By Roy E. Ciampa, Ph.D., S. Louis and Ann W. Armstrong
Professor of Religion, Samford University
The Testimony of Our Hope
1 Peter 2:4–15
Peter highlights how God has brought us into a place and roles of tremendous honor. But living in light of this new identity will sometimes result in forceful opposition, and we must beware of responding by lashing out against our real or perceived enemies.
Rather, we are called to act in ways that glorify God and enhance His reputation so observers might ultimately find themselves worshipping God thanks to His work within us.
When we hope in Christ, we are never put to shame. (4–6)
Peter, whose name means “rock,” has studied various Old Testament passages about “stones.” He quotes Isaiah 28:16, where God affirms He is laying a cornerstone in Zion. He is alluding to the cornerstone of the Temple, the most important building in Zion. Christ has become the new temple (John 2:19) and is the living stone Who was rejected by people but chosen and precious to God. Believers in Christ are “living stones” in God’s new temple (see also 1 Cor. 3:16–17; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:20–22), and members of a holy priesthood that offers sacrifices to God through our Lord. We may be mere “sojourners and exiles” in this world (v. 11), but we live in light of the knowledge that we are God’s holy servants, priests and temple, and exist to lead others to worship God along with us. While we may be “rejected by men” just as our Lord was, like Him we will not be put to shame on the last day.
God glorified Christ through His resurrection, and we know our own destiny also is one of honor rather than shame.
Others may reject Christ, but we stand confidently because of who we are in Christ. (7–10)
Picking up where verse 6 left off, verse 7 spells out that God honors those who believe. Those who don’t believe are described in Psalm 118:22 and Isaiah 8:14. They are like builders who rejected the stone that turned out to be the perfect cornerstone (Ps. 118:22) and are completely discredited. In their disobedience they stumble over and are offended by the stone (Christ) as anticipated by Isa. 8:14.
Returning to those who believe, Peter uses language drawn from Exodus 19:6 to provide a list of prestigious titles for Israel that now apply to believers in Christ: chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, people belonging to God.
This marvelous new identity qualifies us to proclaim the virtues of the God who has graciously brought us into the light (alluding to Gen. 1 and Isa. 9:2), made us His people and shown us unexpected mercy (alluding to Hos. 2:1, 23).
Our lives can lead others to glorify God. (11–15)
In v. 11, Peter shifts back to our identity as sojourners and exiles in this world. As we live among people who do not know and love God, we seek to exemplify such good and honorable behavior that others would turn from defaming us to recognizing that God is worthy of praise and worship for the way He has intervened in our lives and has been working to transform us through Christ.
Here Peter is repeating Jesus’ teaching. (see Matt. 5:16)
When Peter commands us to be subject to every human institution, he points out that such authorities are expected “to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.” As in our Lord’s experience, they don’t always do so.
Whether any government or leader praises or punishes those who do good, we are called by God to pursue that which is good and refrain from all evil, with the hope that our critics might be silenced, or better yet, find themselves glorifying God.
In any case, we know it is the divine King to whom we are ultimately accountable.
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