1 Peter 2

1 Peter 2 belongs to the opening portion of a letter addressed to Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor. Chapter 1 urged new birth and holy living; this chapter opens with "Wherefore" and goes on to describe what that life looks like. Verses 1–10 address who the church is, and verses 11–25 address how believers are to conduct themselves in the world.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 Believers are told to lay aside malice, guile (deceit), hypocrisies (pretense), envies, and evil speakings. They are urged, as newborn babes, to desire the sincere milk of the word.
• Verses 4–8 Believers are called to come to Jesus, the "living stone" rejected by men but chosen of God, and so to become a spiritual house and a holy priesthood. Here the author quotes Old Testament texts concerning the "corner stone."
• Verses 9–10 Believers are called a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, God's own possession.
• Verses 11–12 As strangers and pilgrims, believers are to abstain from fleshly lusts. They are also urged to maintain honest conduct among the Gentiles.
• Verses 13–17 Believers are to submit themselves for the Lord's sake to every ordinance of man, including the king and governors. They are not to use their liberty as a cloak of maliciousness.
• Verses 18–25 Servants (household slaves) are told to be subject even to harsh masters. Christ, who endured unjust suffering, is presented as their example, and He is said to have borne our sins in His own body on the tree.

Key Verses

• 1 Peter 2:9, "a royal priesthood": a principal proof text for the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, which holds that every believer is a priest before God.
• 1 Peter 2:21, "that ye should follow his steps": presents Christ's suffering as an example for believers to follow.
• 1 Peter 2:24, "by whose stripes ye were healed": connects the atoning work of the cross with Isaiah's prophecy of the Suffering Servant.

People and Places

• Jesus Christ: called the living stone, the head of the corner, and the Shepherd and Bishop of souls.
• Zion: in the quotation in verse 6, the place where God lays a precious corner stone.
• King and governors: the rulers mentioned in verses 13–14. The king is commonly understood to be the Roman emperor, and the governors the provincial officials he sent.

Points for Reflection

• Old Testament quotations: Verses 6–8 quote Isaiah 28:16, Psalm 118:22, and Isaiah 8:14. Verse 9 recalls Exodus 19:5–6, and verse 10 echoes the language of Hosea. Verses 22–25 share wording with Isaiah 53.
• Verse 8, "whereunto also they were appointed": Calvinist interpreters read this as placing even the stumbling of unbelievers within God's decree. Arminian and Wesleyan interpreters read it to mean that the outcome—that the disobedient will stumble—was what had been appointed. For fuller discussion, see the article Predestination and Free Will.
• Verses 13–17 and the state: Together with Romans 13, this passage is read as a text addressing the authority of the state. How it should be read alongside "We ought to obey God rather than men" in Acts 5:29 is a subject of discussion concerning church and politics.
• Verse 18, servants: These words were addressed to household slaves in the first century. Some sermons apply them to workplace relationships today. The common interpretation, however, is that the text is not to be read as justifying slavery itself.
• Verse 24, "healed": Pentecostal traditions sometimes cite this verse as grounds for including physical healing, or divine healing, within its meaning. Other traditions, following the context of verse 25, read it as centered on spiritual restoration through turning from sin.

In the Korean Church

Verse 9 is frequently used in preaching and Scripture memorization as a verse about the identity and mission of believers. It is also sometimes cited, together with the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, on Reformation Sunday.