1 Peter 2
1 Peter 2 begins with another “therefore.” If you remember from last week, chapter 1 ended with a call to holiness because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Peter reminds us of our new life, eternal life, in Jesus, and then begins chapter 2 with “therefore.” After a call to holiness as our new life, he tells us to “long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). So, we must pursue the word of God if we want to pursue holiness. His Word is what helps us grow.
Peter then reminds us that Jesus is a living stone that was rejected by men but exalted by God. As followers of Jesus, we too are living stones. God wants to use each of us to build His Church with Jesus. How wonderful it is that God wants to build His Church through us too! What an honor it is to be a part of His story.
He has good plans for us as His children. God has designed us to be “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (verse 9).
I love verse 9. It is such a beautiful reminder of who God has called me to be: chosen, royal, holy, and His own. Praise God! However, if I am being honest, I usually stop there. I love to receive His blessings of belonging to Him, but I forget the second part of that verse. I have been called by God, not just for my own enjoyment, but so I can share His excellencies. Verse 9 says we are called these things SO THAT we can share Him with others.
I have been called by God, not just for my own enjoyment, but so I can share His excellencies.
God has great love for us. He also has great love for others. He did not call us by name so we could keep His Good News to ourselves. He has set us free and we now get the opportunity to share that with others! We get to tell people about how Jesus saved us from darkness and brought us into light! It is vital that we do not forget that second part of the verse. Please, take some time to sit in the goodness of part 1, but then be prepared to live out part 2.
After Peter gives us this charge, he reminds us again to stay away from fleshly desires and to “keep your behavior excellent” because he knows that our holiness will reflect Christ and can bring others to him. Again, God’s goodness is not just for us, but for everyone, and we have a part to play.
One of the ways we are to pursue excellence and holiness comes from verse 13, “submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king or as the one in authority.” If I am being honest, I tend to struggle with this one. I want to do things my way, usually because I think I am right.
Too often, I have let my pride keep me from submitting to authority. Whether it is my boss, my parents, the government, or someone else in charge, I need to submit to them, not because I don’t get a say, but because I trust in the Father who knows all things. I want to serve God with my whole heart, soul, and mind, and serving those in leadership is one way I do that.
Whether I want to or not, I need to “honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king” because it is what we are commanded to do in 1 Peter 2:17. In order to be obedient to the Father, in order to fear, serve, and worship Him, I need to be obedient to ALL His commands, not just the easy ones. I need to honor ALL people.
When I don’t do what my boss, leadership, etc. asks of me, I am also being disobedient to my Father. I do want to clarify something, if the authority around me tells me to do something that is in direct conflict to God’s Word, then I will choose God’s Word over theirs. I am not talking about blind obedience that leads us astray from God’s commands, I am talking about submitting when it’s inconvenient and less than ideal. Those are the moments I need to trust God and remember that He knows who is in charge, and He knows how to lift up His people.
In order to be obedient to the Father, in order to fear, serve, and worship Him, I need to be obedient to ALL His commands, not just the easy ones.
I know that this can be incredibly difficult, but thankfully we have an example in Jesus. No one has had to suffer under authority more than Jesus and no one handled it better than Jesus. He did not commit any sin, yet suffered for all sin. In 1 Peter 2:23, Peter reminds us that Jesus, “while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” and as a result of Jesus’ endurance through suffering, “by His wounds you were healed.”
Thank you, Jesus, for your sacrifice, for your endurance through suffering, and for your example to us. I don’t know your situation right now. I don’t know the authorities in your life, but I know we need to follow Jesus’ example. When we are at work and our boss asks us to do something we don’t want to do, we need to submit, and trust in God. When there are laws we don’t want to follow, we need to submit, and trust in God.
In chapter 2, Peter reminds us to pursue the Word of God as a way of pursuing holiness. He reminds us of our identity to God and the purpose He has for us out of that identity. He challenges us to live with excellence and to submit to authority, not as blind obedience, but as a way to trust in the Lord. In all circumstances, we must put our trust in God.
You may need God’s help living with excellence, or you may need help with submitting to authority. I want to encourage you to pursue His Word either way. The more we know the Word, the more we will trust and follow Jesus. Matthew 6:33 reminds us that when we seek God first, He will take care of the rest. He will renew our hearts and provide for our needs. Let’s pursue Jesus together, for we are all Holy in Progress.
With love,
Erica