Because Christians are born again by the word of God which lasts forever, they should put off from themselves, or renounce, the sins Peter names. Kelcy says the word translated "laying aside", "(apotithemi) means "put off" and was used of the literal act of taking off clothes." It is good to think o... [ Continue Reading ]
DRINKING THE MILK OF THE WORD Having emptied their lives of the above, Christians should vigorously and repeatedly seek the milk of the word, just as a baby cries for milk which is his only source of food. After all, Christians are babies in the gospel (see 1:23 and its comments). At the end of 1 P... [ Continue Reading ]
CHRIST, "A LIVING STONE" In the Christian's constant seeking after the milk of the word, he will be coming again and again to the Lord. Peter described Him as "a living stone." Christ is a living stone in two ways. He is alive from the dead to die no more and he is a source of life to his followers... [ Continue Reading ]
A SPIRITUAL TEMPLE OF "LIVING STONES" The apostle portrays the church as God's spiritual temple (1 Corinthians 3:9-17). Its members are living stones because they are part of the body of the living Lord (Galatians 3:26-27; Ephesians 1:22-23; Acts 2:47). They are built as a house for God, or his dwe... [ Continue Reading ]
CONSEQUENCES OF REJECTING CHRIST Those who reject Jesus and intentionally disobey will discover, like the builders (Psalms 118:22), Jesus is the one on whom God had laid the lines of his plan. They have rejected the only road of salvation. The apostle uses a quote from Isaiah 8:14 to show what happe... [ Continue Reading ]
RESULTS OF OBEYING CHRIST In contrast, the obedient are an "elect race" (A.S.V.) in Christ (Revelation 14:13). They are set free from their sins by Christ's blood and made to be kings and priest in God's service (Revelation 1:5-6; Revelation 5:10). Christians are a nation under Christ the king. They... [ Continue Reading ]
SETTING AN EXAMPLE FOR THE WORLD Because they were a part of God's temple, Peter lovingly appealed to his readers, as those who were not living in their true home and would only stay a short while, to keep themselves back from sinful desires which aggressively fought against the eternal part of the... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CHRISTIAN AND GOVERNMENT Peter had received some personalized instruction from the Lord as to his attitude toward governments and may have heard what Christ told Pilate (Matthew 17:24-27; John 19:8-11). Evidently, the early church was frequently accused of being an enemy of the Roman empire, as... [ Continue Reading ]
PATIENTLY SUFFERING FOR THE MASTER Peter knew that in Christ, all men are equal (Galatians 3:28-29). However, that did not change the obligation a Christian would have to those over him. Even slaves were instructed to obey good and bad, or crooked, masters (Ephesians 6:5-8; Colossians 3:22-25; 1 Tim... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD SUFFERED DESPITE LIVING SINLESSLY Peter, in 2:22, quoted from the LXX rendering of Isaiah 53:9. Woods says the word translated "committed no" is from the Greek meaning never even once. Kelcy tells us, "The word translated guile denotes deceit or treachery." Jesus was accused of being a devi... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PURPOSE OF CHRIST'S DEATH Peter had gone through a time when he did not understand the purpose of Christ's death (Matthew 16:21-23). In 1 Peter 2:24, he explains the full meaning of that great event by telling that He bore our sins on the cross. Christ bore the consequences of sins when He died... [ Continue Reading ]