Summary: Christians cannot stay the way they are, and Peter urges his people to do away with evil things and set their hearts on that which can nourish life.

Tom Lowe

4/3/2021

Text: 1 Peter, Chapter 2 (KJV)

1Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby: 3If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious4To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.6Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.7Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,8And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the Word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.9But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.11Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 13Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 15For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 17Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. 18Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.19For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 21For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

Commentary

1. Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

2. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby:

3. If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious

1 Peter 2:1

Christians cannot stay the way they are, and Peter urges his people to do away with evil things and set their hearts on that which can nourish life.

The apostle mentions that the first undesirable characteristic is “malice,” which marks an unregenerate man and is very unbecoming to those born again. Nor is it consistent with the relationships of the brethren and the character of children, or newborn babes, who are without malice and do not bear and retain it. “All” of this is to be laid aside, towards all persons whatsoever, and in every form, and every instance of it.

The first persons the apostle mentions were born again and therefore ought to love one another. He urges them to stop using offensive language, contrary to their character as regenerate men and contrary to brotherly love. He (Paul) advises against them using such malice (evil, wickedness), and to “lay them aside,” either as weights and burdens, which was not fit for newborn babes to carry; (see Hebrews 12:1 [1]) or like old worn-out clothes and filthy rags, they should be stripped off because they were very unsuitable to their new character and profession.

Some things must be stripped off, like a filthy garment and all the “evil” practices of “unbelieving” men—malice, guile, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking. These five undesirable characteristics represent all the character faults of the heathen world, which hurt the great Christian virtue of mutual love. There can be no mutual love as long as these evil character faults exist. We will focus on the other “undesirable characteristics” as we move through verse 1.

“and all guile.”

“Guile” is a fraud, or deceit, in words or actions; and which should not be found, and appear in any form, in Israelites, in brethren, in the children of God; who ought not to lie one to another, or defraud each other, nor express that with their lips which they do not have in their hearts; which babes are free from, and so should be babes in Christ. “Guile” means the deceitfulness (trickery) of those who are out to deceive others to achieve their ends, the vice of people whose motives are neve

and hypocrisies,

“Hypocrisies” are leveled at both God and men: hypocrisy to God is when persons profess that which they do not have, such as love for God, faith in Christ, zeal for religion, sincere devotion, and sincerity in the worship of God; and do all they can to be seen by men, and appear outwardly righteous, and yet are full of all manner of iniquity. Hypocrisy to men is the pretense of friendship, loving in Word and tongue only, speaking peaceably with the mouth, but in their heart just waiting for one of the brethren to slip up and commit some sin. Hypocrites are people who are forever acting a part and whose real motives are concealed. They are people whose professed allegiance to Christianity is for their profit and prestige and not for the service of giving Glory of Christ. “Hypocrisy” is a sin to be hated and detested by one that is born from above. It is contrary to that integrity, simplicity, and sincerity of heart, which becomes regenerate persons; the children of God

and envies,

Envy can take the form of jealousy over another person’s happiness and prosperity, riches, honors, gifts temporal or spiritual. But such envies are works of the flesh that show men to be sensual, unbecoming to regenerated persons, and contrary to the exercise of Christian charity, or love, which envieth not others' welfare regarding either body, soul, or wealth.

Envy raised its ugly head even in the company of the apostles. The other ten were envious of James and John when they seemed to steal the attention of Jesus in the matter of preference in the coming kingdom. “And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John, So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. But it shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Mark 10:41-43). Even at the Last Supper, the disciples were arguing about who should occupy the seats of greatest honor? As long as self remains active within someone’s heart, there will be envy in that person’s life.

and all evil speakings,

There is gossiping, backbitings, whisperings, detractions, hurting one another’s characters by insinuations, false charges, and evil assumptions; which is not acting like men that are made new creatures, and are partakers of the divine nature, nor like brethren, or as Christ’s little ones, and who are of God, begotten again to be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

There is gossiping disparagement which means evil-speaking and is almost always the fruit of envy in the heart, and it usually takes place when its victim is not there to offer a defense. Few things are so attractive as hearing or repeating spicy gossip. Disparaging gossip is something which everyone admits to be wrong and which at the same time almost everyone enjoys, and yet there is nothing more likely to produce heartbreak. Nothing is as destructive as mutual love and Christian unity. These, then, are things that those who are reborn must strip off.

But there is something on which Christians must set their hearts. They must yearn for the unadulterated milk of the Word. Christians must desire with their whole heart the nourishment which comes from the Word of God, for by that nourishment, they can grow until they reach salvation itself. In the face of all the evil of the gentile world. Christians must strengthen their souls with the pure food of the Word of God.

1 Peter 2:2 2. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby:

As newborn babes.

The Syriac version renders it “be ye simple as infants”; as if it was a distinct appeal in itself. Instead, it seems to be descriptive of the persons spoken to and their character, under which the apostle addresses them. It carries in it a reason for strengthening the appeal—he takes it for granted that they were created again, according to the abundant mercy of God, and born of incorruptible seed, by the Word of God, and that they were just born or recently born. This may be true of all of them in general, and not just of the younger converts among them. They might be called little children with respect to others who were young men or fathers. Comparatively speaking, those that had been of the most prolonged standing were like the newly born since it was only a few years since they were called by grace. They were “babes,” not because of their lack of knowledge or unskilfulness in interpreting the Word of righteousness. Not for their inability to learn the divine truths and their great denseness, backwardness, and imperfection. Nor because they failed to take in and digest the strong meat and sublime doctrines of the Gospel. And for their instability and simplicity, being easily deceived and beguiled; nor for the weakness of their faith. Not being able to walk alone, and their failure to defend or provide for themselves. But they are called babes because of their harmlessness and innocence, meekness and humility, and for the sincerity of their faith and love, obedience and profession. The proselytes to the Jews’ religion are often said to be “like an infant just born,” or a newborn babe, to which the allusion may be made.

“desire the sincere milk of the word”;

There is something on which Christians must set their hearts. They must yearn for the unadulterated milk of the Word.

It is the Word of God that is on Paul’s mind here, and we think that what he means here is that Christians must desire with their whole heart the nourishment which comes from the Word of God, for by that nourishment they can grow until they reach salvation itself. In the face of all the evil of the Gentile world, Christians must strengthen their souls with the pure food of the Word of God.

This is not an announcement that these newborn souls followed the apostle’s advice—though that might be true. Instead, it is an appeal to do what suited them. By “the sincere milk of the word” is meant the Gospel and not just the plain and easy truths of it; which is compared to milk due to its purity. Every Word of God is pure and has a purifying nature and is used by the Spirit of God because of its sweetness and agreeable taste to a regenerate man. It also enhances digestion for the spiritual man, and because it is nutritious to him, he is nourished up unto eternal life. Milk is cooling; the Gospel is a means in the hand of the Spirit of God to soothe inflammations and dispelling that wrath and fiery indignation raised in the conscience of a sinner by the law. Milk is used medicinally as a treatment in consumptive disorders. Hence, the Gospel is not only the means of helping a declining person, who is wasted and consumed by sin, but it serves to quicken men that are dead in sin and corruption; it is the savor of life unto life. The Jewish writers speak of “the milk of the law,” which is best applied to the Gospel, for it is the milk of the Word, or “rational milk”: not that the Gospel is “irrational” or a “scheme” according to the carnal reasoning of men. It is contrary to that, and above sound reason. It is designed for faith, for men’s spiritual logic, and those who have their spiritual senses exercised to discern between good and evil. It is a spiritual drink and is made up of spiritual things and suited to the spiritual man. It is milk, not in a natural, but a mystic and spiritual sense. Now, this commends a regenerate person to “desire” and “fervently long for” the Word of God, as a newborn baby desires its mother’s milk. The Gospel is like that to one that is born again like the breast is to a baby. Where there is experimental knowledge, there will be a value and esteem placed on it, even above necessary food, and, at times, there will be a hungering and thirsting after it, an impatient longing and desire for it.

that ye may grow thereby:

Regenerate persons do not achieve their full growth immediately. First, they are babies, then children, young men, and finally fathers in Christ. The Gospel provides a means of spiritual growth, and through the blessing of God, it becomes just that. The milk of the Word is desirable on this account, for the increase of faith, and the furtherance of the joy of it; for their growth in grace, and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and an experience of spiritual strength from Him, and unto Him, as their head in all things; not merely in the leaves of a profession, but the fruits of grace, righteousness, and holiness.

