I Peter Chapter 2
I Peter 2: 1
Put away all actions and thoughts that are mean and unkind,
Put away all ideas of deceiving others (fooling, cover-ups, sly ways to get what you want),
Put away all hypocrisy (pretending to be something you are not),
Put away envy (jealousy), and evil talking.
I Peter 2: 2, 3
Just as a newborn baby needs milk, you should want the “milk” of the word of God, so you can grow in spirit—-now that you have tasted of the kindness the Lord gives.
I Peter 2: 4
We come as to Jesus as if He is a Living Stone. Jesus is spoken of as the Cornerstone of a Building–the Temple.
Public buildings like banks, libraries, churches, etc, often have a special stone set into the corner of the building. The stone has the name or date cut into it.
Jesus is like a “cornerstone” of the Temple of Believers. Believers make up a group of people who belong to God. In the Bible they are called the “church”.
Our bodies are called the “temple” of God. I Corinthians 3: 16 , 17 “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells (lives) in you? If any man defile (make dirty, unholy) the temple of God, that person will God destroy, for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”
I Corinthians 6: 19 “What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have of God?
You are not your own—you have been bought with price (cost): so show glory in your body, and in your spirit, which belong to God.”
When we come to Jesus for Him to make us clean from sin—we belong to Him. We are a living temple of His spirit in us.
We are responsible to keep our temple clean. Drugs, drinking, sinful sex, dirty pictures, swearing, talking dirty, —any kind of sin–hate, jealousy, anger, unforgiveness—-will make the temple dirty.
It is the place where the Holy Spirit lives. We must keep it clean. The Holy Spirit will not stay where the temple has become “dirty” sinful.
We are responsible to keep the outside of our temple/body clean and right, too. Being dirty and sloppy does not show respect for the temple of the Holy Spirit. Wearing clothes that put the attention on the sexual parts of our body does not show respect for the Holy Spirit living in us.
Our thoughts need to be pure and clean. The Holy Spirit lives in us.
Our attitudes need to be kind, and full of faith.
Because we are human we sin and are weak. There is a difference between making a mistake in weakness and living in sin. The Holy Spirit has promised to help us be strong against falling to temptation. We need to ask Him for help. We need to yield ourselves to God first—then we can resist (stand against) the devil. James 4: 7
First, in every temptation you must give yourself to God to obey the Holy Spirit, then you can tell the devil to get away from you.
Our problem is—when we are being tempted by sin—-we choose to give in to the sin—–we should be giving ourselves to the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is the “cornerstone” of this group of believers or “church”.
The Jewish people did not accept Jesus. They threw away this “stone”. But God took this “stone” Jesus and made Him be the special cornerstone of the temple of believers.
Psalms 118:22, Romans 9: 32, 33, 1 Peter 2:6, Isaiah 28:16
I Peter 2: 5
You are living “stones”. too. You make up a spiritual building. You are a group of holy priests. You offer spiritual sacrifices up to God, which are accepted by God through Jesus.
In the Old Testament, the priests were the ones who could come into the holy rooms of the temple and offer sacrifices and offerings to God.
When Jesus died on the cross, the veil (curtain, drape) in the temple —that kept the most holy room hidden—was torn open from the top to the bottom.
Man did not tear it. God tore it. History books says this veil was about 4 inches thick and that teams of oxen could not tear it.
When the veil was torn from top to bottom at Jesus’ death, the priests in the temple were shocked! (very much surprised).
Now everyone can see into the most holy room. God, Himself, opened up this curtain (veil). It was like God had opened up this most holy room to everyone to come in a worship Him for themselves—-they did not need to wait for a priest to do it for them. They–themselves–could come right into God’s most holy presence.
This is why Peter says that we are “priests”. When we come “under the blood” of Jesus, —His blood sacrifice allows us to come right into the most holy place before the Holy God and offer our praise and prayers to Him.
