1 Peter 1:22-2:12 ESV
22Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
A Living Stone and a Holy People
1So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
1 Peter 1:22 ESV
22Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
1 Peter 1:22-23 ESV
22Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
Obedience to the truth- When he says Obedience to the Truth, he is talking about our trusting in Christ’s completed work on the cross. The truth he is referring to is the Gospel. If you are here and you are a believer there was a time in your life when you heard and responded to the call of the Holy Spirit. And the likely truth is that He used the Word of God, which is absolute truth without any mixture of error to draw you to Himself.
Peter goes on to say:
for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
He uses two words for love here.
Sincere brotherly love (Philadelphia) and love (Agape) one another earnestly from a pure heart-
Four loves listed in scripture (Phileo/Storge/Agape/Eros)
The loves he refers to here are Phileo and Agape. Why would he use two words for love here?
Love is a choice, not just a feeling. The love that he attaches to the command here to “Fervently or earnestly love” is Agape love. This is not a love that is based on how you feel.
Unconditional…the love with which the Father loves us.
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1 Peter 1:24-25 ESV
24for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
So what he is saying here is to be holy as He (God) is holy, and fervently or earnestly love from a pure heart.
Again, love is a choice, not just a feeling.
God’s word endures forever. Remember last week we said it is enduring and authoritative because it is backed up by His name…and He is eternal.
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1 Peter 2:1 ESV
1So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
Because evidently there was some of this in the church. He is giving a command for us who know Christ to put away our old selves and live out of the relationship purchased by Him. Don’t give opportunity for the enemy to steal any joy by allowing these things into our presence.
Put it away. Leave it behind. Seek transparency, honesty, fervent and fruitful relationships with our brothers and sisters. He is going to show us here in a couple of verses that God is using us individually to build us up into the church.
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1 Peter 2:2-3 ESV
2Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Have you ever fed a baby? When my boys were little, and we would give them a bottle…they would jump at the touch on their cheek. Do you know what I am talking about? You would touch their lips and what happens? They start making the sucking motion like they are craving milk.
This is the analogy Peter is using here. We crave the pure spiritual milk like new born babies. I don’t believe here that he is making a statement on our spiritual maturity…rather he is making a statement on the longing for the word, and the importance of the word in our lives as believers.
It is by this word that we receive the knowledge of the need to be saved, and by it we become faithful followers of Christ on mission with God.
The commentary says “it is sad when Christians have no appetite for God’s Word, but must be “fed” religious entertainment instead. As we grow, we discover that the word is milk for babes, but also strong meat for the mature.
1 Corinthians 3:1-4 ESV
1But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?
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1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV
4As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
John 2:17-22 ESV
17His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
This shows the ignorance of those who rejected the precious cornerstone.
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1 Peter 2:6-8 ESV
6For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
Isaiah 8:14 ESV
14And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
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Peter gives encouragement to us in the next two verses:
1 Peter 2:9-10 ESV
9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Those words “but you”…
God is integrating us as believers into His perfect plan and building for Himself a holy people.
What was the job of the priesthood?
Attend to the duties at the temple.
There is this comparison chart about Old Testament Priests and New Testament Believer- Priests in one of my study Bibles:
∙ Both by elect privilege
∙ Both are cleansed from sin
∙ Both are clothed for service
∙ Both are anointed for service
∙ Both are prepared for service
∙ Both are ordained to obedience
∙ Both are to honor God’s word
∙ Both are to walk with God
∙ Both are to impact sinners
∙ Both are to be messengers of God
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High priest, Hebrew kohen gadol, the chief religious functionary in the Temple of Jerusalem, whose unique privilege was to enter the Holy of Holies (inner sanctum) once a year on, the Day of Atonement, to burn incense and sprinkle sacrificial animal blood to expiate his own sins and those of the people of Israel.
Jesus is now our High priest.
Matthew 27:50-51 ESV
50And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
So these closing verses, Peter is charging us to live for Christ.
1 Peter 2:11-12 ESV
11Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
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“What A Friend” – Matt Maher
“Living Hope” – Phil Wickham
“Run to the Father” – Cody Carnes
“Cornerstone” – Hillsong Worship
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