2:2,3One characteristic all children share is that they want to grow up-to be like big brother or sister or like their parents. When we are born again, we become spiritual newborn babies. If we are healthy, we will yearn to grow. How sad it is that some people never grow up. The need for milk is a natural instinct for a baby, and it signals the desire for nourishment that will lead to growth. Once we see our need for God's Word and begin to find nourishment in Christ, our spiritual appetite will increase, and we will start to mature. How strong is your desire for God’s Word?
Life Application Study Bible1 PeterChapter 2
1 Peter 2
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 2129, 2130, 2131
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21 Peter 2
1So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and ail unkind speech. 2Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, Snow that you have had a taste of the LORD’s kindness.
Living Stones for God’s House
44You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. 5And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are his holy priests.* Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.
6As the Scriptures say,“Tam placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,*chosen for great honor,and anyone who trusts in himwill never be disgraced.”*
7Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who rejecthim,“The stone that the builders rejectedhas now become the cornerstone.”*
8And,“He is the stone that makes people stumble,the rock that makes them fall.”*They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that wasplanned for them.
9But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,* a holynation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God,for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
10“Once you had no identity as a people;now you are God’s people.Once you received no mercy;now you have received God's mercy.”*2. The conduct of God’s people in the midst of suffering
11Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. '*Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.*
Respecting People in Authority
1313For the LORD’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 4or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. 15It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you.
16For you are free, yet you are God's slaves, so don‘tuse your2:7 Ps 118:22. 2:8lsa 8:14. 2:9 Greek a royal priesthood. 2:10 Hos 1:6, 9; 2:23. 2:12 Or on the day of visitation.shoutd be to our citizenship in heaven, not to our citizenship here,because the earth will be destroyed. Our loyalty should be to God'struth, his way of life, and his dedicated people. Because we areloyal to God, we often will feel like strangers in a world that wouldprefer to ignore God.
freedom as an excuse to do evil. 7Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters.* Fear God, and respect the king.
Slaves
1818You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters with all respect.* Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. 9For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair treatment. 20Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. 21For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered* for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
22He never sinned,nor ever deceived anyone.*
23He did not retaliate when he was insulted,nor threaten revenge when he suffered.He left his case in the hands of God,who always judges fairly.
24He personally carried our sinsin his body on the crossso that we can be dead to sinand live for what is right.By his woundsyou are healed.
25Once you were like sheepwho wandered away.But now you have turned to your Shepherd,the Guardian of your souls.
Textual footnotes
- actions are above reproach, even hostile people will end up prais-
- ing God. Peter's readers were scattered among unbelieving
- Gentiles who were inclined to believe and spread vicious lies about
- Christians. Gracious, godly, and winsome behavior on the part of
- Christians could show these rumors to be false and might even
- win some of the unsaved critics to the LORD. Don't write off people
- because they misunderstand Christianity; instead, show them
- Christ by your life. The day may come when those who criticize
- you will praise Gad with you.
- 2:13-17 When Peter told his readers to respect all human
- authority, he was speaking of the Roman Empire under Nero,
- a notoriously cruel tyrant. Obviously he was not telling believers
- to compromise their consciences; as Peter had told the high priest
- years earlier, “We must obey God rather than any human authority”
- (Acts 5:29). But in most aspects of daily life, it was possible and
- desirable for Christians to live according to the \aw of their land.
- Today, some Christians live in freedom while others live under
- repressive governments. Ali are commanded to cooperate with
- the rulers as far as conscience will allow. We are to do this “for
- the LORD’s sake”—so that his Good News and his people will be
- respected. |f we are to be persecuted, it should be for obeying God,
- not for breaking moral or civil laws. For more about the Christian's
- relationship to government, see the note on Romans 13:1ff.
- freedom more narrowly than the normal use of the word in
- 2:5 Greek holy priesthood.
- 2:6a Greek in Zion. 2:6b |sa 28:16 (Greek version).
