1 Peter 2

Greetings again, my friends,

We continue today in a series I call "1 Peter HOPES"; based on the main theme of the book that became the acronym for the thematic outline.

The memory passage is;
1 Peter 2:4-5, 13,17,24-25 (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.
¹³ Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,
¹⁷ Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵ For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

(and let me tell you, this week was especially hard to narrow it down to this many verses)

The outline theme (beginning with 'O' this week; hOpes) is Our Priesthood, Our Submission.

1 Peter 2 begins with a comment on Christian maturity. True believers should put away (which Peter sees as something WE must do) malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. These are not signs of growing believers who should be longing for pure spiritual milk. This pure milk contributes to the growth that comes in those who have truly 'tasted that the Lord is good' (2).

Many people seem to group vv1-3 with the end of 1 Pet 1. So the beginning of the 'priesthood' theme seems to be in verse 4. (*note; I have limited my memory study to the accepted chapter breaks and not thematic outlines as rendered by scholars and commentators).

The idea of 'living stones' and the priesthood are linked in this section; Christ is a Living Stone that became the cornerstone of faith and salvation. We are said to be living stones built on THE Living Stone as a spiritual house; and we are then a holy priesthood in that house. The main duty of that office is 'to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ' and 'proclaim the excellencies' of God. Worship! Christ, being the Living Cornerstone to believers and the stumbling stone to unbelievers, by His work on the cross made possible the adoption of Jew and Gentile alike 'from darkness to light' (10). Gentiles, who were not a chose people or holy nation, are now 'a royal priesthood for His own possession'. What great mercy He has shown us!

And in response to His great mercy, we should abstain from the passions of the flesh that war with the Spirit dwelling in us. We should be righteous before God, but also upright and above reproach before other people. Even if we are accused or persecuted unjustly, on the day of visitation (by God into their lives or by the return of Christ) our good deeds will be evident and God will be glorified.

As I read through 1 Peter 2:13-25, I noticed some similarities with Romans 13. In my memory study of Rom 13, I titled the chapter 'Righteous Submission'. It included submission to earthly authorities, to each other, and to the Lord. This section of 1 Peter follows the same pattern.

First Peter deals with the issue of earthly governments. We are to be subject to the leader of the land and the people he has under him not in spite of the Lord's leadership, but in honor of Him. We actually honor Him by submitting to the human authorities over us. The line is crossed when that human authority is in direct opposition to Christs' rule in our lives. Living uprightly before people, in submission to earthly authority, silences the ignorant accusations of those around us. We are ultimately servants of God, but should be subject to the authorities He placed over us (Rom 13:1).

Next we are to honor each other; both believers and nonbelievers. Above all, we should fear God, but also honor everyone around us, love the brotherhood and honor the emperor. This must somehow be done when we are treated well or poorly. Being punished for breaking the law is just; being punished when we are innocent, when we are mindful of God, honors Him because we have 'become like Him' in His suffering(Phil 3:10).

Lastly, Peter reminds us of what Christ did for us and the model He presented. He was sinless and did not return evil with evil. He suffered silently, trusting that the justice of God would prevail. He bore our sins in His body (became sin for us 2 Cor 5:21) so we could die to sin and live to righteousness. Our healing came at the price of His wounds. And though we strayed like sheep, we have returned to the Shepherd, or Overseer, of our souls.

How does this affect my worship?
As I was driving the other day, I got stuck on verse 24 for a while. He bore our sins in His body that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. What does a life that has died to sin and lives to righteousness look like? If I walk in righteousness at all in this life, it is because of what He has done. And that could be the subject of my worship for years. I am to 'give Him the thanks due His righteousness' (Ps 7:17), but I also give Him thanks for my righteousness; because that is also His.

How does this affect my discipleship?
How do I guard/protect/ensure that what is built on a disciple's foundation (Christ) is strong and lasting (1 Cor 3:11-15)? If I am to make disciples, what role/responsibility do I have in their building? Some? That is sobering. While my own priesthood, my walk with Christ, is critical, we have been given the charge to have some co-apprenticeship responsibility in the walk of whoever we disciple. And while I believe this is very 'organic' in nature (as opposed to mechanic) and is as unique as each relationship is, we still will give account for how we carry out our orders; to make disciples. Lord, help us. Show Your mercy, and guide us. For Your glory and Your name's sake.

May you be mindful of God as you walk with Him today,

Ethan