter 2:8.  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.

Peter employs a second prophesy from Isaiah 8:14 in which those who reject God’s offer of salvation are stumbling over a stone.  Since all have sinned and fallen short of God’s demand of righteousness,[10] all of us have initially stumbled.  All who reject the Cornerstone have rejected the Word of God and have been appointed by His plan to an eternity that is separated from Him.[11]  Those who reject the cornerstone are offended by it, and by their choice have demonstrated disobedience to the One who loves them and would have them turn to Him in faith and be part of the edifice that He is building.  Instead, they build their own edifice, their own religious structures that stand without the foundation of Christ, nor with the hand of His design. 

These who have build their own religion apart from Jesus think of themselves as righteous, holy, and priests, but are none of these.  Apart from the power of Jesus, these are within the kingdom of the prince of this world and are powerless against his evil intentions.  They lack the access to God that they proclaim, and have not experienced the true forgiveness for their unrighteousness that they diligently seek.

1 Peter 2:9.  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

The word, “but” indicates a stark contrast between that which has just been said, and that which is about to be said.  Where those who have rejected the Cornerstone have set for themselves a deliberate separation from God and His purpose, those to whom he speaks are those who have turned to Jesus Christ in sincere faith and trust.  Peter draws from several Old Testament descriptions of the nation of Israel, at least the Israel that God would have planned had they been obedient and faithful to Him. 

A chosen generation.  God chose to bring to Himself those who turn to Him in faith.  Referred to as the Doctrine of Election, the salvation of those who trust God takes place only because of God’s work, not man’s.  There is nothing man can do to be chosen of God other than turn to Him and accept is graceful offer of forgiveness.  Salvation comes from God’s initiative and power, not mankind’s. 

A royal priesthood.  These are words that would incite the Jerusalem leadership to great anger, assigning to each believer a level of priesthood that even they themselves cannot attain.  The priesthood intercedes for the people within the context of where they live.  These priests are scattered throughout the world-wide Jewish community and are known by their presence in the synagogues.  However, the royal priesthood is that special subset of priests who have direct access to the king.  This level of access is known by only the Jewish high priest, and even he is aware that his access is tenuous.  The high priest would enter the temple holy of holies with a  rope tied around himself so that if he would be killed by God for his sin, others could drag his lifeless body out of the room without entering themselves.  

Christians have no need for priests to serve intercession between themselves and God.  Early church dogma and tradition taught that people were not worthy to be in God’s presence and must rely on those more-righteous priests (and canonized saints) to intercede for them.  This gave the church control over its membership, and denied them a relationship with God that He intended.  Jesus’ resurrection not only ended the need for a sacrificial system in the temple, it also ended the need for priests. 

Peter clearly teaches that all who have placed their faith and trust in God now have all of the opportunities for relationship with God that the most faithful priest would have.  As a “priesthood,” the body of believers is now the school of priests.  All have access to God’s throne without any need for an intercessor.  Though the faithful would be separated from the throne because of their continued unrighteousness, they find access to God by way of the forgiveness that they have received, a forgiveness that was paid for on the Cross of Calvary.

An Holy Nation.  Israel certainly had a strong nationalistic fervor, recognizing themselves as a nation that was under the authority of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  It may be instructive to note that Peter was writing to a group that was a mixed population of Jews and Gentiles, and probably the great majority of these Greeks were Gentiles.  Peter is using the Old Testament reference to the chosen nation of Israel to describe the now-chosen “nation” of the faithful, those who have turned their heart to God and received forgiveness by their submission to the Messiah, accepting forgiveness that only He has the authority to do.  Like Israel, this Holy Nation is to be separate from the world, a nation that falls entirely within the domain of the kingdom of God.

A peculiar people.  Though one can take this literal word, peculiar, and correctly apply it to describe the holy nation of believers, this is only a small part of the intent of this word.  Those who are of the body of believers should be identifiably different from those in the rest of the world.  The ancient Jews were identifiable different, but they maintained that difference by adherence to a stringent law that defined their appearance and behavior.  The faithful are under no such set of laws that would cause them to look “peculiar” to those outside of the faith.  Consequently, it is easy for a Christian to set down their peculiarity and mix in with the world to the point that their distinctives as a Christian are almost unidentifiable. 

However, when we apply the broader sense of this word, we find that Peter is describing a people who belong to God.  If one completely and wholly belongs to God, the peculiarity that this verse describes will be a natural fruit.  Christians who are fully submitted to Him will be identifiable, not so much by their physical appearance, but by the unconditional agape love that shapes their behavior and forms the context of their relationships.

“That you should show forth …”  God has a purpose for this holy nation that goes beyond the relationship that they have with Him; that goes beyond these distinctives that Peter has just listed.  Those who have received the blessing of God’s grace should be overflowing with praise for Him to the extent that their praise is evident to those who are still unrepentant, those who have still rejected the Cornerstone.

1 Peter 2:10.  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

A status change takes place in the life of the believer, one that identifies in a couple of distinct ways.  Referring to Hosea 2:23, where Hosea prophesies of God’s redemptive purpose for sinful Israel, Peter implies that this prophecy is completed in the church of Jesus Christ.  Prior to coming to the LORD, Peter’s readers were lost and in darkness as were the ancient Jews, but now the fulfillment of the prophecy has come true.  Those who trust in God are the people of God.  Those who trust in God have obtained the mercy that Hosea wrote of.

Peter presents the new life in Christ as one of a close and personal relationship with God.  Unlike the practitioners of pagan and errant religions that define themselves by their works, their creeds, their systems of authority and autocracy, or by the intermediaries who stand between the rank-and-file members and their gods, Peter clearly lifts the believer from a state of spiritual poverty and intrinsic valuelessness to the status of the highest of priests who has unimpeded access to the throne of God.   God desires our hearts, not our work.

With the status of a royal priesthood, Peter also reminds us that the gift of grace comes with the responsibility of conducting ourselves in a few of the priestly roles, including leading others out of darkness into God’s marvelous light.  Many of those in the community of ancient Israel despised God’s mercy by preferring to hold on to the godless practices of the pagan world around them, keeping their limited belief in God to themselves, and failing to either draw close to God or fulfill His purpose by sharing His love with the pagan people groups that they encountered.  Christians today can learn from their example, as well as by New Testament writings such as this, that salvations brings with it a change that must be evident and expressed in the life of the believer.  The royal priesthood stands above the lostness and despair of this pagan world, and works to bring it to the wonderful light of God’s grace that seeks to win all people to Himself.