The Alexandrian copy, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, add, “unto salvation”: until they reach Christ's perfect knowledge and become perfect men with Him.

1 Peter 2:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious

Paul may have gotten the idea for this verse from Psalms 34:8, "O taste and see that the Lord is good.” The Lord Jesus Christ, as the words of verse 3 show, is gracious and friendly, and lovely in His person; He has a fulness of grace in Him for His people; has displayed his grace towards them, by assuming their nature, obeying, suffering, and dying in their place. He is gracious in his Word and promises, truths and ordinances, and in all his offices and relationships. Regenerate persons have tasted that He is compassionate. An unregenerate man has no spiritual taste; his taste is corrupted by sin, and is a sweet morsel in his mouth, and he dislikes everything that is spiritual; but one that is born again savors the things of the Spirit of God; sin is exceeding sinful to him, and Christ exceeding precious; He, and his fruit, His promises, and blessings of grace, his Word and ordinances, are sweet unto his taste: and the taste he has is not a mere superficial one, such as hypocrites may have of the good Word of God, and the powers of the world to come; but such a taste of Christ, and of his grace, as, by a true faith, to eat his flesh, and drink his blood, and so have everlasting life; such have a saving and experimental knowledge of Christ, an application of him, and his saving benefits to them, a revelation of him in them, so that they find and feel that he dwells in them, and they in him; such receive out of Christ’s fulness, and grace for grace, and live by faith upon him, and receive nourishment from him; and of this the apostle made no doubt concerning these persons, but took it for granted that they had had such tastes of Christ, and therefore could not but desire the Gospel, which is a revelation of Christ, and sets forth the glory of his person, and the riches of his grace: and whereas, such as have genuinely tasted of his grace cannot but desire to have more, and fresh tastes of it; where should they have them, but in his Word and ordinances? Therefore, would they grow in grace, know more of Christ, and taste more of his goodness? As it is their spiritual nature, it is their interest to desire the Gospel in purity and sincerity.

4To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.6Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

7Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,8And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the Word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 9But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

1 Peter 2:4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed (rejected) indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

“To whom coming” – Coming to the Lord Jesus

“as unto a living stone,” - To the Lord Jesus - The word “Lord,” in verse verse3, is to be understood as referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. Compare the notes at Acts 1:24. With the explanation given here in verse 4.

And they prayed (The disciples had gathered to pick a successor for Judas.), but they could not agree on the individual. Thus, they invoked God's direction in their choice - an example that should be followed in every selection of an individual to exercise the duties of the sacred office of the ministry.

Acts 1:24 Notes

Which knowest the hearts of all men - This is often declared to be the special prerogative of God, Jeremiah 17:10, "I, Yahweh, search the heart," etc.; Psalm 139:1, Psalm 139:23; 1 Chronicle 28:9. Yet this attribute is also expressly ascribed to Jesus Christ, Revelation 2:18; compare 23, "These things saith the Son of God - I am he which searcheth the reins and the hearts"; John 2:25; John 6:64; John 16:19. There are solid reasons for supposing that the apostles on this occasion addressed this prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ:

(1) The name Lord is the common designation which they gave to him, Acts 2:36; Acts 7:59-60; Acts 10:36; 1 Corinthians 2:8; Philippians 2:11; Revelation 11:8

(2) we are told that they worshipped Him or rendered Him divine honors after his ascension, Luke 24:52.

(3) the disciples were accustomed to address him after his crucifixion by the names Lord or God indifferently, Acts 1:6; John 20:28; Acts 7:59.

(4) this was a matter pertaining primarily to the church that the Lord Jesus had redeemed and "to his arrangement" regarding it. He had chosen the apostles; he had given them their commission; he had fixed their number; and, what is worthy of particular remark here, he had been the companion of the very men here designated as candidates for the office and knew their qualifications for this work. If the apostles ever called on the Lord Jesus after his ascension, this was a case in which they would be likely to do it. That it was done is clear from the account of Stephen's death, Acts 7:59-60. And in this critical matter of ordaining a new apostle to be a witness for Jesus Christ, nothing was more natural than that they should address him, though bodily absent, as they would assuredly have done if he were present. But if on this occasion they did preach Christ, then two things follow. First, that it is proper to render him divine homage, agreeably to the uniform declarations of the Scripture: John 5:23, "That all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father"; Hebrews 1:6, "And let all the angels of God worship him"; Philippians 2:10-11; Revelation 5:8-14; 1 Thessalonians 3:11-12. Secondly, he must be divine. To none other but God can religious homage be rendered, and none other can be described as knowing all people's hearts. The reason why they appealed to him on this occasion as the searcher of the heart was doubtless the great importance of the work to which the successor of Judas was to be called. One apostle of fair external character had proved a traitor, and, with this fact before them, they appealed to the Saviour himself to select one who would be faithful to him and not bring dishonor upon his cause.

Show whether—Show which of them.

Thou hast chose—Which of the two thou hast judged to be best qualified for the work.

The idea here is that they had come to Jesus for salvation, while the great mass of people excluded Him. Others “disallowed” (rejected) Him and turned away from Him, but they had seen that He was the one chosen or appointed by God and had come to Him to be saved. Salvation is often represented as corning to Christ. See Matthew 11:28.

“As unto a living stone”—The allusion in this passage is to Isaiah 28:16, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” See the notes in that passage. There may also be possibly an allusion to Psalm 118:22, “The stone which the builders disallowed has become the headstone of the corner.” The reference is to Christ as the foundation on which the church is reared. He occupied the same place regarding the church which a foundation-stone does to the edifice raised upon it. Compare Matthew 7:24-25. See the Romans 9:33 note and Ephesians 2:20-22 notes. The phrase “living stone” is, however unusual, and is not found, I think, except in this place. There seems to be a contradiction in it, attributing life to a stone, yet the meaning is not difficult to understand. The purpose was not to speak of a temple, like that at Jerusalem, made up of gold and costly stones, but of a temple made up of living materials - of redeemed people - in which God now resides. In speaking of that, it was natural to refer to the foundation on which the whole rested and speak of that as corresponding to the whole edifice. It was all a living temple - a temple composed of living materials - from the foundation to the top. Compare the expression in John 4:10, “He would have given thee living water;” that is, water which would have imparted life to the soul. So, Christ imparts energy to the whole spiritual temple that is reared on him as a foundation.

“Disallowed indeed of men”—Rejected by them, first by the Jews, in causing him to be put to death; and then by all people when he is offered to them as their Saviour. See the notes at Isaiah 53:3. Psalm 118:22; “Which the builders refused.” Compare the Matthew 21:42 note; Acts 4:11 note.

“But chosen of God”—Selected by him as the suitable foundation on which to rear his church.

“And precious”—Valuable. The universe had nothing more valuable on which to rear the spiritual temple.

1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

“Ye also, as lively stones”—The Greek has it, “living stones.” The word “lively” has a different meaning than living and means “active, quick, sprightly.” The Greek word is the same as that used in the previous verse, where it is rendered living. The meaning is that the materials of which the temple was composed were living materials throughout. The foundation is a living foundation, and all the superstructure is composed of living materials. The apostle's purpose is to compare the church to a beautiful temple—such as the temple in Jerusalem and show that all its parts are complete. It has within itself that which corresponds to everything valuable in that temple. It was a beautiful structure like the temple; there was a priesthood, and there were real and acceptable sacrifices offered; that sheds light on (describes) the Christian church.

