Background
In the first section of this epistle (1:1-2:10), Peter focuses the believers’
perspective on their gospel identity. They are who they are based on the good news of the gospel. This identity results in both a present suffering and a future glory. Peter concludes this first section by again emphasizing the believers’ spiritual status amidst controversy and unbelief. Christians can stand firm knowing that they are a part of Christ and therefore a part of a bigger story that God is writing.1 They can stand hand in hand with one another in hope and unity.
Introduction to “Embracing Your Identity”
Where do you go to find your sense of identity? We live in a culture that seeks approval and a sense of identity based entirely on self-perception, feelings, and cultural norms. Psychologist Mark Dombeck writes, “People’s identity is rooted in their
identifications; in what they associated themselves with. What a person associated him or herself with is ultimately who that person is, for all identity is ultimately in relationship to something else.”2 The question must be raised, then, that if identity is based upon
associations, what are those associations to which people are identifying? Are those
1 Joel Green explains, “This last unit of the larger section of Peter’s letter that runs from 1:13 to 2:10 draws together its major threads into a climax focused on both the identity and the vocation of Peter’s audience.” Joel B. Green, 1 Peter, The Two Horizons New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans, 2007), 55.
2 Mark Dombeck, “Self Identity Problems,” accessed March 26, 2019, https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/self-identity-problems/.
identifications found in the right sources? Are individuals, both young and old, bolstering their confidence or lack thereof on weak foundations?
Throughout his epistle thus far, Peter has sought to continually remind the scattered Christians in Asia Minor of their true identity. They were at risk of placing that identity in the wrong things. Such a perspective would result in a non-persevering faith.
In 2:1-10, however, Peter seeks to further strengthen the Christian’s sense of belonging, purpose, and identity with three key metaphors. He describes the scattered churches as newborn babes (vv. 1-3), living stones who form God’s temple (vv. 4-8), and a covenant people (vv. 9-10). The saints were to ground their identity in these core truths.
If “identity is ultimately in relationship to something else,” Peter makes that
“something else” clear. Each of us, then, must ask, in what are we basing our sense of belonging, purpose, and worth? Are we looking in the wrong places to gain what can only be found in our connection to Christ? This question again brings us to the main theme of the book of 1 Peter: we are called to faithful perseverance and mission in light of our identity as the people of God.
Newborn Infants (2:1-3)
Peter uses the analogy of newborn infants to urge his readers to perseverance of faith in consistency with the holy calling God has given them.3 This theme is not an entirely new one in the epistle. Peter already identified the saints as “obedient children”
(v. 14). Now he uses a more specific analogy of infants to further emphasize both the proper longings and aversions that they should have as children of God. Thus, this first description stands as a foundational principle and calling in the Christian life.
3 Karen Jobes states, “In between the two imperatives of 1:22 and 2:2 stands the ground for both:
the word of God has given Peter’s readers new birth into a reality that will last forever.” Karen H. Jobes, 1 Peter, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005), 131.
A New Calling (2:1)
Upon encouraging his readers to place their full confidence in the good news of the Word of God, Peter continues his exhortation to holy living with the transitional conjunction οὖν (“therefore, so”).4 The message of the gospel has produced new life in these saints and the reality of this message is to spur the believers to holy living grounded in love.5 While the specific command of verses 1-3 is not found until verse 2 (“long for”), such longing is to be accompanied by the putting away (ἀποθέμενοι) of certain vices.6 This call to “put away” that which characterized the old life of sin is consistent throughout the New Testament witness (Rom 13:12; Eph 4:22, 25; Col 3:8; Heb 12:1; Jas 1:21). In the context of this epistle, Peter’s exhortation to put away sin is placed in the context of the believers being likened to “newborn infants” (ἀρτιγέννητα βρέφη) (v. 2). Thus, Peter denotes the contrast in character and desire that is to accompany the new life in Christ.7
The first vice that Christians are called to put away is “all malice” (πᾶσαν κακίαν). This word is a generic term that can refer to evil of all sorts. Specifically in this context it refers to the believer’s disposition of animosity or hostility to one another.8 The
4 Wayne Grudem states, “The word so, or ‘therefore,’ refers back to the command ‘love one another’ in verse 22. This verse explains in more detail what is involved in loving one another ‘earnestly’:
one must put away (give up, get rid of) attitudes and habits which are harmful to others.” Wayne A. Grudem, The First Epistle of Peter, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, vol. 17 (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity, 1988), 98. While this statement is true, vv. 23-25 should be included in Peter’s line of thought. Believers have been made alive by the Word of God and “therefore” should live in this way.
