This is The Way – Devo Day 40

1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

1 Peter 2:1–3 (ESV)

In the first chapter of this letter, Peter showed the wonder of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ. Now he shifts his emphasis to show the status that Christians have as part of God’s family. He begins with a revealing metaphor that Jesus used when he told Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Jesus used human birth and growth to describe the process of spiritual regeneration. Just as babies are not born mature, neither are Christians Peter contends that the new Christian needs to grow spiritually just as a newborn baby needs to grow physically. This involves being protected and nourished. It is the Word of God that nourishes our soul, enables us mature and reach the goal of being made over into the image of the Lord Jesus, and protects us from the evil in the world and within us. In Peter’s mind, once someone has truly encountered the Lord their appetite for Him and His Word would continually increase (in some translations it is called a craving).

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,
5 you 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.

1 Peter 2:4–5 (ESV)

Peter shifts metaphors to continue describing how Christians must grow not only as individuals but also as a unit (spiritual house). By consistent communion with Christ, the living Stone, Christians will become like him, living stones. By itself a stone is of little use but joined with others it becomes part of a building. A ‘living’ stone has a purpose as part of the whole.

Peter’s thought then switches from the structure (presumably the temple) to those who function in that building. Their responsibility as members of God’s spiritual household is two-fold: to worship, offering spiritual sacrifices (v5) and to witness, declaring the praises (v9).

6 For 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.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

1 Peter 2:6–8 (ESV)

In an aside, Peter takes up the OT references to the Living Stone and shows how they have been fulfilled in Christ: the first one by believers and the latter two by unbelievers. Whether people come in faith to the Living Stone, or reject him, God’s purposes are fulfilled. In Mk. 12:10-11 Jesus applied this text to the Jewish authorities as the builders. And Jesus has become the head of the corner, the capstone of the building, and those who disobey His message can only stumble and fall against him, as God said they would.

A stone can look most unimpressive lying by itself—but it can perform a vital function if made the cornerstone of a large building, or it can bring a person tumbling to the ground if one stumbles over it. Jesus has become the cornerstone of God’s spiritual temple, and there are two possible responses. We can either take our own position and purpose from the Cornerstone, and line ourselves upon Him, or we can refuse to live by reference and connection to Him and stumble instead. It is a vivid picture.

9 But 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.
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
12 Keep 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 2:9–12 (ESV)

In contrast with those that stumble over the Cornerstone, Peter shows how the Church has inherited the privileges promised to the OT people of God. “You are … that you may” (v9) underlines the biblical principle that privilege involves responsibility. Those who have inherited Israel’s blessings have Israel’s work to do and must declare the praises of the God who has done so much for them and enter into His redemptive mission.

Peter urges his readers to see that they are being built up in line with Christ: sharing all the purpose and dimensions of his life, experiencing his rejection and suffering as well as His glory. However, His opponents stumble fatally, but those joined to Christ are a chosen people, a royal priesthood (v9), contrary to all appearances. In verses 9 and 10 Peter piles up phrases from the Old Testament (Exod. 19:6; Isa. 42:12; 43:20.; Hos. 1:10; 2:23) to show how all that is true of God’s chosen covenant people is true for those who believe in Jesus (spiritual reality), regardless of how present circumstances look and in spite of their feelings (physical reality).

Peter concludes this passage with what can be our only proper response to the mercy and grace God has given us. In view of what God has done, we ought to live obediently and “abstain from the passions of the flesh” (v11) and also live uprightly even under persecution as a witness to a fallen world of the way of Jesus (vs9 & 12).

But 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. – This is The Way

1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)

Questions to Ponder

1. What was God thinking when He saved you?
2. Is it possible your life and your salvation have purpose (Kingdom purpose) that goes beyond you?
3. If that is true, what are you doing or now will do to live in the reality of that Kingdom purpose?

If you are just starting and want to go back and read the previous posts in this series