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1 Peter 1:22-2:12 – Peter is pointing out the huge role that the Word of God has in the life of a Christian. It leads to the new birth. It leads to purification. It gives Christians something to stake their lives on.
In verse 22 we see the command to love one another fervently. With this in mind we head into chapter 2. Here he gives us a list of things that we need to get rid of. They all have to do with how we need to treat each other.
God is trying to build something out of us. The unfortunate truth is that if we can cause destruction in this building process! Too often there is building up and tearing down going on within the church at the same time.
All Christians, no matter how long they’ve been Christians still have room to grow. Our desire for spiritual things is directly linked to our spiritual growth.
God’s Building Project
Jesus was chosen by God to be the corner stone of this building project. Jesus was rejected by men, the religious leaders, and many other people in Jesus time and throughout history have rejected Him. This is a terrible mistake John 3:19, men love darkness rather than light.
In verse 7 and 8 we see that there are two outcomes from this encounter with the cornerstone.
In verse 9-10 we are called a chosen generation. We have been called, and we are now the people of God.
In verse 11 Peter is begging his readers as pilgrims, Christians need to remember that they are pilgrims. When we forget that we are not a part of this world we’re going to struggle with all of the things that are part of this world.
How important is your soul to you? Is it more important than your eye or your arm? In Matthew 5 Jesus tells us that if your right eye causes you to sin pluck it out! We should be willing to give up everything for Christ.
When we abstain from the things of the world, we are also leaving a testimony. We are giving them an opportunity to see Christ and the change that he makes in our lives.
What is this day of visitation that Peter is talking about? It could mean the second coming of Christ, or it could be the day that God calls us to Himself.
God doesn’t just call us so that we can go to heaven. He loves us as individuals and wants us to be part of His Kingdom. God also wants you to be part of what He is doing here on earth now.
Four Lessons For Us
- God called you into His spiritual house. His house has things to do.
- A strong spiritual house has to be obsessed with its cornerstone. It needs to be focused and fixated on the cornerstone.
- Each of us should make it a personal goal to love each other fervently with a pure heart.
- We are responsible for our attitudes and affections.