The Reason for the Season

"Jesus is the reason for the season," but He is not JUST the reason for the season of Christmas (though He most certainly is that). If Jesus is your Savior and your Lord, He is the reason for every season. He is the reason we rejoice in seasons of blessing, and He is the reason we persevere in seasons of suffering.

"Look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2) While enduring the most difficult season of suffering of his own life, Jesus looked forward to the joy that was set before Him.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, and writer of the bulk of the New Testament, spent his life "for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began." (Titus 1:2) This hope is set before us as the impetus to endure every season of this short life we are given, and Jesus made it possible.

"So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.  We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."
Hebrews 6:17-20

Returning again to Christmas, even Joseph, betrothed to the newly pregnant Mary, when struggling with the most difficult decision of his life, received assurance from an angel in a dream, "'Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel' which means, God with us." (Matthew 1:20-23)

So whether this Christmas was a joyful celebration or a reminder of painful or bittersweet memories, Jesus has not only gone before us, He is WITH us, even now, the day after Christmas, and every day afterward.  And this, brothers and sisters, is why He is the reason for EVERY season.  He is hope, and He is here. Merry Christmas.

Haikus and Humble Hermeneutics: 1 Peter 4

As I was meditating on this fourth chapter of 1 Peter, I also read John Calvin's commentary on the chapter, and could not get it out of my head.  I have read his commentaries on other books and chapters, but none have spoken to me so profoundly as this.  So, following the haikus, instead of writing my own ramblings, I would love to share some excerpts from his commentary, which can be read in its entirety here: http://calvin.biblecommenter.com/1_peter/4.htm.  Corresponding verse numbers are listed prior to each quotation.  Please read through 1 Peter, chapter 4 in your Bible first to better understand his comments below.  I pray for blessing on your reading, and to God alone be the glory. 

Verse 1
Since Christ has suffered
In the flesh, equip yourselves
With the same resolve

1 (continued)
For whoever has
Suffered in the flesh for Christ
Has finished with sin

2
So as not to live
The rest of his earthly life
For human passions

2 (continued)
Instead he will be
Guided, governed according
To the will of God

3
For you have spent time
Enough in the past doing
What the pagans do:

3 (continued)
Living in lust and
Sensuality, drunken
Feasts, idolatry

4
They are surprised when
You do not join them in the
Same wild excesses

4-5
They slander you, but
They will give account to Him
Who’s ready to judge

6
For this is why the
Gospel was preached even to
Those who are now dead

6 (continued)
That though they are judged
In the flesh, they would live in
God by the Spirit

7
The end of all things
Is near, so be earnest and
Disciplined for prayer

8
Above all, love each
Other deeply, because love
Covers many sins

9
Be hospitable
To one another without
Grumble or complaint

10
As each has received
A gift, use it in service
To one another

10 (continued)
As faithful servant
Managers of God’s grace in
Its various forms

11
Whoever speaks should
Do so as one who speaks the
Very words of God

11 (continued)
Whoever serves should
Do so with the energy
And strength God supplies

11 (continued)
This is so that God
May be glorified in all
Things through Jesus Christ

11 (continued)
To Him belong all
Glory and dominion for
Ever and ever.

12
Dear friends, do not be
Surprised at the fiery trials
That come to test you

12 (continued)
As if something strange
Were happening to you; they
Are for your proving

13
Instead, rejoice as
You share in the sufferings
Of the Messiah

13 (continued)
Then, when His glory
Is revealed, you may rejoice
With exceeding joy

14
So be happy when
You are insulted because
Of the name of Christ

14 (continued)
For then the Spirit
Of glory and of God is
Resting upon you

14 (continued)
On their part, He is
Evil spoken of; on your
Part He’s glorified

15
But none of you should
Suffer as a murderer,
Or thief, or meddler

16
But it’s no shame to
Suffer as a Christian; praise
God you bear that name!

17
For the time has come
That judgment must begin with
The household of God

17 (continued)
And if it begins
With us, what will become of
Those who disobey?

18
“If the righteous are
Barely saved, what will happen
To godless sinners?”

