1 Peter 2:4-8 ESV

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. 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.

THE CORNERSTONE

Jesus, our cornerstone, is the game changer of life. The cornerstone served as the basis for the foundation of a structure. Its size, placement, and solidity are crucial for the building to stand. Thus, a good builder would invest much time and energy in choosing and shaping the perfect cornerstone. Peter used this analogy to identify the Lord Jesus, the chosen one by God. Sadly, He was rejected by the Jews. He was rejected by Israel's leadership, but chosen by God Himself and precious.

The Lord Jesus honors those who believe Him[see v.7]. They would be as living stones being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Paul, even, did write in Romans 12:1 that we are living sacrifices, did He not? With our sins already forgiven through Jesus' sacrifice at the cross, no more death or blood is required. Instead, we offer our living bodies, every aspect of ourselves, as acceptable spiritual sacrifices, set apart for His purposes.

Their lives won’t fall down certainly. Paul quoted Isa 28:16 that they were not foolish for trusting in Christ. They can be 100% confident that God will not shame them in judgment. They are part of the house built by God, the house that will never fall.

On the other hand, those who reject Christ will surely fall. It’s a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. How? it’s by their disobedience to His word. He is either the way to God or the obstacle that prevents one from reaching God (John 14:6). Destruction is their destiny. They would ,stumble, over Him.

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- 1 Pet 2:1-3 ESV

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.

A NEW DESIRE

Being a truly born again believer is about a change of ‘our longing.’ We are commanded to ‘put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.’[v.1] yet, we do it because God has given us a new desire.

New desires couldn’t be manufactured, could they be? Appetite couldn’t be engineered. Similarly, it’s only through the working of the Spirit in giving us new life as newborn infants. Spiritual infants long for spiritual milk not the junk foods of the world. Hungering and thirsting for His word are spiritual signs that one has an authentic life. A person may appear as a believer on the outside. He can talk and explain Christian concepts and beliefs. However, only true believers could live a life that sincerely pursues godliness and holiness.

A child grows depending upon his appetite. The better appetite he has will cause him to drink more of the milk of the word of God. Thus, he grows up more in ‘working out’ his salvation. Not that, he is saved by obedience to God’s word. A child sucks milk in order to grow and not to get life. He has life in the first place so that he longs for the milk.

And, God, as the child grows through His word, is perceived as ‘good and desirable’ to us as the milk is to the child. Simply put, our meditation and obedience to His word lead us to experience how good God is. As the psalmist expressed, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! [Psa 34:8]

Moreover, the psalmist David testified about the goodness of the word of God, saying,

“More to be desired are they than gold,

even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey

and drippings of the honeycomb.”[Psa 19:10]

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- 1 Pet 1:22-25 ESV

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 

24 for “All flesh is like grass

and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers and the flower falls,

25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

THE LIVING AND ABIDING WORD OF GOD

Every one of us born physically is dead spiritually [Eph 2:1]. It is God who is the one who makes us alive when we come to Him through faith in Christ (Eph 2:5–9). Being born again, therefore, is His work. Physical birth results from a seed that dies eventually. Nicodemus did not get it so Jesus has to explain to him about this spiritual new birth.

All flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls. Our human lives, though intense and beautiful in a lot of ways, come and go in a short season. Even the most productive, most privileged, most adventurous among us do surely fade away towards the grave.

True Christians are born again. But this new birth springs from an undying seed, through the living and abiding word of God. What is this "word of God"? In verse 25, Peter will tell us that it is the good news that has been preached to us. We call it the gospel. It is the only message from God that could guarantee eternal life. Jesus’ death and resurrection assure us of forgiveness of our sins and make us spiritually alive forever in Him. This truth stands forever.

So, as Christians having been born again, we now have the ability to love each other with spiritually alive or renewed hearts. We can do this with all our might and complete sincerity. God has declared us clean from sin through the blood of Jesus.

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- 1 Pet 1:17-21 ESV

17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God.

