Thus cleansed therefore and born of the word, they were to put off all
fraud, hypocrisy, envy, slander; and, as new-born babes, to seek for this
milk of the understanding, in order to grow thereby (for the word is the
milk of the child, as it was the seed of its life); and we are to receive
it as babes in all simplicity, if in truth we have felt that the Lord is
good and full of grace. It is not Sinai (where the Lord God declared His
law from the midst of the fire, so that they entreated not to hear His
voice any more), to which I am come, or from which the Lord is speaking. If
I have tasted and understood that the Lord acts in grace, that He is love
towards me, and that His word is the expression of that grace, even as it
communicates life, I shall desire to feed on this milk of the
understanding, which the believer enjoys in proportion to his simplicity;
that good word which announces to me nothing but grace, and the God whom I
need as all grace, full of grace, acting in grace, as revealing Himself to
me in this character-a character which He can never cease to maintain
towards me, making me a partaker of His holiness.
I now know the Lord Himself: I have tasted that which He is. Moreover this
is still in contrast with the legal condition of the Jew, although it is
the fulfillment of that which the Psalms and the prophets had declared (the
resurrection having plainly revealed in addition a heavenly hope). It was
they themselves who were now the spiritual house, the holy priesthood. They
came to the Living Stone, rejected indeed of men, but chosen of God and
precious, and they were built up on Him as living stones. The apostle
delights in this word " living." It was to him the Father had revealed that
Jesus was the Son of the living God. No one else had then confessed Him as
such, and the Lord told him that on this rock (that is, on the Person of
the Son of God in power of life, manifested in the resurrection, which
declared Him to be such) He would build His assembly. Peter, by his faith,
participated in the nature of this living rock. Here then (chap. 2:5) he
extends this character to all believers, and exhibits the holy house built
on the Living Stone, which God Himself had laid as the chief corner-stone
elect and precious. Whosoever believed in Him should not be confounded.
[see note #4] Now, it was not only in
the eyes of God that this stone was precious, but in the eyes of faith
which- feeble as the possessors of it may be-sees as God sees. To
unbelievers this stone was a stone of stumbling and of offence. They
stumbled at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed.
It does not say that they were appointed to sin nor to condemnation, but
these unbelieving and disobedient sinners, the Jewish race-long rebellious,
and continually exalting themselves against God-were destined to find in
the Lord of grace Himself a rock of offence; and to stumble and fall upon
that which was to faith the precious stone of salvation. It was to this
particular fall that their unbelief was destined.
Believers, on the contrary, entered into the enjoyment of the promises made
to Israel, and that in the most excellent way. Grace-and the very
faithfulness of God-had brought the fulfillment of the promise in the
Person of Jesus, the minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to
fulfill the promises made to the fathers. And, although the nation had
rejected Him, God would not deprive of the blessings those who-in spite of
all this difficulty to faith and to the heart-had submitted to the
obedience of faith and attached themselves to Him who was the despised of
the nation. They could not have the blessing of Israel with the nation on
earth, because the nation had rejected Him; but they were brought fully
into the relationship with God of a people accepted of Him. The heavenly
character which the blessing now assumed did not destroy their acceptance
according to the promise; only they entered into it according to grace. For
the nation, as a nation, had lost it; not only long ago by disobedience,
but now by rejecting Him who came in grace to impart to them the effect, of
the promise.
The apostle, therefore, applies the character of " holy nation" to the
elect remnant, investing them in the main with the titles bestowed in
Exodus 19, on condition of obedience, but here in connection with the
Messiah, their enjoyment of these titles being founded on His obedience and
rights acquired by their faith in Him.
But, the privileges of the believing remnant being founded on the Messiah,
the apostle goes farther, and applies to them the declarations of Hosea,
which relate to Israel and Judah when re-established in the fullness of
blessing in the last days, enjoying those relationships with God into which
grace will bring them at that time.
