Suffering produces separation (Chapter 2);
Suffering produces Christian conduct (Chapter 3);
Suffering produces obedience to the will of God (Chapter 4).

           In practicing separation, which is living for the Lord, there is the danger of adopting extreme viewpoints and both are very much out of line with Scripture.

           One of them is thinking that human nature is such that all it needs is merely new direction, it needs to be given a purpose and a little reformation. The people who take this position believe that since there is nothing wrong with human nature, they need only to awaken the individual to his marvelous energy and intellect and moral nature so that he will be able to live for the Lord. That is one view of what it means to live the Christian life.

          The second extreme viewpoint is that when one is born again, he receives something that is supernatural (which he does receive), but then he merely sits on the sidelines while God accomplishes in his life all that needs to be done. people in this class become very pious. To me they are like a puffed up frog. They never seem to grow and develop into loving, full-obedient, normal Christians.

           Now this second chapter will make it very clear that through the New Birth (born again of incorruptible seed, the Word of God), have a new nature, and we are to live in that new nature by the power of the Holy Spirit. We have been brought into a loving relationship with the one whom, having not seen, we love. Simon Peter saw Him and loved Him, and although you and I have not seen Him, the Holy Spirit can make Him real to us so that we love Him in that way also.

           When you were first born again, do you remember how sweet and wonderful it was? Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers: “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:2). The Corinthian Christians had become very carnal. Their first love, that honeymoon love for Christ, was gone. God spoke of this same thing to His people Israel just before they went into the Babylonian captivity: “… Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown” (Jer. 2:2). The children of Israel demonstrated that love when they first came out of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. They sang a song of praises to Jehovah: “… I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea” (Exod. 15:1). Yet it wasn’t too long before they became complainers before God. God remembers that.

          Today real separation rests upon the fact that you have been born again, you now have a new nature, and you are now in love with Christ. Your love for Him makes you want to please Him.

          The great object in the purposes of God is to have people saved, not only from judgment and the lake of fire, but saved from the present world. He wants them saved, not only for heaven by and by, but for the heart of Christ now. The work of Christ on the cross settled every question that sin has raised between God and our souls. The future is bright with the glory of God, and we have been brought into the value of that work of redemption. We have been born again, and no one—not even Satan—can change that.

           However, how are we doing today in our Christian lives down here on the earth? How is our relationship with our fellow men and with the Lord Jesus Christ? "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.' (1 Pet. 2:1–2).

           You see, we cannot expect God to do everything for us; He has certain things for us to do for ourselves. First, there are certain things that we are to lay aside. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians believers, likens it to the taking off of a garment: “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts…. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another” (Eph. 4:22, 25).

           Paul uses a different figure to describe this to the Corinthians. “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:7–8).

          When the Israelite observed the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, he didn’t eat leavened bread; that is, he didn’t go on living the same kind of life he had lived before. He was feeding in a different place on a different kind of bread. And it was a means of growth for him. Likewise, Paul is saying to the Corinthian believers that when they come to Christ, they are to get rid of the old leaven, which is symbolic of malice and wickedness in their lives. You see, we will never become perfect in this life, because we will always have that old nature.

          “Laying aside all malice.” What is malice? The best definition is congealed anger. It means to have an unforgiving spirit. Question? Are you carrying bitterness in your heart and a chip on your shoulder? Although you witness about being born again and about loving Jesus, nobody around you will be able to distinguish that if you are carrying malice, congealed anger, in your heart.

          “And all guile.” Guile is using cleverness to get even or to try to make a good impression upon someone. Ananias and Sapphira used guile when they tried to represent themselves as being very generous givers to the churChapter That old nature which you and I have is good at that sort of thing. J. B. Lightfoot calls it “the vicious nature which is bent on doing harm to others.”

          “And hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings.” Hypocrisy is, of course, attempting to be what you are not. And evil speaking means slander.

          “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word.” Instead of “sincere” milk, I translate it pure milk or spiritual milk. Just as a hungry baby reaches for the bottle, a believer is to desire the Word of God.

ILLUS: A pastor tells the story of when his little grandson was born. Because his father was over in Turkey at the time, his mother came to stay with her parents . They had him with us those first few months, and every now and then it was their task to give him his bottle. The pastor explained, that little fellow went into high gear when he saw that bottle of milk. He started moving his hands, his mouth, his feet—he was reaching out for it with every part of his body. The pastor says the thought came to his mind, I wish I had a congregation that would reach out after the Word of God like that! I wish I had a congregation that was so hungry for the Word of God.

          With thout a hunger for the Word of God you will not grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. You will not develop as a Christian—you will always be in your babyhood. We must remember that a little baby and a full-grown man are both human beings, but they are in different stages of growth and development. The little one needs milk so he can grow up to become a man. Now, how does a Christian grow? He grows by studying the Word of God. There is no growth apart from the Word of God.

          A pastor said about his church. “I spend my time burping spiritual babies!” Those babies should grow up so they wouldn’t need a pastor to pat them and burp them all the time. And they would grow if they desired the pure milk of the Word.

          It is my conviction that the “pure milk of the word” means the total Word of God. We don’t grow spiritually by lifting out a verse for comfort here and there. We need the total Word of God to grow. We need a full, well-balanced diet. Of course, we start out with milk, but the day comes when we want a good steak, a good baked potato, a green salad, and maybe some black-eyed peas on the side. And you get all the spiritual nutrition you need in the total Word of God.

           "If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious" (1 Pet. 2:3).

           “If so be” means “since”—since ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. You see, at the moment of salvation, a child is born with an appetite for the Word of God, just as a newborn infant immediately starts to eat. When a a child comes from home from the hospital at only two or three days old, all we have to do was stick a nipple in his mouth. It knows what to do. He does not need a lecture on how to drink milk; he seemed to know all about it

           What, then, is real separation? Real separation (we need to note this carefully) is a separation from the works of the flesh. Too many Christians feel that they must be separated from the world. No, we are in the world, and we must live in the world even though we are not of the world.