The Jews prided themselves on their temple. It was an expensive and splendid structure, where God was worshiped and where He is supposed to dwell. It had an imposing service, and there was acceptable worship rendered there. As a new dispensation was introduced, the Christian system's purpose became to draw off the worshippers from that temple and teach them that God could be worshipped as acceptably elsewhere as He was at Jerusalem (John 4:21-23). Christianity did not teach the necessity of building splendid temples for the worship of God. Since the temple at Jerusalem was about to be destroyed forever, it was essential to show that within the Christian Church might be things that are as truly beautiful and valuable as in the temple at Jerusalem

Hence, the New Testament writers labored to show that everything found in the church had made the temple at Jerusalem so glorious and that the grand plan (or idea) anticipated by the erection of that magnificent structure—the preservation of the worship of God—was now accomplished more gloriously in the church than even in the services of that temple, for there was a temple, made up of living materials, which was still the special dwelling-place of God on the earth. In that temple, there was a holy priesthood —for every Christian was a priest. In that temple, sacrifices were offered that were as acceptable to God as in the former—for they were spiritual sacrifices presented continually. These thoughts were often dwelt upon by the Apostle Paul, and are illustrated here by Peter, evidently with the same purpose in mind, to console those who had never been permitted to worship at the temple in Jerusalem, and to comfort those Jews, now converted to Christianity, who saw that that splendid and glorious structure was about to be destroyed. God's special abode on the earth was directly removed from that temple and given to the Christian church. The first aspect in which this is illustrated is that the temple of God was made up of “living stones;” that is, that the materials were not inanimate stones but endued with life, and so much more valuable than those employed in the temple at Jerusalem, as the soul is more precious than any materials of stone. Living beings composed that temple, constituting a more beautiful structure and a more appropriate dwelling-place for God than any structure made of stone could be, however costly or valuable.

“Are built up a spiritual house”—A spiritual temple, not made of perishable materials, like that at Jerusalem, not composed of matter, as that was, but made up of redeemed souls—a temple more appropriate to be the residence of One who is a pure spirit. Compare the notes for Ephesians 2:19-22 and 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 given on their respective websites.

“An holy priesthood”—In the temple at Jerusalem, the priesthood appointed to minister there and offer sacrifices were an essential part of the arrangement. Therefore, it was necessary to show that this was not overlooked in the spiritual temple that God was raising. Accordingly, the apostle says that this is amply provided for by appointing “the whole body of Christians” to be a priesthood. Everyone is engaged in offering acceptable sacrifices to God. The business is not entrusted to a particular class to be known as priests; there is not a specific portion to whom the name is to be primarily given, but every Christian is, in fact, a priest and is engaged in offering an acceptable sacrifice to God. “And hath made us: kings and priests unto God” (Romans 1:6). The Great High Priest in this service is the Lord Jesus Christ, but besides him, no one sustains this office, except that all the Christian members bear it.

There are ministers, elders, pastors, and evangelists in the church, but no one is a priest, except in the general sense that all are priests-because the great sacrifice has been offered, and there is no Penitence (repentance) now to be made. The name priest, therefore, should never be conferred on a minister of the Gospel. It is never so given in the New Testament, and there was a reason why it should not be. The excellent idea of a priest offers sacrifice, but the New Testament ministers have no gifts to offer-the one tremendous and perfect offering for the sins of the world having been made by the Redeemer on the cross. To him, and him alone, under the New Testament dispensation, should the name priest be given, as it is uniformly in the New Testament, except in the general sense in which it is given to all Christians. In the Roman Catholic communion, it is consistent to give the name “priest” to a minister of the Gospel, but it is wrong to do it.

It is consistent because they claim that a true sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ is offered in the mass. It is wrong because that doctrine is wholly contrary to the New Testament and is insulting to the one perfect sacrifice which has been made once for the sins of the world, and in conferring upon just one class of people a degree of importance and of power to which they have no claim, and which is so liable to abuse. But in a Protestant church, it is neither consistent nor proper to give the name “priest” to a religious minister. The only sense in which the term can now be used in the Christian church is a sense in which it applies to all Christians alike - that they “offer the sacrifice of prayer and praise.”

“To offer up spiritual sacrifices”-Not bloody offerings, the blood of lambs and bullocks, but those which are the offerings of the heart - the sacrifices of prayer and praise. Since there is a priest, there is also the notion of a sacrifice; but that which is offered is all Christians to God, proceeding from the heart, breathed forth from the lips, and in a holy life. It is called sacrifice, not because it makes an explanation for sin, but because it is of the nature of worship. (Compare the notes at Hebrews 13:15; Hebrews 10:14.)

“Acceptable to God by Jesus Christ”-Compare the notes at Romans 12:1 (See Romans commentary). Through the merits of the great sacrifice made by the Redeemer on the cross. Our prayers and praises are in themselves so imperfect and proceed from such polluted lips and hearts that they can be accepted only through Him as our intercessor before the throne of God. (Compare the notes at Hebrews 9:24-25; Hebrews 10:19-22).

Verse 6-Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

“Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture”-Isaiah 28:16 [1]. The quotation is substantially as it is found in the Septuagint. We have first to deal with the imagery, then with the interpretation. The former connects itself with the importance attached, in ancient and modern architecture, to the foundation stone of a building (1Kings 5:17). So in Zion, the foundation stone was laid on the solid rock. In the stone made "the head of the corner" (Psalm 118:22), we have a similar thought. From the Prophet's standpoint, this was identical with the manifestation of Jehovah's righteousness in and through the Temple in its higher spiritual aspect. Christian interpreters have rightly found the actual fulfillment of the words in the person of the Christ (Ephesians 2:20; 1Peter 2:6-7). The "cornerstone is that upon which two walls at right angles to each other rest and are bonded together. The "tried stone" (literally, a stone of proof) may be one (1) which stands every test, or (2) one which tries those who come in contact with it, becoming an asylum, or a "stone of stumbling," according to their character. (Comp. Luke 2:34-35; Luke 20:18.)

“Behold, I lay in Sion.”

- See the Isaiah 28:16 note and the Romans 9:33 note.

“A chief cornerstone”-The principal stone on which the corner of the structure rests. A stone is selected for this which is large and solid, and, usually, one which is squared, and worked with care; and as such a stone is commonly laid with solemn ceremonies, so, perhaps, in allusion to this, it is here said by God that he would lay this stone at the foundation. The seriousness attending this were those which accompanied the great work of the Redeemer. See the Word explained in the notes at Ephesians 2:20.

“Elect”-Chosen by God, or selected for this purpose (1 Peter 2:4).

“And he that believeth on him shall not be confounded - Shall not be ashamed. The Hebrew is, “shall not make haste.” See it explained in the notes at “Romans 9:33.”

Verse 7-“Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,”

“Unto you, therefore which believe”-Christians are often called “believers” because faith in the Saviour is one of the prominent characteristics by which they are distinguished from their fellow men. It sufficiently describes any man to say that he is a believer in the Lord Jesus.

“He is precious”-“an honor.” It is an honor to believe in Him and should be regarded as such. That is true, but it is very doubtful whether this is the idea Peter has here. IT IS TRUE; HE IS PRECIOUS. The connection demands this interpretation. The apostle was not showing that it was an honor to believe in Christ but was stating the estimate put on him by those who believe, as contrasted with the world's view. The truth which is taught is that while the great mass of people rejects the Lord Jesus, he is regarded by all Christians as of inestimable value:

I. Of the fact, there can be no doubt. Somehow, Christians perceive a value in him which is seen in nothing else. This is manifested:

(a)in their acknowledged estimate of him as their best friend;

(b)in their being willing to honor him and to commit to him the keeping of their souls, resting the whole question of their salvation upon him alone;

(c)in their readiness to keep his commands, and to serve him, while the mass of people disobey him; and,

(d)in their being willing to die for him.

