1 Peter 2

1 Peter 2:1-6

¹Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking, ²as newborn babies, long for the pure spiritual milk, that with it you may grow, ³if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. ⁴Come to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious. ⁵You also as living stones are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶Because it is contained in Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen and precious. He who believes in him will not be disappointed.”

Putting away malice and deceit, believers must crave pure spiritual milk, come to Christ the living stone, and be built as living stones into a spiritual house and holy priesthood offering sacrifices acceptable through Jesus.

1 Peter 2:7

⁷For you who believe therefore is the honor, but for those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,”

For believers the cornerstone means honor, but for the disobedient the builders’ rejected stone has become the chief cornerstone—the same Christ, opposite outcomes.

1 Peter 2:8

⁸and, “a stumbling stone and a rock of offense.” For they stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed.

Christ is also a stumbling stone and rock of offense; people stumble at the word through disobedience, to which they were appointed—a sober warning beside the honor of faith.

1 Peter 2:9-10

⁹But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ¹⁰In the past, you were not a people, but now are God’s people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Believers are a chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, and God’s possession to proclaim His excellencies who called them from darkness to light; once not a people and without mercy, they are now God’s people who have received mercy.

1 Peter 2:11-12

¹¹Beloved, I beg you as foreigners and pilgrims to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, ¹²having good behavior among the nations, so in that of which they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good works and glorify God in the day of visitation.

As beloved foreigners and pilgrims, believers must abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul and keep good conduct among the nations so that slanderers may glorify God on the day of visitation.

1 Peter 2:13-16

¹³Therefore subject yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether to the king, as supreme, ¹⁴or to governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evildoers and for praise to those who do well. ¹⁵For this is the will of God, that by well-doing you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. ¹⁶Live as free people, yet not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God.

For the Lord’s sake believers subject themselves to human ordinances—king and governors—so that well-doing silences foolish ignorance; they live free, yet as God’s bondservants, not using freedom as a cover for evil.

1 Peter 2:17

¹⁷Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

Peter compresses social holiness into four commands: honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, and honor the king.

1 Peter 2:18-20

¹⁸Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the wicked. ¹⁹For it is commendable if someone endures pain, suffering unjustly, because of conscience toward God. ²⁰For what glory is it if, when you sin, you patiently endure beating? But if when you do well, you patiently endure suffering, this is commendable with God.

Household servants must submit even to harsh masters; enduring unjust suffering for conscience toward God is commendable, while patient endurance of deserved punishment brings no glory.

1 Peter 2:21-25

²¹For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps, ²²who didn’t sin, “neither was deceit found in his mouth.” ²³When he was cursed, he didn’t curse back. When he suffered, he didn’t threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously. ²⁴He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness. You were healed by his wounds. ²⁵For you were going astray like sheep; but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Believers are called to unjust suffering because Christ left an example to follow—sinless, silent under curse, entrusting Himself to the righteous Judge—and He bore our sins on the tree that we might die to sin, live to righteousness, be healed by His wounds, and return to the Shepherd and Overseer of souls.

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