           Malice, hypocrisy, envy, evil speaking—these are the things from which we should be separated. Only the Spirit of God working within us will produce that kind of separation. And until you and I are willing to give up malice, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking, we will never grow to Christian maturity.

           "To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious." (1 Pet. 2:4).

          “To whom coming, as unto a living stone.” We don’t come to a little Babe in Bethlehem; we come as little babes to a living stone. The living stone is Christ. After the confession of Simon Peter, the Lord Jesus said, “… upon this rock I will build my church …” (Matt. 16:18). Simon Peter makes it very clear here that the living stone is not himself but that the living stone is Jesus Christ.

          Jesus again refers to Himself as a stone in Matthew 21:42, 44: “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?” This is a quotation from Psalm 118. Now, speaking of Himself He says, “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

          Christ Jesus is that foundation stone of the church He is that stone today. Paul writes, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11). When you come as a sinner and fall on that stone, you are broken. However, in your brokenness that stone becomes a foundation for you, and that is your salvation. However, if you reject that stone, you are not through with the stone. Daniel, in his vision, saw a “stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet” (see Dan. 2:34). That is the stone of judgment which will come to smite the earth. This stone symbolizes Christ. He also will be the stone of judgment to this earth. What a picture of the Lord Jesus is given to us here!

          Here is something else that is wonderful—

           "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5).

          “Ye also, as lively stones.” Lively is an old English word for living. “Ye also, as living stones.” How are we living stones? We have been “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (v. 23, italics mine).

          “Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house.” You will recall that after Peter’s confession, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” the Lord Jesus said to him, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church” (see Matt. 16:16, 18). The name Peter means “rock,” and the Lord Jesus was saying to him in effect, “You are going to be a little stone, a pebble, but on this foundation stone (Christ) I am going to build My churChapter ” The Lord Jesus is the foundation stone, and we know that Peter understood it that way, because he said, “Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house.” Just as Simon Peter was one of the little stones, you are one of the little stones and I am one of the little stones which are built into this spiritual house. When we are born again, become children of God, we are put into this building of God.

           If we turn back to the Epistle to the Ephesians, we will find that Paul also uses this illustration of a building. “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph. 2:19–22). Today God is building a temple, a living temple. Those of us who come to Him as the sinners we are, who fall upon Him, cast ourselves upon Him for mercy, are saved. And He makes us a part of the living temple He is building upon the foundation stone, which is Christ Himself.

          “An holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” Another picture which this epistle gives to us is that of a holy priesthood. All believers are living stones. All believers are priests. We are a holy priesthood, and later Peter calls it a royal priesthood. As priests we are to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God in Jesus Christ. Praise to God is such a spiritual sacrifice. Your monetary offering to the Lord is such a spiritual sacrifice. I don’t know why people think that money cannot be spiritual. It all depends on the way money is used. And then, you can offer yourself to God. That is a spiritual sacrifice.

          Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not he confounded (1 Pet. 2:6).

          This is a quotation from Isaiah 28:6: “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” This stone is symbolic of Christ. Scripture makes this fact very clear.

          'Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto you them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner" (1 Pet. 2:7). “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious.” For you who believe there is the preciousness of Christ. I think it is so interesting that Simon Peter, the big, rugged fisherman, uses the word precious. We think of it as a word used in the vocabulary of women, but whenever Peter speaks of Christ or of His blood or any part about Him, he uses the word precious. “But unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed (rejected), the same is made the head of the corner.” (V7)

           "And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed (1 Pet. 2:8).

          This is a very important passage of Scripture. You will recall that it is a quotation from Psalm 118:22. There is a tradition that takes us back to the time of the building of Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. In 1 Kings 6:7 we read this about the actual construction of the temple: “And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.” The stones, you see, were hewn to exact measurement in the quarry; and when they reached the building site, there was no sound of a hammer—they were just fitted into place. Well, Jewish tradition is that at the beginning of the project a very large, fine-looking stone came up from the quarry, but the builders couldn’t fit it in any place; so they moved it to one side. Because it was in the way, eventually they just pushed it over the brow of the hill to make room for the other stones that they were receiving and forgot about it. Finally, when all the stones had been fitted into place, they sent down word to the quarry, “Send up the cornerstone.” The building was finished except for the cornerstone. Word came back, “We sent the cornerstone to you at the very beginning.” Then they remembered, “That’s the stone we pushed off the hill!” So with a great deal of effort, they had to haul that stone back to the top of the hill, and they found that it did fit right into place. If this tradition is accurate, it certainly explains the verses before us.

          The stone, which the builders rejected, has become the head of the corner. The stone is, of course, a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. When He came into the world He was rejected by His own people—“He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11). Not only then was He rejected, but you and I live today in a Christ-rejecting world. At the time this is being written, we are in the Christmas season. I don’t know about your town, but in my town Christmas is being celebrated, but Jesus Christ is being rejected. About the most hypocritical thing in the world is to reject the one whose birthday you are celebrating! the Lord Jesus Christ is to you today either a stepping stone or a stumbling stone.

          This brings us to a very wonderful passage of Scripture which reveals that a Christian’s life is to be commensurate with his position in Christ. And until we live that life, we are not experiencing normal Christian living. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" (1 Pet. 2:9).

           Peter is saying several very wonderful things about us here. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people of His own—not a “peculiar people.” God’s people are not supposed to be oddballs or crackpots or ready for the funny farm. Some people seem to think that is what “peculiar” means. It is more meaningful to use the translation: a people of His own.