1 Peter 2:15
15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
There seems to always foolish men (and women) around—those who are always thinking of reasons to criticize believers. These days are filled with foolish people who will put you down just for being a Christian, not for any good thing you do. But hopefully our good deeds will make some impact on even fools. Our prayers will help.
1 Peter 2:13-14
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
Included in their excellent behavior (v. 12), they were to submit to the king (the authority figure), and also to local governors—those who carry out the kings orders to both punish evildoers and honor those who do right. Of course, every believer will try his best to be a good citizen and thus be a good testimony in front of his neighbors.
1 Peter 2:12
12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Here Peter goes beyond his appeal to keep the thought life pure; he encourages them to have an excellent behavior while around Gentiles (unbelievers). The Greek word here for excellent behavior has the meaning of being virtuous, good, and honest.
During that time, under Nero, Christians were falsely accused of many evils. Peter wants them, in their good behavior, to remove any of those notions. Instead, they are to be known for good deeds, which will help to bring the unbeliever to believing faith, and therefore bring glory to God.
1 Peter 2:11
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
Peter here is calling them “aliens” as he did in the beginning of his letter, intending to bring into focus their citizenship in heaven and that they are not of this world. Peter wants them to know that if they are to be a holy people of God they must begin their Christian journey by abstaining from fleshly lusts, because that behavior will give them trouble in the spiritual life. In fact, it will bring them back to the darkness of their previous life and put them at war against their new life with Christ. Therefore, the Christian is to “abstain” from (or retreat from) fleshly lusts (animal desires) so that he may continue a life of Christian joy and peace and love and all that the Holy Spirit brings into the soul.
1 Peter 2:10
10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
Speaking to both believing Jews and Gentiles, Peter reminds them that they were “called out of darkness.” And in that state they were not the people of God but were of the devil and of darkness. In fact, Peter writes that they were “not a people.” I suppose he meant that being always guided by their fleshly desires, they were more like animals than people. Hence, they also did not receive God’s mercy. But when they came to the light and believed they were privileged as Children of God to receive His mercy.
1 Peter 2:9
9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
It sounds like Peter is addressing only Jews; however, he is addressing both Jews and Gentiles who are Christians of the church. Before the church was born, these concepts indeed were for Israel. They were a chosen race; they had special priests; they were a holy nation (Israel); and God did possess them (who were obedient) as His own people.
But though the Abrahamic covenant was made in the beginning exclusively for Jews, there is a provision made in the covenant for all people who believe. In Genesis 1`2:3 and 22:18, God promised that in Abraham and in his seed all the nations of the earth who blessed Israel would be blessed. Christa through his church (made up of both Jews and Gentiles) is the promised blessing to all people. He is of the seed of Abraham and is the mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 12:24).
We will look now at each of these four terms: A CHOSEN RACE. Indeed, the Jews were and are the chosen race. But through the blessing of the New Covenant, all believers, metaphysically speaking, enter into that race. Gentiles will never really become the same race as the Jews, but they are brought into that group of chosen ones. All believers are chosen by God to salvation.
A royal PRIESTHOOD. This was a title for all of Israel until their disobedience and rejection of the Messiah (Ex. 19:6). At the present time the church is a royal priesthood with Jesus Christ as our priest. Soon in Christ’s kingdom we will experience an ultimate fulfilment of that priesthood—ruling with Christ (Rev. 5:10; 20:6).
A HOLY NATION. Israel was called a holy nation until their unbelief. At that time God replace them with the church. I suppose Peter here is envisioning the church as a group of people without borders; a people with order and regulation, much like a nation.
A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION. From the beginning, when God established the people and the Nation of Israel, His idea was that they would be His own possession. But this possession was based on the condition that they would obey Him and keep His covenant (Ex. 19:5). But those who were part of the church, who were children of God, God declared them already to be His own possession—whom He bought with the price of His own blood (1 Cor. 6:19; Titus 2:14).
After God tells us who we are (through Peter), He gives us our mission; to proclaim His excellencies. And of course, with all that we are (above), we are well qualified and prepared for our mission.
1 Peter 2:7-8
7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
“THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,”
8 and,
“A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”;
for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.
The “precious value” is in Jesus our cornerstone. But those who disbelieve Him and reject Him, He will become for them the cornerstone that will cause them to stumble (see Ps. 118:22); He will be their judgment. This judgment on them is divinely appointed because of their disobedience and unbelief. Hence, just as believers are appointed for salvation (Rom. 8:29-30), all others who choose not to believe are appointed for doom—eternal judgment (Rom. 9:18).
1 Peter 2:5-6
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in Scripture:
“BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone,
AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”
We as believers are living stones. He is the cornerstone (the foundation stone) and we are all the other building stones, which are being built up as a spiritual house (metaphorically). We are built up for a holy priesthood (v. 9)—each of us being priests of God, working in the service of God and having access to God. As priest we offer up our bodies as a living sacrifice for all the work He would have us do for Him (Rom. 12:1).
Verse 6 is a quote from Isaiah 28:16. It is a prophecy of the Messiah to come, and all who believe in Him will not be disappointed; that is, He will be all that He has been prophesied to be and all that we need Him to be.
1 Peter 2:4
4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,
Peter encourages his readers to come to Him and abide in Him (Jn. 15:5) as our living foundation stone (1 Cor. 3:10-11), upon which we can be built up on. He has been rejected by men, but for you He will be precious as he is in His Fathers eyes.
1 Peter 2:2-3
2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
Here Peter is comparing new converts, in their spiritual lives, to new infants. I’m not sure how it is with infants in regard to their feeding practice. I assume that they naturally long for milk from their mother. But maybe not. Maybe they have to be coaxed or enticed to taste of the sweet milk. And the more they suck and taste, the more they long for it. Since it seems to be an imperative that a new believer long for the word, it may be that it is not a natural thing. We must develop a taste for it and discover His kindness—so that we may long for it and then “grow in respect to salvation.” That is, that we learn all about our salvation and grow into its fullness.
Stephen Nielsen 