II. The reasons why he is so precious to them are such as these:

(1) They are brought into a condition where they can appreciate his worth. To see the value of food, we must be hungry; of clothing, we must be exposed to the winter‘s blast; of home, we must be wanderers without a dwelling-place; of medicine, we must be sick; of competence, we must be poor. So, to see the value of the Saviour, we must know that we are poor, helpless, dying sinners; that the soul is of inestimable worth; that we have no merit of our own; and that unless someone intervenes, we must perish. Everyone who becomes a true Christian is brought to this condition, and in this state, he can appreciate the Savior's worth. In this respect, the situation of Christians is unlike that of the rest of mankind-for they are in no better state to understand the worth of the Saviour than the healthy man is to appreciate the value of the healing art, or than he who has never had a want unsupplied, the kindness of one who comes to us with an abundant supply of food.

(2) the Lord Jesus is, in fact, of more value to them than any other benefactor.

(3) we owe all our hopes of heaven to him, and in proportion to the value of such a hope, he is precious to us. We have no hope of salvation but in him.

(4) there is an intrinsic value and excellence in the character of Christ, apart from his relation to us, which makes him precious to those who can appreciate his worth

“But unto them which be disobedient”-Literally, “unwilling to be persuaded,” that is, those who refused to believe; who were obstinate or stubborn (Luke 1:17; Romans 1:30. The meaning is that he is made a stone against which they impose and ruin themselves. See the notes at 1 Peter 2:8.

“The stone which the builders disallowed”-Which they rejected or refused to make a cornerstone. The allusion here, by the word “builders,” is primarily to the Jews, represented as raising (constructing) a temple of salvation or building concerning eternal life. They refused to lay this stone, which God had appointed, as the foundation of their hopes but preferred some other foundation. See this passage explained in the Matthew 21:42 note; Acts 4:11 note; and Romans 9:33 note.

“The same is made the head of the corner”-That is, though the mass of people rejects it, yet God has made it the cornerstone on which the whole spiritual temple rests (Acts 4:11-12). However people may regard it, there is, in fact, no other hope of heaven than that which is founded on the Lord Jesus. If he does not save people, he becomes a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.

Verse 8- “And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.”

“And a stone of stumbling”-A stone over which they stumble, or against which they are made to fall or hurt their leg. The idea seems to be that of a cornerstone that projects from the building and causes them to stumble or fall. See the notes at Matthew 21:44. The rejection of the Saviour becomes the means of their downfall. They refuse to build on him, and it is as if one should run against a solid projecting cornerstone of a house that would certainly be the means of their destruction. Compare the notes at Luke 2:34. An idea similar to this occurs in Matthew 21:44; “Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken.” The meaning is that if this foundation stone is not the means of their salvation, it will be the cause of their destruction. It is not a matter of indifference whether they believe in him or not whether they accept or reject him. They cannot reject him without the most fearful consequences to their souls.

“And a rock of offense.”-This expresses significantly the same idea as the phrase “stone of stumbling.” The Word rendered “offense” refers to “anything which one strikes or stumbles against; a stumbling-block.” It then denotes “that which is the cause or occasion of ruin.” This language would be strictly applicable to the Jews, who rejected the Saviour on account of his humble birth, and whose rejection of him was made the occasion of the destruction of their temple, city, and nation. But it is also applicable to all who reject him, for whatever reason, for their rejection of him will be followed with ruin to their souls. It is a crime for which God will judge them as certainly as he did the Jews who disowned him and crucified him, for the offense is substantially the same. Therefore, what might have been the means of their salvation is made the cause of their deeper condemnation.

“Even to them which stumble at the word”-To all who do this. They take the same kind of offense at the Gospel that the Jews did at the Saviour himself. It is substantially the same thing, and the consequences must be the same. How does the conduct of the man who rejects the Saviour now differ from that of him who abandoned him when he was on the earth?

“They are the disobedient”-The reason why they reject him is that they are not disposed to obey. They are solemnly commanded to believe the Gospel, and a refusal to do it, therefore, is as really an act of disobedience as to break any other command of God.

“Whereunto they were appointed”-The word “whereunto” means unto which. But unto what? It cannot be supposed that it means that they were “appointed” to believe in him and be saved by him; for:

(1)this would involve all the difficulty which is ever felt in the doctrine of decrees or election; for it would then mean that he had eternally designated them to be saved, which is the doctrine of predestination; and,

(2)if this were the true interpretation, the consequence would follow that God had been foiled in his plan - for the reference here is to those who would not be saved, that is, to those who “stumble at that stumbling stone” and are destroyed.

Calvin supposes that it means “unto which rejection and destruction they were designated in the purpose of God.” So Bloomfield renders it, “Unto which (disbelief) they were destined” (Critical Digest), meaning, as he supposes, that “into this stumbling and disobedience they were permitted by God to fall.” Doddridge interprets it, “To which also they were appointed by the righteous sentence of God, long before, even as early as in his first purpose and decree he ordained his Son to be the great foundation of his church.” Rosenmuller gives substantially the same interpretation. Clemens Romanus says it means that “they were appointed, not that they should sin, but that, sinning, they should be punished.” See Wetstein. So Macknight. “To which punishment they were appointed.” Whitby gives the same interpretation of it, that because they were disobedient (referring, as he supposes, to the Jews who rejected the Messiah), “they were appointed, for the punishment of that disobedience, to fall and perish.”

Dr. Clark supposes that it means that they were prophesied of that they should thus fall; or that, long before, it was predicted that they should therefore stumble and fall. About this difficult passage's meaning, it is proper to observe that there is in the Greek verb the idea of designation, appointment, purpose. There was some agency or intention by which they were put in that condition; some act of placing or appointing (the Word tithe¯ meaning to set, put, lay, lay down, appoint, constitute) by which this result was brought about. The fair sense, therefore, and one from which we cannot escape, is that this did not happen by chance or accident, but that there was a divine arrangement, appointment, or plan on the part of God about this result, and that the result was in conformity with that. So it is said in Jude 1:4, of a similar class of people, “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation.” The facts were these:

(1) That God appointed his Son to be the cornerstone of his church.

(2) that there was a portion of the world which, from some cause, would embrace him and be saved.

(3) that there was another portion which, it was certain, would not embrace him.

(4) It was known that the Lord Jesus's appointment as a Saviour would be the occasion of their rejecting him and their more profound and more aggravated condemnation.

(5) that the arrangement was nevertheless made, with the understanding that all this would be so, and because it was best on the whole that it should be so, even though this consequence would follow. That is, it was better that the arrangement should be made for people's salvation even with this result, that a part would sink into deeper condemnation, than that no arrangement should be made to save any. Therefore, the primary and original arrangement did not contemplate them or their destruction but was made regarding others, and notwithstanding, they would reject him and fall. The expression “whereunto” refers to this plan as involving, under the circumstances, the result which followed. Their stumbling and falling was not a matter of chance or a result which was not contemplated but entered into the original arrangement, and the whole, therefore, might be said to be in accordance with a wise plan and purpose. And,

(6) In this sense, and this connection, it might be said that those who would reject him were appointed to this stumbling and falling. It was what was foreseen; what entered into the general arrangement; what was involved in the purpose to save any. It was not a matter that was unforeseen that the consequence of giving a Saviour would result in the condemnation of those who should crucify and reject him. Still, the whole thing, as it occurred, entered into the divine arrangement. It may be added that as, in the facts in the case, nothing wrong has been done by God, and no one has been deprived of any rights or punished more than he deserves, it was not wrong in him to make the arrangement. It was better that the agreement should be made as it is, even with this consequence, than that none at all should be made for human salvation. Compare the Romans 9:15-18 notes; John 12:39-40 notes. This is just a statement, in accordance with what everywhere occurs in the Bible, that all things enter into the eternal plans of God; that nothing happens by chance; that there is nothing that was not foreseen; and that the plan is such as, on the whole, God saw to be best and wise, and therefore adopted it. If there is nothing unjust and wrong in the plan's actual development, there was nothing wrong with forming it. At the same time, no man who disbelieves and rejects the Gospel should take refuge in it as an excuse. He was “appointed” to it for no other reason than it occurs, and since they know that they are voluntarily rejecting him, they cannot lay the blame for this on the purposes of God. They are not forced or compelled to do it, but it was seen that this consequence would follow, and the plan was laid to send the Saviour anyway.

