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Home Bible Commentary 1 Peter Chapter 21 Peter 2:1-3

1 Peter 2:1-3 meaning

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Peter instructs believers who have experienced the grace of God to set aside their sinful natures and stop behaviors that destroy our relationships with others. Putting away these hateful behaviors, like envy and slander, we should instead commit to read and understand God’s word to grow in spiritual maturity.

1 Peter 2:1 begins to express specific actions believers can take to address Peter’s admonition from Chapter 1: to be holy, set apart from the world, purified in heart. His first exhortation is that believers ought to be putting aside the tendency of our fallen nature toward five relational sins. Connecting with Chapter 1, Peter begins Chapter 2 with Therefore, which draws an application based on a main idea of the letter revealed in the first chapter “Obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:9).

We discovered that this phrase “the salvation of your souls” in 1 Peter 1:9 was not in reference the past tense of salvation—our deliverance from the Lake of Fire—but rather the present tense of salvation. In the present, believers can have their physical life on earth delivered from the adverse effects of sin by walking in obedience to God’s Word. The five relational sins Peter exhorts believers to avoid will each damage our lives/souls if we practice them. If we avoid them, our quality of life/the health of our souls is delivered and improved.

Walking faithfully delivers us from the negative consequences of sin in this life—as in Romans 1:24, 26, 28, where sin is shown to progress from lust to addiction and loss of mental health. If we submit to any of the five relational sins Peter addresses in this passage, we will be led down a path of destruction. Conversely, walking as faithful witnesses allows us to possess the reward of our inheritance and gain eternal rewards when our deeds are evaluated at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10, Colossians 3:23).

In the first chapter, Peter also exhorted his disciples to “prepare your minds for action” (1 Peter 1:13). This shows that being a faithful witness by walking in obedience takes active effort. This is why he begins verse 1 with an action: Therefore putting aside. Peter also set forth a perspective he desires his followers to adopt, that life on this earth is short and temporary (1 Peter 1:24) so we should place our hope in God, for His Word endures forever (1 Peter 1:25). This brings an urgency to putting aside sin.

Peter instructed his followers to “fervently love one another from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22). The “love” in “love one another from the heart” is the Greek word “agape,” which refers to a love of choice—again showing that living as a faithful witness is an active endeavor. An apparent application of 1 Peter is that putting aside these five relational sins is an active part of making a choice to “love one another from the heart.”

Now in Chapter 2, Peter begins a list of specific instructions of choices believers can make to love one another rather than sin against one another. He exhorts believers to actively be putting aside our fallen human nature’s tendency to commit five relational sins: putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy, and envy and all slander (v. 1).

The first relationship instruction is to put aside all malice. The phrase putting aside that applies to each of the five relational issues Peter will address is an active verb implying ongoing action. This indicates that our natural proclivity as humans is to do to one another all five of these harmful actions. Thus, to “fervently love one another” requires an ongoing effort to set aside these natural negative impulses and choose a constructive path.

The Greek word translated putting aside also appears in James 1:21, which exhorts us to actively choose to set aside the lusts within us that tempt us into sin, which leads to death and destruction (James 1:14). Galatians 5:17 also indicates that our first inclination is to walk in the flesh, the fruit of which is listed in Galatians 5:19-21. In Romans 7:23-24, Paul discloses his own struggle against sin; even though he desires not to sin he finds himself sinning.

To set aside all malice means to set aside harboring ill-will toward another person. The Apostle Paul uses the Greek word translated malice in four verses—each of which addresses a list of sins to lay aside: (Romans 1:29; Ephesians 4:31, Colossians 3:8; and Titus 2:3). James also mentions the word translated malice in connection with the saving of our lives from our inner lusts by receiving and responding to God’s Word:

“Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness [malice], in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.”
(James 1:21)

In James 1:21, the Greek word translated “souls” is “psyche” which is translated about half the time as “life.” So, this could reasonably be translated as the “word implanted” being able to save our lives from the adverse consequences of sin. The context of James 1 speaks of saving our lives from the death and destruction our inner fleshly lusts will lead us into if we do not take vigorous action to follow God’s word instead. To set aside all malice is to make an active choice to seek the welfare of others instead of seeking their harm.

That Peter includes all in the phrase all malice means that there are no loopholes and no exceptions. Jesus was not “nice” in the way that word is often used in modern times. He was not concerned about managing His image or being seen as a “good guy.” He spoke truth in a manner that greatly upset many people.

He threatened the status quo to the extent that Israel’s leaders overlooked the fact that He had the power to raise Lazarus from the dead and could only think of killing him (John 11:47-48). But He did this that they might have the opportunity to see the light and escape the darkness.

Jesus had no personal malice toward those who sinned against Him, even praying to His Father that those who killed Him might be forgiven (Luke 22:34). In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus teaches believers to pray that God will only forgive us as we forgive others (Matthew 6:12). He explained that we should pray this because God only forgives us as we forgive other people (Matthew 6:14-15).

We can presume that an active part of putting aside all malice is to forgive others as Jesus forgave. By forgiving, we do not stay their accountability. Rather, we recognize that God is the judge (not us), and He will judge righteously (Romans 12:19). Therefore, forgiveness is a matter of trusting God.

The second relational sin native to our sin nature that Peter urges us to lay aside in order to have fervent love for others is all deceit. Again, the qualifier all is included. This refers to taking advantage of someone by twisting or abusing the truth. The inclusion of all makes clear that even just a little twisting of the truth is not acceptable to meet the standard of having fervent love for one another (1 Peter 1:22). The Greek word “dolos,” translated deceit, is used two additional times by Peter:

In 1 Peter 2:22, Peter elevates Jesus as an example to follow. He had fervent love for others, even though He suffered unjustly on the cross. He embodied the command to speak what was true, He “committed no sin, nor was any deceit [“dolos”] found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:22).
In 1 Peter 3:10, Peter quotes Psalm 34:12-13, which says anyone who seeks life and “good days” should keep deceit (“dolos”) far from him.

In each case, the same basic point is being made: truthfulness in love is the path to fulfilling our design. Therefore, speaking truth is the path to experiencing the maximum benefit from life. Peter’s admonition sets forth a pathway that leads to life, a path that is for our best. This is the path that leads to human flourishing (“life”).

The next relationship sin we should be putting aside is that of hypocrisy. This refers to creating a public impression that is at odds with what is true. The word translated as hypocrisy in the Greek is “hypokriseis” from which our get our English word “hypocrite.” Hypocrisy is saying one thing while doing another. In modern terms, we might think of it as “managing our image.” This is seeking to be something other than what we are. It is a matter of logic that seeking to live as someone we are not will lead to loss of our selves, a form of death.

A root of hypocrisy is to seek to control other people’s opinions of ourselves. We do this by believing an illusion—an illusion that we actually know what others think of us, and that we can control their image of us. The reality is that in all likelihood the other person is not thinking of us at all. It is much more likely they are thinking of themselves and are managing an illusion of what we think of them.

Living in such an illusion separates us from reality and steals our opportunity to “die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). The Greek word translated “righteousness” in this context refers to humans living in harmony (shalom) with ourselves and with one another, according to God’s design.

The fourth relationship issue that is a natural inclination which Peter instructs believers to be actively putting aside is envy. To envy is to desire to extract from others. It is a desire to gain what they have, or gain benefit for ourselves at their expense. This is the opposite of having fervent love for one another as Peter admonished believers to have in 1 Peter 1:22.

The Apostle Paul uses the Greek word translated envy to describe expressions of the sin nature in Romans 1:29, Galatians 5:21, 1 Timothy 6:4, and Titus 3:3. All who believe in Jesus are made a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). But each believer still has their old sin nature that seeks to lead them back into their old ways, ways that are destructive (Romans 7:18-19, Galatians 5:17). One of the key elements of our inner sinful nature is envy.

Peter’s Jewish audience would have recognized the admonition to set aside envy as mirroring the tenth of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:17). God made a covenant with Israel to show them the way that leads to life and benefit (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). It is a matter of common sense that a society with a culture that seeks truth and mutual benefit will thrive, while a society based on envy and exploitation will sink into violence and poverty.

As we see in Leviticus 18, the pagan cultures surrounding Israel were full of exploitation and violence, including child sacrifice (Leviticus 18:21). God’s covenant/treaty with Israel led them away from these destructive cultures and showed them a way to live in harmony with mutual benefit. Now, in the New Testament era, God has provided the indwelling Holy Spirit to lead us to walk in the ways of life. But this requires us to set aside our sin nature and have faith that God’s ways are for our best (Galatians 5:16-17).

The final sinful desire from our sinful nature that we need to be actively putting aside is all slander. Again, all is included, closing any loophole that “just a little is okay.” The Greek word “katalalia” translated slander is rendered as “evil speaking” in some translations. Paul uses “katalalia” to describe disobedient Christians (2 Corinthians 12:20) and people controlled by their sin nature (Romans 1:30). Some translations render “katalalia” in these passages as “backbiting.” The idea seems to be to tear people down using words.

Thus, “katalalia” (slander, evil speaking, backbiting) is similar to envy in that it seeks to diminish someone else for our own gain. Like envy then it is fundamentally oriented to extract from others. This is the opposite of having fervent love for one another, which is what Peter admonishes in this letter (1 Peter 1:22). As Peter stated in 1 Peter 1:23, God has given new birth to believers through His Word, therefore we have the power to love as He loves. Peter wants his disciples to recognize this inner battle with evil and make choices that cause us to win that battle. The beginning choice requires recognition of these inner tendencies, then to start putting them aside and choosing love in their place on an ongoing basis.

Part of winning a battle is recognizing and knowing the enemy. Each of our sin natures is predisposed to malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. Peter wants us to adopt a perspective that recognizes this reality about our inner selves. And he wants us to choose to believe the truth of God’s Word and the inner testimony of the Spirit that following these sinful ways leads to consequences of death, while following God’s ways lead to life. As he stated in Chapter 1:

“Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart.”
(1 Peter 1:22)

1 Peter 1:22 tells us that a key to putting aside our native desires to extract from and exploit others (malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander) is “obedience to the truth.” This purifies our lives and clears us to walk in a sincere love for others because we have a changed heart.

To have a changed heart is to have a perspective that is altered from rationalizing sinful behavior and is instead recognizes sin as leading to death. This makes following the truth the path of least resistance, because we recognize that the truth sets us free and leads us to life. The Apostle Paul says we are transformed by having a renewed mind, which is a mind that thinks what is real and true (Romans 12:1-2).

These relationship sins of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander are destructive to our lives. We are admonished to be actively putting them aside and instead obeying the truth so our souls/lives can be saved from the adverse effects of these sins (1 Peter 1:9, Romans 1:24, 26, 28). Believers are given a specific action to take in order to avoid the negative consequences of sin that our flesh will lead us into. We will avoid the adverse effects of sin through putting aside these desires and choosing instead to walk in “obedience to the truth.”

The image behind the action of putting aside (“apothemenoi” in Greek) is literally taking off an article of clothing. Perhaps Peter had in mind an illustration of taking off an outer layer of clothing to prepare for vigorous work.

This action of putting aside is used figuratively for setting aside our inner sinful desires in a number of New Testament passages:

Romans 13:2 urges believers to “lay aside” (“apothemenoi”) the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Colossians 3:8 says to “put them all aside” referring to anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech.
Ephesians 4:25 urges believers to speak truth to one another, which requires “laying aside falsehood,” where “laying aside” is again “apothemenoi.”
James 1:21 urges believers to be “putting aside” (“apothemenoi”) all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness so that we can “receive the word implanted.” James uses the same statement that Peter used in 1 Peter 1:9, saying that this setting aside the sin nature and receiving the truth of God’s word leads to the saving of our souls, or lives. As with 1 Peter 1:9, this refers to saving our lives from the wreckage and destruction that sin brings to those who are born again.

As Paul stated in Romans 1:24, 26, 28, sin progresses from lust, to addiction, to loss of mental health (a “depraved mind”). Later in Romans 6:20-21, Paul asserts that sin enslaves us and creates consequences that lead to death. Romans is written to faithful believers, whose faith is spoken of throughout the world (Romans 1:8). Even though believers are new creations in Christ, they retain their sin natures on this side of glory. These sinful natures must be set aside on an ongoing basis to allow the new nature to flourish. If we continue to walk in sin, we reap a consequence of death.

Death is separation, and these behaviors Peter urges us to be putting aside all lead to separation from God’s (good) design. When we have malice and envy against others, or present ourselves falsely through deceit and hypocrisy, or speak slander against someone, it will logically lead to separation and division from our own conscience and from one another. This destroys community and connection, which are keys to human flourishing.

As Paul stated in Galatians 5:15, walking in the flesh leads us to “bite and devour one another.” This logically would lead to separation, death of fellowship and opportunity to collaborate. Great teamwork leads to fulfillment.
Hebrews 12:1 exhorts believers to “lay aside” (“apothemenio”) “every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

Again, believers are exhorted to actively set aside false perspectives and adopt true ones, then make choices to “run with endurance the race” of life. The “race” evokes an image of a contest that requires great effort. The putting aside of sin in the spiritual race of life is like setting aside comfort or laziness to train for an Olympic race.

Peter instructs us that making our lives count for eternity requires an ongoing putting aside of lusts that lead to sin, sin that hinders accomplishing our goal. But it also involves actively doing something that can nourish us to accomplish that goal.

To accomplish that goal, Peter encourages us to like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation (v. 2).

It is apparent that putting aside laziness is required to win a race, so putting aside sin is a necessity to win the race of life. Similarly, having a good nutrition program is also a necessity to win a race. In the race of life, the nutrition program begins with the pure milk of the word.

The main action commanded here is to long for this pure milk of the word. To long for means to have a strong desire to obtain a recognized need. The Greek word “epipotheo” translated long is also rendered as “yearn” and “desires.” Other verses where “epipotheo” is used follow:

A desire for fellowship with other believers (Philippians 1:8, 2:26, 1 Thessalonians 3:6)
The desire to gain a glorified resurrection body (2 Corinthians 5:2).

Here in 1 Peter 1:2, we are instructed to choose to desire the pure milk of the word (1 Peter 2:2). This makes clear that desires can be chosen. In this case we are recognizing a necessity to reach a goal. We are not to be captive only to our natural feelings or lusts. We are to choose to have a strong desire for the word, referring to God’s Word, the Bible.

We might think of this longing to be more like a commitment. The effort here is to be committed to grow in respect to salvation. This growth leads us to win the race of life. If we have a goal and recognize a need to reach that goal, we will naturally have a great desire to fill that need. The phrase by it tells us that the pure milk of the word is the means to grow in respect to salvation. When we recognize this need, it should lead us to have an intense desire to ingest God’s word.

When Peter uses the word salvation here he is speaking of the present tense salvation, where our lives are saved from the destructive consequences of sin in our daily walk by obeying the word. Present tense salvation is something we can grow in. We can grow by ingesting the pure milk of the word and increase our ability to be putting aside sin (like malice) and instead be loving others.

Whether we walk in the Spirit or the flesh does not affect the past tense aspect of salvation; believers are saved from the eternal penalty of sin merely through faith in Jesus. Past tense salvation is not something we can grow in. Jesus did all that is necessary for our justification before God.

Believers are born again as members of God’s forever family by simply having enough faith to look upon Jesus on the cross, hoping to be saved from the deadly venom of sin (John 3:3, 14-15). There is nothing that can be added to Jesus’s finished work on the cross.

When Peter speaks of choosing to be committed to consume the pure milk of the word so that we might grow in respect to salvation, Peter is speaking of the same “salvation of our souls” as in 1 Peter 1:9. This could also be translated “deliverance of our lives” referring to delivering our lives from the negative effects of sin.

A commitment to consume the pure milk of the word allows us to grow spiritually. Just as a physical baby grows from consuming his mother’s milk, we as believers in Jesus grow from consuming the pure milk that is God’s word. We grow in our capacity to walk apart from sin and walk in the Spirit, thus fulfilling God’s perfect law, which reflects His design for humanity (Romans 8:4).

To drink the pure milk of the word includes reading, understanding, and following the words of the Bible. The book of Revelation makes a specific promise that any believer who reads, understands, then follows the words of that prophecy will gain a great additional blessing (Revelation 1:3). 1 Peter 2:2 indicates that this is also a broad principle; that reading, understanding, then putting into action the word of God allows us to grow in respect to salvation. This will lead us to a better and more flourishing life, rather than a life that is materially marred and destroyed (present tense salvation).

The Greek word translated grow is used in scripture to refer to plant or crop growth, the growth of a human child, and population growth. To grow in respect to salvation would not refer to the past tense of salvation, since being saved from the penalty of sin comes solely by faith in Jesus. This past tense salvation is completely independent of our deeds (Romans 4:2-3, Ephesians 2:8-9). But the present tense of salvation requires spiritual growth.

There are a number of things we are saved from when we become new creations in Christ through faith in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). But to fully experience the benefits of this salvation requires spiritual growth.

When we are born again into Christ we are saved from slavery to sin. However, we experience that only to the extent we walk in obedience to God (Romans 6:16). To grow in respect to salvation is to increasingly gain freedom from the lust, addiction, and loss of mental health that is the consequence of sin (Romans 1:24, 26, 28).

When we are born again into Christ, we are saved from being a captive of our flesh, but we experience this deliverance only to the extent we choose to put to death our flesh and walk in the Spirit (Romans 8:5-6, Galatians 5:16-17). To gain victory over the flesh requires that we grow in respect to salvation. A key way we fuel this growth is to consume the pure milk that is God’s word. God’s word shows the way to life and freedom, giving us salvation or deliverance from the adverse consequences of our fleshly, sinful nature.

When we are born again into Christ we are saved from the futility of the fall. We are restored to our original design by being given an inheritance in Christ (Ephesians 1:11, 14, 18, Colossians 1:12). God is always our inheritance, because believers are born anew into God’s forever family solely by faith in Jesus (John 3:3, 14-15).

However, in order to fully possess our inheritance requires that believers grow in respect to salvation. As Hebrews 2:3 states, if we neglect such a great salvation by failing to grow, we will not escape the adverse consequences. Hebrews 2:5-10 tells us that Jesus has restored humanity’s right to reign over the earth in harmony with God, nature, and one another, as God intended. Jesus restored this right through the “suffering of death” (Hebrews 2:9).

As a result of His obedience, He was given the reward of being “crowned with glory” to reign over creation. He was given the title of being a “Son” over all creation (Hebrews 1:5, 13, Matthew 28:18). And He desires to bring “many sons to glory.” Those who join Jesus in sharing this reward of being restored to our original design to reign are those who join Him in experiencing the “suffering of death” (Hebrews 2:9, Romans 8:17b). It will be those who overcome as Jesus overcame who will share with Him in His reign (Revelation 3:21). It will be those who are faithful stewards over the gifts God gave them that will enter into the joy of their Master and rule over many things (Matthew 25:21).

All believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive rewards for what they did while living their life on this earth (2 Corinthians 5:10). We can gain good rewards through being committed to grow in respect to salvation. In this respect, we can be saved from wasting our life as poor stewards, and squandering our inheritance (Hebrews 12:16).

This intense longing for the nourishment of God’s Word is conditioned on the fact that we have previously fully experienced the goodness of God. Peter expresses it this way in verse 3:

if, a fact assumed to be true,
you have tasted, meaning to fully experience (Matthew 16:28; Hebrews 2:9),
the kindness of the Lord, referring to the compassionate, good nature of God, most likely experienced at the time they first believed in Jesus Christ.

In adding this condition, Peter emphasizes that to grow in respect to salvation only applies to those who have been born again into God’s family and been made new creations in Christ (John 3:3, 2 Corinthians 5:17). We cannot earn our way into God’s family through growth or obedience to the Law (Romans 3:20). Being born again is a free gift that is received through faith (Romans 5:18). Being born into God’s family and receiving new birth only transpires through the kindness of the Lord.

Peter made clear in 1 Peter 1:23 that those reading this letter are believers in Jesus, saying “for you have been born again.” The point in verse 3 is that if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord then you are saved from the penalty of sin, being born into God’s forever family. But you then need to grow in respect to salvation by setting aside the flesh and learning from the word to walk in the resurrection power of Jesus. This leads to having the capacity to “fervently love one another from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22).

In order to gain the greatest fulfillment from life, believers need to commit to possessing that life. This commitment should lead to a desire for God’s Word, for that is the equipping that leads to life (1 Peter 2:1). Such a commitment will lead to reading the Bible (1 Timothy 4:13) and studying it (2 Timothy 2:15). In addition to a commitment to read and understand, we must commit to heed and obey the word (James 1:22). It is hard work. But as Jesus said, the path to life is one that is difficult (Matthew 7:13-14). It is challenging to set aside our natural sinful desires and be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2).

To walk in obedience to God’s word will make us faithful witnesses who overcome as Jesus overcame. Such a commitment executed faithfully leads to the greatest possible blessing and reward from this life (Revelation 1:3, 3:21). To grow in respect to salvation (1 Peter 2:1) leads us to maturity in Christ, allowing us the faculty to discern good from evil (Hebrews 5:14). This equips believers to be productive in their lives, leading to the greatest possible rewards (Romans 8:17, 2 Timothy 2:10, 12, 3:17; James 1:12. Revelation 3:21).