19
So then let those who
Suffer according to the
Will of God do good

19 (continued)
As they commit the
Keeping of their souls to a
Faithful Creator

--------------------
Excerpts from Calvin's commentary on 1 Peter 4, found at http://calvin.biblecommenter.com/1_peter/4.htm.

1  "Christ is not simply to be viewed as our example, when we speak of the mortification of the flesh; but it is by his Spirit that we are really made conformable to his death, so that it becomes effectual to the crucifying of our flesh."

2  "Here he [Peter] sets forth the way of ceasing from sin, that renouncing the covetings of men we should study to form our life according to the will of God. And thus he includes here the two things in which renovation consists, the destruction of the flesh and the vivification of the spirit. The course of good living is thus to begin with the former, but we are to advance to the latter."

3  "Peter does not so ascribe these vices to the Gentiles, as though he charged every individual with all these, but that we are by nature inclined to all these evils, and not only so, but that we are so much under the power of depravity, that these fruits which he mentions necessarily proceed from it as from an evil root. There is indeed no one who has not within him the seed of all vices, but all do not germinate and grow up in every individual. Yet the contagion is so spread and diffused through the whole human race, that the whole community appears infected with innumerable evils, and that no member is free or pure from the common corruption."

7  "It is, then, no wonder that the cares of this world overwhelm us, and make us drowsy, if the view of present things dazzles our eyes: for we promise, almost all of us, an eternity to ourselves in this world; at least, the end never comes to our mind. But were the trumpet of Christ to sound in our ears, it would powerfully rouse us and not suffer us to lie torpid."

[To save you the time of looking it up like I had to, torpid means lethargic or dormant.]

"But it may be objected and said, that a long series of ages has passed away since Peter wrote this, and yet that the end is not come. My reply to this is, that the time seems long to us, because we measure its length by the spaces of this fleeting life; but if we could understand the perpetuity of future life, many ages would appear to us like a moment, as Peter will also tell us in his second epistle. Besides, we must remember this principle, that from the time when Christ once appeared, there is nothing left for the faithful, but with suspended minds ever to look forward to his second coming."

"For as an indulgence in surfeiting and sleep renders the body unfit for its duties, so the vain cares and pleasures of the world inebriate the mind and render it drowsy."

8  "The sentence is taken from Solomon, whose words are found in Proverbs 10:12,

'Hatred discovers reproaches, but love covers a multitude of sins.'

What Solomon meant is sufficiently clear, for the two clauses contain things which are set in contrast the one with the other. As then he says in the first clause that hatred is the cause why men traduce and defame one another, and spread whatever is reproachful and dishonorable; so it follows that a contrary effect is ascribed to love, that is, that men who love one another, kindly and courteously forgive one another; hence it comes that, willingly burying each other's vices, one seeks to preserve the honor of another. Thus Peter confirms his exhortation, that nothing is more necessary than to cherish mutual love. For who is there that has not many faults? Therefore all stand in need of forgiveness, and there is no one who does not wish to be forgiven."

"This singular benefit love brings to us when it exists among us, so that innumerable evils are covered in oblivion. On the other hand, where loose reins are given to hatred, men by mutual biting and tearing must necessarily consume one another, as Paul says (Galatians 5:15)."

11 "God does not adorn us with his gifts, that he may rob himself and make himself as it were an empty idol by transferring to us his own glory, but that, on the contrary, his own glory may everywhere shine forth; and that it is therefore a sacrilegious profanation of God's gifts when men propose to themselves any other object than to glorify God."

12 "It is, indeed, a cause of joy, when God tries our faith by persecution; but the other joy far surpasses it, that is, when the Son of God allots to us the same course of life with himself, that he might lead us with himself to a blessed participation of heavenly glory. For we must bear in mind this truth, that we have the dying of Christ in our flesh, that his life may be manifested in us. The wicked also do indeed bear many afflictions; but as they are separated from Christ, they apprehend nothing but God's wrath and curse: thus it comes that sorrow and dread overwhelm them."