At this point in the commentary, I will review the comments made thus far that deal with verses 4-8, and then we shall comment on verse 9.

People, in general, might see no worth in Christ and reject him, but God sees him as the chosen one through whom sinners have eternal life. Those who receive new life through Christ are likened to living stones who form a temple in which God is worshipped. They also include the priesthood that offers the worship (4-5).

Christ is the chief cornerstone in this living building, and those who believe in him will never be disappointed (6). The people of Israel, who were initially intended to build God a living temple, threw out the main stone when they rejected Christ. A rejected building stone lies in the way and becomes an obstacle to the builders, preventing them from doing their work as they should. In the same way, Jesus Christ, whom the people of Israel rejected, becomes an obstacle to them so that they cannot do what God requires of them. God has now taken this rejected stone and made him the chief cornerstone in a new living temple, the Christian church (7-8).

During the Old Testament period, Israel was God's people, God's chosen nation; but now all believers are God's people, regardless of race. They pass from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. They have received God's mercy, and their task now is to tell others about the great and merciful acts of God (Exodus 19:4-6).

Verse 9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

“But ye are a chosen generation or race. He again separates them from the unbelieving, in case driven by their example (as it is often the case), they would fall away from the faith. Then, it is unreasonable that those whom God has separated from the world should mix themselves with the ungodly. Peter here reminds the faithful of what great honor they had been raised and what purpose they had been called. But with the same high titles he confers on them, Moses honored the ancient people (Exodus 19:6;) but the Apostle’s object was to show that they had recovered again, through Christ, the great dignity and honor from which they had fallen. At the same time, God gave the fathers an earthly taste only of these blessings given in Christ.

The meaning then is, as though he had said,

“Moses called formerly your fathers a holy nation, a priestly kingdom, and God’s peculiar people: all these high titles do now far more justly belong to you; therefore, you ought to beware lest your unbelief should rob you of them.” (Exodus 19:6)

In the meantime, however, as the more significant part of the nation was unbelieving, the Apostle indirectly sets the believing Jews in opposition to all the rest, though they exceeded them in number, as though he had said, that those only were the children of Abraham, who believed in Christ, and that they only retained possession of all the blessings which God had by a singular privilege bestowed on the whole nation.

He calls them a chosen race because God, passing by others, adopted them as it were in a particular manner. They were also a holy nation, for God had consecrated them to himself and destined that they should lead a pure and holy life. He further calls them a peculiar people, or, a people for acquisition, that they might be to him a peculiar possession or inheritance; for I take the words simply in this sense, that the Lord hath called us, that he might possess us as his own, and devoted to him. The words of Moses prove this meaning,

“If ye keep my covenant, ye shall be to me a peculiar treasure beyond all other nations.” (Exodus 19:5.)

There is in the royal priesthood a striking reversal of the words of Moses, for he says, “a priestly kingdom,” but the same thing is meant. So what Peter hinted was this, “Moses called your fathers a sacred kingdom, because the whole people enjoyed as it were royal liberty, and from their body were chosen the priests; both dignities were therefore joined together: but now ye are royal priests, and, indeed, in a more excellent way, because ye are, each of you, consecrated in Christ, that ye may be the associates of his kingdom and partakers of his priesthood. Though, then, the fathers had something similar to what you have; yet ye far excel them. For after the wall of partition has been pulled down by Christ, we are now gathered from every nation, and the Lord bestows these high titles on all whom he makes his people.”

There is further, as to these benefits, a contrast between us and the rest of humanity, to be considered: and hence it appears more fully how incomparable is God’s goodness towards us; for he sanctifies us, who are by nature polluted; he chose us when he could find nothing in us but filth and vileness; he makes his peculiar possession from worthless dregs; he confers the honor of the priesthood on the profane; he brings the servants of Satan, of sin, and death, to the enjoyment of royal liberty.

That ye should shew forth, or declare. He carefully points out the end of our calling, that he might stimulate us to give the glory to God. And the sum of what he says is that God has favored us with these immense benefits and constantly manifests them, that his glory might be made known by us: for by praises, or virtues, he understands wisdom, goodness, power, righteousness, and everything else, in which the glory of God shines forth. And further, it befits us to declare these virtues or excellencies not only by our tongue but also by our whole life. This doctrine ought to be a subject of daily meditation, and it ought to be continually remembered by us that all God’s blessings with which he favors us are intended for this end, that we may proclaim his glory.

We must also notice what he says, that we have been called out of darkness into God’s marvelous or wonderful light, for by these words, he amplifies the greatness of divine grace. If the Lord had given us light while we were seeking it, it would have been a favor; but it was a much greater favor to draw us out of the labyrinth of ignorance and the abyss of darkness. Hence, we ought to learn what is man’s condition before he is translated into the kingdom of God. And this is what Isaiah says,

“Darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but over thee shall the Lord be seen, and his glory shall in thee shine forth.” (Isaiah 60:2.)

Honestly, we cannot be otherwise than sunk in darkness after departing from God, our only light. See more on this subject in the second chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians.

Verse 10- Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

“Which in time past were not a people.” The apostle brings for validation a passage from Hosea and well adapts it to his purpose. After God’s name declared that the Jews were rejected, Hosea gives them hope for a future restoration. Peter reminds us that this was fulfilled in his age; for the Jews were scattered here and there, as the torn members of a body; nay, they seemed to be no longer God’s people, no worship remained among them, they became entangled in the corruptions of the heathens; it could not then be said otherwise of them, but that the Lord rejected them. But when they are gathered together in Christ, they become the people of God from no people. Paul, in Romans 9:26, applies this prophecy to the Gentiles, and not without reason; for from the time the Lord’s covenant was broken, from which alone the Jews derived their superiority, they were put on a level with the Gentiles. It follows then that what God had promised, to make a people of no people, belongs in common to both.

“Which had not obtained mercy.” This was added by the Prophet so that the covenant of God, by which he takes them to be his people, might be more clearly set forth; as though he had said, “There is no other reason why the Lord counts us his people, except that he, having mercy on us, graciously adopts us.” It is then God’s gratuitous goodness, which makes of no people a people to God, and reconciles the alienated.

11Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 13Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 15For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 17Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

Verse 11. “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;”

“As strangers and pilgrims”-See the note on Hebrews 11:13; “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” These were strangers and pilgrims in the most literal sense of the Word, see 1 Peter 1:1, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the elect sojourners of the dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” for they were strangers scattered through Asia, Pontus, etc.

“Abstain from fleshly lusts.”-Since you are strangers and pilgrims, and profess to seek a heavenly country, do not entangle your affections with earthly things. While others spend all their time and employ all their skill in acquiring material property, and neglect the salvation of their souls; they are not strangers, they are here at home; they are not pilgrims, they are seeking an earthly possession: Heaven is your home, seek that; God is your portion, seek him. All kinds of worldly desires, whether those of the flesh, of the eye or those included in the pride of life, are comprised of fleshly words and lusts.

“Which war against the soul.”- Which are marshaled and drawn up in battle array, to fight against the soul; either to slay it or to bring it into captivity. This is the object and operation of every earthly and sensual desire. How little do those who indulge in them think of the ruin which they produce!

12. “Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

The winning of acceptance in a hostile environment is given here as the motivation for righteous behavior amid the alien Gentile population.

