1 Peter 2:1-25 - ESV
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. 13. Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14. or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 18. Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 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.
The world will reject us because it first rejected the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords Jesus Christ. So, what makes you think it would accept you? I will share verses that show the evil behind false teachings and what spirit is operating within it. God's word makes it so clear, but we choose to dance around the words of God to serve our purposes. The purpose of these verses is to show us who we are in Christ and what we should be aware of in our walk and the teaching that we convey to one another. I know a lot of people do not like hearing this, but this is part of the predestine election of the Most-High.
There is nothing wrong with this if you understand that God sees it all. There are many ways people have explained this, but I will use the same theory I used with the youth. God is a God who will never intervene in the order of what is being created and through the process, bad and good things are being born and created daily. However, don’t think what we call good holds the same standard as God because it does not. Consequently, there is always someone who says well why does He let the bad be born, to which I responded then why did he let us be born for it is written that no one is good. See in that line of thinking none of us would make it for God would have gotten rid of us all. But because He is merciful, long-suffering, and patient he chose to send His Son to save us because He said that He would have a people. So, I said all this to say that God knows who will come to him, but we do not.
The ones of this world will not accept you because we are an offense to their way, belief, and wants. However, some of them are aware that they are serving the god of this world. (Satan) Therefore, what they call love is completely backward from what God calls love.
But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
This verse conveys one of the greatest evils that happen to true believers, which is falsely teaching the word is shown to be right and we wrong. This is the good is evil and evil is a good paradigm.
“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.
The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
In these verses, you can see the world first rejected the Lord so you better believe that they will reject you as well. Subsequently, God tells us that it is not us that they hate, it is because He comes and that we bear the image of God.
The next set of verses I highlighted in blue is very important which is why I want us to look at them carefully so that we get a good understanding of them. However, these verses they hate as well but we must stand in truth. These are misused and misunderstood many times because of the hardness of man. This is a prelude to Romans 13 where God speaks of us to respect authority. Peter here is saying the same thing differently, but it still holds the same meaning. God tells us that the only time we are called to disobey authority is when it goes against God's laws. But people seem to only know this verse when it suits them but if it goes against the narrative, they then conveniently forget these verses exist.
Rom 13:1-4 NKJV - Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to [execute] wrath on him who practices evil.
We seem to believe that when the government is evil it is not doing the will of God. This is not true because God will use any means to discipline His people just like His done in the past. Therefore, with that said it doesn’t mean that the ones that are leading will not be evil nor does it change the order God has established for mankind. However, this only shows us that without God man will always choose to do evil which is what is more beneficial to their hearts.
In the end, Peter makes it clear how God truly loves us God first tells us we should be honored when we occur suffering because the Son who had no sin came so we came to be presented sinless before a Holy God. Now that's what I call love.
You guys know me by now I could say more but I believe this adds a good closing to the first chapter.
As always may all who pass through my site be blessed, and may the content bring you a closer walk with our Lord and savior.
Peace and blessings to all and God bless
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