"Ye are," he says, "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a purchased
people." These are almost the words of Exodus 19. He goes on: "Which in
time past were not a people, but are now the people of God; who formerly
had not obtained mercy, but have now obtained it." These are the words of
Hosea 2. This sets before us, in the most interesting way, the principle on
which the blessing is founded. In Exodus the people were to have this
blessing if they exactly obeyed the voice of God. But Israel had not
obeyed, had been rebellious and stiffnecked, had gone after strange gods,
and rejected the testimony of the Spirit; yet, after their unfaithfulness,
God Himself has laid in Zion a Stone, a chief corner-stone, and whosoever
believed in Him should not be confounded. It is grace that, when Israel had
failed in every respect, and on the ground of obedience had lost
everything, God should bestow on them by Jesus, through grace, that which
was promised them at first on condition of obedience. In this way all was
secured to them.
The question of obedience was settled-on Israel's disobedience-by grace,
and by the obedience of Christ, the foundation laid by God in Zion. But
this principle of grace abounding over sin-by which is shewn the inability
of disobedience to frustrate the purposes of God, for this grace came after
the completion of disobedience-this principle, so glorious and so
comforting to the convinced sinner, is confirmed in a striking way by the
quotation from Hosea. In this passage from the prophet, Israel is
presented, not merely as guilty, but as having already undergone judgment.
God had declared that He would no more have mercy (with regard to His
patience toward the ten tribes); and that Israel was no longer His people
(in His judgment on unfaithful Judah). But afterwards, when the judgment
had been executed, He returns to His irrevocable purposes of grace, and
allures Israel as a forsaken wife, and gives her the valley of Achor-the
valley of trouble, in which Achan was stoned, the first judgment on
unfaithful Israel after their entrance into the promised land-for a door of
hope. For judgment is changed into grace, and God begins all afresh upon a
new principle. It was as though Israel had again come up out of Egypt, but
upon an entirely new principle. He betroths her to Him for ever, in
righteousness, in judgment, in grace, in mercy, and all is blessing. Then
He calls her "Ruhama," or, "the object of mercy," and " Ammi," " my
people."
These, then, are the expressions which the apostle uses, applying them to
the remnant who believed in Jesus, the stumbling-stone to the nation, but
the chief corner-stone from God to the believer. Thus the condition is
taken away, and instead of a condition we have blessing after disobedience,
and after judgment the full and assured grace of God, founded (in its
application to believers) on the Person, the obedience, and the work of
Christ.
It is affecting to see the expression of this grace in the term " Achor."
It was the first judgment on Israel in the land of promise for having
profaned themselves with the forbidden thing. And there it is that hope is
given: so entirely true is it that grace triumphs over justice. And it is
this which has taken place in the most excellent way in Christ. The very
judgment of God becomes in Him the door of hope, the guilt and the judgment
having alike passed away for ever.
Two parts of the christian life-so far as it is the manifestation of
spiritual power-result from this, in the double priesthood; of which the
one answers to the present position of Christ on high, and the other
anticipatively to the manifestation of His glory on earth-the priesthoods
of Aaron, and of Melchisedec. For He is now within the veil according to
the type of Aaron; hereafter He will be a priest on His throne-it will be
the public manifestation of His glory on earth. Thus the saints exercise "
a holy priesthood " (ver. 5) to offer up spiritual sacrifices of praise and
thanksgiving. Sweet privilege of the Christian, thus brought as near as
possible to God ! He offers-sure of being accepted, for it is by Jesus that
he offers them -his sacrifices to God.
This part of the christian life is the first, the most excellent, the most
vital, the source of the other (which is its expression here below); the
most excellent, because, in its exercise, we are in immediate connection
with the divine object of our affections. These spiritual sacrifices are
the reflex, by the action of the Holy Ghost, of the grace which we enjoy;
that which the heart returns to God, moved by the excellent gifts of which
we are the object, and by the love which has given them. The heart (by the
power of the Holy Ghost) reflects all that has been revealed to it in
grace, worshiping the Author and Giver of all according to the knowledge we
have of Himself through this means; the fruits of the heavenly Canaan in
which we participate presented as an offering to God; the entrance of the
soul into the presence of God to praise and adore Him.
This is the holy priesthood, according to the analogy of the priesthood of
Aaron, and of the temple at Jerusalem which God inhabited as His house.
The second priesthood of which the apostle speaks is to shew forth the
virtues of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Its description is taken, as we have seen, from Exodus 19. It is a chosen
generation, a holy nation, a royal priesthood. I only allude to the
Melchisedec priesthood to shew the character of a royal priesthood.
