1Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Peter gets pretty specific and tangible here, not just in the mention of various sins or vices, but in his insistence that his readers (and us) take another step in their growth. This involves making the 'word' a consuming desire so that they can grow up in their salvation which is God's good gift. If your familiar with the book of Hebrews, don't confuse it with how Peter talks about 'milk' (Hebrews 5:11-6:2 and also Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3). The point here is rather about the desire and constant need for real nourishment much like a baby craves his mother's nourishment. It is absolutely essential for life and growth. And they also have come to know that what God gives for their nourishment is 'good.'
Thoughts...
" Grow up in your salvation " .Is salvation a one time gift or something to grow up in ?
ReplyDeleteBoth, Doc. Salvation is a gift given that begins now, but isn't complete until Christ returns. It's what's scholars call the eschatological view of God's saving work - it means we live in the 'already' and the 'not yet' of salvation. Same holds true for heaven, kingdom of God, etc. We are an 'eschatological' people...that is, we live with the promised and victorious future of Jesus' saving work already impinging on us now. We live now in light of what will be and what is on its way. So, Peter says, essentially, you are saved, but stay in and grow into the salvation through your faithfulness and love until Christ returns and completes the work of salvation by doing away completely with the powers of sin and death and establishing God's kingdom in all its fullness. Can't hardly wait.
ReplyDeleteA few thoughts: (1) the 'therefor' of course points back, especially to the call to 'love one another' which you can't do if there is malice (Greek reads 'evil') and all deceit, hypocrisy (Greek reads 'pretending'), envy, and slander (Greek also means 'insulting').
ReplyDelete(2) In NIV, the 'rid yourselves' is a clothing imagery means 'take off and put aside' or 'throw off with the intent of replacing with something else.' Paul uses this verb a lot, too.
(3) We are instead to crave ('yearn for') pure (unmixed) milk as a baby does. This may refer to God Himself, or as many scholars think, it may refer to the word/Word that some interpret now as the Bible itself.
(4) The NIV 'spiritual' is a tough word to translate. It only shows up 2 times in the New Testament (also in Romans 12:1-2). It may better be translated 'logical' or even 'appropriate' or 'naturally necessary.'
(5) Verse 5 is drawn from Psalm 34:8, a psalm Peter makes use of throughout 1 Peter.
Lot's of stuff to work on practically: is there evil in your life. Do you have any part of your life or faith in which you pretend? Do you insult others? Do you crave God and/or His Word to the degree that it is a regular essential in your life? Have you tasted/recognized how 'good' the Lord is? Some questions I'm asking myself...not to condemn but so that I'm 'growing up into my salvation.'
These are tough verses. I guess I would summarize my reaction as:
ReplyDeletev1: Do your best, but good luck actually achieving this
v2: Forget the world you've learned to love. Return to the simplicity and trust of a babe.
v3: If you can get through v1 and v2, you are golden.
It can seem overwhelming, Dave, though keep in mind Peter truly believes that a Christian has been born anew/again/from above...so it's not just 'try harder,' but rather live intentionally as the new person in Christ that you are, love God more than the world, because we have seen He is good. Nevertheless, I agree, they can be tough verses, especially if we forget that they directed at the re-born/new people in Christ.
ReplyDelete