1 Peter 2:1-6 A “living stone,” (Gospels, testimonies, Messiah)

[TheWordIsOne]

.................................................. ........................................A“living stone,” ........................................ .................................................. .

1 Peter 2:1 So get rid of every kind of evil, every kind of deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander.
In the last chapter, Peter encouraged believers to love one another “with a warm love that comes from the heart.” If that admonition were obeyed, then this verse lays the groundwork for those behaviors that cannot exist in the environment of God’s love. The full impact of the phrase “get rid of” means to cease doing what one is accustomed to doing. Paul likewise commands Christ’s disciples to “get rid of your anger, hot tempers, hatred, cursing, obscene language, and all similar sins” (Colossians 3:8).
These evil characteristics of the believer’s old nature show the natural reactions when offended, wronged, or simply weighed down by the circumstances of daily living. In a fallen world, even believers react in these ways unless controlled by the Holy Spirit. Peter specifies five human characteristics which the disciple of Christ must cease doing.
Malice connotes the quality of wickedness, with the implication of that which is harmful and damaging. When a believer allows this malice to continue in his life he grieves the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 4:30-32). As the believer allows the Holy Spirit to control, dishonesty disappears. Hypocrisy, from the Greek word ὑποκρισις (hupokrisis), literally means “to pretend or act a part.” In the Synoptic Gospels, this word always implies a negative inference, meaning to live a part that is not true or putting on a false face. A pious appearance and a distortion of proportion conceal the failure to do God’s will. In contrast, the disciples must achieve a greater righteousness (Matthew 5:20), showing a concern for integrity rather than status (Matthew 6:2). Hypocrisy always results in ruin (Matthew 6:2; 24:51). Envy implies a state of spite toward another person because of some real or presumed advantage experienced by such a person. Believers should never be envious or jealous of what others have since the Lord has made each person differently, responsible for operating within one’s own God-ordained boundaries in a spirit of gratitude (Proverbs 3:31; 23:17; 24:1). Evil speaking involves speaking against another with intent to deliberately harm that person by spreading false information. The idea of gossip is not far removed in this context. Rather, a believer is to speak the truth in love (James 4:11).

1 Peter 2: 2 desire God’s pure word as newborn babies desire milk. Then you will grow in your salvation.
Like newborn babes, believers should desire the milk of the word, just as a newborn baby instinctively ingests milk. Believers are to be hungry and thirsty for God’s Word, and their actions are to be as unadulterated as those of infants. In a similar fashion, the Word will feed one’s spirit so that he may grow to Christian maturity. All believers need daily nourishment in the newness of their redeemed lives through daily reading, studying, and meditating upon God’s Holy Word. The believer’s spiritual life is to demonstrate growth from infancy through childhood, from youth to fully matured adults under the direction and guidance of God’s Holy Word. Without such growth, the believer remains a carnal, immature baby. “But grow in the good will and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to him now and for that eternal day! Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).

1 Peter 2: 3 Certainly you have tasted that the Lord is good!
“Certainly” implies a condition already fulfilled. They, as newborn babes, have already tasted the Word of God and have found in it the Lord’s graciousness. Peter reminds them that though they had already tasted the goodness of the Lord, it was time to move on by rejecting the character of the old nature and instead growing in spiritual maturity (Psalm 34:8).

1 Peter 2: 4 You are coming to Christ, the living stone who was rejected by humans but was chosen as precious by God.
Jesus Christ is the “living stone,” the fulfillment of the prophetic word.


This is what the Almighty Lord says:
I am going to lay a rock in Zion,
a rock that has been tested,
a precious cornerstone,
a solid foundation.
Whoever believes in him will not worry. (Isaiah 28:16)

He is the foundation upon which the believer’s life is constructed, though He was rejected. As the Jewish leadership examined Jesus’ life and ministry, they determined that He did not meet their messianic expectations, so they condemned Him to death. Consequently, Jesus, their true Messiah, became their stumbling Stone.


14He will be a place of safety for you.
But he will be a rock that makes people trip
and a stumbling block for both kingdoms of Israel.
He will be a trap and a snare for those who live in Jerusalem.
15Many will stumble.
They will fall and be broken.
They will be trapped and caught.(Isaiah 8:14-15)

However, this rejected Stone became the foundation of those chosen by God Almighty.

10Have you never read the Scripture passage:
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
11The Lord has done this,
and it is amazing for us to see”? (Mark 12:10-11)

1 Peter 2: 5 You come to him as living stones, a spiritual house that is being built into a holy priesthood. So offer spiritual sacrifices that God accepts through Jesus Christ.
Believers likewise are “living stones,” made alive by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the very foundation of this spiritual house. “20You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone. 21In him all the parts of the building fit together and grow into a holy temple in the Lord. 22Through him you, also, are being built in the Spirit together with others into a place where God lives”
(Ephesians 2:20-22). Believers are also called a royal priesthood. “You made them a kingdom and priests for our God. They will rule as kings on the earth” (Revelation 5:10). This holy priesthood offers spiritual sacrifices to God as living testimonies of His grace (Romans 12:1-2).

1 Peter 2: 6 That is why Scripture says, “I am laying a chosen and precious cornerstone in Zion, and the person who believes in him will never be ashamed.”
Peter again quotes from the rich resources of the Scripture (Isaiah 28:16). This cornerstone is chosen and preordained. The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus the Christ was planned before the world began (Revelation 13:8). This is the greatest gift that could ever be offered to a fallen people, the greatest expression of love that could ever be made, and it is rightly considered precious (John 3:16).
Peter further promises that those who are born again as living stones in Jesus Christ will never be put to shame (Isaiah 50:7). The Lord’s promises will never fail and, as a result, are completely dependable.

[Oakback]

no doubt, we have some "living pebbles" around here