Category: Righteous Living

Posted on

1 Peter 2:11 (b) — Impressions

Picture of shoe with wad of gum stuck on bottom.

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires…

…which wage war against your soul. 

Today we look at the second half of verse eleven. These six words are profoundly meaningful. As we put on the wedding garment, the righteousness of Christ, we wonder, “Do we have to wear these clothes all the time?” The answer is yes, and these six words explain why. 

In this passage, Peter does not warn us against doing sinful things. He has already done that in verse two when he writes, “…be obedient to Jesus Christ ”

Continue reading “1 Peter 2:11 (b) — Impressions”
Posted on

1 Peter 2:11 (a) — Jesus’ Shoes

Picture of a man's hand holding the tiny feet of a newborn baby.

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires…

In yesterday’s post, “Party Clothes,” we talked about what it means to be the “people of God.” To illustrate, we turned to Matthew 22:1-14 where Jesus tells the parable of the Wedding Banquet. 

We concluded the post with this:

“The people who accept Jesus’ offer of forgiveness are given this wedding garment. In spiritual terms, we are talking about party clothes for the most amazing event in the history of the universe.”

Now Peter continues his thought with what it means to put on and wear the righteousness of Christ. He begins with, “abstain from sinful desires.” 

Continue reading “1 Peter 2:11 (a) — Jesus’ Shoes”
Posted on

1 Peter 2:10 — Party Clothes

Picture of a banquet room set up for a wedding feast.

 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

I once attended a church whose pastor was a master storyteller. I have never in my life had the pleasure of being entertained by someone so gifted in making a story come to life. Often, the story illustrated a Bible passage. One Sunday, he told a story about the parable of the wedding banquet from Matthew 22: 1-14. 

The story was told in his unusual, vivid style. I remember it to this day. The mental images he conjured in my mind are indelible. Sadly, his telling of the story seemed to muddle the point of the Biblical account. 

Continue reading “1 Peter 2:10 — Party Clothes”
Posted on

1 Peter 2:6 — Read

Picture of a small boy reading an old Bible.

For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

Today Peter leads us through the first of three Old Testament passages. He has carefully laid out his teaching about Jesus being a “living Stone.” He points out that this “stone” has been rejected by humans but is precious to God. Then he explains that when we are in Christ, we are like living stones, too. Now he walks us through the Scriptural foundations for his teaching. 

How do we know that the Bible is God’s Word? One very important clue is the consistency of God’s Word throughout the Bible. 

Continue reading “1 Peter 2:6 — Read”
Posted on

1 Peter 2:5 (c) — At the Foot of the Cross

Picture of the cross silhouetted against the morning sky.

…offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

This may be one of the most important verses in the Bible. Oh, I know…it looks benign. You can read it and think, “Nice verse…” and go on with your reading. But when I look at this verse I see all the threads in the Bible coming together into one place. 

I can guess what you are thinking. You are probably thinking, “Okay, Jeff. Go ahead. Show me how this ties together all the threads in the Bible. But remember, this is ThreeMinuteBible.com, not TwentyYearBible.com, okay?” Okay. Fair enough. Since we are constrained on time, I will use large brush strokes again and see if I can paint a picture of what I see.

Continue reading “1 Peter 2:5 (c) — At the Foot of the Cross”
Posted on

1 Peter 2:5 (b) — The Priestly Function

Picture of a priest's hands serving communion.

… to be a holy priesthood…

What is the difference between a “priesthood” and a “holy priesthood?” That is the question that comes to mind today. Peter says that those who are chosen by God, who are being “built into a spiritual house,” are going to be a holy priesthood. What can he mean? 

The answer to this question lies in the difference between what God intended the Old Testament priesthood to be and what it actually was. 

Continue reading “1 Peter 2:5 (b) — The Priestly Function”
Posted on

1 Peter 2: 2 (a) — In Search of Truth

A picture of a man looking through binoculars.

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk…

In looking over Peter’s letter, I get the impression that he is giving us a “Cliff Notes” version of the entire New Testament in a few words. I marvel at the consistency of God’s Word. Whether we look through the lens of Luke, Paul, James, or Peter, the message is consistent.

I’ve helped to raise a couple of amazing young men from when they were very tiny babies, but that doesn’t mean that I am an expert on babies. I do know, however, that there are different kinds of babies. The kind of baby that Peter is talking about is “newborn.” 

Continue reading “1 Peter 2: 2 (a) — In Search of Truth”
Posted on

1 Peter 2: 1 — Good Riddance

A picture of three garbage cans and a broom in a back alley.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 

Today we finish what we started yesterday; the first verse of the second chapter. What are we dealing with here? What is Peter asking us to do? What are malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander? Is there something that they all have in common? 

Malice is the desire to do evil. Okay. We can probably agree that we should avoid that. We can also agree that malice is ungodly. 

Continue reading “1 Peter 2: 1 — Good Riddance”
Posted on

1 Peter 2:1 (a) — Inside Outside

A man's head half out of the water stares at the camera

Therefore, rid yourselves of …

In our post, “Checklist for Love,” we outlined some of the key points Peter has made in the first chapter of his letter. Today we begin the second chapter with, “Therefore…” As Pastor Rich loves to remind us in Bible study: “Always ask the question, ‘What is the ”therefore” there for?‘” 

Peter has finished summarizing his thoughts by saying (in effect) people die, God’s Word is forever. Therefore…

Continue reading “1 Peter 2:1 (a) — Inside Outside”
Proudly powered by WordPress