The Priority of the Word (1 Pet. 1:22–2:3)

This sermon was preached on 15/5/2011

I suppose it was difficult for the person(s) who divided the books of the Bible into chapters always to find appropriate places to end a chapter. It looks to me as if 2:1-3 are dealing with similar matters as 1:22-25 because both sections deal with how people use the Word of God. Further both passages are concerned with brotherly relationships – the relationship begins because of new birth through the word of God and develops as each person continues to absorb the word of God. So it is possible to deduce that Peter here is stressing the necessity and centrality of the word of God in the lives of his people.

The permanence of the Word of God

In verses 24 and 25, Peter contrasts the important messages of humans with the message of the Word of God. Peter lived in a time when many ideas were circulating about life, and the vast majority of people would have been very surprised at his assessment of such ideas. The apostle did not expect them to last long – in fact, these messages would have the same influence as temporary flowers and grass. In contrast, the message that was preached to them, which was based on the Scriptures and is included in the Scriptures, would last forever.

No matter how surprised Peter’s contemporaries would have been at his assessment, the verdict of history is on his side. How many people today know anything of what the famous thinkers and orators of Peter’s day thought and said? Tourists visit the places where such lived and taught, and have little idea of the influence one held by such important people. Yet the message preached by Peter and others is adhered to strenuously and lovingly by millions of people all over the world.

Peter quotes from the prophet Isaiah when he makes this claim. Isaiah would have had different messages from Peter in mind when he first made his statement. And Peter would have known, when he cited Isaiah, that these messages had long lost any influence. Isaiah’s words were his God-given assessment of the grand claims of the Babylonian empire. God’s cause seemed very weak in comparison, yet it had lasted and Babylon had not. Peter is equally confident that the Word of God will outlast the ideas of his time, and that is what has happened.

Since Peter’s day, many other notions have been suggested for improving the state of humanity, and they too have disappeared despite once having great influence. Yet the Word of God remains and has greater impact today than it ever did as can be seen in the large number of people who live their lives by it. All this means is that we should have the same confidence that Peter had in God’s Word and we should have the same assessment as he had of other ideas that are advocated in our contemporary world.

In passing we can note the suitability of the Isaiah passage for Peter’s readers. The message of Isaiah initially was designed to comfort the Jewish exiles in Babylon by assuring them that they would yet return to their homeland. Peter’s readers were in a different exile, from their homeland in heaven, but the thrust of Isaiah’s message was true for them as well – they too would eventually reach their homeland. So even in quoting this passage, Peter would be stimulating his readers to think about the relevance of the Word of God to their situations.

Of course, the primary reason why God’s Word is permanent is because he has made it so. This is the obvious difference between other messages and God’s Word – the other messages were the compositions of weak, limited humans whereas God’s Word is the product of the wise and almighty God. Because he is full of all wisdom, the Lord knew what to put in his Word, and because he is almighty he always has the power to ensure its effects are fulfilled.

There are many statements claiming this in the Bible, but we can only mention two examples, one from the Old Testament and one from the New. Think about these verses from Isaiah 55:10-11: ‘For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.’ Or these words from Hebrews 4:12: ‘For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.’

Peter reminds his listeners that they had experienced the effects of this word when it was preached to them. The content of the preaching is described as good news, which raises the question, ‘What were the various features of the message that allow it to be called good news?’ Obviously, he is referring to the gospel about Jesus, in which his person and work are explained. We are familiar with the gospel, but we should remember that it as a gospel that came to us (and them) through the Word of God.

The Word of God brings life to sinners

Peter mentions this effect of the Word of God in verse 23: ‘since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.’ The apostle tells his readers that the instrument which God used to give them spiritual life was his Word. This is the case with all of them, although there would have been diverse ways by which each of them came in contact with the Word and how they were affected by it.

Some people are converted when they read or hear one verse of the Bible. I suppose the verse that has been most used in this way is John 3:16, but there are many other verses that have spoken strongly to individuals and given spiritual life to them. Others may read many passages of the Bible before signs of new life appear, and it is important for any who deduce they are in this situation to persevere in reading it.

Sometimes, people read the Bible for the wrong reasons, perhaps because they are interested in the development of English literature (this is happening during this year because of it being the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible). Others may read parts of it because it gives enjoyment to do so – most of us are familiar with the lines of McCheyne’s hymn: ‘I oft’ read with pleasure, to sooth or engage, Isaiah’s wild measure and John’s simple page; But e’en when they pictured the blood-sprinkled tree, Jehovah Tsidkenu seemed nothing to me.’ Many read portions of it, such as the Sermon on the Mount, and use it for political agendas. Yet it is the case that often such curious people are suddenly affected in a spiritual manner by the verses they are reading.

The way of affecting will vary from individual to individual. Some will find that initially the Word of God speaks to them about their sins and shows them that they are condemned by God; others will find that the Word of God initially speaks to them about the distinctive features of Jesus and the uniqueness of his death. There are many different ways in which the Holy Spirit uses the instrument of the Word of God to bring spiritual life into the hearts of sinners. This is one reason why it is foolish to think that someone else’s conversion experience should be the model for the conversion of anyone else.

Another aspect of the power of the Word of God that we must keep in mind is that its initial influences may not be dramatic in an outward sense. The usual biblical example is the contrasting experiences of Lydia and the Philippian jailor – the Lord worked gently in the heart of Lydia and he brought the jailor to his knees by an earthquake and subsequent personal fear of punishment by his masters. Yet I sometimes hear a wrong deduction made from these examples. Some conclude that flagrant sinners (it is assumed that the jailor was such a person) will have a rough conversion process whereas others will have a more quiet conversion. There are many examples from church history that show that such a deduction is baseless. The power of God’s Word is not seen in the external effects it may have, but in the inner change it brings about (any more than we can deduce that a seed sown on a windy day is more powerful than seed sown on a sunny day).