5 See Paul J. Achtemeier, 1 Peter, Hermeneia (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996), 144-45.
6 Greg Beale notes, “The participle ‘putting aside’ (apothemenoi) may be adverbial of time or in relation to the main verb that it modifies, ‘long for,’ but it is better taken as a participle of attendant circumstance (which also takes on the imperatival mood of the main imperative verb that it modifies).” G. K.
Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New (Grand Rapids:
Baker, 2011), 854n48. See also Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, The New American Commentary, vol. 37 (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2003), 97-98.
7 Jobes comments, “Peter’s readers have been given new birth as the people of God and therefore are to exhibit an ethical transformation in their relationships that is characteristic of their Father.”
Jobes, 1 Peter, 131.
8 See William F. Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 500.
occurrence of the adjective “all” used three times in verse 1 emphasizes that Peter is not looking at one specific scenario where such an attitude would be played out. Rather, wherever there is temptation for malice to take root, the Christian must have no part in it.
This heart attitude is typical of the old life (Titus 3:3; Col 3:8; Rom 1:29). The call of the Christian, then, is to avoid this evil specifically in the assembly of the saints (1:22) but also more broadly in the context of the pagan culture.9
Christians also must rid themselves of “all deceit” (πάντα δόλον). Again, such action marks the unsaved (Acts 13:10; Rom 1:29) and comes from within a person’s heart (Mark 7:21-23). The life of the believer, though, is to follow the example of Christ, who Peter makes clear had no deceit (1 Pet 2:22). The evidence of a life devoid of deceit would in itself showcase an example of one who was seeking the kingdom to come (1 Pet 3:10).
Third, there should be no hypocrisy (ὑποκρίσεις). They were not to be two- faced in their interactions with one another (Gal 2:13; 1 Tim 4:2) or with those outside the church.10 The temptation to practice both relational and religious hypocrisy was high.
Duplicity of life offered a false freedom from the burden of brotherly love (1:22) and from the burden of social pressure from without (3:16).
Fourth, the saints were to separate themselves from “envy” (φθόνοuς). Peter here refers to a jealous yearning that stems from an unregenerate heart (Rom 1:29; Gal 5:21; Titus 3:3). Again, his readers were not to manifest such jealousy between one another or those in seemingly better situations outside the church.11 The only place in the
9 Acthemeier states, “Although the kind of vices mentioned here would surely also be avoided in interaction with those outside the Christian community, the larger context of this verse makes patent that the author here has in mind the absence of such vices in the interrelationships Christians have with one another within the community of believers.” Achtemeier, 1 Peter, 145.
10 Schreiner comments, “Guile and hypocrisy are closely related, for in both cases deceit and falseness have entered the community. ‘Sincere love’ (v. 22) is to be the goal of believers, and deceit and hypocrisy introduce pretense and disingenuousness so that the trust necessary for love vanishes.” Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, 98.
11 Peter Davids writes, “Obviously, if one has the mind of Christ that seeks the good of others (Phil. 2:1-5), envy would be an impossible contradiction.” Peter H. Davids, The First Epistle of Peter, The
New Testament where the word φθόνος is used positively is of God in James 4:5 who
“yearns jealously” over His people. Thus, the call of the Christian was to maintain a spirit of submission and contentment to one another in the place which God had called them.
Last, the believers are exhorted to put away “all slander” (πάσας καλαλιάς).
When God’s people are under intense pressure, there is a tendency toward lashing out at one another (see also 2 Cor 12:20, the only other place where this word is used). While the pagan culture may openly ridicule the churches (3:16) they were not to mirror those actions.12
In summary, Peter lists out the practices that were in the world but not to be in the saints. God’s people were given a higher calling to mirror the God who called them to display His character (1:15-16) and love (1:22). Are these vices characteristic of your life?
Are you reflecting the new life that you have been given or the old life that Christ has saved you from?
