1st Peter 2:1-12 • Aliens and Strangers
- Steve Schott
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
► 1st Peter is focused primarily on encouraging believers in a time of intense persecution.
• He encourages the believers to live well, love one another, leave behind all the negativity, and to become “living stones” as a part of God’s “spiritual house”.
• He also reminds them in 1st Peter 2:11 that they are “aliens and strangers”
• The current leader of the Roman Empire is Nero, and we all know what a whack-job he was.
As Newborn Babes • What We Are To Do
1st Peter 2:1-3 → 1 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
► One of the things we should always do when reading Scripture is always ask "what's the "therefore" there for?
• In this case, Peter is about to give us some more information, but it follows a logical progression of what he's previously shared with us.
→ We, in our sinful state, have received grace beyond measure, in that, while deserving eternal damnation because of the sin that has plagued our lives, instead, by faith, we have received eternal life through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and through His resurrection.
→ And also, that even in the midst of the persecution we are currently facing, we should still be examples of the love of Christ, by choosing to act in a way that works for the betterment of those around us.
► Our first directive is to "put aside" a list of negative qualities that we should no longer giving heed to. This carries the idea of taking off your coat with no intention of ever putting it on again.
• "Malice" - this is a desire to hurt another individual, or see them come to harm in some way.
• "Deceit" - sometimes translated "guile", this is deception or lying.
• "Hypocrisy" - another form of lying - this is putting on a false front, or being fake with someone.
• "Envy" - wishing you possessed something of another person; jealousy.
• "Slander" - evil speaking or defaming another person.
► Our second directive is to "long for the pure milk of the word". Specifically, the word of God.
• When this verse says to "long" for the word, it literally means to develop a desire for it, like a baby desires it's mother's milk.
• In nature, it has always amazed me that God has created animals with an immediate and an overwhelming desire on the part of new borns to get to the milk. How in the world would they even know to do that?
• In like fashion, Peter is telling us that it's not enough to just cast off the bad stuff, but that we also need to add in that desire for sustenance that we need in order to grow into spiritual adulthood.
► When Peter says "if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord" he basically is saying "if you are a Christian". He's expressing that this should be normal practice for believers.
As Living Stones • What the Lord Does
1st Peter 2:4-8 → 4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in Scripture:
And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” (Isaiah 28:16)
This became the very corner stone,” (Psalm 118:22)
“A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; (Isaiah 8:14)
for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.
► Peter starts rambling on about construction; about building a house. Only in this scenario, we are the bricks, or stones, with which the house is built.
• I'm not a construction expert, but I do know what when a structure is built from bricks, the very first one sets the standard, and is the support for, all the rest.
• Everything sets upon, and is directed by, the corner stone.
• And in this text, Peter tells us straight up that Jesus is the "Corner Stone", and we are "living stones" that are built upon Jesus.
• All the dialogue about Him being "rejected" is because He came to Israel, but Israel didn't accept Him. Some Jews did believe, but the nation as a whole, and it's leaders totally rejected Jesus.
Our Privileges and Responsibilities
1st Peter 2:9-12 → 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession,
► Now Peter wants us to remember who we are...
• "But you are a chosen race,..." - in our world so much dialogue is about race, about how our outward appearance pushes us into separate groups based on skin color.
→ I believe, that for God's people, the color of our skin means absolutely nothing.
→ The only race we belong to is the human race.
→ And this is the race that is chosen of God.
→ God chose us, all of us, to be in a right relationship with Him.
• "a royal priesthood,..." - the priests of old were mediators between God and man.
→ The priests would both implore God on behalf of mankind, as well as communicate to mankind the truth of God.
→ The priests were the mediators between the Creator and the creation.
→ Our priesthood is the same, but without the sacrifices.
→ Jesus is and was the only sacrifice needed, so now our priesthood is about making God known to those in our age.
• "a holy nation,..." - one of the reasons that Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:1-2 and 2:11 about being aliens and strangers. Here are some other verses that talk about this...
→ Hebrews 11:13: "All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth."
→ Ephesians 2:19: "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,...".
→ Philippians 3:20: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;...".
→ We are now citizens of heaven, not of earth.
• "a people for God's own possession,..." - we now belong only to Him, and to no one else.
► This is our mission - to "proclaim" Jesus - who He is, and what He has done.
• He called us "out of darkness" and "into His marvelous light;...".
10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
► Peter also wants us to remember where we came from and where we are now...
• We were "not a people", but now we are "the people of God;...".
• We had "not received mercy", but now we "have received mercy."
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
► Peter again reminds us of our true citizenship, and warns us not to give in to the temptations to fall back into our former manner of life.
12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
► And lastly Peter encourages us to live excellent lives, even in light of their current persecution.
• We he talks about "Gentiles" in this passage, he's not actually saying this as a contrast between Jews and non-Jews, but rather as a contrast between believers and non-believers.
• He wants us to realize, that those outside the faith, as they continue to sling accusations and lies about us, may perhaps come to their senses and actually submit themselves to Jesus, thereby bringing glory to God in the end times.
So what?
► 1st - remember that as born-again believers, we are different from the world. At least we should be. We have a different agenda; different goals.
► 2nd - our example of "longing for the pure milk of the word" is Jesus Christ Himself. He knew the word, and used it constantly.
► 3rd - remember also that in our born-again state, we are new creatures, so we shouldn't live like the former creatures we were, but rather like the new person that we are now.
Photo • 2026/08/10 - Sunrise at Tulsa International Airport, Tulsa, OK
Thanks to Scott Susong, one of the co-teachers in our Sunday School class, for providing some of the thoughts I've included in this post.
“Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995
by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org”
All linked verses are from the YouVersion at www.Bible.com
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