The Regular Guys Bible Study
1 Peter 2:1-12
What if embracing ancient wisdom could revolutionize your daily life? Join us on the Regular Guys Bible Study Podcast as we unravel the depth of 1 Peter 2:1-12. We kick off with a heartfelt discussion on shedding negative traits like malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander, while exploring the metaphor of believers as living stones in a spiritual house with Jesus as the cornerstone. Our conversation takes a deep dive into the nuanced phrasing of the text, probing the significance of terms like "beloved" and the transformative call to be a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation tasked with proclaiming God's excellencies.
This episode also delves into the concept of spiritual sacrifices, emphasizing that physical sacrifices are now obsolete due to Jesus Christ's ultimate sacrifice. We explore what it means to die to oneself daily and take up one's cross for Christ, referencing Isaiah 28:16 and Psalm 118:22 to highlight the cornerstone metaphor for Jesus and its implications for those who reject Him. As we candidly reflect on the struggles of living an honorable life and our own personal shortcomings, we encourage listeners to continue reading 1 Peter 2 for our next session. Thanks for joining us, and we can't wait to continue our journey together.
What if embracing ancient wisdom could revolutionize your daily life? Join us on the Regular Guys Bible Study Podcast as we unravel the depth of 1 Peter 2:1-12. We kick off with a heartfelt discussion on shedding negative traits like malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander, while exploring the metaphor of believers as living stones in a spiritual house with Jesus as the cornerstone. Our conversation takes a deep dive into the nuanced phrasing of the text, probing the significance of terms like "beloved" and the transformative call to be a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation tasked with proclaiming God's excellencies.
This episode also delves into the concept of spiritual sacrifices, emphasizing that physical sacrifices are now obsolete due to Jesus Christ's ultimate sacrifice. We explore what it means to die to oneself daily and take up one's cross for Christ, referencing Isaiah 28:16 and Psalm 118:22 to highlight the cornerstone metaphor for Jesus and its implications for those who reject Him. As we candidly reflect on the struggles of living an honorable life and our own personal shortcomings, we encourage listeners to continue reading 1 Peter 2 for our next session. Thanks for joining us, and we can't wait to continue our journey together.
You are listening to the Regular Guys Bible Study Podcast, the Bible study for regular guys by regular guys. We are your hosts, ken and Steve, and we are just regular guys studying the Bible together, not theologians. Really good, steve gosh, that was pathetic. I didn't do anything. We all heard you doing that little. It was you.
Speaker 2:You're the pathetic one.
Speaker 1:All right, steve, how are you doing?
Speaker 2:Kind of tired, but I'm okay.
Speaker 1:You seem to be at work a long time today. What were you doing Catching up?
Speaker 2:after vacation. You seem to be at work a long time today. What were you doing? Catching?
Speaker 1:up after vacation.
Speaker 2:You know, you can catch up at home, I think, beth just threw out the catch up.
Speaker 1:I like the dramatic pause while you thought of what funny thing can I say, oh man, all right, steve. Well, we are on second Peter today. We are, and I don't think we're going to get through the whole thing. In fact I don't think we should even try. I think we should try to get through the first half.
Speaker 2:So we'll go from 1 through 12.
Speaker 1:Yes, so we are going to read first. Yeah, read and discuss 1 Peter, 1 through 12. If you haven't read it, as always, pause and go read it, because you will be much better off if you read it first. Oh, zoom just said, my internet is unstable I you had dropped out for a second.
Speaker 2:Oh, oh let's hope this turns out okay let's hope it works out this.
Speaker 1:Uh, we are doing one of our rare remote recording sessions and we'll just see what happens?
Speaker 2:Let's hope it's medium rare.
Speaker 1:All right.
Speaker 2:That is tasty, I prefer medium rare.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, all right. So we are looking for a tasty podcast, juicy. All right, steve. Tasty podcast um. Juicy all right, steve um. Why don't you know what I need to turn on my do not disturb thing I already did yeah, I did not.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, you're playing with that, I'll go ahead and read why don't you start reading?
Speaker 1:So, hey, okay, stop right there. What do we say about? So Needle and a thread? No, we say what's it so for?
Speaker 2:No, I don't think we do.
Speaker 1:Oh well, okay. The truth is, though, when it says so, it's the same as saying, therefore, right, because he just said something and that's why he says so.
Speaker 2:And he was talking about them being called to be holy.
