1 Peter 2:1-21

1 Peter 2:1. Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

When the apostle describes us under the character of «newborn babes,» he would have us lay aside all that is inconsistent with that character. Newborn children have no malice; they have no guile or craftiness; they have no hypocrisies, nor envies, nor evil speakings. They are clear from all these evils; would God we were as clear as they are! It would be better to be infants, not speaking at all, than to be among those who speak evil. It would be better to begin life over again than to live long enough to have gained a treasure of malice, and a hoard of cunning, and to have learned the tricks of hypocrisy. Let us be as simple as little children, as guileless, as harmless, as free from anything like unkindness as newborn babes are. And inasmuch as we are to follow them in what they have not, let us also imitate them in what they have. Let us desire ardently, as for our very life, the unadulterated milk of the Word. Let us cultivate that combination of hunger and thirst which is found in a little child, that we may hunger and thirst thus after God's Word. We have done more than taste the Word; we have tasted that the Lord himself is gracious. Let us long to feast more and more upon this divine food, that we may grow thereby.

1 Peter 2:4. To whom coming,-

That is, to the Lord. We are always to be coming unto him. We began our spiritual life by coming to Jesus, and we are to continue coming unto him: «To whom coming,»-

1 Peter 2:4. As unto a living stone,

We are to settle down on him as the stones of a building settle down upon the foundation: «To whom coming, as unto a living stone,»-

1 Peter 2:4. Disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

Christ always was disallowed of men, and he always will be, until the great consummation of all things. Some disown him in one way, some in another. Some boldly blaspheme him with something like honesty; others pretend to be his ministers, yet all the while are undermining the gospel which he lived and died to preach. It matters little that Christ is «disallowed indeed of men,» for he is «chosen of God, and precious.»

1 Peter 2:5. Ye also, as lively stones,-

Or, living stones

1 Peter 2:5. Are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

You might have noticed, in reading the New Testament, that you never find the officers of a church called priests. Whenever that term is used by way of illustration, it is applied to all the people of God. They are all priests but, under the Christian dispensation, there is no set of men who have any right to take that title above their fellow-believers. All those who believe in Jesus Christ are priests, every one of them as much as all the others; and the assumption of priesthood under the Christian dispensation is most truly the repetition of the sin of Korah, Dathan, and Abirain, though the men who commit it usually try to lay the guilt of that sin at the doors of other people. We ministers are no more priests than all of you who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are; we shake our skirts at the very thought of such wickedness; and cry, «God for bid that we should, with unhallowed hands, try to steal away from God's people what is the right and prerogative of them all!» «Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.»

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.

Put all your trust in Jesus, for you will never have cause to regret doing so. The text, in the Old Testament, from which Peter quoted, says, «He that believeth shall not make haste;» he shall not need to be in a hurry, he shall enjoy the holy leisure which springs from a quiet confidence where confidence ought to he placed. O beloved, stay yourselves on Christ! Rest your whole weight on him, for then, «you shall not be confounded.»

1 Peter 2:7. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious:

«He is an honour,-he is your honour, your glory, your boast.» It is an honourable thing to be a believer in a Lord so glorious as he is, in a gospel so reasonable as his gospel is, in promises so certain of fulfillment as his promises are, in an atonement so effectual as his atonement is, and in a Master so omnipotent as he is: «Unto you therefore which believe he is an honour:»

1 Peter 2:7. But unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 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.

This is the distinguishing mark between God's chosen people and the rest of mankind. His elect receive Christ, and rejoice in him; but as for the ungodly, they willfully reject the Saviour, and so he becomes to them «a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence.» Christ is the great touchstone of humanity; by contact with him, the precious are discovered, and the vile are discerned,

1 Peter 2:9. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: which in time past were not a people,

Who were you, and what were your ancestors when the apostle wrote these words? Our forefathers were, in Peter's day, uncivilized and barbarous tribes at the utmost end of Rome's dominions. We «were not a people,»-

1 Peter 2:10. But are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you us strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;-

If you are priests,-as you are if you are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ,-take care that you are clean before God. Let no impurity stain your body, for sin committed by the body grievously befouls the spirit, and defiles the heart: «Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;»-

1 Peter 2:12. Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers,-

As they are sure to do, for none are so certain to be slandered as the pure; and the more clean you are in God's sight, the more will you excite the animosity of ungodly men, and they will show it by slandering you: «that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers,»-

1 Peter 2:12. They may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

True Christians give no trouble in the State. They are not law-breakers, but they strive to do that which is honest and upright. Where the laws are not righteous, they may cause trouble to bad law-givers and lawmakers; but when rulers ordain that which is just and righteous, they find that Christians are their best subjects.

1 Peter 2:15. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free,-

What a grand word that is, «as free»! Byron wrote, «He is the freeman whom the truth makes free, And all are slaves besides.» But we may alter that, and say, «He is the true freeman whom his Lord makes free.» «As free,-

1 Peter 2:16. And not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

A great deal of stress is sometimes laid upon that last precept, and I would lay just as much emphasis upon it as the Scripture does; but recollect the earlier command also: «Honour all men.» «A man's a man for that.» Whatever his condition may be, honour the manhood that is in him. Do not despise him because he is poor, or because his coat is not so fashionably cut as yours is; for, perhaps, he may be a better man than you are: «Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.»

1 Peter 2:18. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.