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Join Peter Englert, a pastor, and Dr. Ron Hall, professor and pastor, as they delve into the book of 1 Peter. This book helps readers cope with suffering in an antagonistic world by offering hope in Jesus. Whether you're exploring faith or a long-time follower of Jesus, read through the book of 1 Peter on your own or with a group of friends with insights to better understand this book of the Bible.
1 Peter 2:1-10
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Peter Englert: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Reading First Peter podcast. I am here with my friend, former professor, pastor Bishop Ron Hall. How you doing today, Ron?
Ron Hall: I'm doing well, and it's good to be engaged together. Well
Peter Englert: great. Let's, uh, get started and we are gonna read from one Peter two, one through 10, and it says this. Therefore rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. Now that you've tasted that the Lord is good as you come to him.
The living stone rejected by humans, but chosen by God and precious to him. You also like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood. Offering [00:01:00] spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in scripture it says, see, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone and the one who trust in him will never be put to shame.
Now, to you who believe the stone is precious, but to those who do not believe, the stone, the builders rejected has become the cornerstone and a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes 'em fall. They stumble because they disobey the message, which is also what they, they were destined for.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into this wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. Once you had not received mercy, but now you've received mercy.
So Ron, I, I get annoyed with this. I know it's helpful, but there's this old study in the Bible [00:02:00] quote that when you see a, therefore you gotta ask what's it there for. So let's start there. The first word, uh, of chapter two, which is therefore, so, so let's kind of go back to chapter one. What do you think Peter is doing from transitioning to one to two in this passage?
Ron Hall: It is in light of God's salvation plan. So we've been born again into a living hope. Going back to verse three, and then that theme of how we have this inheritance. That's incorruptible. It's undefiled. It's like pure gold. And now he's going to say in light of all of that, how should we live it out? he's going to carry that theme right on through the rest of the letter. Remember, we're dealing with this idea we're living in an antagonistic world, and how are we going to live out the Christian life? So in light of our salvation, what do we do now?
Peter Englert: Hmm. [00:03:00] So there is a little, it, it does feel like a weird shift, but, um, verse one again, because I think this is so important. I. He, he's very positive in chapter one, but why do you think he's starting out with, hey, make sure you rid yourself of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy. Why is that kind of a transitional phrase?
How is that connecting one to two?
Ron Hall: It is interesting. He's dealing with, uh, what we're doing with our speech and what we're doing with our attitudes. There's five descriptors that are found right there and dealing with what's taking place within our lives. So are we gonna let this salvation that we have this precious gift from God and the word of God that he ended chapter one with? Are we gonna let that take root in our hearts and now find its way out? So therefore we notice the word malice. That means when we're speaking wrongly against [00:04:00] people and we have malicious talk going on all over, all you have to do is turn on the news and realize this one jabs that one. So malice, do we give injurious talk and, and deceit, that envy, that slander, uh, of every kind.
So these are all attitudes of the heart and their, the speech that we have if the salvation that has taken hold of us. Is really true to form, then it's going to impact the behavior that we have. And unfortunately, our Christian life can sometimes be disconnected. So therefore, hypocrisy is an, is an affront to our Christian faith.
Peter Englert: Hmm. Well, and the last thing I'll say about that is. Right before Peter says this, he talks about how the word of God endures for every, but everything else is like the grass or the flowers that fade away. And it's almost as if he's saying these are the behaviors that fade away. [00:05:00] Um, these are the behaviors that.
Of someone that's not living with eternity and with hope in their mind. So on that, let's kind of go to the next section. This idea of stones is, it's a big thing and, and so unpack that forest. What's this living stone? Is it like a cornerstone when I go to a building and it's up there, you know, what are some thoughts there?
Ron Hall: Just wanted to make some, uh, points on verse two just before we do that
Peter Englert: Sure. Go right ahead.