RANSOMED

Our worth does rest upon God, who owns us, does it not? As one wallowing in the mire, He ransomed us from the futility and rudiments of the world. This deplorable and hopeless background should make us ever grateful, should we not? Think of the disparity between earth and heaven. This did not deter the holy God to reach out sinful men, like us.

Moreover, our ransom is paid neither with silver and gold. But, it’s priceless for we are purchased by His precious blood. With a foreshadowing of the lambs slaughtered for the remission of sins in the Old Testament, Jesus is the lamb, slain as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. A sacrifice without any taint of sin.

Was His death incidental?

Definitely not. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world. He is ‘the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world.’[Rev 5:9] ‘In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.’[Eph 1:7] You and I are part of God’s eternal design.

But, the most fascinating fact about our redemption is that He ‘chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.’ [Eph 1:4] In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. [Eph 1:5] As His children now, should we not live up as such? What should motivate us to conduct ourselves with fear as exiles in this world? It is our reverence to a loving Father.

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1 Pet 1:15-16 ESV

15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

BE HOLY

The ‘Be holy’ command is discouraging at times, isn’t it? We can't seem to find any of God's children who are leading perfect lives. So what does this really mean?

It is helpful to see them as being about our identity, as well as about our conduct. Who we are preceding what we do. In his letter thus far, Peter has already described believers in Jesus as people who are saved, are being saved, and will be saved. The emphasis seems to be that we must live up to what we already are. We won’t achieve perfectly sinless conduct on earth. However, we are made to be completely set apart from the world in our conduct right now. In Christ, we are set apart so we must live up to our label. That we should make choices that reflect who we already are.

In other words, Christians are called to align our conduct to fit our identity. The fact that we identify with him as our Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, we should conduct ourselves with fear throughout the time of our exile.

That is, as holy people, we shouldn't be "okay" with our sins. We shouldn't accept falling into the old patterns. We are to act as holy people act. Are we able to make perfect sinless choices in this life? No. We have to rely on God's grace and forgiveness. This means we have to settle our sins with God and maintain short accounts before Him.

God's holiness is our standard, is it not? It’s not ourselves or anybody, no matter how godly he is. Let us be holy for our Father is holy. It should become our standard for ourselves, even if we won't attain it until we are with our Father in eternity.

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- 1 Pet 1:13-14 ESV

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

AS OBEDIENT CHILDREN

Our position in Christ is eternally secured. Still, even for those of us who believe, it is difficult for us to keep our hope set on that day, is it not? We are told to make a deliberate choice to set our hope. Instead of setting our hope on things that cannot truly satisfy, such as money, pleasure, or prestige, we should obey this command.

That, we should not be conformed to the passion of our former lives. We have still problems with our flesh, haven’t we? So Peter writes that we should stay alert, "preparing our minds for action and sober." We must take control of where our thoughts go, and what our minds dwell on. Otherwise, we would be easily distracted by false hopes.

Previously, we lived in ignorance of what was real and what mattered. Hence, we followed our own desires instead of God's. These desires were evil wanting gratification and relief at any cost. These past sinful desires need not control us.

Peter referred to us as His ‘obedient children’ and we should be. This means more than what we do but who we are by His grace. We are created anew to obey our Father, are we not? We must stop conforming to the passions we followed "before." That's not us anymore but newly set apart people for God.

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1 Peter 1:10-12 ESV

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

THE GRACE OF SALVATION

Our salvation is by grace alone. This truth was not new to Peter, or the other apostles. It has been described and prophesied by Israel's prophets in the Old Testament. And, it is fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, who they saw alive.

Yet, these prophets themselves did not fully understand, though the message God had given them. They were missing part of the puzzle. The prophets wanted to know the "who" and "when" Christ's Spirit was referring unto as they wrote the revelation. Who was the person who would bring this salvation? How come this Christ would suffer and then be glorified? And when would it happen? Isaiah 11 and 53 are examples of these prophecies. God didn't explain to the prophets even the angels, even when they inquired. Are we not grateful to these prophets that they were serving not themselves but future generations, including us.