17 "It was formerly usual with the Lord, as all the prophets witness, to exhibit the first examples of his chastisements in his own people, as the head of a family corrects his own children rather than those of strangers. (Isaiah 10:12.) For though God is the judge of the whole world, yet he would have his providence to be especially acknowledged in the government of his own Church. Hence, when he declares that he would rise up to be the judge of the whole world, he adds that this would be after he had completed his work on Mount Sion. He indeed puts forth his hand indifferently against his own people and against strangers; for we see that both are in common subjected to adversities; and if a comparison be made, he seems in a manner to spare the reprobate, and to be severe towards the elect. Hence the complaints of the godly, that the wicked pass their life in continual pleasures, and delight themselves with wine and the harp, and at length descend without pains in an instant into the grave -- that fatness covers their eyes -- that they are exempt from troubles -- that they securely and joyfully spend their life, looking down with contempt on others, so that they dare to set their mouth against heaven. (Job 21:13; Psalm 73:3-9.) In short, God so regulates his judgments in this world, that he fattens the wicked for the day of slaughter. He therefore passes by their many sins, and, as it were, connives at them. In the meantime, he restores by corrections his own children, for whom he has a care, to the right way, whenever they depart from it."

18 "...the meaning is, that God's judgment would be dreadful against the ungodly, since the way to salvation was so thorny and difficult to the elect. And this is said, lest we should securely indulge ourselves, but carefully proceed in our course, and lest we should also seek the smooth and easy road, the end of which is a terrible precipice.

"But when he says, that a righteous man is scarcely saved, he refers to the difficulties of the present life, for our course in the world is like a dangerous sailing between many rocks, and exposed to many storms and tempests; and thus no one arrives at the port, except he who has escaped from [a] thousand deaths. It is in the meantime certain that we are guided by God's hand, and that we are in no danger of shipwreck as long as we have him as our pilot.
"Absurd, then, are those interpreters who think that we shall be hardly and with difficulty saved, when we shall come before God in judgment; for it is the present and not the future time that Peter refers to; nor does he speak of God's strictness or rigour, but shews how many and what arduous difficulties must be surmounted by the Christian before he reaches the goal. Sinner here means a wicked man and the righteous are not those who are altogether perfect in righteousness, but who strive to live righteously."

19 "...persecutions ought to be submissively endured, for the condition of the godly in them is much happier than that of the unbelieving, who enjoy prosperity to their utmost wishes. He, however, reminds us that we suffer nothing except according to the permission of God, which tends much to comfort us..."

And that He does indeed.  Please comfort us in any and all of our sufferings, God, and let us remain faithful to you through them, remembering that you are always faithful to us, and this is certainly our greatest comfort.  And thank you God, that you remain faithful even when we fail, for you cannot deny yourself (2 Timothy 2:13).  To Your Great Name alone be the glory!  Amen.

Haikus and Humble Hermeneutics: 1 Peter 3

In case you were wondering, meditations on the second half of the previous chapter (1 Peter 2) were intentionally deferred until this post, since it speaks of submission to authority with strikingly similar wording to the instructions to wives found here in chapter 3.  For example, 1 Peter 2:18 says, "Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the unjust.  For this is a gracious thing, when mindful of God."  This reminds me of Paul's instructions in Ephesians 6:5-8 as well, "Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.  With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free." 1 Peter chapter 3 then begins with comparable language to address the relationship between wives and husbands, "Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct."  I believe this instruction applies equally to wives with "unjust" husbands as to wives of "good and gentle" husbands.  Let's contemplate how Peter's instruction applies to both slaves and their masters as well as to wives and husbands.

Slaves to Righteousness

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.  I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.  But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.  But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:15-23)

We are called out of slavery to sin and death to become slaves of righteousness, but not in the way that we have come to understand slavery.  We are slaves to righteousness in a way that means that all our needs are met by our master.  We are lacking in resources to provide for ourselves, and we are unable to obtain freedom unless the master wills it.  We are hopelessly and completely dependent on him.  As the notes from the ESV Study Bible on Matthew 18:2-4 similarly explain, "The humility of a child consists of childlike trust, vulnerability, and the inability to advance his or her own cause apart from the help, direction, and resources of a parent."