Ron Hall: because it's that whole idea of, uh, pure milk. So, uh, Christian is supposed to be growing this idea of milk and meat are images found in scripture. Uh, Paul dealt with it to the Corinthians. Hebrews dealt with it in chapter five. That we should have strong meat that had built us. The Corinthians, were still in need of milk and not meat. But for these believers, Peter is saying, desire pure milk. In other [00:06:00] words, you get healthy spiritual nourishment that will help you rid yourself of all these things. And that's all in light of our salvation. So then that segues into this whole idea of this living stone. All of these are images that come out of the Old Testament, and we have Isaiah 28 that references it. Uh, Psalm one 18, uh, Isaiah chapter eight. All of those sections end up picking up on the, the importance of that theme of the idea of a living stone. Now, you and I, when we think of stones, we think of something that's cold. We think of an an inanimate object, something that doesn't have life. But here. Peter takes the imagery of the Old Testament and he shows it's the idea of a community, that Christ is the one that is cohesive in order to bring it all together. So we are a community being built up. Uh, Ephesians chapter two deals with the same [00:07:00] idea of a community that's being brought together. So all of us who are. now. We are fellow believers. We trust, and by being fellow believers, we are united together to be a part of this building. The Lord is is making up, the living stone that makes all the difference is Christ as that chief cornerstone it.
Peter Englert: So we can always jump back, but one, one thing I want to point out and I don't wanna skip over versus, um, but. You know, I'm really fascinated by verse 10, um, 'cause I know in verse nine it talks about your chosen people, your royal priesthood. But verse 10, it says, once you were not my people, but now you are the people of God.
Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Now for those of you reading it, um. I feel like this is a direct correlation to Hosea. So Hosea is this prophet that has three kids. He marries a prostitute and God [00:08:00] says to name them, no mercy, not my people. And then, uh, I'm gonna mess up on the third one.
Um, so we at least know those two off the bat, but not my people and no mercy. And it just feels, again, it might not be directly to Hosea, but it's definitely back to the. Old Testament, what are you picking up in that closing of what Peter's trying to say?
Ron Hall: Well, Jose is a good parallel picking up on Gomer.
Peter Englert: Yeah.
Ron Hall: what Isaiah, I mean, what Hosea had to do to go and buy her off the auction block of, of sin prostitution. And that's what God does for us through Christ. I think these parallels are found all the way back into Exodus where Moses gives a reference in Exodus 19 to of God being a royal priesthood. So those are images. So you picked up Hosea, but go back then even farther in the Old Testament. And also in the New Testament, go to Ephesians chapter two, verse 11, [00:09:00] right on down through 20. And it's that same idea that we were upfront. We were, uh, distance from God, but the cross has reconciled us to make peace together. So, and all of those are Old Testament types of images that are being reinforced.
Peter Englert: And, and here's why I think that that's important is, and even kind of going back to the Exodus is. You could read the Bible and you could read the Old Testament and think that the Jewish people are the only people of God. But you can see back in Exodus, they actually invite people that are outside Jewish lineage.
Um, and then this passage again, we want to tie this theme from chapter one, the Exiles in Babylon. So Peter is connecting these followers of Jesus who. May or may not be Jewish, and he's pulling them all together with some of these powerful images from the Old Testament.[00:10:00]
Ron Hall: Uh, yes. And that's reinforced again and again of being a called out. People
Peter Englert: Mm-hmm.
Ron Hall: separated out in the Old Testament. It was more exclusive, uh, with the priesthood when called the Levites. But in the New Testament, it's the collective of everybody together. So I don't know if you're familiar with the, the idea of the peoplehood of God at strategic times in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, it was reinforced that we are the people of God. at strategic times in the development of Israel, would say You are. I am your God, and you are my people. here he is with this same idea. You are my people. You belong to me. the image is also picked up in Revelation. So this, it's this sense of belonging. So we're called out to be different, to be a separated people's.
Peter Englert: get practical [00:11:00] and we can always jump back in. So 21st Century American people, um, probably read this and they're like, oh, great. Individually. I have this identity, um, you know, I'm a royal priesthood, but it's very, very clear that even in verse nine, you're a chosen people, plural, a royal priesthood, and then a holy nation.
So how do we apply this passage knowing that it's not just an individual application?
Ron Hall: Yeah, because it's all about community. And notice the emphasis going back to verse one, yourselves, plural. It's the idea of living stones. We come to the living stone Christ, but then we are a collective Together, we are chosen by God. Together we are to carry out these things as a community together. not isolation. The [00:12:00] Christian life is not a solo journey written all across scripture is you're not meant to travel alone. that's why wherever we end up, we're looking for a place to gather believers together. So it's, it's a community event. Again, the parallel is Ephesians chapter two, where we are a people belonging to God.
