If you have tasted the kindness of the Lord...

1 Peter 1:13-2:10 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, ¹⁵ but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; ¹⁶ because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

¹⁷ If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹ but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. ²⁰ For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

²² Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, ²³ for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.²⁴ For,

“All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers, And the flower falls off, ²⁵ But the word of the Lord endures forever.”  And this is the word which was preached to you.

2 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, ² like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,³ if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

⁴ And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone,
And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” ⁷ This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,

“The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,”

⁸ and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”;

for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.

⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

The letters to the churches were not written to unbelievers, but rather to the churches, to believers. The purpose of the letters then was not to persuade or convince unbelievers about sin or about Christ, the redeemer, but rather to teach and encourage believers, those who have been saved and   redeemed. In today’s text, Peter says:   Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.   If we have tasted the kindness of the Lord, if we know His grace and mercy, which have led to our salvation and redemption, we should long for the word of God. Salvation is given to all who believe in Jesus, but salvation should not be the end of what we desire and receive, we should grow in respect to our salvation. That growing includes: putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander and also that we: prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.   Also:    As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;  because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”   Many people believe that because of grace sin no longer matters. As Romans 5:8 says: God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Christ indeed died for our sins while we were yet sinners. Grace means that our salvation is based not on what we do or what we did, but rather on what Jesus did for us. Redemption though means that we are changed. Because of grace, because of what Jesus did, because of the revelation of Christ to us and for us, we should:   not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;  because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”  

Peter says:  you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.   1 John 1:5-10 says:  This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.   Again none of these things or all of these things are not meant to convince an unbeliever, but:  if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord, in Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus says:   “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”   If we have known the kindness and the grace of God, we must be changed from darkness to light.

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit that because of Your great love, a love demonstrated in the cross, while we were yet sinners, we are saved, but even more we are redeemed. We are no longer what we were, but rather we are what You desire us to be, holy and righteous. I long for Your word which causes me to grow in respect to the salvation You have given by grace.    Amen.