Session 3
1 Peter 2:1-10
Memory Verse: 1 Peter 2:9
An old television commercial carried a familiar tagline: “Membership has its privileges.” The idea was simple. Be a member of that group, and you would experience things others could only imagine. It remains a strong message in a world where everyone wants to belong or enjoy a connection with a group.
Christ followers belong to a unique group. As God’s people, we experience His special blessings. The Word of Christ by which Christians receive new life sustains them in this world and allows them to mature in their relationship with Christ. This growth requires effort, along with humble dependence.
As you dig into this session, reflect on who you are in Christ. Spend time thanking Him for bringing you out of darkness and into His “marvelous light.” Ask Him to give you wisdom as you share these truths with the adults in your Bible study.
Home ownership is a blessing that carries with it responsibility. People can feel a sense of pride when they sign the paperwork and receive the keys to their new home. That sense of pride can turn to dread when the air conditioning breaks or the roof needs replacing. Those who embrace the blessing must also embrace the responsibility. Peter reminded believers that they have both the blessing and responsibility of living as God’s own people. (PSG, p. 28)
Name an example of a blessing that brings responsibility.
In many ways, Peter’s audience was living in spiritual exile. They had accepted Christ, and they were living in Asia Minor. Their faith drew negative attention from Jews, who would maintain a strong commitment to the law of Moses. At the same time, Gentiles, who embraced the idolatry and paganism of the Greco-Roman culture, would be offended by their devotion to Jesus.
They suffered persecution from both directions, increasing their isolation. This idea of exile-aliens living in a hostile culture-served as a recurring theme as Peter instructed and encouraged them on living for Christ in that context.
First Peter 2:1-10 continues what began in 1:13, where Peter drew out the practical manifestations of salvation and hope. He had challenged his readers to remain alert in a world that would try to distract and disrupt their relationship with Christ. He urged them to remember the hope they had received in Christ and allow that hope to define who they were and what they did.
He offered additional exhortations in 1 Peter 2:1-5, challenging them to reject habits or attitudes that pushed them farther from holiness. Satan will do all he can to fill our lives with ungodly actions and emotions. It is our responsibility to reject those vices in favor of godly alternatives.
Next, Peter directed His readers to desire the milk of God’s Word. Just like a newborn needs nutrition to grow, Christ followers need healthy spiritual nourishment. Again, the larger culture has its own ideas of what we should be “digesting,” but those offerings amount to little more than spiritual junk food. God’s Word alone provides what believers need to grow in their faith.
Those who lean into Peter’s encouragement will take their place as “living stones” in the house of God. While the religious leaders of His day rejected Jesus, the chief Cornerstone, He continues to build a spiritual house that serves as a home for all who follow Him.
In verses 6-10, Peter drew a contrast between those who turn away from Christ and those who embrace His sacrifice. Simply put, those who reject the “cornerstone” will be rejected themselves. They will find this eternal rock to be an obstacle that trips them up and tears them down.
However, those who follow Christ become His chosen people. Peter compared believers to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, which was founded to be a witness to God’s salvation. He also noted that Christ followers serve as His priests, helping connect God with sinful humanity by sharing His offer of forgiveness through Jesus. Having experienced God’s mercy, we are charged to share His mercy with others.
Read 1 Peter 2:1-10 and underline the three images Peter used to describe the identity of suffering Christians. Read the passage again and circle those things that Peter asked believers to remove from their lives. (PSG, p. 29)
EXPLORE THE TEXT
1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, 3 if you have tasted that the Lord is good.
(v. 1) Therefore: Therefore likely relates directly back to verse 23. Because believers have come to life through God’s Word, the sin that interfered with their calling to love one another had to be set aside. Sin destroys relationships-between individuals and God and between individuals and those around them. To truly join people in love, one must set aside sin not just once, but regularly.
(v. 1) Rid yourselves: Grammatically, this is not an imperative, but it can be rendered as a command because of Peter’s urgency related to desiring God’s Word, which is the primary command in the verses. In addition, Peter was challenging his readers to renounce all behavior that would keep them from pursuing God with a passion. He had encouraged his readers to love one another, so they had to eliminate anything that might hinder or damage that love.