A New Passion (2:2)
If verse 1 clearly defines what is not to be a part of the life of the Christian, then verse 2 characterizes what is to be the passion of the believer. Because of the renewing work of Christ’s resurrection (1:3) and the personal reception of the living Word of God (1:23), believers have been born anew into the family of God.13 In being born into God’s family, the saints are to view themselves as newborn babes. In making this analogy, Peter presents his readers with a perfect image of what it means to follow Christ. Just as a baby
New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: W. B. Eerdmans, 1990), 81.
12 Davids writes, “Envy often works itself out in ‘slander.’ The Christians, of course, were victims of this (1 Pet. 2:12; 3:16), but that does not necessarily stop a community from practicing it. Deceit is practiced to a person’s face, when one speaks only nicely of him or her, but for the person with envy and malice within, the insincerity will come out as he or she criticizes the person to others in that person’s absence.” Davids, The First Epistle of Peter, 81. Note also the early church references to avoid slander in 1 Clement 30:1; 35:5 and Polycarp 2:2.
13 See also Beale, who notes that the word ἀρτιγέννατος in 2:2 stands as a synonym to αναγεννάω in 1:3. Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology, 325.
longs for the milk of his or her mother, so the Christian is to long for the milk of God’s Word.14 The sense here is that the word of the gospel, which they heard and believed (1:25), is to be their nourishment and they are to live in complete dependence upon it.15 This message of hope and new life would cause both spiritual growth and perseverance amidst societal pressure and oppression.
The milk to which Peter refers is “pure” (ἄδολον) and “spiritual” (λογικὸν).16 In other words, the sustenance that believers are to long for is exactly what they need for spiritual vitality. It is unadulterated (ἄδολον) from all impurity (see 2:1 where the opposite word, δόλον is used) and thus crucial to spiritual health. Furthermore, it is the direct message of God to man concerning all things that pertain to spiritual life.17 Thus, believers were to cling to God’s Word and long to make its message the focal point of their thinking and living. Without it they were to know that they were helpless.
In the Old Testament, Israel is referred to as God’s firstborn son (Exod 4:23;
Hos 11:1). He redeemed them to Himself in their helplessness (Ezek 16:6-7). He carried them through the wilderness (Duet 1:31; Isa 63:9) and provided for them each step of the
14 Jobes states, “He uses the metaphor to instruct them to crave the things of God even as newborn babies crave milk—instinctively, eagerly, incessantly.” Jobes, 1 Peter, 132. Jobes does not see this metaphor as referring “exclusively to the written word of God.” Jobes, 1 Peter, 137
15 The word “long for” ἐπιποθέω is used nine times in the New Testament and in each case it is a positive longing (Rom 1:11; 2 Cor 5:2; 2 Cor 9:14; Phil 1:8; 2:26; 1 Thess 3:6; 2 Tim 1:4; Jas 4:5; 1 Pet 2:2).
16 Beale notes, “That the phrase [pure spiritual milk] is a development of the preached and inscripturated ‘word of God’ from 2:23-25 [sic, 1:23-25] is likely not only because of the nearness of the context but also because of the similar wording of logos in 1:23 with logikos of 2:2.” Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology, 855.
17 Concerning the word λογικός, Achtemeier seems to make a proper connection when he states,
“If the root λόγος is to be understood in the sense of ‘word,’ then λογικός would express the relationship of γάλα (‘milk’) to the word of God as the proper nourishment for Christians. This understanding is supported by the use of λογός θεοῦ in 1:23 and is reinforced by the use of ῥῆμα (=’word’) in 1:25a for the word of the Lord and 1:25b for the gospel.” Achtemeier, 1 Peter, 147. See also Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, 100. Beale is also correct when he more broadly states, “The Greek phrase to logikon adolon gala can be translated
‘the pure milk of the word’ or ‘the pure spiritual milk.’ Either way, it is a packed expression including reference to the preached or oral word (1:25b), the scriptural word (1:23-25a), and the Spirit and Christ, who nourish through that word.” Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology, 855n49.
way. Yet despite His tender care (Deut 32:10-12) they disobeyed His laws and forgot His redemption (Hos 11:1-7). The scattered churches, as God’s children, are not to respond in a similar manner; instead, they are to cling to the One who provides for them spiritual sustenance through His Word (Deut 8:3; Matt 4:4). They are to grow in the pure, unadulterated message of the gospel.