“They speak against you as evil-doers,” already, even though the first great Roman persecution is still a little while in the future. There were widespread antagonisms vented against Christians in the form of every kind of slander and reproach. Why? The Christians were the noblest, purest, and most lovable people ever to appear on earth, yet they were hated. Why? "Christianity by its very essence opposed the vanities of paganism at every turn." Like ancient Noah, the very purity of their behavior "condemned the world" (Hebrews 11:7), and that was reason enough for the world's hatred. There was a double source of hatred for Christians, their model demeanor being one, and their being widely confused about the Jews. The Jews themselves were hated and expelled from Rome in apostolic times, and many vile slanders against them were circulated in connection with such displacements. Many of the people identified Christianity as a form of Judaism and therefore transferred to them the existing hatred of the Jews. Regarding the nature of slanders against the church, it has been pointed out that:

They were accused of cannibalism ..., this took its rise from a perversion of the words of Jesus, "This is my body ... this is my blood, etc." They were accused of killing and eating a child at their feasts.

They were accused of immorality and incest. The famed Agape, or love feast, was misrepresented as a sensual orgy.

They were accused of turning slaves against their masters.

They were accused of "hatred of mankind."

They were accused of disloyalty to Caesar due to their refusal to worship the emperor.

“By your good works which they behold” -"The good works were not what is commonly called acts of benevolence." The non-Christian beheld the Christians' beautiful moral conduct, emphasized by their adamant refusal to indulge in paganism's sensualities.

“May glorify God”-Peter had learned his lesson at the Master's feet because Christ himself taught this same principle in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5:16).

“In the day of visitation” -Whether the day here is understood as the final judgment or some time of future conversion, it yields the same basic meaning; because “The glorification of God on the day of judgment would take for granted their previous conversion.”

It has been said of this verse:

“Here are our challenges and our inspiration. It is by the loveliness of our daily life and conduct that we must commend Christianity to those who do not believe.”

13. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;

14. Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

“Submit yourselves to every ordinance.”—See Romans13:1; Romans 13:14. We may recollect that this Epistle is directed to the strangers scattered throughout various countries; for in the ninth year of the emperor Claudius, the Jews (under which name the Christians were known, as is evident from Acts 18.) were banished (from) Rome for uproars and agitations created by their disputes. This banishment is mentioned by Suetonius and the inspired writer of the Acts (Luke). Therefore, the Apostle Peter in this Epistle thought it was necessary to emphasize and urge obedience, the lack of which in the Jews had created the present distress of so many Christians. Thus, then, he encourages his scattered flock (1 Peter 2:11-12). “Dearly beloved, I beseech you, as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation honest among the Gentiles; that whereas they speak against you as evildoers; that is, particularly as disobedient subjects; they may, by your good works which they behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” Then follows the general precept: Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake; whether it be to the king or governors, &c. St. Peter's original words came to be rendered every ordinance of man and are not easily understood.

The Word rendered ordinance, sometimes signifies a creature, and the adjective joined with it, signifies human, which we have rendered “of man”: accordingly St. Peter's doctrine is plain; "Submit yourselves to every human creature; or to every man, for the Lord's sake." And that this is St. Peter's true meaning will appear from the whole tenor of his discourse. It is usual with the best writers to set down the doctrine in general words and then to reduce particulars: this is St. Peter's method in the place before us: "Submit, says he, yourselves to every human creature." This is the general point. He immediately descends to particulars: he begins with the king, as being supreme; goes from him to governors appointed by him: (1 Peter 2:18); he comes to servants; when he has done with them, he goes to wives. All these details are included in the general rule. The expression of doing well is appropriated both by St. Paul and St. Peter to denote the good of obedience, in opposition to the evil spirit which sets all government at naught (nothing). The promise made to compliance is in these words, thou shalt have praise of the same. What is meant by praise may be understood by considering that as it is opposed to punishment, it must denote protection and encouragement, which are the only proper rewards that good subjects, in general, can expect from their governors (So, it signifies in the place before us.) The Roman governors had the power of life and death in such provinces as those mentioned in 1 Peter 1:1. Let's further compare Peter and Paul together and consider the subject they were dealing with. We shall find it necessary to take the expression doing well in the restrained sense above mentioned: for what other good could they mean, consistently with their argument and subject? For the evil thing which they had then to contend with was opposition to all government in general; the good, therefore, they would recommend, was necessarily submission in general. In the same restrained sense, Peter uses these expressions, 1 Peter 2:12; 1 Peter 2:15; 1 Peter 2:20. We meet with the same Word again in 1 Peter 3:15 where Peter, having mentioned the duty of submission which Sarah paid to Abraham, encourages wives to follow her example, whose daughters they were; which he explains, by being in subjection to their husbands: so that there can be no doubt of the use of the Word in this place.

Verse 15. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

“For so is the will of God”-that is, it is by the divine will that in this way you should put them to silence.

“That with well doing”-by a life of uprightness and benevolence.

“Ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men”—See the notes at Titus 2:8. The reference here is to men who brought charges against Christians by accusing them of being hostile to the government, or insubordinate, or guilty of crimes. Such charges, it is well known, were often brought against them by their enemies in the early ages of Christianity. Peter says foolish men brought them, perhaps using the Word foolish in the sense of evil-disposed or wicked, as it is often used in the Bible. Yet, though there might be malice at the bottom of it, the charges were based on ignorance. They were not thoroughly acquainted with the principles of the Christian religion, and the way to meet those charges was to act in every manner as becoming good citizens and so as “to live them down.” One of the best ways of meeting our enemies' accusations is to lead a life of strict integrity. It is not easy for the wicked to reply to this argument.

Verse 16. ‘As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.’

They were to consider themselves as freemen, as having a right to liberty. The Jews boasted of their freedom and regarded it as a privilege of their birthright that they were free, John 8:33. They never willingly acknowledged their subjection to any other power but claimed it as an elementary idea of their civil constitution that God was their Sovereign. They were conquered by the Romans and paid tribute, but they did it because they were compelled to do it, and it was a question often debated, whether they should do it or not “Matthew 22:17”. Josephus has often referred to the fact that the Jews rebelled against the Romans under the plea that they were a free people and that they were subject only to God. This idea of essential freedom the Jews had when they became Christians and everything in Christianity tended to inspire them with the love of liberty.

They who were converted to the Christian faith, whether from among the Jews or the Gentiles, were made to feel that they were the children of God; that his law was the supreme rule of their lives; that they were subject to him alone; that they were redeemed, and that, therefore, the yoke of bondage could not be properly imposed on them; that God “had made all nations of men of one blood so that they could dwell on all the face of the earth,” (Acts 17:26); and that, therefore, they were on the same level before him. The meaning here is that they were not to consider themselves as slaves or to act as slaves. In their subjection to the civil authority, they were not to forget that they were freemen in the highest sense and that liberty was an invaluable blessing. They had been made free by the Son of God (John 8:32, John 8:36). They were free from sin and condemnation. They acknowledged Christ as their supreme Head, and the whole spirit and tendency of his religion prompted the exercise of freedom.

Verse 17. “Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.)

“Honor all men”—That is, show them the respect that is due to them according to their personal worth and the rank and office they sustain. See the notes at Romans 13:7.

“Love the brotherhood”—The whole fraternity of Christians, regarded as a band of brothers. The Word used here (“brotherhood”)—occurs only in this place and in 1 Peter 5:9, where it is rendered “brethren.” The idea expressed here often occurs in the New Testament. See the notes at John 13:34-35.

“Fear God”—A duty charged everywhere in the Bible, as one of religion's primary duties. Compare Leviticus 25:17; Psalm 24:7; Psalm 25:14; Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 3:13; Proverbs 9:10; Proverbs 23:17; See the Romans 3:18 note; 2 Corinthians 7:1 note. When used to express our duty to God, the word fear means that we are to reverence and honor him. Religion, in one characteristic, is described as the fear of God; in another, as the love of God; in another, as submission to his will, etc. A holy reverence or fear is always an elementary principle of religion. It is the fear, not so much of punishment as it is his disapproval, not so much the dread of suffering as the dread of doing wrong.

