The Perfect Christian Diet

1 Peter 2:1-3
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, February 26, 2017
Copyright © 2017, P. G. Mathew

In 1 Peter 2:1–3, the apostle Peter speaks about the perfect Christian diet, which is the word of God. Interestingly, a reference to this passage is found on the seal of Columbia University in New York as approved on June 3, 1755. In the seal, the college is represented by a woman sitting between some children, who represent the students. Under their feet is the citation (1 Peter 2:1–2), indicating that the children are to be like newborn babes, eagerly drinking of the “milk” of the word of God. Above the woman’s head is the tetragrammaton (YHWH), demonstrating that God is over all.

Sadly, Columbia and many other universities have abandoned their Christian roots and have become pagan. But we are to honor God’s word and preach it. Let us, then, examine how we may, “like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it [we] may grow up in [our] salvation, now that [we] have tasted that the Lord is good.”

“Therefore”

Peter begins this section with the word “Therefore.” “Therefore” is there for a reason. Peter gave the reasons in the preceding passage, 1 Peter 1:22–25. He explained that true Christians are born again, not by perishable seed, as unbelievers are born. By nature, all are conceived in sin and born as sinners to practice sin and die eternal death. That is why all children of Adam die. The wages of sin is death eternal.

But true believers in Jesus Christ our Redeemer are born again by the imperishable seed of the word of God (1 Pet. 1:23). Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:28). He said, “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that they may have life [abundant life]” (John 10:10). Paul declares, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Those who were dead in their sins, those who were objects of God’s wrath, became God’s new creations in Christ because of God’s own great love and rich mercy. They have been created in Christ Jesus to obey God and to do good works, which God prepared in advance for his people to do (Eph. 2:10). They are the fourth soil people, people with noble and good hearts, who produce the fruit of obedience—thirty, sixty, one hundredfold—for the glory of God and for the good of God’s people.

The basis of our salvation is the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. But the proof of our salvation is the fruitfulness of obedience, which the Holy Spirit produces through us. Paul wrote about this: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works within you both to will and to do his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12–13).

“Therefore,” then, points to our regeneration, our new divine nature, and our new capacity to love God and keep his commandments. Peter says, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Pet. 1:23). He also exclaims, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3).

All true believers will obey Jesus. Peter writes, “[You] have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:2).” If we do not obey Jesus Christ, we are not born of the imperishable seed of the word of God.

Because of God’s abounding grace, we also will abound in good works. God gives grace to the humble to live a Christian life, and his grace is sufficient for all our needs, including the grace to suffer martyrdom for our faith in Christ.

By God’s grace, as true believers, we will do certain things, according to 1 Peter 1:22:

We will purify ourselves by obeying the truth of the gospel. Peter says, “You have purified yourselves by obeying the truth.” Jesus said, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you” (John 15:3).
We will manifest true brotherly kindness. Again, Peter says, “You have sincere love for your brothers.” If we are born again, we will obey the gospel and we manifest true brotherly love. It is simple logic. If we do not love God’s people, we are not born again. If we do not obey Jesus, we are not born again.
We will love one another deeply from the heart as Christ Jesus loved us and died for our sins in our place. Peter concludes, “Love one another deeply, from the heart.” That is a command, an imperative: From the heart, we must love one another. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35).

As true believers born of God, we have a new nature and new capacities to do the will of God—his negative will as well as his positive will. So we can say “No” to sin and the devil, and say “Yes” to the will of God, as revealed in the Scriptures, and to Jesus Christ, whom we confessed as Lord.

Negative Demand

Peter writes, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind” (v. 1). The negative demand God makes in this passage is to get rid of all sinful behavior from our lives. We must do so as people throw away dirty, smelly, soiled garments. Paul also wrote about this, as follows:

Romans 13:12b–14: “So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
Ephesians 4:22–25: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off [to get rid of] your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”
Titus 2:11–14: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

Our new nature and new power of the Holy Spirit enables us to say “No” to the devil and “Yes” to God, as Christ himself did. When he was tempted by the devil, Jesus said, “Gegraptai,” “It is written.” He became incarnate to do the will of God perfectly. So we also can do God’s will, though imperfectly. Paul writes, “I can do all things through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13).

We have no excuse not to live a righteous life. Jesus said, “Without me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). This means that with him, we can do all things to please our Lord and Savior. So we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the holy Scriptures. We are to be governed by the Holy Spirit and by the holy Scriptures if we confess Jesus Christ as Lord.

How do we do this? Paul writes, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16). He also exhorts, “Be being filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). And as we are filled with the Spirit and filled with the Scriptures, we can put off evil and put on clean, white garments of righteousness.