(v. 1) Malice . . . Slander: The five sins listed in verse 1 are broad, but they are not random. Most assuredly, these represent sins that beset the body of believers Peter was addressing in his letter. They also continue to plague people today and tend to drive wedges between Christ followers.
For example, the Greek word for malice (kakia) refers to general wickedness or evil behavior toward others. Meanwhile, deceit and hypocrisy are closely related. The former refers to deception that lures people into other forms of sin or evil, while the latter refers to a lack of authenticity. One should not hide his or her true identity through insincere motives or agendas.
Envy relates to jealous feelings that could lead someone to treat others spitefully or with bitterness. Slander highlights the human tendency to speak of people in a way that makes others think less of them. There is simply no room for any of these behaviors if Jesus is to be worshiped and shared by the community of faith.
(v. 2) Newborn infants: Most likely, Peter was not suggesting that the members of his audience were entirely new Christians. Instead, the imagery of newborn infants is perhaps best understood as a powerful metaphor meant to motivate these believers to crave the Lord and to grow in their faith.
After all, believers should never stop growing in their faith, regardless of how long they have been following Jesus! Therefore, in the same way that an infant possesses a powerful and intrinsic desire for mother’s milk, Christ followers should pursue the Lord in full recognition of our utter dependence on Him for life and faith.
The Greek word used by Peter here is logikos, which is closely associated with logos (“word” or “reason”). Translating logikos as word makes it clear for English readers that Peter was referring to something innately spiritual with God as its source. Whether in the first century or the 21st century, “milk” refers to the Scriptures.
While one’s affections or emotions are not excluded from one’s spiritual growth, the mind cannot be bypassed. Rational thought and mental assent also play a crucial role in one’s spiritual growth.
(v. 3) Tasted . . . Lord is good: The conditionality of verse 3 (if) evenly presses Peter’s audience to consider to what degree they have experienced the kindness of God. The wording does not suggest doubt, nor should it be read as if their delight in God is a foregone conclusion (such as “since” or “because”). Rather, Peter wanted his readers to reflect on this truth with the assurance that what he was saying was true.
The allusion to Psalm 34 is unmistakable, for that Psalm’s themes are similar to Peter’s letter. God is unquestionably present with His people when they are suffering for the sake of righteousness, and this truth offers great hope.
EXPLORE THE TEXT
4 As you come to him, a living stone-rejected by people but chosen and honored by God- 5 you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame. 7 So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving, The stone that the builders rejected-this one has become the cornerstone,
8 and A stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this.
(v. 4) Living stone: Peter’s reference to Jesus as a living stone is yet another Old Testament allusion. This one connects the work of God in the Old Testament with that of Jesus in the New Testament. With the word picture, Peter emphasized Jesus’s defeat of death through the resurrection. The suffering Christians in Asia Minor could rest assured that they served a living Savior.
(v. 4) Rejected by people: Peter’s mastery of the Old Testament, especially the Psalms, is on full display in this passage with a phrase that strongly mirrors Psalm 118:22. Using Peter’s sermon in Acts 4 where he made the same reference, we can safely conclude that he was pointing out that Jesus’s death cemented humanity’s rejection of Him, but His resurrection verified that He is the cornerstone upon which true faith is built.
(v. 5) Living stones: This phrase is unique in the New Testament. Jesus is “a living stone” (v. 4), and His followers are living stones. When individuals place their faith in Christ, the resurrection life that animated Jesus from the dead becomes available to them immediately. This has implications for us now and for eternity. Life on earth takes on a new significance because Christ followers are on mission for Him. In addition, believers are assured that a final resurrection is coming which will result in His abiding presence.
(v. 5) Spiritual house: As living stones, believers are, like a temple, being built up to function as a type of holy priesthood. Christians are both priests and temples, indwelled by the Holy Spirit. The church as a whole is God’s priesthood and temple. All of God’s people (as a collective whole) serve as His priests with direct access to God through Jesus.
