1 Peter 2
2
Live as God’s Chosen People
1So get rid of every kind of evil, every kind of deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander. 2Desire God’s pure word as newborn babies desire milk. Then you will grow in your salvation. 3Certainly you have tasted that the Lord is good!
4You are coming to Christ, the living stone who was rejected by humans but was chosen as precious by God. 5You come to him as living stones, a spiritual house that is being built into a holy priesthood. So offer spiritual sacrifices that God accepts through Jesus Christ. 6That is why Scripture says,
“I am laying a chosen and precious cornerstone in Zion,
and the person who believes in him
will never be ashamed.”
7This honor belongs to those who believe. But to those who don’t believe:
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,
8a stone that people trip over,
a large rock that people find offensive.”
The people tripped over the word because they refused to believe it. Therefore, this is how they ended up.
9However, you are chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, people who belong to God. You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10Once you were not God’s people, but now you are. Once you were not shown mercy, but now you have been shown mercy.
11Dear friends, since you are foreigners and temporary residents ⌞in the world⌟, I’m encouraging you to keep away from the desires of your corrupt nature. These desires constantly attack you. 12Live decent lives among unbelievers. Then, although they ridicule you as if you were doing wrong while they are watching you do good things, they will praise God on the day he comes to help you.
Respect the Authority of Others
13Place yourselves under the authority of human governments to please the Lord. Obey the emperor. He holds the highest position of authority. 14Also obey governors. They are people the emperor has sent to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15God wants you to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing what is right. 16Live as free people, but don’t hide behind your freedom when you do evil. Instead, use your freedom to serve God. 17Honor everyone. Love your brothers and sisters in the faith. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
18Slaves, place yourselves under the authority of your owners and show them complete respect. Obey not only those owners who are good and kind, but also those who are unfair. 19God is pleased if a person is aware of him while enduring the pains of unjust suffering. 20What credit do you deserve if you endure a beating for doing something wrong? But if you endure suffering for doing something good, God is pleased with you.
21God called you to endure suffering because Christ suffered for you. He left you an example so that you could follow in his footsteps. 22Christ never committed any sin. He never spoke deceitfully. 23Christ never verbally abused those who verbally abused him. When he suffered, he didn’t make any threats but left everything to the one who judges fairly. 24Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross so that freed from our sins, we could live a life that has God’s approval. His wounds have healed you. 25You were like lost sheep. Now you have come back to the shepherd and bishop of your lives.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
1 Peter 2
2
God’s House and People. 1#Growth toward salvation is seen here as two steps: first, stripping away all that is contrary to the new life in Christ; second, the nourishment (pure spiritual milk) that the newly baptized have received.Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander;#Jas 1:21. 2like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into salvation, 3#Ps 34:9.for you have tasted that the Lord is good.#Tasted that the Lord is good: cf. Ps 34:9. 4Come to him, a living stone,#Christ is the cornerstone (cf. Is 28:16) that is the foundation of the spiritual edifice of the Christian community (1 Pt 2:5). To unbelievers, Christ is an obstacle and a stumbling block on which they are destined to fall (1 Pt 2:8); cf. Rom 11:11. rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God,#Ps 118:22; Mt 21:42; Acts 4:11. 5and, like living stones, let yourselves be built#Let yourselves be built: the form of the Greek word could also be indicative passive, “you are being built” (cf. 1 Pt 2:9). into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.#Eph 2:21–22. 6For it says in scripture:
“Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone, chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame.”#Is 28:16.
7Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith:
“The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”#Ps 118:22; Mt 21:42; Lk 20:17; Acts 4:11.
8and
“A stone that will make people stumble,
and a rock that will make them fall.”
They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny.#Is 8:14; Rom 9:33.