Speaker 1:Yes, but not just being called to be holy. But, yes, you're right, but it's also about we're only here for a little while. Right, we are like grass that withers and flowers that fade, but the word of the Lord remains forever. All right Now, and because of that so.
Speaker 2:So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk that by it you may grow up into salvation, if indeed you have tasted that. The Lord is good as you come to him. A living stone, rejected by men but in the sight of God, chosen and precious, you yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone, chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. So the honor is for you who believe.
Speaker 2:But for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. That you may proclaim the excellencies of him, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy. All right, thanks, steve, they speak against you as evildoers. They may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Speaker 1:All right, Thanks, Steve. I have a question. You know you said beloved in that sentence. Do you believe that people who haven't gone to church their whole life say beloved or beloved?
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 1:I don't either.
Speaker 2:I bet most people would say beloved.
Speaker 1:I think so too, and sort of like we would say blessed is the name of the Lord instead of blessed is the name of the Lord.
Speaker 2:Is that because we're familiar a little with King James Version?
Speaker 1:Maybe I think for me it's from growing up in a Baptist church and that's how it was said. But I just sorry it's a sidetrack, but I just noticed you said beloved and that's how I read it too Beloved.
Speaker 2:Okay, all right, so I have a question.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Steve.
Speaker 2:But I want you to read the first sentence, or the first verse of the chapter. That's what my question is going to be about.
Speaker 1:Okay, so put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
Speaker 2:So hypocrisy and envy, we can keep some of it.
Speaker 1:You know what I think, you know, I did notice this, but I kind of think it's all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because hypocrisy is kind of like deceit. Maybe I don't see envy as deceit.
Speaker 1:You know, I don't really understand why he put, why all is there? A couple of times.
Speaker 2:Three times Three times all is there and of times Three times. Three times all is there and then two times it's not.
Speaker 1:I'm going to look at the New International Version and see what that says. Therefore, rid yourself of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. Yeah, so same here. You know, it says all malice and all deceit. And then it says hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. Um, you know what that could say? Um, that kind of reads in the niv like all malice and all deceit and then kind of describes some of that hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. I don't know, I don't like it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't really understand if there's really a distinction here or not. I suspect there's not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think it's, let's see. Okay, here's why, steve, this makes a lot of sense if you think about it All malice, what is malice?
Speaker 2:Isn't that a spice in your spice drawer? What? I don't know that's like mace or something.
Speaker 1:No, mace is what you spray in the bad guy's eyes when they come running at you.
Speaker 2:Malice, I think, is anger. It's just bad stuff, right.
Speaker 1:It's just evil. So it's a very generic word. So all malice and then deceit, Deceit can be multiple ways of lying. I mean it can be lying, it can be just not telling the whole truth. You know deceit, which can be multiple things, and then hypocrisy. You know deceit, which can be multiple things.
Speaker 2:And then hypocrisy, you know what. Right now I'm sitting on deceit.
Speaker 1:Should I put it away?
Speaker 2:I'd have to stand up.
Speaker 1:That's a different kind of seat. We're not talking about seats, we're talking about d seats. So that's why I'm standing by the way I'm at my standing desk. Um, all right, hypocrisy is hypocrisy and envy. Those are the two things he doesn't say all about. Right? Are there multiple types of hypocrisy and envy?
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 1:So I think he's using that because we have all malice. Malice covers a lot of things. All deceit, that covers several things. Hypocrisy and envy are maybe one thing, and then slander. I would think slander is one thing. Darn it, I don't know, steve.
Speaker 2:There's one thing, darn it. I don't know, steve, you want to know what the strong definitions of these words are. Sure, so from malice we have badness, ie depravity, malignity, trouble, evil, maliciousness, naughtiness, wickedness. For deceit we have something, probably meaning to decoy a trick, wile or wily, I guess.
Speaker 1:Wily.
Speaker 2:Craft, deceit, guile sub. How can you use deceit in the same definition of deceit? That's just stupid Hypocrisy. We have acting under a feigned part. Deceit, condemnation, dissimulation, okay, envy Ill will, jealousy, slander, backbiting.
Speaker 1:Evil defamation. Okay, um, you know what I defamated several times today, actually that's a different word no, I, I, I went number two, steve, defamate you slandered yourself oh, it's defecate. Okay, I'm just as stupid as steve listening to me, logical humor is the best.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right, we have really stayed on this one verse a long time, but no, not, not really. We are defining the stuff, the things, way too long. But let me ask you this, steve this is a commandment. We are being commanded to put away all of these things. Have you put away all these things?
Speaker 2:I will be honest and say no, I will be honest I don't think it's possible.