What was revealed to them and they wrote are the words of God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit certainly. Christ would come after their time. Hundreds of years after their prophecies, this good news, or "gospel," was delivered. It was given to Peter's audience by that same Holy Spirit, through the preaching and teaching of others.

And even now, thousands of years later, it has been delivered to us by that same Holy Spirit. Are we not thankful that this gospel has reached us? Are you not motivated to proclaim this gospel to those who haven’t heard it yet? As Tius wrote, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people” [Tit 2:11] The grace of salvation is broadcasted to a darkened world not conditioned by man’s worthiness.

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1 Peter 1:6-9 ESV

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

REJOICING DESPITE TRIALS

The reality of our position as believers in Jesus Christ is eternally secured by God. Through faith in Christ, we have been saved, are being saved, and is always saved!

Should this is true in our lives, our response should be to rejoice regardless of circumstances, should we not? It's important to note that the word "rejoice" is far from the idea of feeling only positive emotions. To "rejoice," in this sense, does not necessarily mean to "be happy," as understood today. Definitely, it may include positive feelings, but in the New Testament often rejoicing is a choice about how we think about our lives (Jas 1:2; Phi 4:4). In fact, many are grieved or distressed by various trials in the present moment. But they should be rejoicing in the light of the reality of their eternal destiny in Christ, not in their present circumstances. In short, this "rejoicing" is less about feelings and more about faith.

These trials cause us grief certainly, but why is it allowed by God? For the Christian believer, suffering always serves a purpose (Rom 5:3–4; Jas 1:2–4). Trials distress us but don't prevent us from rejoicing. They test, purify, and prove our faith. We should make a choice to continue to trust God, in and through the trial, should we not? God continues to provide His grace so that our faith grows stronger.

Like gold, our faith is refined and purified by the heat of our trials. Unlike earthly gold, our faith will continue to be of great value even in eternity. Moreover, Peter says that our faith results in giving and receiving praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed someday. When Christ returns, He will receive honor as the true Lord and King, and resultingly, our faith in Him will be fully vindicated.

This faith in God is fueled by God’s love toward us and we reciprocate by loving Him. [see 1 John 4:19] It’s not possible to ‘believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory’ should we don’t have love for God, is it? In summary, a rejoicing demeanor is an evidence that we have genuinely believed the security of our salvation in Christ.

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1 Peter 1:1-2 ESV

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:

May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

EXILES AND ELECTS

These Jewish believers have been scattered, in part, by religious persecution. They now reside in five Roman providences of Asia Minor, an area currently found in northern Turkey. These places are Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. The letter was intended to be passed among the churches in these regions, likely to be read aloud to each group of believers.

The word "exile" points to one of the main ideas of this letter. That believer should no longer call this place home at this time. Our citizenship is in heaven.[Phil 3:20] Thus, we represent our true king and country while living as aliens and strangers in a foreign culture.

As exiles, they were forced away from their homes so that they were "scattered" (dispersed). Today, this dispersion is seen in the migration of people from places ravaged by poverty and war. People, including Christians, are looking for employment and asylum, migrating to safer places.

These people are described as "elect," also translated as "chosen." What are the implications that the believers in Christ are called the "elect"?

Firstly, we are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. This means God knew us before something. Before what? Ephesians 1:4 says that God chose us in Christ even "before the foundation of the world." Similarly, Christ Himself was foreknown by the Father in the same way [1 Pet 1:20]. God didn't just know about us. He knew us personally through and through. Moreover, He chose us through the sanctifying work of the Spirit. That is, He "set us apart" just for God, in making us a ‘holy’ people of God.

And secondly, we are chosen for a purpose, that is, obedience to Jesus and "sprinkling with His blood." Under the Old Testament law, the blood of an animal sacrifice was required for the forgiveness of sin, and for showing what belonged to God. We are not literally sprinkled with Jesus' physical blood, of course. Yet, His blood was literally spilled when He died on the cross to pay for our sins. His shedding of blood made it possible for us to be made clean from our sin and for God to claim ownership of us and declare us to be "holy." So, we fulfill our purpose in this world when we obey and subject ourselves to Christ.

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