Priests, among the Jews, drew near to God. God had formed the people for
Himself: they were to shew forth all His virtues, His praises. Christ will
do this perfectly in the day of His glory. The Christian is called to do it
now in this world. He is to reproduce Christ in this world. It is the
second part of his life.
It will be noticed that the first chapter of this epistle presents the
Christian as animated by hope, but under trial-the precious trial of faith.
The second chapter presents him in his privileges, as of a holy and royal
priesthood, by means of faith.
After this (chap. 2:11), the apostle begins his exhortations. Whatever may
be the privileges of the Christian, in his position as such, he is always
viewed as a pilgrim on the earth; and, as we have seen, the constant
government of God is the object which presents itself to the mind of the
apostle. But he warns them first, with regard to that which is inward,
against those sources from which the corruptions spring, that (in the scene
of this government) would dishonour the name of God and even bring in
judgment.
Their conversation was to be honest among the Gentiles. Christians bore the
name of God. The mind of men, hostile to His name, sought to bring disgrace
upon it, by attributing to Christians the evil conduct which they
themselves followed without remorse, while at the same time complaining
(chap. 4:4) that they would not go with them in the same excesses and
disorder. The Christian had only to follow the path of faithfulness to God.
In the day when God would visit men these calumniators, with their will
broken and their pride subdued by the visitation of God, should be brought
to confess-by means of the good works which, in spite of their calumnies,
had always reached their consciences-that God had acted in these
Christians, that He had been present among them.
After this general exhortation, brief but important to believers, the
apostle takes up the relative walk of Christians in a world where on the
one hand God watches over all, yet where He permits His own to suffer,
whether for righteousness' sake or for the name of Christ, but where they
ought never to suffer for having done wrong. The path then of the Christian
is marked out. He is subject for the Lord's sake to human ordinances or
institutions. He gives honour to all men, and to each in his place, so that
no one shall have any reproach to bring against him. He is submissive to
his masters, even if they are bad men, and yields to their ill-treatment.
Were he subject only to the good and gentle, a worldly slave would do as
much; but if, having done well, he suffers and bears it patiently, this is
acceptable to God, this is grace. It was thus that Christ acted, and to
this we are called. Christ suffered in this way, and never replied by
reproaches or threats to those who molested Him, but committed Himself to
Him that judges righteously. To Him we belong. He had suffered for our
sins, in order that, having been delivered from them, we should live to
God. These Christians from among the Jews had been as sheep going astray;
[see note #5] they were now brought back to the Shepherd
and Bishop of their souls. But how entirely these exhortations, shew that
the Christian is one who is not of this world, but has his own path through
it: yet this path was the way of peace in it !
Likewise wives were to be subject to their husbands in all modesty and
purity, in order that this testimony to the effect of the word by its
fruits might take the place of the word itself, if their husbands would not
listen to it. They were to rest, in patience and meekness, on the
faithfulness of God, and not be alarmed at seeing the power of the
adversaries. (Compare Phil. 1:28)
Husbands were in like manner to dwell with the wife, their affections and
relationships being governed by christian knowledge, and not by any human
passion; honouring the wife, and walking, with her as being heirs together
of the grace of life.
Finally, all were to walk in the spirit of peace and gentleness, carrying
with them, in their intercourse with others, the blessing of which they
were themselves the heirs, the spirit of which they ought consequently to
bear ever with them. By following that which is good, by having the tongue
governed by the fear of the Lord, by avoiding evil and seeking peace, they
would in quietness enjoy the present life under the eye of God. For the
eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open to their
prayers; but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who,
moreover, would harm them, if they followed only that which is good ?
This, then, is the government of God, the principle on which He
superintends the course of this world. Nevertheless it is not now a direct
and immediate government preventing all wrong. The power of evil still acts
upon the earth; those who are animated by it shew themselves hostile to the
righteous, and act by means of that fear which Satan is able to produce.