Speaker 1:I will be honest and say for the most part, but no I agree, there are still times that I might talk about somebody and yeah it's sort of slanderous.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and there are still times I'm occasional, occasionally envious of someone like me not you I can be a hypocrite at times.
Speaker 1:Um you can, I can, yes, you steve um, so I can definitely be a hypocrite yeah, I know, believe me, um, no, um. So anyway, we're being asked to put away those, are told not put away all these things, and then he gives us another commandment. What is the next commandment?
Speaker 2:Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk that by it you may grow up into salvation.
Speaker 1:All right. So what does that mean? All right? So what does that mean? Long for pure spiritual milk, mama, mama, I'm hungry. Mama, hey, hold on, I think somebody's hungry. Oh, it was you. Oh gosh, this is horrible Steve.
Speaker 2:But you know it is, this is not a good episode.
Speaker 1:Just turn it off now. No, don't turn it off, because it's not about whether Steve and I are funny or not. It's about the Word of God. So babies.
Speaker 2:They cry for food when they're hungry. And he's telling us to cry for, I guess, spiritual wisdom.
Speaker 1:Man, that was pretty, pretty good there, steve. So you're right Babies and you don't even have you know never experienced the crying for milk.
Speaker 2:Oh, believe me, I'm one of those people that, because I don't have kids, I hear every single one of them crying in a restaurant or a theater or a plane, and it drives me insane. That's funny, whereas those of you that have had 16 of them are used to it.
Speaker 1:That's funny. Yes, I was on a plane not too long ago and there was a baby crying right next to me and right across the aisle the person was so irritated by the baby crying and I thought it was funny that this person was so irritated by this baby crying. It's like, yeah, sister, baby crying, who cares? Um, all right, so like, a baby longs for that milk and let's like they must have it. If you've ever seen an like, if you're watching, uh, baby hungry, baby porn, um, when those babies latch on to the nipple man, it's like, oh, yes, I'm sorry but it's true.
Speaker 2:I don't know, is there such a thing as you just said? I don't know, because there's something extremely wrong with that?
Speaker 1:No, no, look. Well, okay, the truth is there. Probably is because there's a lot of sick people out there, but it was. I was just looking at one right now.
Speaker 1:I was just joking about, um, seeing my child, um, you know, it's like so hungry and then it's like, oh, they finally get it and they're like, just like, their eyes are like just bulging out, it's like going like oh, this is so good, um, so, um. We should be like that. That's how we should be about the word of god oh, the word of god, okay, gosh ah, that by it you may grow up into salvation.
Speaker 1:So it's food. It's food, it's nourishment, and it says if indeed you have tasted that, the Lord is good. So if we really think that God is good and that and later it talks about believing that Jesus is the son of God and is raised from the dead, if we believe, if we really believe in that, then we will really thirst after knowing God and just craving that spiritual milk, as they say here All right, let they say here All right, let's move on. Man, I don't even know where to go with that.
Speaker 2:All right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's move on. Okay, do you have any notes on this section, steve?
Speaker 2:I do.
Speaker 1:Okay, so this is where we talk about the stone that the builders rejected.
Speaker 2:In Isaiah 28, 16, it says Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. Whoever believes will not be in haste. From somewhere in verse 6.
Speaker 1:Will not be in haste. What does that mean?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that part I don't quite get Will not be in a hurry.
Speaker 1:That's strange.
Speaker 2:Okay To hurry, figuratively to be eager with excitement or enjoyment. Okay, quickly, I don't know, does that make sense?
Speaker 1:Say the verse again.
Speaker 2:Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. I actually like that better yeah.
Speaker 1:So you know, oftentimes when you see quotes in the New Testament, they are slightly different. Why that is? Well, I've heard that one reason that is is because they are translating the Old is in Hebrew, the Old Testament's in Hebrew, and this is in Greek Testament's in Hebrew and this is in Greek, and so you know it's translated into the same meaning, and so you might say that this is. You know, peter is saying that's what that meant when he quotes.
Speaker 2:And it's closer to a modern language, so it might be easier for us to understand.
Speaker 1:Right, okay. So the very first verse of this section says, as you come to him, a living stone, rejected by men, but in the sight of God chosen and precious. What is this? Why does it say a living stone?
Speaker 2:It's referring to Jesus.
Speaker 1:Okay, right. So it's not just a rock, we're talking about a living person, as this stone, it's the rock of ages, the rock of ages, the rock of ages. Yes, I don't know where that comes from, but I it's somewhere in the bible from an old hymn I know but, I believe that comes from a verse, probably um.