Paul says in Colossians 3:5 that we are to murder, kill, put to death every sin. We have the power of the Spirit to say “No.” So in our text, Peter speaks of five evils of which we must rid ourselves.

1. All Malice

We must get rid of, not part of it, but all of it. Never negotiate with sin. Put it to death. Get rid of it. Say “No” to it. Malice is the antithesis of love. It is the hatred of God’s people. It opposes the imperative to love one another deeply from the heart (1 Pet. 1:22). Malice desires that bad things will happen to others. It is an evil attitude toward God’s holy people, especially toward the pastor who preaches the holy word of God.

2. All Deceit

Deceit is the opposite of the purity Peter told us to have in 1 Peter 1:22. It is the opposite of straight dealings, of trustworthiness. I have been cheated by Christians, even by pastors. Concerning Jesus we read, “He committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth” (1 Pet. 2:22). People use flattery to deceive others. Jesus said, “And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matt. 5:36–37). Deceit comes from the evil one.

3. All Hypocrisies

Note, it is plural. Paul tells us to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). Satan is a liar and the father of all lies. God cannot lie nor die nor change. His every promise is “Yes” and “Amen” in Christ Jesus. Jesus is truth. In Matthew 23, he lashes out against the hypocritical Pharisees, calling them hypocrites six times. Hypocrites give high compliments. There are many lying, hypocritical pastors in this country and around the world. In fact, lying pastors go around the world promoting their lies. They never speak against sin. They speak of Jesus who loves. They do not speak of Jesus who said, “Go and sin no more.” Such antinomian hypocritical pastors abound. They never teach, rebuke, correct, or train people to live holy lives. Hypocrites speak of piety and friendship, but their private lives contradict their public persona.

4. All Envies

Envious people are miserable when others are prospering. Cain killed his brother who offered acceptable sacrifices. Out of envy, people crucified Jesus. Immanuel Kant said, “Envy is a wretched vice that hurts everyone. It torments the subject who envies and it hopes to destroy the happiness of the one envied.”[1]

5. All Slanderings

The word used is also plural. Slanderings are evil speaking of Christ, his church, and his pastors. People spoke evil of Jesus, who was perfect in righteousness, who never sinned. The eternal Son of God was called a Samaritan, a drunkard, illegitimate, demon-possessed, a deceiver, a blasphemer, a glutton, and other names.

Acting out of envy, people speak evil of others to destroy their good name and reputation. They especially slander true pastors who preach the gospel without fear of man and promote biblical holiness. They want true ministers to be like the popular antinomian ministers who preach the “one-way love” of psychology, who say that Jesus loves us unconditionally, so we may indulge in all the pleasures of sin in this life and still go to heaven. That is not what the Bible teaches. In Matthew 1:21 we read that his name is Jesus “because he will save his people from their sins,” not in their sins.

Peter already wrote, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Pet. 1:14–16). If we are God’s children, we will live holy lives.

Everyone who goes away from Christ and from his church slanders the church and especially the pastor. We read in John 6:66–69: “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’”

May God help us to go to that church where the enduring, eternal gospel is preached, the living gospel that makes us alive. And may God help us to get rid of these five poisons that kill love, unity, and fellowship within the body of Christ.

Positive Commands

Then Peter says, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (v. 2). Just as newborn babies have an intense desire to drink their mother’s milk, we who are children of God must have an intense desire, must crave, must be addicted to the spiritual, unadulterated milk of the word of God.

The milk is the word of God, as the context proves. In 1 Peter 1:22–25 we read the following:

Verse 22 speaks of obedience to the truth, which means the truth of the gospel. Truth gives life, truth sanctifies us, truth is our nourishment, and truth brings us to maturity.
Verse 23 says we are born again by the imperishable seed of the living and enduring word of God.
Verse 25 says it is the word that was preached to us.

What milk is it? It is the milk of the word of God. We are commanded to crave it (epipothêsate). Epipothêsate is the central imperative in 1 Peter. It is aorist active imperative from epopotheô, which means to crave, to have intense desire. Crave for the pure spiritual milk of the word of God. As newborn babies eat mothers’ milk, we must crave and live by the word of God.

The word must be pure. The whole canon of Scripture must be preached, both Old and New Testaments, the promise and the fulfillment. Cursed are those who destroy the unity of the Bible, separating the Old Testament from the New Testament. They should repent of their sins, as Dr. John Gerstner said. We should not add to the Scripture, subtract from it, or misinterpret it.

The church is a dangerous place for people to go because most churches do not preach the word of God. They deceive people. They are synagogues of Satan. We must preach Christ, the Savior and the King.

