The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 114

wants find ~- Such a sanctuary is the Church of Christ, the world's one temple, through which alone_can flow from God the healing for its woes. 'l'he Church is the fulfilment of the ancient predictions of the temple that should rise on Zion in the latter days, to which 1111 nations should flow, and from which all should be blessed. Well may Peter write to the Church, "Unto you who believe there is honour." II. 'l'HE MEANS BY WHICH THIS HONOUR BECOMES THEIRS. "Unto whom, coming as unto a liviug Stone, ye also as living stones are built up a spiritual house "-the Church a fabric of "Jiving" souls. 1. By coming lo Christ as a Foundation, Petor said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living: God." Christ answered, "Upon this rock will I build my Church." Rome speaks of Peter as the foundation of the Church, but this same Peter speaks of Christ. The Church, thus, are all those who have come to Christ as God's Foundation-stone. .And what is that but to come to Christ, to build on him--all our hopes on Jesus, Sacrifice, Revealer of the Father, Intercessor, Lord; not on personal experiences, etc., but on him? 2. That is coming to Christ as the Foundation of a holy temple. For many build on him who do not build to this end. Just to rest on Christ as an insurance against penalty, or to satisfy conscience whilst still belonging to the world, is not to be of the Church; for that we must so build on him as to become part of that spiritual house in which God lives, and walks, a.z:;d revea.ls himself, and works. 3. .And this coming to Ohristas a Foundatio1l of a holy temple, of which all his people form a part. Not to be isolated stones, but to be finnly knit together with the whole. Ouly thus is the idea. of the temple ful- filled. God requires "the building up of the body of Christ, till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, . . . unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, ... from whom the whole body fitly framed and knit together through that which e,ery joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, ma.keth the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love." Ill. THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THIS HONOUR .AND THEIR FORMER SHAME, The apostle heightens the honour of the Church by reminding them of their onco different position, of theirs who still ha.a no part in him. 'l'his gives a. rare impulse to joy, gratitude, and service. "Unto you who believe there is honour, but for such as disbelieve, the Stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the chief of the corner [not • h(•a,l,' as though topstone, but foundation-stone], and a Stone of stumbling, and a Rock ofuffence; for they stumble at the Word, being disbelieving [same word as ver. 7], where- uuto also the_v were appointed "-appointed not to disbelief, but to find him a Stone of stumbling and Rock of offence if they refused to believe. Hurt, maiming, destruction, are the appointed consequences of rejecting Christ, as salvation is for those who believe on hiw. Brethren, build on Christ, Peter seems to say, "Remember what you were, what you have escaped, and what you are.-C. N." Vera. 11, 12.-The demand/or a life becoming tlie Christian name. The doctrinal part of the Epistle is now followed by a series of practical exhortations on the working out of the redemption of which it has spoken. .And the apostle here begins these as close as can be to the man's own self; he has to speak about right citizenship, and neighbourliness, etc.; but before he comes to these he starts with the man's own self. "Fleshly lusts;" not to be understood of desires for physical gratification only. "Fleshly" is, in Scripture, the opposite of" Bpiritual." "Works of the flesh" are the antithesis of" works of the Spirit." "Now the works of the flesh are these," etc., and the list includes "idolatry, hatred, wrath, strife, envyings "-not physical qualities_ at all. So the expression refers to all desires that are v:rong. ":S-aving your convorsat~o:n honest"-" Having your behaviour seemly" (Revised Y_ ers1on), "Th~ ctay of ~si- ta.tion." .Any crisis in which God draws near to a man with a view to his redemption, and which results in grace or judgmeut-tbe apostle thinks here of that. So the idea of the paragraph is, "You Christians, so regulate yo.ur _desires t_hat y~ur _life w:m be bt-cornino-, and thus the heathen a.round you, prejudiced agamst Christ, will be prepa.rel'to receive the gospel when it is urged upon them." 'l.'his is a timely subject when the Church wonders at the little power of the gospel, and 1,eeks new means to "evangelize the wasscs." Gospel-preaching must be supporte~ by gospol-Iiv!n~, Next to the in born ungodliness of the natural heart, the great h.indra11ce to Chns~ s kingdom U1 the Church'd own ungodlioeSB, cm. n. 1-25.] THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. 109