1 Peter 2:1-12

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.

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.

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.

We’ll begin by looking at the first three verses, but first let’s remind ourselves of what Peter says at the end of chapter 1

1 Peter 1:23-25

…you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

1 Peter 2:1-3

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.

We are to put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.

Why?

Note the word ‘so’. It means ‘therefore’, which takes us back to 1:23.

Because you’ve been born again

You are newborn infants v2

You need to grow up into your salvation v2

How?

By pure spiritual milk – the milk of the word

It was by the word of God that you were born again 1:23-25

It’s by feeding on the word of God that you will grow up spiritually

Indeed you will long for this because you have already tasted that the Lord is good v3

1 Peter 2:4-8 – Living Stones

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 (as) 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.

Christ is the living stone 4, 6-8

But we also are living stones 5

These verses are clearly based on three OT passages:

Isaiah 28:16

“therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’”

Psalm 118:22-23

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

This is the Lord ‘s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

Isaiah 8:14-15

“And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offence and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

The stone was one of the Jewish titles for the Messiah.

We know of course that the Messiah is Jesus.

So these OT passages show us that Jesus would be:

a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone,
a sure foundation
a rejected stone
a stone of offence and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel

However, Peter says that Jesus, though rejected by men, is God’s precious chosen one. This was highly significant for Peter’s persecuted readers.

As Christians, we have come to him 4 and believe in him 7 and as a result will not be put to shame 6, but honoured 7.

We ourselves are living stones and are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ 5

This theme is continued in vv 9-12. Note the strong contrast between vv8 and 9.

8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…

1 Peter 2:9-12 – God’s chosen people

9-10 privilege

11-12 responsibility

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.