- 2:12 Peter's advice sounds like Jesus’ in Matthew 5:16: If your
- 2:16 Christians have freedom in Christ, but the apostles defined
- 2:17 Greek love the brotherhood.
- 2:18 Or because you fear God, 2:21 Some manuscripts read died, 2:22 Isa 53:9.
Life Application Notes 6 notes
2:4-8In describing the church as God's spiritual temple, Peter drew on several Old Testament texts familiar to his Jewish Christian readers: Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 8:14; 28:16. Peter’s readers would have understood the living stones to be Israel; then Peter applied the image of “cornerstone” to Christ. Once again Peter showed that the church does not cancel the Jewish heritage but fulfills it.
2:4-8Peter portrays the church as a living, spiritual temple, with Christ as the foundation and cornerstone and each believer as a stone. Paul portrays the church as a body, with Christ as the head and each believer as a member (see, for example, Ephesians 4:15, 16). Both pictures emphasize community. One stone is not a temple or even a wall; one body part is useless without the others. In our individualistic society, it is easy to forget our interdepen-
2:9Christians sometimes speak of “the priesthood of all believers.” In Old Testament times, people did not approach God directly. A priest acted as intermediary between God and sinful human beings. With Christ's victory on the cross, that pattern changed. Now we can come directly into God’s presence without fear (Hebrews 4:16), and we are given the responsibility of bringing others to him also (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). When we are united with Christ as members of his body, we join in his priestly work of reconciling God and people.
2:9,10People often base their self-concept on their accomplishments. But our relationship with Christ is far more important than our jobs, successes, wealth, or knowledge. We have been chosen by God as his very own, and we have been called to represent him to others. Remember that your value comes from being one of God's children, not from what you can achieve. You have worth because of what God does, not because of what you do.
2:11As believers, we are “temporary residents and toreigners” in this world because our real home is with God. Heaven is not the pink-cloud-and-harp existence popular in cartoons. Heaven is where God lives. Life in heaven operates according to God's principles and values, and it is eternal and unshakable. The Kingdom of Heaven came to earth in the symbolism of the Jewish sanctuary (the Tabernacle and Temple), where God's presence dwelt. It came in a fuller way in the person of Jesus Christ: “God with us.” It spread through the entire world as the Holy Spirit came to live in every believer. Someday, after God judges and destroys all sin, the Kingdom of Heaven will rule every corner of this earth. John saw this day in a vision, and he cried out, “Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them” (Revelation 21:3). Our true loyalty
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common language. Christians use freedom as a tool for a life of exuberant service. It’s the foundation that God gives to us to reach our highest potential. Because God gives us freedom from religious rules and eternal guilt, we must not seek to indulge our own desires; instead, we shoutd reach for the best God has for us. Let your freedom sing of power, joy, and love—accountable to God, devoted to others. 2:18-21 Many Christians were household slaves. It would be easy for them to submit to masters who were gentle and kind, but Peter encouraged loyalty and perseverance even in the face of unjust treatment. In the same way, we should submit to our employers, whether they are considerate or harsh. By so doing, we may win them to Christ by our good example. Paul gave similar advice in his letters (see Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:22-4:15), as did Jesus (Matthew 5:46; Luke 6:32-36). 2:21, 22 We may suffer for many reasons. Some suffering is the direct result of our awn sin; some happens because of our foolishness; some is the result of tiving in a fallen world. Peter is writing about suffering that comes as a result of doing good. Christ never sinned, and yet he suffered so that we could be set free. Jesus’ suffering was part of God’s plan (Matthew 16:21-23, Luke 24:25-27, 44-47) and was intended to save us (Matthew 20:28; 26:28). All who follow Jesus must be prepared to suffer (Mark 8:34, 35). Our goal should be to face suffering as he did— with patience, calmness, and confidence that God is in control of the future. 2:24 Christ died for our sins, in our place, so we would not have to suffer the punishment we deserve. This is called “substitutionary atonement.”