But by giving the Lord His place in the soul, this fear which the enemy
excites has no longer a place there. If the heart is conscious of the
presence of God, can that heart tremble at the presence of the enemy ? This
is the secret of boldness and peace in confessing Christ. Then the
instruments of the enemy seek to turn us aside, and to overwhelm us by
their pretensions; but the consciousness of God's presence dissipates those
pretensions, and destroys all their power. Resting on the strength of His
presence, we are ready to answer those who ask the reason of our hope, with
meekness and holy reverence remote from all levity. For all this it is
necessary to have a good conscience. We may carry a bad conscience to God,
that He may pardon and have mercy on us; but if we have a bad conscience,
we cannot resist the enemy- we are afraid of him. On the one hand, we fear
his malice; on the other, we have lost the consciousness of the presence
and the strength of God. When walking before God, we fear nothing; the
heart is free: we have not to think of self, we think of God; and the
adversaries are ashamed of having falsely accused those whose conduct is
unblamable, and against whom nothing can be brought except the calumny of
their enemies, which calumnies turn to their own shame.
It may be that God may see it good that we should suffer. If so, it is
better that we should suffer for well doing than for evil doing. The
apostle gives a touching motive for this: Christ has suffered for sins once
for all; let that suffice; let us suffer only for righteousness. To suffer
for sin was His task; He accomplished it, and that for ever; put to death,
as to His life in the flesh, but quickened according to the power of the
divine Spirit.
The passage that follows has occasioned difficulties to the readers of
scripture; but it appears to me simple, if we perceive the object of the
Spirit of God. The Jews expected a Messiah corporeally present, who should
deliver the nation, and exalt the Jews to the summit of earthly glory. But
He was not present, we know, in that manner, and the believing Jews had to
endure the scorn and the hatred of the unbelieving, on account of their
trust in a Messiah who was not present, and who had wrought no deliverance
for the people. Believers possessed the salvation of their soul, and they
knew Jesus in heaven; but unbelieving men did not care for that. The
apostle therefore cites the case of Noah's testimony. The believing Jews
were few in number, and Christ was theirs only according to the Spirit. By
the power of that Spirit He had been raised up from the dead. It was by the
power of the same Spirit that He had gone-without being corporeally
present-to preach in Noah. The world was disobedient (like the Jews in the
apostle's days), and eight souls only were saved; even as the believers
were now but a little flock. But the spirits of the disobedient were now in
prison, because they did not obey Christ present among them by His Spirit
in Noah. The long-suffering of God waited then, as now, with the Jewish
nation; the result would be the same. It has been so.
This interpretation is confirmed (in preference to that which supposes that
the Spirit of Christ preached in hades to souls which had been confined
there ever since the flood) by the consideration that in Genesis it is
said, " My Spirit shall not always strive. with men but their days shall be
a hundred and twenty years." That is to say, His Spirit should strive, in
the testimony of Noah, during a hundred and twenty years and no longer. Now
it would be an extraordinary thing that with those persons only (for he
speaks only of them) the Lord should strive in testimony after their death.
Moreover, we may observe that, in considering this expression to mean the
Spirit of Christ in Noah, we only use a well-known phrase of Peter's; for
he it is, as we have seen, who said, " The Spirit of Christ which was in
the prophets."
These spirits then are in prison, because they did not hearken to the
Spirit of Christ in Noah. (Compare 2 Pet. 2:5-9.) To this the apostle
adds, the comparison of baptism to the ark of Noah in the deluge. Noah was
saved through the water; we also; for the water of baptism typifies death,
as the deluge, so to speak, was the death of the world. Now Christ has
passed through death and is risen. We enter into death in baptism; but it
is like the ark, because Christ suffered in death for us, and has come out
of it in resurrection, as Noah came out of the deluge, to begin, as it
were, a new life in a resurrection world. Now Christ, having passed through
death, has atoned for sins; and we, by passing through it in spirit, leave
all our sins in it, as Christ did in reality for us; for He was raised up
without the sins which He expiated on the cross. And they were our sins;
and thus, through the resurrection, we have a good conscience. We pass
through death in spirit and in figure by baptism. The peace-giving force of
the thing is the resurrection of Christ, after He had accomplished
expiation; by which resurrection therefore we have a good conscience.
Now this is what the Jews had to learn. The Christ was gone up to heaven,
all powers and principalities being made subject to Him. He is at the right
hand of God. We have therefore not a Messiah on earth, but a good
conscience and a heavenly Christ.