That same idea of of community. If you're trying to live your life out in isolation in the Christian life, I mean, you're gonna be destitute. You're gonna be barren. I have a friend who no longer wants to go to church, but it's for the wrong reasons because he finds fault with all the other Christians. And I say to him, but that's where you have to meet people. How are you gonna live out the one another's in scripture if you cannot go ahead and get along with other people? Well, I don't need other people. I can listen to podcasts. I can listen on online to get all that I need. No, it's not the same. And he wants to find trouble with, uh, churches.
Well, [00:13:00] if he attended those churches he listens to, he'd realize they have issues too. how do we flesh out the Christian life? This idea of community? We do it by gathering together, by relating with one another.
Peter Englert: Yeah, and there's a lot of people that feel that way, or even if they don't necessarily make a choice like that, they attend church and feel that way. The clearest like application, as you're reading this passage, and this is not for someone else, this is for you individually, is is what? What people in God's family and even not in God's family, do I have malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slaughter slander.
I think even just kind of stepping back for a second, because that's why verse two is so important, mature people. Um, it's not that you don't have those things, um, within your heart. We get angry, we get frustrated, but as a [00:14:00] growing follower of Jesus, the way that you respond and react changes, and I think the clearest application.
Is, you know, Peter, in this chapter, and again, the, the books didn't have chapters. They kind of all flowed together, but it's almost as if he's saying, Hey, let me tell you what it shouldn't be because this is what it should be. Um, I don't know what other applications or you jiving with me there.
Ron Hall: Well, you know, I see what you're tracking and, and you're right. We created division, but we need to realize the salvation Christ brings Back to verse three of chapter one. We've been born again during a living. Hope needs to impact how we are living on our lives. Daily needs to have a direct rooting and grounding where it changes our behavior. that if you look at the end of verse eight, they stumble because they disobey the message, which is also what they were destined for. But we are [00:15:00] a chosen people. So if our, if our walk with the Lord is not impacting how we live out our daily life, then it's what kind of Christianity do we actually have? Isolationism is so dangerous. And not to get off too far on, uh, on the branch there, but, uh, we are in isolation as it's where the enemy wants us. So this friend that I told about, the enemy wants him to be distant from the community so he can justify his own actions, but he needs to belong to the community, the chosen generation, the royal priesthood.
Peter Englert: Well, and my wife, who's a mental health therapist, one of the things that she often says, what's my contribution to the problem? I, I think for many of us, we love to talk about the contributions of everybody else, but I mean, even what you're saying right there, you end with verse 10 and you're talking about, Hey, [00:16:00] we are the people of God.
We are the family of God. We're called outta the darkness, malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander of every kind. And we're called to live a different way. And not that I'm, you know, stealing the show here for a second, but you know, that's where one of my favorite verses in one Peter that, you know, love.
Covers a multitude of sins. You know, he's not saying you dismiss the sin, he's saying where love is present, these things will not be. Um, where love is present, people can make mistakes and they might mess up, or even they might intentionally do things wrong, but the sin and the brokenness and the relationships don't have to catch fire.
Ron Hall: Yeah, and this would be the imagery that, uh, Paul gave in Galatians. Take heed, lest you be devoured one of another. So you, we can be so antagonistic with each other. We devour each other. Instead, Peter lifts it up and says, you come [00:17:00] together and unite together. And that back to the one another idea there are over 51 another in the New Testament. do we live out loving one another, being kind one to another, forgiving one another except for what Christ does?
Peter Englert: One final question. 'cause, 'cause you brought up Galatians. How, how much of this passage especially do you think is influenced when Paul in Galatians says to Peter, you didn't eat with the Gentiles and, uh, you know, you're, you know, you're living, I mean, it's own, he almost calls 'em out for hypocrisy. How much of that do you think is influenced in this passage?
Ron Hall: Well, I don't know if he's directly out to do it, but he'll pick up on referring to Paul in second Peter chapter three about his writings that people distorted. Uh, so Peter definitely had in mind those teachings of Paul.
Peter Englert: [00:18:00] Hey, that's a great way to, to head on out. Um, Ron, why don't you close us in prayer and we'll go from there.
Ron Hall: Alright. Lord, you're so good to us. We thank you for the truth that you are rock solid. We thank you for that imagery of the cornerstone that we often don't picture in our modern day until you look at a building and realize there are pivotal places on a building that hold a structure together. And that's what Jesus is, this cornerstone that holds it all together. Help us to be a community of people that honor you with our lives and allow you to be the dominant force. We ask it in Jesus' name, amen.
Peter Englert: Amen.