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Tag: First Epistle of Peter

Spiritual milk

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in 1 Peter, What’s new?.

What is spiritual milk (1 Peter 2:2)?

First Peter 2:2 reads, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” In the previous verse, Peter had urged his readers to rid themselves of sinful behaviors and the desires of the natural man. As they laid aside “all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind” (verse 1), they were to strive for spiritual milk like babies.

Every nursing mother knows the intensity of babies looking for milk, crying until they are satisfied. Experts have shown that a mother’s milk benefits her baby in many ways, including aiding brain development, promoting healthy weight, and bolstering antibodies: Healthline (www.healthline.com/health/breastfeeding/11-benefits-of-breastfeeding#benefits-for-you). Peter employs this analogy to convey that, as Christians, our overall spiritual growth and well-being hinge on receiving “pure spiritual milk.” But what exactly is this spiritual milk?

Elsewhere, Scripture uses milk as a metaphor for the basic essentials of the gospel and Christian living. In Hebrews 5:12–14, the writer speaks of milk and solid food to encourage readers to move beyond “the elementary truths of God’s word” (verse 12). Paul likewise references milk in 1 Corinthians 3:1–3 in a rebuke to his immature readers. However, Peter uses the term spiritual milk positively, encouraging his readers to feed continually on it.

The “pure spiritual milk” constitutes God’s complete, special revelation, encapsulated in what we now know as the Bible. Some translations, such as the KJV, render the phrase as the “sincere milk of the word.” The Word can also symbolize Christ (John 1:1–5), implying that our craving should extend to deeper knowledge of Christ and closer fellowship with Him. In essence, growth comes as we feed on the written Word and fellowship with the living Word.

The directive in 1 Peter 2:2 is active and imperative, signifying that it is our responsibility to yearn for pure spiritual milk. We are to read, meditate upon, and study God’s written Word both individually and in the company of fellow believers. We should also engage in communion with the living Word and cultivate a deeper understanding of His person and work. Through these activities, we progress toward becoming more like Jesus in character and conduct. We will “grow up in [our] salvation” (1 Peter 2:2b).

Bible-based sermons are also helpful, as are Christian books and Christ-centered songs. Sound teachers facilitate a deeper understanding of God’s Word and rekindle a zeal for more. Well-written Christian books can provide insight into the knowledge of Christ, while songs enhance fellowship and remind us of the beauty found in Christ.

Peter’s instructions serve as a reminder that what we crave and consume profoundly impacts our spiritual growth. The world’s “milk” is impure and only gratifies our sinful desires. False teachings are, at best, spiritual junk and, at worst, poison. We must hunger for pure, unadulterated spiritual nourishment.

After you have suffered a little while

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in 1 Peter, What’s new?.

What encouragement is there “after you have suffered a little while” (1 Peter 5:10)?

In Peter’s closing remarks to the churches in the Asia Minor, he affirms, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10, ESV). This powerful sentence offers encouragement through the themes of restoration, confirmation, strengthening, and establishment. Let’s delve into God’s message of hope here.

To begin with, Peter acknowledges that Christians are not exempt from suffering, particularly the persecution that arises from identifying with Christ. While our trials may vary in nature, every Christian will experience some degree of suffering. It could manifest as insults, disparaging remarks, struggles with sin, disappointments in a broken world, tragic losses, poverty, imprisonment, or even death. Early Christians endured intense persecution, and many struggled with discouragement. Peter’s encouragement went beyond superficial motivation to ease their pain; it offered a hope that transcended their temporary discomfort.

Modern Christians often hold one of two extreme views of suffering, both of which Peter contradicts. The first extreme treats suffering as either an illusion or a sign of weak faith. This perspective suggests that Christians should not suffer, and even mentioning negative aspects of life, like sickness, is almost sinful. The books of Job and Ecclesiastes refute this view, and, in the New Testament, Jesus affirms that His followers will face trials and persecution (Matthew 5:10–12; Luke 9:23; John 16:33). Even Hebrews 11, the renowned chapter on faith, acknowledges suffering (verses 35–38). The other extreme involves adopting a defeatist attitude toward life due to its brokenness. Both extremes should be avoided in light of God’s promises.