“Honor the king”—Referring here primarily to the Roman sovereign, but implying that we are always to respect those who have the rule over us. See the notes at Romans 13:1-7. The doctrine taught in these verses (Romans 13:13-14) is that we are faithfully to perform all the essential duties of life. There are duties which we owe to ourselves, which are of importance in their place, and which we are by no means at liberty to neglect. But we also owe obligations to our fellow-men, to our Christian brethren, and to those who have the rule over us; and religion, while it is honored by our faithful performance of our duty to ourselves, is more openly honored by our performance of our responsibilities to those to whom we sustain important relationships in life. Many of the tasks we owe to ourselves are hidden from public observation. All that pertains to the examination of the heart, to our private devotions, to the suppression of our evil passions, to our communion with God must be concealed from public view. Not so, however, with those duties which pertain to others. In regard to them, we are open to public view. The eye of the world is upon us. The judgment of the world regarding us is made up of their observation of how we perform them. If religion fails there, they judge that it fails altogether. However, devout we may be in private, if the world does not see that our faith leads to the faithful performance of the duties we owe in the various relationships of life, it will be regarded as of little value.

18Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 19For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.21For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

Verse 18. “Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.”

“Servants, be subject to your masters.” On the duty ordered here, see the notes at Ephesians 6:5-9. The Greek word used here is not the same which is employed in Ephesians. The Word here means “domestics”—those employed to work in a house or live in the same “house.” These persons might have been slaves, or might not. The Word would apply to them, whether they were hired or whether they were owned as slaves. The term should not and cannot be employed to prove that slavery existed in the churches to which Peter wrote, and still less prove that he approved of slavery or regarded it as a good institution. The appeal here would be and still is strictly applicable to any persons employed as domestics, though they had voluntarily hired themselves out to be such. It would be incumbent on them, while they remained in that condition, to perform with reliability their duties as Christians and bear with Christian meekness all the wrongs they might suffer from those in whose service they were.

Those who are hired and under the necessity of “going out to service” for a living are not always free from hard usage, for there is trials incident to that condition of life that cannot always be avoided. It might be better, in many cases, to bear much than to attempt a change of situation, even though they were entirely at liberty to do so. However, it must be admitted that the appeal here will have more force if it is supposed that the reference is to slaves, and there can be no doubt that many of this class were converted early on to the Christian faith. The Word rendered here as “masters” is not the same which is used in Ephesians 6:5. Neither of these words necessarily implies that those who were under them were slaves. The Word used here applies to the head of a family, whatever may be the condition of those under him. It is frequently applied to God and Christ, and it cannot be maintained that those to whom God sustains the relationship of “master” are “slaves.” See Luke 2:29; Acts 4:24; 2 Timothy 2:21; 2 Peter 2:1; Jude 1:4; Revelation 6:10. The Word might be applied to those who were owners of slaves. However, if that is the meaning here, it is not said that those to whom it is applied were Christians. It is rather implied that they were pursuing such a course as was inconsistent with real piety. Those who were under them are represented as suffering grievous wrongs.

“With all fear”—That is, with all proper reverence and respect. See the notes at Ephesians 6:5.

“Not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward”—The Word rendered “froward” means appropriately “crooked, bent,” then perverse, wicked, unjust, peevish. Anyone who is a servant or domestic is liable to be employed in the service of such a master. Still, while the relationship continues, the servant should perform his duty with faithfulness, whatever may be the character of the master. Slaves are certainly liable to this, and even those who voluntarily engage as servants to others cannot always be sure that they will have kind employers. Though the terms used here do not necessarily imply that those to whom the apostle gave this direction were slaves, yet it may be presumed that they probably were since slavery abounded throughout the Roman empire. Still, the directions will apply to all who are engaged in the service of others and are therefore of permanent value. Slavery will, sooner or later, under the influence of the Gospel, wholly cease in the world, and instructions addressed to masters and slaves will have no permanent value; but it will always be true that there will be those employed as domestics, and it is the duty of all who are thus engaged to evince true fidelity and a Christian spirit themselves, whatever may be the character of their employers.

Verse19. “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure (bear up under) grief' (griefs) “suffering wrongfully.”

We should behave this way because this behavior is God’s will (1 Peter 2:13; 1 Peter 2:17). The fact that this is how God wants us to behave is sufficient reason for compliance. Our conscious commitment to God should move us to do what is right, resulting in a clear conscience. Probably many of Peter’s readers were suffering because of the persecution of their masters (1 Peter 1:6-7). In this context, it means what counts with God, what pleases Him, rather than what He gives. The translators of the word "favor" (Gr. Charis) in this verse and the next in the NASB “For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person endures grief when suffering unjustly.”] usually rendered it grace.

20. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

“For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults,”

—A poetical and pagan-sounding word, not found anywhere else in the New Testament; in the Old Testament, it corresponds to the word “fame,” in Job 28:22. The sense may be said to be slightly humorous. “If you make a blunder” (such as the meaning of “fault” here—it might include such things as the breaking of dishes), “and receive a beating for it” (or a box on the ear—a common punishment of slaves for trifling faults), “and bear it with fortitude.”

“ye shall take it patiently?” Meekness and patience have no place in the Word, “do you expect to be made the subject of a poem, to have your name resounded through the world and immortalized among future generations?” The “for” at the beginning of the clause explains why the writer added “suffering wrongfully” at the end of verse 19.

but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it,

It is a pity that the translators have limited Peter’s meaning by inserting the last clause. It is unnecessary to understand the suffering to be directly provoked by the well-doing. It would have done just as well to say, “when ye do well, and yet are ill-treated.” The “froward” master makes his servants suffer without thinking what he makes them suffer for

“This is acceptable with God.”—Timidity about Peter’s theology has caused a difference between the rendering of the same Word in two consecutive verses. It should be translated as “thankworthy” here and above and must be taken precisely. Observe that the Apostle does not continue, “this is glory,” as we might have expected; a Christian is not supposed to care for such trash as fame. But a Christian may well care to win the thanks of God! And such endurance of griefs for God’s sake is now distinctly said to be “thankworthy with God”—i.e., from God’s point of view. See 2 Thessalonians 1:6, where, as here, it is assumed that the moral law is identical for God and us and that His principles and impulses of action are the same as those which He has implanted in us. . “He will thank a man for it,” says Archbishop Leighton, not a divine to favor the doctrine of human merit, but too honest a scholar to shrink from the meaning of words. Many things are strictly duty, yet we do not expect to find them done and are proportionably grateful when we see that they are done. And shall we, for the sake of a doctrinal thesis like that, “that man can deserve nothing at the hand of God,” deny to God the possibility of enjoying one of the happiest exercises of love, the sense of gratitude?

1 Peter 1:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

22Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

23Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

Verses 1 Peter 2:21-23 give us the first. No one ever did well like the Lord Jesus. No one ever was so misjudged, reviled, and persecuted as He. Moreover, He did no sin, and no guile was ever in His mouth. There was nothing in Him or His life to justify the slightest slur being cast upon Him. Yet no one suffered as He, and no one ever took the suffering with such humility and perfection. He fulfilled the Word of Isaiah 53:1-12, “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep, before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.” He was an example for us in all this, for we are called to His path and to follow His steps. The consideration of Christ in all the glory of His perfection cannot fail to have its effect on us, conforming our thoughts and ways to His. If called upon to suffer, we, too, shall commit ourselves to Him that judges righteously instead of attempting to avenge ourselves.

Yet, we are not as He was, for we have sinned, and He had none. We needed, therefore, the atoning sacrifice of which verse 1 Peter 2:24 speaks. He who did no sin “bare our sins in His own body on the tree.” This is something altogether beyond us. We cannot follow in His steps here.