It also means that all our service is for the purpose of fulfilling the will of the master.  Our daily tasks are not prioritized in accordance with our own pleasures; rather, our time, strength, talents, and abilities are given to the master in obedience to him, used for his purposes.  2 Timothy 2:26 tells us that we "escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him (God) to do his will."

But rather than fearing being captured by this Master, remember this, "He who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men." (1 Corinthians 7:22-23)  And God is unlike any master of men.  Always fair, always just, yet merciful and full of grace thanks to the sacrifice of His own Son, slaves of Christ want for nothing, having been granted true freedom and life in Him.  As Peter answered to Jesus himself, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life." (John 6:68)

Imperishable Beauty

Furthermore, Peter instructs us as wives to submit to our husbands as a sign of obedience and of love.  The way we relate to our husbands is a sign to the world of the way we relate to God. Our submission to our husbands demonstrates our love for them, and as Christians, our submission to authority shows the world that we love God and trust him ultimately and completely.

Peter later goes on to say that we are to "always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame." (vv. 15-16)  Our love and submission is not meant to be shown only by the way we live our lives in silence, but also with words.  Let us use our conduct and our words to show our husbands that we both love and respect them as the leaders of our homes, and let us also speak with well-seasoned words to our husbands and anyone else who will hear about the hope that is within us.

Along with preparing a defense that is delivered with gentleness and respect, Peter instructs wives that a "gentle (also translated 'meek') and quiet spirit is very valuable in God's eyes" (v. 4).  We've heard of this value before, in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus promises, "the meek...will inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). In the editor's footnote to Calvin's commentary on 1 Peter 3:4, meekness is defined as "not given to passion or wrath, patient, not proud nor arrogant; quiet, peaceable, not garrulous, not turbulent, nor given to strife and contention." So this meekness is not to be confused with timidity, but rather describes the spirit that is at peace in all circumstances, whether in opposition to or agreement with their given human authority, knowing that the true and final authority of Jesus, our loving and gracious Lord, kind and gentle master, will stand forever. We are called to "submit to every human authority", but it is "for the Lord's sake" that we do so (1 Peter 2:13).  Let us never lose sight of who we are always ultimately in submission to.  In John 18:36, Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting... But my kingdom is not from the world.”  It is how we live in submission to Christ that will matter in the end.

As I was thinking today about how to describe to my six-year-old daughter what it mean to be truly beautiful, I thought of this passage in 1 Peter, as well as the "greatest commandments" listed by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-39, "And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" Loving others as yourself is a demonstration of true inner beauty. And isn't that what submission is at its essence? Loving someone else more than yourself? Submitting to their will over your own? All of us as Christians are called to this in relationship with our Lord and Savior, the Bridegroom. And we as wives are called to this with our own husbands as well.

True beauty points to a depth within. Just as outward beauty can only attract others for so long without an inward beauty beneath it, a life of submission is only as meaningful as the love behind it. This is the true beauty of a wife to her husband.  Hairstyles will change, clothes will go out of style, and even our bodies will change in many ways over the years. But one thing that can remain constant over all the years, with God's grace, is to live a life of love for others. Love for others is often the common thread in describing someone who is really beautiful. This is my desire for my daughter and myself. So please don't be afraid or anxious, wives, to live a life of submission to your husband and those in leadership. When Jesus comes to return for his Bride, your beauty will shine forth greater than any reflection you've ever seen in the mirror, because you will be truly and singularly beholding Jesus in all His radiant glory, and you belong to Him!

I pray that reading these chapters of 1 Peter will bless you as you grow in understanding of Biblical  submission, and I pray, as always, that the Spirit would speak truth to you through God's word, with your eyes open to see and your ears open to hear.  To God alone be the glory.