God’s first encouragement to Christians, through Peter, is restoration. The Greek word for “restore” conveys the idea of making something whole again. Sin and suffering have left us broken, and we will not be fully restored this side of eternity. However, at the right time, God will restore all things, including us (see Revelation 2:15). In the Christian perspective, the afterlife is not just a consolation for the troubles of the present life; it is a renewal into God’s intended state. As C. S Lewis opined, “They say of some temporal suffering, ‘No future bliss can make up for it,’ not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory” (The Great Divorce, Macmillan, p. 64).

Additionally, God promises to confirm, strengthen, and establish us. He fully acknowledges that we are His, that He gifts us with strength, and that He will establish us, that is, He will keep us rooted. Through it all, “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Hence, we need not deny the reality of suffering—even for righteous individuals—nor do we fall into despair. It can be dismaying to witness the prevalence of evil in the world, and we may wonder why God appears silent. However, the God who suffered in the Person of Jesus has shown us that He is active both in good and bad times. We can always rely on His grace when the burden feels too much to bear.

Chosen generation

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in 1 Peter, What’s new?.

What does it mean that “you are a chosen generation” (1 Peter 2:9)?

In 1 Peter 2:9, the apostle Peter describes believers in Jesus Christ with these remarkable words: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (NKJV). Other translations render the expression chosen generation as “chosen people” (NIV) or “chosen race” (NASB).

Is the phrase you are a chosen generation speaking of predestination and election—God’s predetermination of who will be saved—or does it mean something else?

In this passage, Peter weaves in Old Testament Scripture to define some of the extraordinary spiritual riches that Christians possess in Jesus Christ. He draws specifically from Isaiah 43:20–21, where God speaks of “my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise” (ESV). Peter also borrows the exact words found in Exodus 19:6, in which God identifies His people as a “royal priesthood.” God’s chosen people are no longer restricted to the Hebrews of Israel only; His holy nation now embraces the church of Jesus Christ, which includes both Jews and Gentiles.

Peter is reminding the church precisely how valuable every member is to God. When Peter says, “You are a chosen generation,” he is emphasizing God’s loving initiative in salvation. God draws us to Himself and places us, “like living stones,” as part of His church (1 Peter 2:5).

Peter is also stressing God’s ownership of our lives, as He is the One who chooses the “chosen generation.” Throughout history, God has claimed for Himself a people to be His very own prized possession. Believers in Jesus Christ are the people God has chosen to possess. We may be ordinary people, but because God owns us, our lives take on immeasurably great value.

The doctrines of predestination and election are unmistakably biblical (Mark 13:20; Ephesians 1:4–5; Revelation 13:8; Revelation 17:8). God chooses people to be the objects of His unmerited favor and grace, not because of their worthiness or anything they do to deserve it. At the heart of God’s choosing a people is His love (Deuteronomy 7:7–8; 10:14–17; Hosea 11:1, 4; 14:4; Jeremiah 31:2–3). Nothing can adequately explain the love of God for sinners; it must be received by faith.

God dwells among His people (Exodus 25:8; John 14:16–17). His chosen generation is His inheritance, His prized possession, His treasure (Deuteronomy 32:9; Exodus 19:5). He shelters them, carries them in His arms, bears them on His shoulders, holds them in His hands, and seats them at His feet (Deuteronomy 33:3, 12, 27; Isaiah 49:16). He loves them with a jealous love and insists that they worship Him exclusively (Exodus 20:5). He has given them His name (Numbers 6:22–27). All of these wonderful riches have come to us not because we deserve them or have earned them, but because God chose us in His mercy and love to belong to Him.

The second half of Peter’s statement describes the believer’s response to being God’s chosen people: “As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9, NLT). The NIV says, “That you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Declare means “to advertise, to proclaim.” The incredible blessings that Christians have inherited in Christ are not only to be received with gratitude but are to motivate believers to testify of the goodness of God and Christ. We are like panels of stained glass through which the sun pours, illuminating the darkness. Positioned just where God has placed us, we channel His marvelous light and spread the multifaceted glory of His goodness and love.

God resists the proud

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in 1 Peter, What’s new?.

What does it mean that God resists the proud (1 Peter 5:5)?

First Peter 5:5 says, “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble’” (NKJV). Here, Peter draws from Proverbs 3:34 to motivate Christians to adopt an attitude of humility. Scripture extols humility as a virtue and identifies pride as a vice. In fact, God resists, or opposes, the proud (cf. James 4:6).

