CHAPTER 2

(A.D. 60)

HINDRANCES

¹Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings (these things can be laid aside only as much as the Cross of Christ is the Object of our Faith; that being the case, the Holy Spirit will perform the work He Alone can do),

SPIRITUAL GROWTH

²As newborn babes (those recently saved), desire the sincere milk of the Word (the Word of God in general is a life sustaining factor in the spiritual sense), that you may grow thereby (Spiritual Growth is predicated on a knowledge of the Word):

³If so be you have tasted (since you have tasted) that the Lord is Gracious. (This points to the Cross, which is the means of Grace.)

⁴To Whom coming (come exclusively to Jesus), as unto a Living Stone (Christ is the Rock), disallowed indeed of men (refers to the rejection of Christ by Israel), but chosen of God, and precious (men disallowed One Whom God had chosen, i.e., Christ),

CHIEF CORNERSTONE

⁵You also, as lively stones (because of being in Christ), are built up a spiritual house (refers to the Church; not the institutional Church, but rather all who are Born-Again, i.e., the Family of God), an Holy Priesthood (all Born-Again Believers are members of the Holy Priesthood, but Christ Alone is the Great High Priest), to offer up spiritual Sacrifices (the word Sacrifices refers to the Cross and to our Faith ever being in that Finished Work; if it is truly spiritual, then it most truly must have the Cross as its Object), acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (Faith in Christ and the Cross alone is acceptable to God. This means Faith having anything else as its Object is unacceptable.)

⁶Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture (Isa. 28:16), Behold, I lay in Sion a Chief Cornerstone, elect, precious (suggests that the Image of Jesus as the Chief Cornerstone is an important one for Faith, or for unbelief): and he who believes on Him shall not be confounded (shall not be put to shame).

⁷Unto you therefore which believe He is precious (refers to the estimate of Christ by those of us who believe in contrast to the view taken of Him by the world): but unto them which be disobedient, the Stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the Head of the corner (despite the fact that Christ was rejected by Israel, it is to Him that the world will answer),

⁸And a Stone of stumbling, and a Rock of offence (because of the Cross [I Cor. 1:23]), even to them which stumble at the Word, being disobedient (refers to unbelief): whereunto also they were appointed. (All who reject Christ are appointed to be lost.)

⁹But you are a chosen generation (a chosen or a new race, made up of all who have accepted Christ), a Royal Priesthood (Christ is King and High Priest; due to being in Him, we as well are Kings and Priests [Rev. 1:6]), an Holy Nation (a multitude of people of the same nature), a Peculiar People (each Saint is Gods unique possession, just as if that Saint were the only human being in existence); that you should show forth the praises of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light (He saved us by virtue of what He did at the Cross, for which we should ever praise Him):

¹⁰Which in time past were not a people (without God, there is no standing in any capacity), but are now the People of God (made possible by what Jesus did at the Cross): which had not obtained Mercy, but now have obtained Mercy. (Mercy is a product of Grace, which is a product of the Cross.)

BELIEVERS

¹¹Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims (no one is really a pilgrim in the Biblical sense who has not first become a stranger to this world), abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul (tells us that the sin nature is still with us as Christians);

¹²Having your conversation (lifestyle) honest among the Gentiles (the word Gentiles, as used here, does not refer to Gentiles as in contrast to Jews, but to the unsaved world, the world of people without Christ): that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works (separated from sin), which they shall behold (to view carefully as a personal witness), glorify God in the day of visitation (refers to this Day of Grace).

RULERS

¹³Submit yourselves to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake (Peter is speaking here of Civil Government): whether it be to the king, as supreme (providing the Ordinance does not violate the Word of God);

¹⁴Or unto Governors, as unto them who are sent by him (the local police) for the punishment of evildoers (covers all Civil Government), and for the praise of them who do well. (Evil is to be punished and doing right is to be rewarded, which pertains to a stable society.)

¹⁵For so is the Will of God (Civil Government is ordained by God), that with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men (presents the fact that true Christians are the greatest asset of any nation):

¹⁶As free (the freedom we have in Christ), and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. (The liberty we have in Christ does not make us above the Law of the Land.)

¹⁷Honour all men(if honor is due). Love the brotherhood (refers to the Christian family of Believers). Fear God. (He who properly fears God will not dishonor any man, will love his Brethren, and will as well give due recognition to constituted Civil authority.) Honour the king (in effect, refers to honoring the Office).

SERVANTS

¹⁸Servants (slaves), be subject to your masters with all fear (indicates that slaves, as a class, formed a large part of the early Christian community); not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. (Christian slaves were to conduct themselves Christlike, whether their master was good or not. This admonition covers the modern employer and employee in the same manner.)

¹⁹For this is thankworthy (refers to an action beyond the ordinary course of what might be expected), if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. (Even though treated badly, the believing slave is to continue to conduct himself Christlike, which will always be noted by God.)

²⁰For what glory is it, if, when you be buffeted for your faults, you shall take it patiently? (If, in fact, the slave has done wrong, he should accept his punishment without complaint.) but if, when you do well, and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. (This means not accepting the wrong treatment with patience is not acceptable with God. This can only be done by the Holy Spirit helping such a one, which He definitely will do, providing the Faith of such an individual is ever anchored in the Cross.)

CHRIST

²¹For even hereunto were you called (called to act Christlike, irrespective): because Christ also suffered for us (Peter reminds these slaves that Christ also suffered unjustly, for He the Just One died on behalf of unjust ones), leaving us an example, that we should follow His steps (we are to reproduce Christ in our lives, which we can only do by the Help, Guidance, Leading, and Power of the Holy Spirit [Jn. 16:7-16]):

²²Who did no sin (Christ was the only sinless human being Who ever lived), neither was guile found in His mouth (He never sinned by speaking hypocritically or falsely, not even one time):

²³Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again (He did not respond in kind); when He suffered, He threatened not (when He suffered unjustly, He did not call down wrath from Heaven, which He definitely could have done); but committed Himself to Him Who Judges Righteously (He committed His defense to God, which we as well should do):

²⁴Who His Own Self bear our sins in His Own Body on the tree (gave Himself in Sacrifice on the Cross, taking the full penalty for our sins, which was physical death; it was not Christs suffering that redeemed us, although that definitely was a part of what happened, but rather the price He paid by the giving of Himself), that we, being dead to sins, should live unto Righteousness (we are dead to sins by virtue of us being in Christ when He died on the Cross, which is done by our exhibiting Faith in Christ [Rom. 6:3-5]; and we were raised with Him in newness of life, which guarantees us a perfect, spotless Righteousness): by Whose stripes you were healed. (This refers to the healing of our souls, and the healing of our physical body as well. The Atonement included everything man lost in the Fall, but we only have the Firstfruits now, with the balance coming at the Resurrection [Rom. 8:23].)

²⁵For you were as sheep going astray (we were like a flock without a shepherd); but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls (refers to the Lord Jesus Christ; He Alone is the True Shepherd, and He Alone is the True Bishop of our souls; if we allow man to take His Place, we spiritually wreck ourselves; man can only serve as an under-shepherd).