Verse 1
Likewise, wives, you, must
Accept the authority
Of your own husbands

1 (continued)
So that even if
Some disobey the word, they
May be won over

1 (continued)
Your godly conduct
And beautiful way of life
Will speak without words

1-2
When they see that you
Conduct yourselves with pure and
Respectful conduct

3
Your beauty should not
Consist of outward things like
Elaborate hair

3 (continued)
Nor from the wearing
Of expensive jewelry
Or fine apparel

4
Instead, your beauty
Should come from within, where it
Cannot be destroyed

4 (continued)
The beauty of a
Gentle and quiet spirit
Is precious to God

5
For this is how the
Holy women who hoped in
God adorned themselves

5 (continued)
They trusted in God
And accepted their husband's
Own authority

6
As Sarah obeyed
Her husband Abraham and
Called him her master

6 (continued)
You are her daughters
When you do what's right and do
Not give way to fear

7
Husbands, in the same 
Way be considerate as 
you live with your wives

7 (continued)
Show honor to your
Wife as a weaker but most
Delicate partner

7 (continued)
Live as co-heirs of
The grace of life, that your prayers
May not be hindered

8
Finally, all of
You must live in harmony,
Be sympathetic,

8 (continued)
Love one another
As brothers: compassionate,
Merciful, humble

9
Don't repay evil
For evil; when insulted,
Don't retaliate

9 (continued)
Instead, bless, for to
This you were called, that you may
Obtain a blessing

10
For the Scriptures say,
"Whoever desires to love
Life and see good days,

10 (continued)
"Let him keep his tongue
From evil and his lips from
Deceitful speaking

11
"He must turn away
From evil and do good; seek
Peace and pursue it

12
"For the eyes of the
Lord are on the righteous, and
His ears hear their prayers

12 (continued)
"But the countenance
Of the Lord is against those 
Who do what's evil."

13
Who will harm you if
You are deeply committed
To doing what's good?

14
But even if you
Should suffer for the sake of
Righteousness, you're blessed

14 (continued)
And do not fear their
Intimidation; don't be
Troubled or upset

15
Instead, honor the
Messiah as Lord in your
Hearts and in your lives

15
Always be ready
To answer anyone who
Asks about your hope

16
But do this in a 
Gentle and respectful way;
Keep your conscience clear

16 (continued)
That those who slander
Your good behavior in Christ
Will be put to shame

17
It's better, if God
Wills, to suffer for doing
Good than for evil

18
For Christ suffered once
Also for sins, the righteous
For the unrighteous

18 (continued)
That He might bring us
To God, having been put to
Death in the body

18-19
But made alive in
The Spirit, He went and preached
To prison's spirits

20
Who in the past were
Disobedient, when God
Waited patiently

20 (continued)
In Noah's days while
The ark was being built; eight
Were saved by water

21
Baptism, which is 
Symbolized by that water,
Now saves you also

21 (continued)
Not the removal
Of dirt from the flesh but as
An appeal to God,

21
The pledge of a good
Conscience toward God, effective
Because of Jesus

21-22
His resurrection
Is what saves you, and now Christ
Has gone to heaven

22
Seated at God's right
Hand with angels, rulers, and
Powers subjected

Haikus and Humble Hermeneutics: 1 Peter, Chapter 2

Pure Spiritual Milk

1 Peter 2 begins: "So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and slander.  Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation."

There are two other references to milk in the New Testament, both of which refer to milk as a necessity for those "still of the flesh", "behaving only in a human way", with solid food reserved for "mature", "spiritual people", "trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil:"

1 Corinthians 3:1-3, "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?" 

Hebrews 5:12-6:3, "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits."

What is this pure spiritual milk that we are supposed to long for and crave?  “The basic principles of the oracles of God”, “the elementary doctrine of Christ”; in short, it is the Gospel, by which all those who belong to Christ have heard and believed, through faith, by the grace of God.  The Gospel is not just for unbelievers to come to belief, although it of course is that; Peter here is writing to fellow believers, the "elect" (1Peter 1:1) who "have been born again" (1 Peter 1:23).  The pure spiritual milk is "the good news that was preached to you" (1 Peter 1:25), "that by it you may grow up into salvation" (1 Peter 2:2).  All three of these passages are actually addressed to believers, but these believers have failed to “put off the old self” (Ephesians 4:22) and “grow up into salvation.”

The gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’" (Romans 1:16-17)  Did you catch that?  The Gospel is both the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, both for the unbeliever to come to belief, and for the righteous to live by faith.

Paul instructed believers repeatedly to “grow up into salvation” by living in Christ, walking by the Spirit, not by the sinful desires of the human heart and mind.  Consider these two exhortations:

 Galatians 516 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." 

Ephesians 411 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.  17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Do you see any similarities between Paul’s instructions in Galatians and Ephesians and what Peter writes as well?  We have “tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:3), so we are called to “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…to put off your old self…and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”  Again, how has God chosen to reveal his likeness in true righteousness and holiness?  Through the Gospel (Romans 1:17).  His Son Jesus Christ is the Gospel, the very Word of God (John 1:1-2); “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ…he has made him known” (John 1:17-18).  Again, God “has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.  He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” (Hebrews 1:1-3)

I think it is important to note here that while all the above references to milk are set in contrast to the necessity of solid food, that by no means lessens the value of the milk.  Infants are wholly sustained on milk.  It is the first sustenance they receive when born, coming from the womb into newness of life.  It is all that their bodies can handle, but exactly what they were designed to thrive on as well.  As they grow, with a constant, unchanging diet of pure milk for many months, their bodies are preparing for the introduction of new foods and textures, and their organs preparing for new nutrients.  Milk is essential, but it is meant to carry us on to richer things.  Again from Hebrews 5:12 above, “By this time you ought to be teachers.”  What are these teachers teaching?  The pure milk of the Gospel.  Then, as God permits, we will leave the elementary but foundational doctrines of faith, going on to maturity, being “trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14).

"Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature" (1 Corinthians 14:20). For Jesus says, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." (Matthew 10:16). All of this leads us to Peter's instruction in this chapter, "For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people " (v. 15).

But this gospel, this Jesus, will not be received by all. Consider 1 Corinthians 1:21-25, "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

A Living Stone, Chosen and Precious

The pure spiritual milk is the Gospel, the good news of Jesus, and He is the chosen and precious cornerstone upon which we, "like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house." (1 Peter 2:4-5)

1 Corinthians 3:11 "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." 

 Isaiah 28:16 Therefore the Lord GOD said: "Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakable." 

Psalm 118:22-2319 Open to me the gates of righteousness,that I may enter through themand give thanks to the LORD.20 This is the gate of the LORD;the righteous shall enter through it.21 I thank you that you have answered meand have become my salvation.22 The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone.23 This is the LORD’s doing;it is marvelous in our eyes.24 This is the day that the LORD has made;let us rejoice and be glad in it.

The previous passages give the believer hope, as we are being built up on a sure, unshakable foundation in Christ, but it holds a quite different meaning to those who do not accept Christ, as Jesus quotes the same Scripture from Psalms here:

Matthew 21:42-46
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet. 

Again, in Luke 20:17-18, [Jesus] looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? 18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

Isaiah 8:14-15
Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 “Many will stumble over them, Then they will fall and be broken; They will even be snared and caught.” 

Romans 9:30-33
30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

So although some “stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do” (1 Peter 2:8), there is still hope for “whoever believes in him” (Romans 9:33).  “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:10-13)

As Calvin says in his commentary on 1 Peter 2 (http://calvin.biblecommenter.com/1_Peter/2.htm),

"… there is no building up of the Church without Christ; for there is no other foundation but he, as Paul testifies (1 Corinthians 3:11). This is no matter of wonder, for all our salvation is found only in him. Whosoever, then, turns away from him in the least degree, will find his foundation a precipice. Therefore the Prophet [Isaiah] not only calls him a corner-stone, which connects the whole edifice, but also a stone of trial, according to which the building is to be measured and regulated; and farther, he calls him a solid foundation, which sustains the whole edifice. He is thus, then, a corner-stone, that he might be the rule of the building, as well as the only foundation....because the weight of the building rests on him."  Calvin later continues, "For as the firmness and stability of Christ is such that it can sustain all who by faith recumb on him; so his hardness is so great that it will break and tear in pieces all who resist him. For there is no medium between these two things, -- we must either build on him, or be dashed against him."