The imagery presented is of God actively opposing the proud, akin to a government thwarting the advances of terrorists or a tide resisting a boat moving against its current. God sets up resistance to proud people. Pride, a grave sin in Scripture, is the foundation of other sinful actions. Lucifer exemplified pride when he raged against God (Isaiah 14:12–15), and the first humans displayed pride by disregarding God’s explicit command (Genesis 3:1–7). The Israelites’ persistent struggles with God were often rooted in their pride and unbelief (see Exodus 32:1–6; Hosea 13:6; Amos 4:1–5). Whenever humans sin, their actions can be traced back to a rejection of God and His commands, which is a manifestation of pride.

Ecclesiastes 7:29 states, “God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path” (NLT). This is true of our first parents, Adam and Eve, and all of humanity following them. In our pride we incline toward self-rule, and we turn away from God and His standards. As Paul articulated, “Although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:22).

The antidote to pride is humility, which entails acknowledging our status as sinners and turning to the Savior who sacrificed His life for our reconciliation with the Father. True humility involves laying down our arms, ceasing to do battle against the Lord, and pledging loyalty to the Father. Humility requires us to steer our boat to flow with God’s tide, not against it. God gives grace to the humble.

Scripture provides numerous instances of God actively resisting the proud. King Nebuchadnezzar, for example, suffered a period of insanity after pridefully attempting to claim the glory for Babylon’s achievements (Daniel 4:28–33). King Herod faced a tragic fate when he sought to be exalted as a god (Acts 12:20–23). Various nations were judged for their pride, including Moab (Zephaniah 2:9–10), Judah (Jeremiah 13:9), Israel (Isaiah 9:9), Philistia (Zechariah 9:6), Assyria (Zechariah 3:11), and Edom (Obadiah 1:2–4).

Isaiah 2:11–12, 17 has a warning for all who would think more highly of themselves than they ought to think:
The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled
and human pride brought low;
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
The Lord Almighty has a day in store
for all the proud and lofty,
for all that is exalted
(and they will be humbled). . . .
The arrogance of man will be brought low
and human pride humbled;
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

Pride is a dead-end street full of resistance from God: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). We must avoid pride and embrace humility. That journey begins with acknowledging our need for a Savior.

Weaker vessel

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in 1 Peter, What’s new?.

What does it mean that wives are the “weaker vessel” (1 Peter 3:7)?

The context of 1 Peter 3:7 is the Apostle Peter’s instructions concerning living as godly believers toward one another beginning in the home (1 Peter 3:1-12). The wife is addressed first and then the husband. This is the same order the Apostle Paul uses in Ephesians 5:22-33. Husbands are instructed to “live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel” (ESV). Other translations of 1 Peter 3:7 render the phrase “weaker partner” (NIV, CSB), “someone weaker” (NASB), or “weaker than you are” (NLT).

What does it mean that the wife is a “weaker vessel”? The passage does not specifically say. There are many speculations. The most common proposal is that 1 Peter 3:7 is referring to physical weakness since the vast majority of husbands are significantly physically stronger than their wives. Some interpreters see other ways that women are, generally speaking, weaker than men, such as being less in control of their emotions. Others point to the idea that women are more easily deceived (based on 1 Timothy 2:14). The primary problem with these theories is that this passage, and the Bible as a whole, nowhere specifically identifies ways that women are weaker than men. First Timothy 2:14 simply says that Eve was deceived. It does not say that women are more easily deceived than men.

First Peter 3:7 is not about identifying weaknesses in wives. Rather, it is about how husbands are to treat their wives. According to 1 Peter 3:7, husbands are to live with their wives in an understanding way, show them honor, and recognize that their wives are heirs with them of the grace of life. The consequence of a husband not honoring his wife is hindered prayer, something every Christian husband should strive to avoid.

While it is interesting to study what precisely Peter may have meant by “weaker vessel,” ultimately, it misses the point. Whatever “weaker vessel” means, the application is that husbands are to understand, honor, and value their wives. In context, “weaker vessel” likely carries the meaning of “worth protecting” and “something to cherish” far more than it is intended to identify specific weaknesses or in any way diminish the strength and value of wives.