Speaker 1:So anyway, we're talking about jesus as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men. So that was jesus rejected by men, um, but in the sight of god, chosen and precious, uh, you yourselves like living stones, so us, like living, are being built as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. So later on it kind of makes more sense because it calls Jesus the cornerstone, right? I mean you read that. Jesus is the cornerstone, chosen and precious.
Speaker 2:Which starts the foundation, so that the rest of the building can be built.
Speaker 1:Right, so we are bricks or stones Houses um or stones house, and we are also stones, but, but jesus is the cornerstone that holds us together or gives us strength.
Speaker 2:You might say yep, I think that's accurate. But what are spiritual sacrifices? Because we're supposed to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:Okay, do you have an answer.
Speaker 2:No, I asked the question. Okay, you were supposed to have the answer.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, I wish I had asked the question first and then I could act like you are an idiot.
Speaker 2:Instead, you get to act like I am the idiot Just because I beat you to it. Yep.
Speaker 1:Okay, so this is why I think it says that, first of all, first of all, we no longer have to offer physical sacrifices, right, because Jesus is the last physical sacrifice. His blood was the penultimate sacrifice for our sin, right.
Speaker 2:Penultimate. What is penultimate? The second to last? I think you mean ultimate.
Speaker 1:Ultimate. Why did I say penultimate? Then steve because he's coming back maybe not sure, sacrificed again or left, I think so I told you, steve, I get to be the idiot this time you yes, this time. Okay so all right. So he is the ultimate sacrifice. So that means the physical sacrifices are done. What are spiritual sacrifices?
Speaker 2:I think that's what you asked. That's the question I asked, and so. I do like your explanation so far except for the second-to-last sacrifice.
Speaker 1:So first of all, you know, I would think….
Speaker 2:You broke up there a little, all right. Well, if you're going to do that, I'm going to come up with what I think.
Speaker 1:A spiritual sacrifice could be Okay, but let me just tell you what I was doing, though, Steve, because it's from a Seinfeld thing. They asked George who his favorite poet is, and he says Slavin. So that's what I was doing was it was a seinfeld joke, gosh you watch way too much seinfeld chris would have gotten it yeah, but it's not funny and my kids would have gotten it gosh. Okay, all right. You know what? If you think you know, go ahead and I can tell you how wrong you are.
Speaker 2:I think we are supposed to die to ourselves daily and that could be a spiritual sacrifice man, if you were holding that mic, you could drop it right now.
Speaker 1:I actually did not hear that really I heard it. I didn't hear it here.
Speaker 2:Huh, that's weird all right, so you must like that answer that's a really good answer.
Speaker 1:Um, you know, paul says to um, take up your cross daily, which is the same thing. Right, you take up your cross daily. So that means you are putting yourself. It's the same thing you just said, really. But we sacrifice ourselves for the sake of Christ. Yep, all right, that's a good Christ.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:All right, that's a good answer.
Speaker 2:Yay.
Speaker 1:All right. So then he says this quote from Scripture that you just read when did you say it was Isaiah 28, 16. Okay, and then he says all right, right, so he talks about christ there. Um, just again. It says behold, I lay in zion a stone, a cornerstone, chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. And then it says so the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe. And then another quote the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. So I don't really understand how that is like against those who do not believe.
Speaker 2:The stone that the builders rejected those are the ones who didn't believe has become the cornerstone. Oh, the stone of stumbling in a rock of offense comes next.
Speaker 1:That makes sense. Okay, I know why. It's because the builders these are the builders right, they're building this building and they tossed this stone aside because it wasn't good enough for the building and now they keep tripping over it. But now they're tripping over it and it actually is the cornerstone of that building, even though they tossed it aside.
Speaker 2:Yep, I think you're on to something there.
Speaker 1:All right, and just so you in case you don't know, these are the Jews who have rejected Christ, and really anyone. Peter, though, is really talking about the Jews who rejected Christ, I believe.
Speaker 2:But he's talking to Jews that have accepted Christ. Right, right. Do you want me to read where that snippet comes from? Yes, I do so. It's Psalm 118, verse 22, but I think it's better to start at 19. Open to me the gates of righteousness that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord. The righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the day.
Speaker 1:This is the day that the Lord has made that the.
Speaker 2:Lord has, I will rejoice.
Speaker 1:It's too low for me. I'm a tenor. Sorry, Steve.