You cannot take the name of Christ and not build your life on the Gospel. Christ, as revealed in His Word, is the only sure foundation for life. If you do not take Christ as He is revealed in the Word, you do not truly take Christ at all.

As always, please read this chapter of 1 Peter in the Bible first. These haikus are simply intended to let us hear the truth of Scripture in a fresh way, which we might otherwise gloss over when read in whatever translation of the Bible we normally read or hear. God alone possesses truth, and I pray that the Holy Spirit will cover over any errors made on my part, speaking that truth to your heart through the glorious Word of God (that would be Jesus, see John 1:1-5). I am not trying to write a new version of the Bible here; my desire is simply that the truth of the inerrant Word of God would be heard and discovered by us all over again. Speak to us through your Holy Spirit, God. We long to know you. To your great Name alone be the glory!

Verse 1
So rid yourselves of
All deceit, hypocrisy,
Envy, and slander

2
Like newborn babes, crave
The pure milk of the word that
You may grow by it

3
Since you have tasted
The kindness, graciousness, and
Goodness of the Lord

4
You're coming to Christ,
Who is the living corner-
Stone of God's temple

4 (continued)
Rejected by men,
But in the sight of God was
Chosen and precious

5
And you are living
Stones, being built up as a
Spiritual house

5 (continued)
A holy priesthood
To offer sacrifices
That please God through Christ

6
As the Scriptures say,
"Look! I lay in Zion a
Chosen cornerstone

6 (continued)
"And he who believes
In Him will not be ashamed
Or disappointed"

7
So the honor is
For you who believe, but for
Those who don't believe,

7 (continued)
"The stone the builders
Rejected has become the
Very cornerstone,"

8
"A stone they stumble
Over, and a large rock that
They find offensive"

8 (continued)
They keep on stumbling
For they disobey the word,
As they were destined

9
But you are chosen
People, a royal priesthood,
A holy nation

9 (continued)
A people for God's
Own possession, that you may
Declare His praises

9 (continued)
For He has called you
Out of the darkness into
His marvelous light

10
For once you were not
A people, but now you are
The peoople of God

10 (continued)
You had not received
Mercy, but now mercies are
Poured out upon you

11
In this world you are
Sojourners and aliens,
Pilgrims and exiles

11 (continued)
I urge you to keep
From worldly desires which wage
War against your soul

12
Live honorable
And upright lives before all
The children of men

12 (continued)
And they'll glorify
God on the day he visits
Us to judge the world

13
Submit yourselves to
All human authority
Because of the Lord

13-14
Whether to a king
As head of state, or to a
Governor he sends

14
Those he commissions
To punish wrongdoers and
Praise those who do right

15
For it is God's will
That you shut the mouths of fools
By doing what's right

16
Live as free people,
Not to conceal evil, but
Instead to serve God

17
Honor all people,
Love the brotherhood, fear God,
and honor the king

18
You who are servants
Must be submissive to your
Masters with respect,

18 (continued)
Not only to those
Who are good and gentle, but
Also to the harsh

19
For it brings favor
If one endures the pain of
Unjust suffering

20
But what honor is
It to endure punishment
For sin with patience?

20 (continued)
But if you suffer
For doing good and endure,
This brings God's favor

21
You were called to this,
Since Christ suffered for you and
Left an example

21-22
To follow His steps,
Who did no sin, and never
Spoke deceitfully

23
When reviled, he did
Not revile; when he suffered,
He did not threaten

23 (continued)
He continued to
Entrust himself to the One
Who judges justly

24
He personally
Carried our sins in his own
Body on the cross

24 (continued)
That we might die to
Sin and live to righteousness;
By His wounds you're healed

25
For once you were like
Sheep who were going astray
Continually

25 (continued)
Now you have come back,
Returned to the Shepherd and
Bishop of your souls