Peter declares in verse 2 that through the ingestion of such spiritual milk, the believer “will grow up (αὐξηθῆτε) into salvation.” The meaning here is that not only will continued sustenance in the Word of God bring maturity to the infant but that it will also bring God’s work of salvation in the believer to completion.18 Salvation is already a major theme in the epistle (1:5, 9, 10). This salvation is both a present reality and a future assurance. God is working out the believers’ salvation in their present circumstances.
Such a redemptive work is intricately linked to the Word of God. Christians, therefore, are to be passionate about their source of sustenance and maturity.19
A New Reality (2:3)
Peter’s audience was to desire and strive to put off the evil (v. 1) and cling to the spiritual (v. 2) if their hearts and lives were truly changed. Verse 3 presents a conditional sentence that both assures and exhorts the saints concerning their spiritual identity.20 The longing for pure spiritual milk will be present if indeed they had already
18 J. Ramsey Michaels is correct when he states, “Salvation is seen not as a last-minute rescue operation from outside but as the fitting consummation of a process already at work in and among Christian believers.” J. Ramsey Michaels, 1 Peter, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 49 (Waco, TX: Word, 1988), 91.
19 Schreiner mentions, “Peter’s point is that spiritual growth is necessary for eschatological salvation. The evidence that one has been begotten by the Father through the word is that believers continue to long for that word and become increasingly mature. Such a view fits well, incidentally, with the argument of 2 Pet 1:5-11.” Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, 101.
20 Jobes explains,
Peter did not write “if” to sow doubts in the minds of the readers, but neither should “if” be confused with “since.” Peter wanted the readers to contemplate whether they have in fact experienced the kindness of the Lord, and he was confident that the answer would be affirmative. Translating the term
“if” by “now” or “since,” however, short-circuits the process, removing the contingency that the author wanted his readers to consider. (Jobes, 1 Peter, 101)
tasted (ἐγεύσασθε) it. Such tasting implies that a personal, experiential happening has occurred.21 In Hebrews 2:9 the word is used to convey that Jesus experienced death for us. In Hebrews 6:4-5 the author uses the same word to denote someone who has
experienced salvation. Likewise, here, believers who have tasted that “the Lord is good”
will long for the message of the gospel because they have experienced the goodness of God in Christ and have been brought to faith in Him as a newborn babe.22
When Peter speaks of tasting the Lord’s goodness in verse 3, he is alluding to Psalm 34:8.23 David wrote this Psalm after his deliverance from Abimelech, king of the Philistines (1 Sam 21:10-15). He praises God who “delivered [him] from all [his] fears”
(v. 4). David was outside the land of Israel and played the fool before Abimelech who was warring against Israel.24 Abimelech let him go and he found safety in the cave of Addulam (1 Sam 22:1). In Psalm 34, David compares his deliverance to the deliverance of the nation of Israel by the angel of the LORD who “encamps (הֶנֹח) around those who fear him” (v. 7). This statement is significant in that David compares God’s protection of Himself, who was outside the land of promise, in a similar way to God’s protection of the nation when they were outside the land of promise. The angel of the LORD provided deliverance while in foreign lands (Exod 12:12, 23, 29; Is 63:9), led them through the wilderness (Exod 23:20, 23), and made victory over the land of promise possible (Josh
21 D. A. Carson notes, “One of the more interesting features of Peter’s argument . . . is the way in which he appeals to the experience of his readers as a kind of ground for his appeal for them to press on.”
D. A. Carson, “I Peter,” in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, ed. G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007), 1023.
22 Schreiner correctly highlights that “longing to grow spiritually comes from a taste of the beauty of the Lord, an experience of his kindness and goodness. Those who pursue God ardently have tasted his sweetness. Christian growth for Peter is not a mere call to duty or an alien moralism. The desire to grow springs from an experience with the Lord’s kindness, an experience that leaves believers desiring more.” Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, 102.
23 He also has more fully has in mind the entire context of Ps 34. See Carson, “1 Peter,” 1022.
24 Of interest is that the Septuagint, from which Peter quotes, uses the word παροικία (“sojournings”) to describe the context of God’s deliverance in Ps 34:4 (33:5 LXX). See Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, 102; Jobes, 1 Peter, 138.