1 Peter 2:1-25
V1-3
Our spiritual growth is dependent on the spiritual food that we consume. Like newborn babies, we should crave the spiritual milk that will cultivate us, which is the word of God. Then we will grow in spiritual maturity just as a baby grows when it is continually nourished. Some kinds of food that aren’t good for our spiritual health are malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander (verse 1).
V4-10
We will continue to be built up spiritually as we keep seeking the spiritual food that will bring us closer to God. Unlike those who are non-believers, who “stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do”, we are an elect people and our purpose is to proclaim God’s excellence (v8-9). Unlike before, we are now God’s people who have received His mercy, so we are new creations born again. Our spiritual maturation is directly proportional to how much we seek and consume the spiritual food and word of God.
At the time, Christians were already viewed suspiciously by society. Peter is urging Christians to remain honorable around others to glorify God (v12). He asks them to do this by obeying the government, of course, until the law causes one to go against the word of God. It is important for us to obey the laws of our land, because God commands it so. In verse 14, we are told that the authorities are “sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good”. Yes, our government may not always do what we wish, but our duty is to submit to those who were placed by God.
Reference Romans 13
V18-25
However, Peter also reminds us of the suffering that we may endure as a result of even our good deeds and how in doing so, we follow the example set to us by Christ. Jesus never sinned yet suffered on the cross and put his trust in God. There are many places in the Bible where we are promised future glory and a perfect life with Jesus in heaven, but for now, we must endure the suffering that is imposed on us as Christians who are set apart from the rest of the world.
Romans 8:13
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Enduring the brief suffering of this world is honorable in the eyes of the Lord, and it is our calling to entrust ourselves to and to have faith in God, just as Jesus did on the cross. —- Cecilia Yip
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