Speaker 2:I thought you were like a fiver or a sixer, never a tenor.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, the master gave me the ten talents. All right, moving on. And then I buried him because I know he's a harsh master we should uh speed it up a little here, I think all right. So, um, they stumble. It says they stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. So, um, you know, we sometimes we like to give the jews a hard time because they didn't believe, but the truth is that's what they were destined to do.
Speaker 2:Also, that's what they were there for Yep.
Speaker 1:All right, so why don't we go on to the next section or the next paragraph? That is and I'll reread that paragraph it says but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Speaker 2:So that first verse there where it does the chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation. There is reference after reference of where all that comes from, but I'm not going to read them all. Yeah.
Speaker 1:There's lots of Old Testament stuff.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:So, all right, let's talk about a chosen race, because that sounds racist. Who is he talking about here?
Speaker 2:Children of Abraham.
Speaker 1:Okay, what does that mean?
Speaker 2:The Jewish people.
Speaker 1:All right. So he's saying you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. Does that really mean I'm just going to say it here Steve, a skin color?
Speaker 2:I don't think so. It's more about genealogy.
Speaker 1:Okay. Is it about genealogy or any converted Jew?
Speaker 2:Well, it is that too.
Speaker 1:Because there were ways to become a Jew without being part of the genealogy which now you can do it by accepting christ yes, that's right. So the chosen race, the I think this is Go ahead.
Speaker 2:No go ahead. I was going to say I think this is talking about the Jewish people prior to Christ's coming and I'll be honest, I think they were given a bum deal Because if you look at their history, the stuff they went through because they disobeyed which I'm pretty sure they were destined to do, I mean sometimes I wonder if it wasn't better to not be the chosen race. I mean they certainly had periods of blessing, but for some reason the whole world hates Jews and I don't quite get it.
Speaker 1:That is true.
Speaker 2:And the only answer I can come up with is the devil made them do it. It doesn't make a lot of sense that the whole world or so many around the world would hate certain people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't quite understand that.
Speaker 2:Okay, what else, Steve? Well, have you ever wondered what sort of darkness you would be in now if you hadn't been called out of it?
Speaker 1:No, I haven't. I guess I should Let me think about this. You know what? I don't even know, if I can, I've been so far removed from that.
Speaker 2:So I can think back to past decisions. You know you could choose this or that and I can envision where some of those, if I'd gone the other way, would have been super bad. But there's also other decisions I made that I was protected from bad things even though I was making the wrong decision.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, steve, when I think back about this, now that you have jarred my memory, you know when I was in junior high and hopefully some of my junior high friends are listening to this but when I was in junior high, some of my friends started smoking pot and drinking wild turkey before school in our little circle that we met in before school.
Speaker 2:How do you get through the day? That sounds horrible.
Speaker 1:And you know, I ended up distancing myself from that friend group and I would say God called me out of that friend group and if I had stayed in there, there's no way I wouldn't have started doing those things. So I don't know, I could be in a pretty bad place. Yeah, regardless.
Speaker 2:All sorts of different things could have happened. You could have gotten in a car accident because of drunk driving or overdosed on something I don't know. I could be homeless.
Speaker 1:You could be living on the street right now, but you know what. You know what else. I could be a CEO of a big company and lost so lost that it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:So, regardless of what would have happened there, it's darkness.
Speaker 2:You bring up a good point, though that you can still have a lot of darkness even though you're successful by the world's standards.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've heard some pretty horrible things about the CEO men's club. Very seedy.
Speaker 2:All right, let's see. That's all I had.
Speaker 1:All right. Then it says the very last paragraph beloved, I urge you, as sojourners and exiles, to abstain from passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the gentiles honorable, okay, uh, so let me speak against you as evildoers. They may see your good deeds and glorify god in the day of visitation. Um, it's kind of kind of a recap of how he started this right, just like live a good life. When people see you live in your life, let them man. This dude's pretty awesome, so that's how we should do it we should.
Speaker 2:I don't know that I always do that all that well, hmm, well you know, what I think. Most people think of me as somewhat honorable, but I'm sure there are times where I do things or say things that are not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, me too, all right, well, oh, shoot, our Zoom is running out of time.
Speaker 2:We are out of time, but we're at the end of the section, so I think it's okay, all right.
Speaker 1:Well, I think that's it, guys, read the rest of 1 Peter 2 for next time. All right, see you then, yep.
Speaker 2:See you guys.
Speaker 1:Bye the Regular Guys. Bible Study is a Chasm LLC production. All rights reserved.