Some churches still tell their people that they must come before a priest and let the priest talk to God for them.
Peter is saying that we can come ourselves and talk to God—because the veil has been opened by God Himself.
I Peter 2: 6
The Old Testament says: “Look, I put in Zion (Israel, Jerusalem), a cornerstone; chosen, special, precious (dear), and he who believes on Him shall never be disappointed.” Isaiah 28:16
I Peter 2: 7, 8
For you who believe He (Jesus) is precious (dear): God has made Him to be the cornerstone.
But for those who do not believe and are not obeying God, this stone (Jesus) who the builders would not accept, is stumbling stone ( a stone someone trips over),
He is a rock of offence (they are offended—feel upset by what He says), Because they do not like His words.
They like their sin and do not want to change. So they will have the kind of end that God has said.
I Peter 2: 9
You are a chosen people, a royal (kingly) group of priests, a holy nation, a separate and different people, so you can show the praises of the Lord who has called you out of the darkness of sin into His wonderful light.
We are a people called to be separate and different from the other people who do not believe in Jesus. We act different, we think different, we look different (modest, careful in how we dress).
When people we work with or live with see us—in a short time they should be able to see that we believe different than most people. What we believe about Jesus and the Bible should be showing in how we talk, how we think, how we act to other people, the places we go and the places we will not go.
We are followers of Christ’s teachings—-this should show in our lives.
I Peter 2: 10
Before you did not belong to God, but now you do belong to God.
Before you did not have the mercy and blessings of God, but now you do have the blessings and mercy of God.
I Peter 2: 11
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, you do not belong to this world—you walk as strangers here for a time on earth.
Keep away from sinful wants and desires of the body—because they work against the Holy Spirit in you.
I Peter 2: 12
Make your words honest and true when you are with Gentiles and those who do not believe—even if they make up things and say you are evil. They will see that what you do is honest and right. Some of them will come to believe in Jesus because of you.
I Peter 2: 13, 14
Because you are a believer—you need to obey the law where you live.
Obey the king or governor, or other government leaders. The government leaders are there to keep people from doing wrong and evil. They punish those who do wrong and honor those who do right.
I Peter 2: 15
It is God’s will for you to live in a right way—so even if those who do not believe make up things about you and blame you for evil—-still your life will show you have done right. Then it will prove their words are lies.
I Peter 2: 16
You are free of the old Jewish rules and traditions. You are free in the grace and mercy of God. You are not free to go live anyway you want and do wrong. You need to think of yourself as a “slave” to God. You do only what He says.
I Peter 2: 17
Show respect to all men. Show love to all believers. Love God. Show honor to the king (those over you).
I Peter 2: 18
You who are slaves must obey your masters. Do whatever they tell you. You are to obey them if they are kind and gentle, and you are to obey them if they are mean and hateful.
Peter is writing to a group of people where some of them are slaves.
I Peter 2: 19
God is pleased when you obey because you know it is right and you are patient and put up with (endure) how they treat you.
I Peter 2: 20
If you do wrong and you get a beating—that is your fault. You do not get “credit” for being patient for a beating if you did wrong.
But if you are doing what is right and you get beaten and you show patience —God is pleased.
I Peter 2: 21
This being patient in times of suffering is part of the life of a Christian. Jesus suffered and He was patient. He was our example. We should follow His example.
I Peter 2: 22
Jesus never sinned and He never deceived (fooled) anyone.
I Peter 2: 23
When men said evil, mean, and untrue things, He did not speak evil mean things back to them.
When He suffered—He did not get even.
He put Himself in the hands of God to let God take care of those people. God will do what is right.
I Peter 2: 24
Jesus took our sins on Himself on the cross. So we can be dead to sin and live what is right.
By His stripes (whip marks on His body) —we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5
I Peter 2: 25
At one time you were like sheep going on a wrong path—but now you have come back to the shepherd Jesus—the One who guards and takes care of your soul.