A healthy newborn baby cries vigorously for its mother’s milk. Yes, the mother may lose sleep, but she is happy because it means the baby is healthy. The child eats often because he or she has a voracious appetite. It cries often, eats often, and grows up fast.

The psalmist speaks of such craving, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Ps. 42:1). He also says, “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Ps. 84:2). We find God in his word. So the psalmist also declares, “My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. . . . I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands” (Ps. 119:20, 131).

Man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. If you are not born again, you are dead, and so you have no hunger or thirst for God’s word. When you come to church, you will not pay any attention to the preached word because you are dead. You have no life of God in you. You will be bored by the preaching of the word by the pastor, even though he is sent by Christ himself as gift to the church, which Christ is building.

God’s word is living and life-giving. The word is eternal because God is eternal. The word gave us life of God in the soul of man. The word nourishes this life and sanctifies us. The word causes us to grow up in our salvation. And when the word is preached by a God-appointed minister, we will hear, understand, believe, and obey. We must never separate faith from obedience or obedience from faith. Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).

Jesus himself grew up by the word. We read, “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). He himself said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish it” (John 4:34). Later he said, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4). And, finally, from the cross he said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He came to know, to do, and to finish the will of God, so that by faith in him we may be saved.

Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done” (Matt. 26:42). We find the will of God in the pages of the Scripture. I counsel people who want to get married to memorize Ephesians 5:18 through 6:4, and practice it, and you will be all right. Practice it means to obey it.

It is Jesus of whom we read in Psalm 40:6–8: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, ‘Here I am, I have come—it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.’” God’s word should also be within our hearts (see also Ps. 1, 11, 119).

Paul said to Timothy, “From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures” (2 Tim. 3:15). Even when he did not understand, the word was working in young Timothy. So Paul continues, “From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly [furnished] for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Tim. 3:15-4:2). That is what we do in this church.

God’s word is pure and unadulterated. The psalmist says, “The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times” (Ps. 12:6). It is pure because it is the God-spoken word.

This pure gospel must be preached by a pious, learned, Spirit-filled, sent-by-Christ minister who is Christ’s gift to the church, his ambassador. (PGM) He must believe the absolute authority of the written Scriptures. The preaching of such a minister will result in our regeneration, growth, and maturity in the knowledge of our living hope of salvation, which the living word of God reveals. We read about this in Ephesians 4:

It was [the ascended Christ] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Eph. 4:11–16)

The word is to be pure, free of impurities of human ideas of philosophies, psychologies, and false science, which deny the true and living infinite, personal, and unchanging God who alone is Sovereign, Creator, Redeemer and Judge. The preacher must feed the sheep with the whole will of God, as Paul did: “For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God” (Acts 20:27). That is what we do in this church.

Through the word, we experience the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. In the word, we see the Lord. We read, “[Jesus] said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:25–27). We also read, “Then [Jesus] opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:45–47).

By the spiritual, pure milk of the word, we will come to have a greater understanding of our future glorious salvation. The living word points us to our living hope kept in heaven, for which we are also kept (1 Pet. 1:3–5).

Because we preach the real gospel, lives are changed. Paul writes, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). This is growth—to be transformed that we may be like Jesus Christ himself.

Where the word is preached faithfully several times a week by God’s ministers, the people will be well-fed. They will grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They will grow up into love, unity, fellowship, servanthood, knowledge of God, holiness, and the hope of the glory of God.

The word of God is the only food for God’s holy people. They never outgrow the living and enduring word of God into a higher life of wordless mysticism.

In the Word, We Taste the Lord

Finally, Peter says, “Now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (v. 3). In the word of God, we taste the Lord, we commune with the Lord, and we experience the Lord. Notice, this occurs in the word of God, not in the world. The Bible warns us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15–17). And Jesus said in his high priestly prayer, “I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me” (John 17:9).

The world does not attract a true Christian. He is not lusting after the world; instead, he is craving after the spiritual, pure milk of the word of God. That is what Peter is saying in verse 3.

Peter is looking back to the conversion of his readers. They were converted by hearing the gospel, the living and enduring word of God (1 Pet. 1:25). They never physically saw the Lord, as Peter did. Yet in the gospel, we see that they embraced him as Savior and Lord. The same thing happens now. As we preach the Scripture, you see the Lord, and you trust in him.