Peter describes the Word of God as living and abiding. He does mean that the Scriptures cannot be destroyed, but I would suggest that he is also saying to the exiles to whom he is writing, ‘The seed that was sown in your hearts cannot be destroyed.’ Perhaps they were concerned that their environment would hinder any effects that the Word should have. They would have needed encouragement because of the difficulties they were encountering. Peter’s comfort, as he strengthens his brothers, is not to say anything about possible beneficial changes in circumstances; instead he assures them that God’s Word will be effective, whatever happens. After all, it worked in their hearts when they were separated from God by their sins. So why should it cease to work now that they are reconciled to him? The fact is, the Word of God would continue to work, as we will consider later.

The Word of God brings love to sinners

In verse 22, Peter describes the effect of obedience to the truth: ‘Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart.’ What does he mean by ‘obedience to the truth’? Does he mean their initial response to the gospel or does he mean their ongoing way of living? I think he means their initial response to the message of salvation. We can divide verse 22 as follows: (1) the effect of obeying the gospel – inner purity; (2) the goal of obeying the gospel – sincere brotherly love; (3) the exhortation to those who have obeyed the gospel – love one another earnestly from a pure heart.

In this passage, Peter wants his readers to recall what had happened to them when they were converted. They had responded to the Word of God by believing in Jesus and something wonderful had happened inside them. There had been a great change, a renewal of their outlook, they had been cleansed. The Word of God, which he likens to a seed producing life in the following verse, is like a river of water that penetrates into each part of one’s inner life and immediately brings about a marvellous inner cleansing.

This is a reminder of the impurity of the human heart by nature. The Saviour taught the disciples this truth when he said in Matthew 15:18-20: ‘But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.’ Within our hearts by nature, love to God and his kingdom does not exist. That was true of Peter’s readers as well. Yet into their hearts came the Word of God and their minds and hearts were changed – they began to think clean thoughts and love good things.

One goal of believing in Jesus is ‘sincere brotherly love’. The idea of brotherly love fits in with what Peter is about to say about new birth – having been born into God’s family the goal is to love all the family members with a sincere love. Having come to know God through Jesus in the message of the gospel, they now regard other people in a new, clean way. Such a goal is not merely a long-distant aim. Peter tells his readers to show love to other family members in an earnest way (the same word ’earnestly’ is used of Jesus as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane). And they would receive this energy by continuing to use the Word of God.

The Word of God builds one up (2:1-3)

Having described the Word of God as a seed which gives life and as a cleansing stream which gives love, Peter moves on to explain how that spiritual life and love can develop. First, they have to put away several ugly features that may arise in their hearts, features such as ‘all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander’ (2:1). What marks each of these features is that they are expressions of hatred – they are means of destroying another person.

In contrast, believers are to be like ‘newborn infants’ who desire their mother’s milk (another connection to their new birth). Peter is not suggesting that his readers become childish or simplistic in their outlook. Instead he is saying that spiritual development can only occur in a person who does not have the nasty traits mentioned in verse 1. These traits are the spiritual equivalents of diseases that would prevent a child from developing. There will not be any spiritual growth in a heart that gives space to these traits.

What does Peter have in mind by ‘pure spiritual milk’? It was common in Peter’s time, as in our own, for milk to be watered down – he uses terminology that was common among traders for such a practice. So he has in mind what a product that can be spoiled by additions being made to it. We can think of Paul’s claim in 2 Corinthians 4:2: ‘But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.’ Some translations have ‘pure milk of the word’ – ‘of the word’ translates an adjective that means rational or logical, a message that makes sense. Peter could be referring to messages based on the Word of God or he could be referring to the Word of God itself (a sermon, of course, is an exposition of the Word of God). The point the is making is that we should not imbibe any teaching that has additions made to it because the outcome will be no growth.

In what ways does an infant desire milk? He craves for it instinctively (he does not need any lessons on how to develop an appetite – if he does not have an appetite, he is unwell), he craves for it incessantly (he desires it repeatedly), and he craves for it impatiently (he is frustrated if something stops him having it). This is how believers are to long for God’s Word.

When they use the Word of God in this way, they develop spiritually. Peter says that such ‘will grow up into salvation’. This is a reminder that salvation, in its biblical usage, covers more than the initial forgiveness of sins and the future deliverance from sin when we die or when Jesus returns. In addition, the term covers various experiences in the Christian life – they experience the sweetness of the promises of God, they discover the restoration it can give when they are spiritually weary, the guidance it contains for their spiritual journey, the communion it enables them to have with the risen Lord, the assurance it gives concerning the future.

This overall experience is described by Peter as tasting that the Lord is good. By ‘Lord’, Peter has Jesus in mind (he is referred to in the next passage as the one to whom Peter’s readers have come). Peter uses the illustration of eating a meal that gives sustenance to depict the spiritual provision that Jesus provides (incidentally, Peter is quoting from Psalm 34, a pointer to the fact that the Lord in that psalm is Jesus). Perhaps Peter was recalling the teaching of Jesus when he said that his followers had to eat his flesh and drink his blood. In any case, he was reminding the exiles of their diet. They were not to eat the same food as those among whom they were sojourning, but they were to carry on eating the same spiritual food as they had been doing since their conversion.

As we conclude, we have seen that the Word of God is essential for the commencement and continuing of the Christian life, we have seen that message of the Word of God is about experiencing the goodness of Jesus Christ, and that the effects of the Word of God will be fervent brotherly love.