9#The prerogatives of ancient Israel mentioned here are now more fully and fittingly applied to the Christian people: “a chosen race” (cf. Is 43:20–21) indicates their divine election (Eph 1:4–6); “a royal priesthood” (cf. Ex 19:6) to serve and worship God in Christ, thus continuing the priestly functions of his life, passion, and resurrection; “a holy nation” (Ex 19:6) reserved for God, a people he claims for his own (cf. Mal 3:17) in virtue of their baptism into his death and resurrection. This transcends all natural and national divisions and unites the people into one community to glorify the one who led them from the darkness of paganism to the light of faith in Christ. From being “no people” deprived of all mercy, they have become the very people of God, the chosen recipients of his mercy (cf. Hos 1:9; 2:25).But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.#Ex 19:6; Is 61:6; Rev 1:6; 20:6.
10Once you were “no people”
but now you are God’s people;
you “had not received mercy”
but now you have received mercy.#Hos 1:9; 2:25 / Hos 1:6.
III. THE CHRISTIAN IN A HOSTILE WORLD
Christian Examples. 11#2:11–3:12] After explaining the doctrinal basis for the Christian community, the author makes practical applications in terms of the virtues that should prevail in all the social relationships of the members of the community: good example to Gentile neighbors (1 Pt 2:11–12); respect for human authority (1 Pt 2:13–17); obedience, patience, and endurance of hardship in domestic relations (1 Pt 2:18–25); Christian behavior of husbands and wives (1 Pt 3:1–7); mutual charity (1 Pt 3:8–12).Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners#Aliens and sojourners: no longer signifying absence from one’s native land (Gn 23:4), this image denotes rather their estrangement from the world during their earthly pilgrimage (see also 1 Pt 1:1, 17). to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul.#Gal 5:24. 12Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that if they speak of you as evildoers, they may observe your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Christian Citizens.#True Christian freedom is the result of being servants of God (2 Pt 2:16; see note on 1 Pt 2:18–23). It includes reverence for God, esteem for every individual, and committed love for fellow Christians (1 Pt 2:17). Although persecution may threaten, subjection to human government is urged (1 Pt 2:13, 17) and concern for the impact of Christians’ conduct on those who are not Christians (1 Pt 2:12, 15). 13Be subject to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether it be to the king as supreme#Rom 13:1–7. 14or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the approval of those who do good. 15For it is the will of God that by doing good you may silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16Be free, yet without using freedom as a pretext for evil, but as slaves of God.#Gal 5:13. 17Give honor to all, love the community, fear God, honor the king.#Prv 24:21; Mt 22:21.
Christian Slaves. 18#Most of the labor in the commercial cities of first-century Asia Minor was performed by a working class of slaves. The sense of freedom contained in the gospel undoubtedly caused great tension among Christian slaves: witness the special advice given concerning them here and in 1 Cor 7:21–24; Eph 6:5–8; Col 3:22–25; Phlm. The point made here does not have so much to do with the institution of slavery, which the author does not challenge, but with the nonviolent reaction (1 Pt 2:20) of slaves to unjust treatment. Their patient suffering is compared to that of Jesus (1 Pt 2:21), which won righteousness for all humanity.Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and equitable but also to those who are perverse.#Eph 6:5. 19For whenever anyone bears the pain of unjust suffering because of consciousness of God, that is a grace. 20But what credit is there if you are patient when beaten for doing wrong? But if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. 21For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered#Suffered: some ancient manuscripts and versions read “died” (cf. 1 Pt 3:18). for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.#Mt 16:24.
22“He committed no sin,#Is 53:9.
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”#After the quotation of Is 53:9b, the passage describes Jesus’ passion with phrases concerning the Suffering Servant from Is 53:4–12, perhaps as employed in an early Christian confession of faith; cf. 1 Pt 1:18–21 and 1 Pt 3:18–22.
23When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.#Mt 5:39. 24He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.#Is 53:4, 12 / Is 53:5. 25For you had gone astray like sheep,#Is 53:6. but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.#The shepherd and guardian of your souls: the familiar shepherd and flock figures express the care, vigilance, and love of God for his people in the Old Testament (Ps 23; Is 40:11; Jer 23:4–5; Ez 34:11–16) and of Jesus for all humanity in the New Testament (Mt 18:10–14; Lk 15:4–7; Jn 10:1–16; Heb 13:20).
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc