1 Peter 2:1-12
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.
The Living Stone and a Chosen People
4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For in Scripture it says:
"See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame." 7Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
"The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone," 8and,
"A stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
St. Peter teaches us in chapter two of his first letter, is that we should come to the living Stone...The Living Stone is Jesus...He is the most important Stone in our faith foundation...When we come to Him we need to rid ourselves of deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind...Our bodies are a spiritual temple for the Holy Spirit...So we too, are like stones...The things such as deceit to slander hurt and harm the spiritual temple in which we live...These things keep us separated from the Spirit, the Holy Spirit...
St. Peter gives us quotes from Isaiah 28:16 and Psalms 118:2 teaching us Jesus is the Stone from Zion...This Stone was chosen by God, and is our precious cornerstone...During the time of His ministry, this Stone was rejected...Jesus is the capstone...He is our capstone...He is our precious cornerstone because He came not for the righteous, but the sinner... Like the Good Physician who wants to heal the sick...The healthy does not need the Good Physician...Our illness is sin...He came for people like me and you...Those who sin...
St. Peter urges us to abstain from sinful desires...Though this is tough, everyday to resist temptation and sin, we must at least try... St. Peter encourages us live such good lives, so as others see us they know we are followers of God and through our good deeds will glorify God on the day He visits us...Our Father loves to see us like this, fighting our sins...
We need help from the Son, the Good Physician...Our Doctor forgives our illness, our sin, and in the end treats then heals it...Then the end becomes no end...He takes us to Him, in His time, His infinity...
St. Peter has been an eyewitness to mercy...Jesus has mercy on us...Peter was a sinner...Jesus during the night of His arrest, a time of need, Peter denied His Master three times...Jesus came for bad people...He came for sinners...Sinners must believe and try...Therefore, abstain from sinful desires...Those who rejected the Capstone, the Cornerstone neither believed, nor tried...They tried to destroy Him...But man cannot destroy God and what God wants...This cannot be done...Man cannot destroy Infinity...
God is Love, Pure Love...Sinning is not love, let alone pure love...Sin is so far from love...Pure love wants no part of sin and temptation...As a father on earth you want what is best for your son...You want him to grow and be the best of what he can and wants to be...A father will watch his son grow throughout life and feel love for his son and watch this throughout the son's life...Our Father also wants what is best for us... He gives us free will (in fact, in my opinion too much free will)...We are full of temptation, selfishness, and fleshy follies...We need these things purged from our souls...When we see and understand this, like our Saints did, we then see the need for the rebirth...Our Father wants more than a father...Jesus says we we must be reborn, and we need this to get closer to the One who created us...Jesus says we should not be surprised by Him saying "You must be reborn again" (John 3:7)...This rebirth is part of the purging of our sins...Pure Love is perfection...Pure Love wants perfection...Jesus is the perfect Son...
Man finds it easy, very easy to sin...But their is a Savior and Hope...To have no hope is a sad and most woeful way in life...Thank God for His grace...We have no hope without His grace...The Father's plan knew this...He sent Jesus for us, through His grace...He is our hope...