1 Peter

Chapter 2

vs 1

Another therefore. So since you are born of an imperishable seed, you should get rid of all these things that suggest your birth to a perishable one. Interesting that Peter picks a list of sins which is entirely focused on the trashing of personal relationships - very much linked with loving your brothers I think (1:22).

vs 2

This verse could suggest that Peter considers this letter to be to those new in the faith, which shows just how quickly coming to faith meant suffering persecution back then. In any case, the pure spiritual milk is most probably not the Scriptures (but that's instantly what we think it is) - to my reading, it is your relationship with Jesus, as I think this idea links back to 1:7-9. But that's just me.

vs 3

Sticking with the milk metaphor. If milk = Scriptures, then it means now that you've heard them a little, get stuck in. But if milk means relationship with Jesus, then it means that, now you've had the experience of love for Christ and inexpressible joy, feed up to maturity on it. I like that better.

vs 4

The term 'rejected by men' shows that Peter is about to start using the OT "capstone" metaphor. Jesus isn't just the one dispassionately chosen by God, but is also precious to him - like a Son, you might say. Worth remembering that's part of God's plan - his beloved Son has to do the job.

vs 5

And there we have it - the priesthood of all believers. All believers make spiritual sacrifices. You certainly can't say that Peter was only writing to bishops here! And yet for centuries the church treated the sacrament of communion like a sacrifice done on an altar to appease God. What fools we are.

We're not all making sacrifices to God of Jesus Christ, we are making them through Jesus Christ. And those sacrifices may very well be of our lives through suffering.

vs 6

And so Peter backs up what he says through Scripture. He's probably also quoting it in case they haven't made the connection yet. Teaching as much as proving.

vs 7

Not everyone values the precious capstone of Zion. Not only do they reject it...

vs 8

But it also causes them to stumble and fall. They heard the message but rejected it, and so they stumble. What does "destined for" mean? I'm no Calvinist, but the greek supposedly means "they were appointed for" - so its not simply the idea that you choose your own destiny, and if you disobey God then you are destined to stumble. It certainly seems to read that they were chosen for this rejection. But if my studies of philosophy do me any stead, then I can tell you that being determined and having free choice are not necessarily in opposition. It could be that we just seek to draw a false dichotomy between them. I didn't write it - it's there in black and white. I know what Charles & John Wesley would say anyway.

vs 9

Here's the other side of the equation - a chosen people. What does he mean? Bah, who cares. If Peter doesn't explain it, then it's either a. self evident or b. irrelevant. It's certainly not self evident to us and hasn't been to the church for the majority of its existance, but it might have been to the early believers. Who knows.

The important thing is that we've been called out of darkness to be a royal priesthood and a holy nation. Interesting mix of descriptors. You can imagine a holy priesthood, and a royal nation, but here the sacred and secular mix - although really the "secular" in these statements is still sacred because it's talking about the kingdom of God.

It does, however, show us that we should have an attitude far more like the Jews or even (gasp) Muslims when it comes to the "holy nation" of believers. Peter uses the political term advisedly - you don't ever become a traitor to your own people, or your leader. It doesn't mean we have to all move into the same country together. Think of the pre-Israel Jewish diaspora, or the Muslim umma - the whole idea is that you're Jewish first, nationality second. The Jews are a nation of people spread around the world. Christians are like that too - we don't need a country to all band together in - we've got the kingdom of God.

vs 10

Once again, we are a people. Once we weren't a people (Ok, sure, we were all members of countries or provinces or whatever, but remember Peter is writing to at least 5 separate groupings of people, and they were never a people together, except perhaps Roman or Greek, and then not by blood). Now we are a people united by God. And this is part of God's mercy. It's like the reversal of the Tower of Babel - by God's wrath we were dispersed, but his mercy we are brought together.

vs 11

Again, aliens and strangers in this world! Again with the nationhood of believers. But now, instead of our first allegience being to our heavenly country instead of our earthly one, Peter shows that the true demarkation is between the heavenly realm and the earthly one. As much as we are citizens of the kingdom of God before our earthly countries, we are citizens of heaven, not citizens of the earth. There's a war going on between heaven and earth, and it's partly fought in the souls of believers. Not that we're not called to fight that one though - abstain from those things which cause the war, that is, sinful desires.

vs 12

I wonder how many martyrs went to their deaths with this verse in mind? You can see why the Roman government saw Christianity as a threat - Peter here is out-and-out saying that your Roman citizenship is nothing compared to your heavenly one. Christianity is like a breakaway rebel group! But instead of taking up arms and fighting, they are waging a "good lives" protest - living such good lives that people can't help but notice. Much more effective than a silent protest or a starvation protest. And you don't even have to set yourself on fire - the Romans will do that for you (bloody Nero). If ever there was a verse to get you started on your rebellion against this world, it's this one.