Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from 1 Pet 2:1 and following. Indeed, a child who comes into the world must quickly be fed. That is why the Word of God, after giving life, also provides what it takes to maintain it. It is the “complete nourishment” of the soul, “the pure milk of the Word” of which Christ is the substance. If we have tasted that the Lord is good, we will no longer be able to do without this divine food (Ps 34:8-10). After the living seed and the living hope (1 Pet 1:3-5), here we find the living stones. They are built together on the One who is the head of the angle, precious both to God and to us who believe, in order to constitute a spiritual home (Eph 2:19-22). And you too are one of those stones, the Lord had said to Simon Barjonas (Mat 16:13-20). Well, such privileges entail corresponding responsibilities!
For these Christians were newborn children. All their Judaic knowledge played no role in the knowledge they had gained to this day. On the contrary, they had to reject everything that had characterized them in the past and that had no part in their new life: “Rejecting all malice and fraud, and hypocrisy, and envy, and all backbiting.” They were to long for only one thing, the Word, the “pure intellectual milk,” the pure and complete nourishment of the children who have just been born. The new birth here is the normal beginning of growth; there is no question, as in Heb 5:11-12, of what they had become, having demoted, instead of advancing towards the state of made men (Heb 5:14; 6.1); but of what they were as a result of their election.
This word was not a collection of ineffective ordinances, but “pure intellectual milk” containing the whole truth, without any mixture, without any foreign element. Every passage in this perfect Word nourishes the soul with divinely excellent things. Through it one believes in salvation, that is, in the knowledge of what salvation entails, the only thing, in the epistle of Peter, that the soul of a Christian, pilgrim and traveler here on earth possesses, as a divine reality. To grow to salvation through this intellectual milk, only one thing is indispensable: One must have “tasted that the Lord is good”; the heart and affections must be engaged in His following.
In the foregoing, the Apostle had dealt with their personal conduct among the nations, and then with their conduct vis-à-vis the authorities, men in general, and God Himself as a testimony. After addressing everyone by insisting on the fear of God, he enters into the question of domestic relations: servants, wives, husbands. He addresses his first exhortations to the most humble, to those who are enslaved, either as slaves or as mere servants. The fear of God will be shown in them in the first place in submission to their masters in all fear. And it is here, preciously, that he further develops the character of Christ to be in encouragement to them. Servants see God through their master; and this is all the more important to note that masters can be unfortunate. But it is a special grace to bear afflictions out of conscience towards God, when these sufferings are unjust. The big deal is not to suffer, but to suffer by doing good. This is a matter of glory and praise before God, for this is the way of Christ. To be a servant, to do good, to suffer because one does it, is this not his way? So this way is worthy of praise before God, for, he says; this is what we have been called to, that is, to the way of Christ.
Now notice that the whole epistle rolls on this truth; so that if one seeks what one should be one’s way in this world, the answer is simply: Christ. – Christ obedient, Christ submissive, Christ doing good, Christ suffering because he does it. We have pointed out so far that the first character of the Christian walk is the obedience of Jesus Christ, but, beginning where the apostle shows us, until the end of the epistle, that suffering is inseparable from obedience and that it is for us a subject of glory because it has characterized to the end our beloved Savior in his path of fidelity and in his path of love. That, therefore, is what we have been called to. Didn’t Christ suffer for us, and that was salvation, but at the same time he is a model that was given to us to follow him. First so Inimitable Victim, then Model, and what do we learn in this school? This model is perfect. He alone did not commit sin, and there was only perfect righteousness in every word of his mouth.
It is as a Servant that He is treated throughout the passage in question (Isa 52:13), and as the One in whom there was no fraud (Isa 53:9). The perfection of suffering was to suffer for those who insulted him and to walk, through everything to the cross where he carried our sins, so that having finished with the sins through death, we could henceforth “live in righteousness”, have a life that has only justice in sight, that is, according to the Old Testament, the complete absence of sin in our ways. This justice is shown in our daily character as servants. It is through His bruises that we are healed (Isa 53:5). This was the result of his suffering for those Jews who had become Christians. They were like wandering sheep, without a pastor; He had come to gather them, giving Himself for them. Now, by becoming Christians, they had returned to the Shepherd and overseer of their souls. Peter, watching himself, could well speak of it, he who had heard from the mouth of Christ, these words: Feed my sheep!
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
A new cult in a new temple:
- Poorly removed
Dt 13:5 This prophet or dreamer will be punished with death, for he spoke of revolt against Jehovah, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and delivered you from the house of bondage, and he wanted to divert you from the way in which Jehovah, your God, commanded you to walk. You will thus remove evil from your midst. Dt 17:7 The hand of the witnesses will rise first upon him to make him die, and then the hand of all the people. You will thus remove evil from your midst. Jb 22:23 You will be restored, if you return to the Almighty, if you keep iniquity away from your tent. 1 Cor 5:13 For those outside, God judges them. Take the villain out of the middle of you.
- Spiritual temples
1 Cor 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 1 Cor 6:19 Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit that is in you, that you have received from God, and that you do not belong to yourselves? 2 Cor 6:16 What is the relationship between the temple of God and the idols? For we are the temple of the living God, as God said: I will dwell and walk among them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 1 Pet 2:5 and yourselves, like living stones, build yourselves up to form a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual victims, pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.
- Cornerstone
Ps 118:22 The stone rejected by those who built became the main one of the corner. Mt 21:42 Jesus said to them: Have you ever read in the Scriptures: The stone rejected by those who built has become the principal of the corner; It is from the Lord that this came, And it is a prodigy in our eyes? Acts 4:11 Jesus is the stone rejected by you who build, and who has become the principal of the angle. 1 Pet 2:6 For it is said in Scripture: Behold, I put in Zion a cornerstone, chosen, precious; And he who believes in it will not be confused.
- Fear of God
Isaiah 8:13 It is the Lord of hosts that you must sanctify, It is He whom you must fear and dread. Mt 10:28 Fear not those who kill the body and cannot kill the soul; rather, fear the one who can cause the soul and body to perish in Gehenna. 1 Pet 1:17 And if you invoke as Father the one who judges according to the work of each one, without accepting persons, conduct yourselves with fear during the time of your pilgrimage, 1 Pet 2:17 Honor everyone; love the brethren; fear God; honor the king.
From all of the above, we note that the Christian is invited to respect the established order, not out of “fear of the policeman,” but for the greatest motive that can act on his heart: the love of the Lord (John 15:9-14). We are slaves only to God, and it is He who dictates our attitude towards each other. All masters are far from being “good and gentle”; it is perverse. And our testimony will have much more strength and relief before the latter than before the former. Injustice, outrage and all forms of affliction are opportunities for the child of God to glorify Him. In this way, someone has preceded us: the one who was the Man of sorrows. Certainly, in the work of the Atonement Christ has had and will never have companions or imitators. “He himself – and He alone – bore our sins in his body on the wood.” On the other hand, in His walk of righteousness (and therefore suffering), He is our perfect Model (1 John 2:3-6). The contradiction and perversity of men only highlighted his patience, his gentleness, his humility, his wisdom, his complete trust in God… blessed traces on which we have to walk. In this way we will fulfill the Lord’s last injunction to Peter: “You follow me” (John 21:20-23). Having been “called from darkness to his wonderful light,” could we give refuge in our minds to carnal lusts? One look is enough to initiate them. And they are waging war on the soul. If we are a holy priesthood, it is to offer spiritual sacrifices pleasing to God. If we are an acquired people to Him, it is to proclaim His virtues. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” the duties of the spouses; sufferings and resurrection of Christ.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.