Verse 24. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

“Who his own self bare our sins”—As was symbolized by the high priest bearing the sins of the holy things of the people of Israel, when he went into the most holy place, and by the scapegoat[2] bearing the iniquities of all the people unto a land not inhabited, and as was foretold by the Prophet Isaiah. The apostle here explains the nature and end of Christ's sufferings, which were to make atonement for sins, which was done by bearing them. What Christ bore were "sins," even all sorts of sin, original and actual, and every act of sin of his people; and all that is in sin, all that belongs to it, arises from it, and is the demerit[3] of it, as both filth, guilt, and punishment; and a multitude of sins did he bear, even all the iniquities of all the elect; and a phenomenal load and weight it was; and nothing could be more nauseous and disagreeable to him, who loves righteousness, and hates iniquity: and these sins he bore were not his own, nor the sins of angels, but of men; and not of all men, yet many, even as many as were ordained to eternal life, for whom Christ gave his life a ransom, whom he justifies and brings to glory; our sins, not the sins of the Jews only, for Peter was a Jew, and so were those to whom he writes, but of the Gentiles also, even the sins of all his people, for he saves them from their sins. His "bearing" them was in this manner: he becoming the surety and substitute of his people, their sins were laid upon him by his Father, that is, they were imputed to him, they were reckoned as his, and placed to his account; and Christ voluntarily took them upon himself; he took them to himself, as one may take the debt of another, and make himself answerable for it; or as a man takes up a burden, and lays it on his shoulders; so Christ took up our sins, and "carried" them "up", as the word used here signifies, alluding to the priests carrying up the sacrifice to the altar, and referring to the lifting up of Christ upon the cross; where he carried the sins of his people, and bore them, and did not sink under the weight of them, being the mighty God, and the man of God's right hand, made strong for himself; and so made satisfaction for them, by enduring the wrath of God, the curse of the law, and all that punishment which was due unto them; and thereby bore them away, both from his people, and out of the sight of God, and his vindictive justice; and removed them as far as the east is from the west, and made an end of them; and he did this himself, and not another, nor by another, or with the help of another; not by the means of a goat, as did the high priest, but by himself; though he was assisted in bearing his cross, yet he had no help in bearing our sins; angels could not help him; his Father stood at a distance from him; there was none to help; his own arm brought salvation to him; but

“in his own body on the tree” —that is to say “his self,” who knew no sin, nor did any, he by himself purged away our sins, and made reconciliation for them, by bearing them: which he did in his own body, and not another's; in that body which his Father prepared for him, and which he took of the virgin, and was free from sin; though not to the exclusion of his soul, which also was made an offering for sin, and in which he endured great pains and sorrows for sin: and all this “on the tree”; the doomed tree, the cross; which is expressive both of the shame and pain of his sufferings and death. The end of which was “that we being dead to sin”; "to our sins," as all the elect are, through bearing their sins, and suffering death for them, so that sin shall not be imputed to them. It is as though it never existed; it is dead to them and its damning power and influence. They are entirely discharged from it, and can never come into condemnation on account of it, and can never be hurt, or destroyed by it; nor by death, either human or eternal, since the sting of death, which is sin, is taken away, and the strength of sin, which is the law, is dead to them. They are dead to sin: in short, they are dead to sin through the death of Christ. Therefore, sin is not only finished, made an end of, and put away, but the body of it is destroyed, so that it should not be served; which is an end subordinate to the former, and expressed in the following clause:

“should live unto righteousness”; that is, live, and not die the second death, and live by faith in the righteousness of Christ, and for justification of life, and soberly, righteously, and godly in this present evil world; which the grace of God teaches, and the love of Christ in bearing sin, brings it to an end, and the redemption by his precious blood lays Christ under an obligation to do so; for those whose sins Christ has taken are not their own, but being bought with the price of his blood, they are bound to live to him who has possessions in them, and a right to claim all obedience from them:

“by whose stripes ye were healed”; the passage referred to is in Isaiah 53:5, which is a prophecy of the Messiah, as is acknowledged by the Jews, who sayF8,

This is the King Messiah, who was in the generation of the ungodly, as it is said (Isaiah 53:5), "and with his stripes, we are healed"; and for this cause, God saved him, that he might save Israel, and rejoice with them in the resurrection of the dead.

Sin is a disease, a natural and hereditary one, an epidemic distemper, that reaches to all men, and all the powers and faculties of their souls, and members of their bodies; and which is vile and loathsome, and in itself mortal and incurable; nor can it be healed by any creature, or anything that a creature can do. Christ is the only physician, and his blood is the ointment and sovereign medicine that cleanses from all sin. Through it comes the remission of sin, which is meant by healing; for healing of diseases, and forgiving iniquities, is the same thing; see Psalm 103:3 on which latter text a learned Jew has this note,

"These interpreters explain "as expressive of forgiveness"; and the Jews say, there is no healing of diseases, but it signifies forgiveness: it is an unusual way of healing by the stripes of another. Some think the apostle alludes to the stripes which servants receive from their masters, to whom he was now speaking; and to encourage them to bear them patiently, observes, that Christ himself suffered stripes, and that they had healing for their diseases and wounds, by utilizing his stripes, or through his being wounded and bruised for them

Verse 25. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

“For ye were as sheep going astray.” This is proof of their being healed, namely, their conversion, in which an application of the blood of Christ, and pardon, and so healing by it, was made to their souls. The apostle still has in view the prophecy of Isaiah 53:6. God's elect are sheep before conversion; not that they have the delightful properties of sheep, such as being meek, harmless, innocent, clean, and profitable, for they are the reverse of all this; nor can some things be said of them before conversion, as their may be after, such as ‘they hear Christ's voice, and follow him’; nor are they so called, because they are prejudiced against it, and predisposed unto the Gospel, for the contrary is true of them; but they are so in electing grace, and were so considered in the Father's gift of them to Christ, and when made his care and charge, and hence they are called the sheep of his hand; and when Christ laid down his life, and rose again, which he did for the sheep, and as the great Shepherd of them; and when called by grace, for their being sheep, and Christ's own sheep by the Father's gift, and his own purpose, is the reason why he looks them up, calls them by name, and returns them: but then they are not yet of his fold; they are lost sheep, lost in Adam, and by his fall, and by their own actual transgressions; they are as sheep going astray from the Shepherd, and from the flock, going out of the right way, and in their own ways; and are, like sheep, stupid and insensible of their danger; and as they never return of themselves, until they are sought for, and brought back: hence it follows,

“but are now returned”; not returned themselves, but were returned by powerful and effectual grace. Saints are passive and not active in conversion; they are saved, not by the power of their own free will, but by the power of God's free grace; they are redeemed under the illuminations and quickenings of the blessed Spirit and through the efficacious drawings of the Father's love, unto Christ:

“unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls”; by whom Christ is meant, for He bears the office of a Shepherd and thoroughly performs it by feeding his sheep, providing a good pasture for them; by gathering the lambs in his arms, and gently leading those that are with young; by healing their diseases, and preserving them from beasts of prey; hence he is called the good, the great, and chief Shepherd: and he is the "Bishop" or "Overseer" of the souls of his people, though not to the exclusion of their bodies: he has taken the oversight of them willingly, and looks after his flock, scrutinizes their cases, and often visits them, and never forsakes them; nor will he leave them till they receive the end of their faith, the salvation of their souls; which he has undertaken and effected by his obedience, sufferings, and death. Philo the Jew observes that "to be a shepherd is so good a work, that it is not only a title given to kings and wise men, and souls perfectly purified but to God the governor of all—who, as a Shepherd and King, leads according to justice and law, setting over them his right Insignia, "THE FIRST BEGOTTEN SON," who has taken excellent care of this holy flock.

[1] “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” (Isaiah 28:16)

[2] In the Bible, a scapegoat is one of two kid goats. As a pair, one goat was sacrificed and the living “scapegoat” was released into the wilderness, taking with it all sins and impurities.

[3] demerit— a quality that deserves blame or lacks merit: FAULT, DEFECT. A mark usually entailing a loss of privilege given to an offender