(v. 6) Stone in Zion: Peter cited Isaiah 28:16 to affirm his previous statements. The citation is not a perfect match for the Masoretic Text or the Septuagint, but the quote is close. Thankfully, the meaning behind the words is most important: God divinely appointed Jesus to be the cornerstone. He is the resurrected Christ, and God’s church is built on Him. Believing in this, Peter emphasized that Christ followers will never be put to shame.
(vv. 7-8) Unbelieving: While those who believe will receive honor, others will experience dishonor for rejecting the cornerstone upon which everything is built. Without any substance or support, they stand in shame for not believing. In their disobedience, they would stumble and trip over the very One who could lift them up and carry them toward spiritual maturity. They were destined for this by God’s sovereign plan.
EXPLORE THE TEXT
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
(v. 9) Chosen race: In the Old Testament, God chose Israel to be His people. Once the Messiah came and finished His work of salvation on the cross, believers-the living stones who made up the church-became His people. In addition, Peter identified followers of Jesus as a royal priesthood and a holy nation, using more Old Testament language (Ex. 19).
At its best, the Old Testament priesthood represented a go-between that connected God with His highest creation. The priests who served in the tabernacle and the temple brought the people’s needs before God and mediated His response to them. However, as a nation, the entire population of Israel also was called to point people toward God and to encourage them into a personal relationship with Him.They did this with varying degrees of success over their history. Today, Christians are called to the same priestly role, revealing God and His ways to a world in need.
(v. 9) For his possession: The Greek wording here suggests taking ownership or making something one’s own. It involves a complete acquisition. But it also includes the idea of preservation.
The moment we accept Christ as Savior, God claims us as His precious possession and takes us as His own. In doing so, He protects us so that, as Jesus pointed out, no one can snatch us out of His hand (John 10:27-30). Paul also reminded the believers in Rome that absolutely nothing has the power to separate Christ followers from Him (Rom. 8:37-39).
(v. 9) Proclaim the praises: The purpose for which God has established this chosen race and taken them into His possession is stated clearly: proclaim the praises of the One who had brought His people out of the bondage of darkness into his marvelous light. This is almost certainly an allusion to Isaiah 43:21, where God said He created a people whose sole purpose was to bring Him praise.
(v. 10) Once . . . but now: Peter noted the wording of Hosea 2:23 to equate the mercy believers have in Jesus with the mercy God pledged to sinful Israel. Prior to embracing the gospel, Peter’s readers were hopeless and lost. The idea behind not a people implies a lack of connection to God or the gospel. However, in Christ, believers move from having no true spiritual identity to becoming God’s people. What’s more, He was continuing His work to refine them and transform them into His image.
The Christians in Asia Minor enjoyed a new relationship with mercy. Previously, they had been living under God’s wrath, but their salvation allowed them to experience God’s mercy to its fullest extent. Mercy is undeserved and can only lead to humble worship and joy.
Review these points from Apply the Text on page 36 of the Personal Study Guide:
Invite the group to share how these statements are supported by the Scripture verses in this session.
Guide the group to discuss the second set of questions on page 36 of the PSG. Encourage them to share evidence of spiritual maturity they see in themselves and in the lives of other adults in the group.
Close in prayer, thanking God for the provision of His Word through Peter reminding us of His call in our lives. Commit to growing in our efforts to reflect Christ in our lives.
Reinforce the session by texting or emailing the group during the week. Encourage them to share if they have faced an experience that challenged their spirituality and how it moved them toward spiritual maturity. Suggest they share what direction they received from God’s Word as they responded. Urge them to reflect on the situation and evaluate what they might have done differently. Commit to praying with them, asking God to be glorified through their actions.
Session 3
Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. (See Romans 10:9-15; Ephesians 1:4-5.)
Examine how Old Testament passages are used in the New Testament.
sUsing a study Bible or a Bible with robust cross-referencing, read through 1 and 2 Peter, making note of the Old Testament references and allusions. How did Peter use the Old Testament references to make his point? How does his use of the Old Testament inform our interpretation of the New Testament?