They loved him and believed on him. Christianity is not just a theory. It is the experience of communing with Christ. They were born again, they repented of their sins, and they savingly trusted in Jesus Christ, raised from the dead. Jesus is the vine, and they were the branches, vitally united with the vine, bearing fruit, more fruit, and much fruit for God’s glory

A “Christian” without any fruit has not ever tasted the Lord Jesus. He has no vital connection with Christ. To him, Christianity is just a theory. Peter says, quoting Psalm 34:8, “O taste and see that the Lord is gracious, the Lord is kind, the Lord is good.” Trust him. He will save you, and you will bear much fruit as his life flows into you every moment of your life.

The more we drink of the pure milk of the word of God, the more we will experience the Lord of our salvation. We must fix our eyes on Jesus as we hear the word, as the Hebrews writer exhorts: “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess” (Heb. 3:1). He also says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Heb. 12:2–3).

Show me a person who is weary and not growing, and I will show you a person who does not have anything to do with the Bible. If it is a burden for you to read the Bible daily, it is because you are not born again. I look forward to reading the Bible every day. I am drinking of the spiritual, pure milk of the word to strengthen me. In God’s word, I see and taste the Lord. And from Jesus we receive one blessing after another daily all of life (John 1:16).

In God’s word, we see the Lord and experience him as good, kind, and gracious. We see him stopping to heal poor, blind Bartimaeus, whose cry he heard: “Lord, have mercy on me.” Jesus stopped and healed him, and he followed Jesus. Jesus also heard the cry of the publican: “Have mercy upon me, a sinner.” The publican went home justified because Jesus was good to him, kind to him, and gracious to him. He saved him. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

These tasted Jesus and found him to be kind, gracious, and good. What about you? Have you tasted him and found him kind, gracious, and good? I have found him to be so to me all these years.

In Luke 6:35, we are told that God is kind even to his enemies. Paul says we are to be kind and forgiving our brothers and sisters (Eph. 4:32). God is kind to chiefs of sinners, as we read:

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy statement that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Tim. 1:12–17)

Jesus came and made his way to the land of the Gerasenes, looking for one man possessed by two thousand demons. This man broke iron chains. He was naked and restless, crying out and living in the tombs. But Jesus saved him, and we see him in Mark 5 sitting down, clothed, and in his right mind. This man tasted Jesus as good, kind, and gracious.

Not only does Jesus show kindness, but he also shows sternness and severity. To those who repent, he shows kindness; to those who will not, he shows severity. Paul writes, “Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off” (Rom. 11:22). We find in him salvation as well as damnation. To all who repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, there is salvation. But for those who deny him, reject him, and refuse to bow down before him, he is the Judge who will judge them with extreme severity.

All judgment is given to Jesus Christ by the Father. Paul says, “What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory” (Rom. 9:22–23). Consider, therefore, the kindness of Jesus Christ and the severity of Jesus Christ. And we will all experience him. Everyone experiences Jesus Christ, either as Savior or as Judge of the world.

God commands all people everywhere to repent and he commands us to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He commands us in 1 John 3:23 to believe in Jesus Christ. He commands us to love one another. He does not beg, so neither do I beg. I command you today to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. I command you to love one another. By faith we see him—the same Person—both gracious and severe. My prayer is that you taste him as your Savior, as your Lord, as your high priest, as your atonement, as your life, as your physician, even this day.

Taste him as the great “I am” (Ehyeh asher Ehyeh in Hebrew means “I am that I am”). Jesus said, “I am the living bread” (John 6:35). He is the living bread that will feed our souls. He said, “I am the light of the world,” (John 8:12); in his light we see light. He said, “I am the gate, the only gate. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 10:7). You can believe any religion or idea you want, but if you want to be saved, you must come through the gate, which is Jesus Christ himself. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). That is what every pastor does, if he is called by God; he gives his life for the sheep. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). He also said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Finally, he said, “I am the vine” (John 15:1). We need him—he is the way, the truth, and the life.

Have You Tasted?

The proof of that we have life in Christ, that is, the proof of our salvation, is a voracious appetite for the spiritual, pure, life-giving, life-sustaining milk of the word of God, in which we see the Lord. Therefore, if you hear the word, understand the word, believe the word, obey the word, and persevere to the end, rejoice! God has saved you. You have tasted him as Savior.

But if this is not true of you, cry out to God as the publican did. I assure you, everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Do it now, and go home justified, having tasted the Lord Jesus as gracious and kind, and as your Savior and Lord. Go home, walking and leaping and praising God.

In Romans 4:25, we read that Jesus was delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification. Do not say you are not a sinner. All people were conceived in sin, born in sin, and practice sin all of life until God saves us. May God enable you to cry out to him today and be saved.

[1] Daniel M. Doriani, 1 Peter, Reformed Expository commentary series (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2014), 60.