A Life of Love (1 Peter 1:22-2:10)

Big Idea: True holiness is shown through genuine love for fellow Christians, and spiritual growth requires letting go of unloving behaviors toward others.

Do you ever wish that Scripture wasn't so specific? Do you ever find a Scripture that you agree with, but then it feels too invasive for your comfort?

Last week, if you were here, the Scripture challenged us in the area of holiness. Reading 1 Peter 1 highlights God's character, his scrutiny, and the price Jesus paid for our freedom, which challenges us to strive for holiness. When we recognize the command to be holy and feel the Spirit convicting us of unholy things in our lives, it ignites a strong desire to be as holy as God. The people of God should be a holy people.

Then Peter gets specific. The idea of holiness, left in the abstract, is a nice thought, but it's not enough. What begins to happen as we become holy? Let’s read and find out:

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. (1 Peter 1:22)

Honest readers of Scripture might wish Peter hadn't taken that turn. You would expect Peter to emphasize the importance of personal devotions and the need for integrity. Instead, Peter emphasizes that as Christians mature and grow in purity, they are called to love one another earnestly. He also highlights that the nature of this love is quite significant.

In verse 22, when Peter mentions "sincere love for your brothers," he is referring to a brotherly, affectionate love. At the end of verse 22, Peter urges us to “love one another deeply,” using the term agape, which signifies a strong and profound love. And the words he uses to describe this love – sincere, deep, from the heart, or in the King James, unfeigned and fervent – these words don’t leave us much room to maneuver. These words speak of the effort required for love, the depth of that love, and its duration – to the end.

Now, what’s the point? Peter believes that a key sign of true spiritual growth in individuals and churches is a sincere love for fellow Christians. One of the first signs of growth in holiness is a genuine and fervent love for one another in the body of Christ. Do you want to know if you’re holy? How much do you love your brother and your sister sitting in the row behind you? That’s the real test of your holiness. Love is the inevitable result of being made holy by God’s grace.

"Well, obviously," you say, "Peter doesn’t understand who's sitting in the row behind me. Peter never had to deal with someone like Mable! How am I supposed to love somebody like that? Especially sincerely and from the heart!" I'm not sure people were any easier to love back then, or in any other church now. I've noticed that in every church, there's always someone who is hard to love. I haven't figured out who it is in this one yet. Every church I’ve seen has a few people who are stubborn, difficult, and hard to love. And Peter says, “Love these people sincerely, deeply, and from the heart.”

Howard Snyder says:

The church today is suffering a fellowship crisis… In a world of big, impersonal institutions, the church often looks like just another big, impersonal institution…One seldom finds within the institutionalized church today that winsome intimacy among people where masks are dropped, honesty prevails, and that sense of communication and community beyond the human abounds—where there is literally the fellowship of and in the Holy Spirit.

I wish to belong to a church with deep fellowship, genuine love, and where people from different backgrounds are connected in a unique way. I want a church where everyone is loved, regardless of how difficult they are, where young and old come together, and where selfless love prioritizes others over personal preferences. That's where holiness starts. Peter believes that love is the foundation of holiness. If you don't love your fellow believer, you haven't advanced beyond the basics.

Three Reasons to Love

There are three reasons why we ought to love one another.

Our relationship is eternal.

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you. (1 Peter 1:23-25)

The "for" at the start of verse 23 shows that Peter is explaining why we should love each other sincerely and deeply. We are born again from an imperishable seed, not a perishable one. We have a new and permanent life given to us through the word of God.

Verses 24 and 25 are beautiful, speaking of the permanence of the word of God. Strength, power, wealth, beauty, fame – all things that bring glory to man – will pass away, but Christians who have been born anew will live forever. Peter is saying, “Love one another, as you are part of God’s everlasting community.” Love one another, because you're going to be together a long time.

We’re going to be stuck together a long time. The fellowship we have as believers will outlast any earthly relationship we enjoy right now. In eternity, you won’t be married, employed, or responsible for parenting, but you'll still have spiritual siblings. Peter believes that our current treatment of one another should change due to the lasting nature of our relationship. That’s the first reason we should love one another.

Reason two:

Your spiritual life depends on it.

When this book was first written, it had no chapters. In some English versions, chapters interrupt the flow of ideas. In this passage, in chapter two, Peter continues in the same line of thought and gives us a second reason why we should love one another.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:1-3)

The word “therefore” or “so” in verse 1 refers back to the command to “love one another” in chapter 1, verse 22. This verse emphasizes that to love one another genuinely, we need to abandon harmful attitudes and habits. The word is literally to “undress” or “strip yourselves.” Rid yourselves of the issues that arise in Christian gatherings when spiritual matters are neglected, such as malice, deceit, insincerity, envy, and slander. These sins harm people, meaning they oppose love.

Verse 2 is not a new sentence in the original. This is an important point. You could translate verses one and two as, “Therefore, put aside unloving behaviors and desire the pure milk…” These two verses are part of one long command. In other words, putting away unloving practices is necessary for spiritual growth. Love one another, because your spiritual life depends on it.

It’s nice to think that we can be holy and crave after the pure spiritual milk of the Word of God in isolation. Peter isn’t belittling the readers by comparing them to newborns, as some have been Christians for thirty years. He’s comparing the hunger he wants them to have for God’s word to that of a baby for milk. Pursue a deep and persistent longing for God's word. It’s nice to think that this can happen in isolation, but Peter says, "Wait a minute. True spiritual growth is impossible without embracing love for one another and abandoning unloving behaviors." In plain English, don’t ever think you can grow spiritually while you hate your neighbor. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can be a spiritual giant if you backstab your brother. A gossiping Christian is not a growing Christian. You’ve got to love if you’re going to grow.

I need to confess something. I grew up compartmentalizing my Christian life. I would have separate sections for my devotional life, biblical knowledge, struggle with temptation, and a section for my relationship with other Christians, even though I rarely considered that last one. I would grade myself with a B- for my devotions, an A for my biblical knowledge, a B+ for resisting temptation, and a C- in my relationships with other Christians. And along comes Peter, and he says something very different.

If you get a C- in your relationships with other Christians, you can expect similar scores in other areas of your Christian life. A C- or worse. If you’re a failure in loving other believers, you’re a failure in every aspect of your Christian life. Spirituality cannot be separated into sections. Your entire spiritual life depends on how sincerely and deeply you love other believers from the heart.

Two boys go fishing with their father. In scenario one, the boys are arguing with each other all day. They can't stand each other, which affects their relationship with their father that day. They can’t say they had a good relationship with their father that day since they are stuck on a boat arguing.

Scenario number two: the boys are in proper relationship. Remarkably for brothers, they’re getting along and actually enjoying each other. Guess what kind of relationship they have with their dad that day? Fulfilling, satisfying, loving.

Two Christians are griping and grumbling against one another. Guess what kind of relationship they’re going to have with their heavenly Father? Their relationship with each other is going to determine the health of their relationship with God. Our relationship with each other is going to determine the quality of the relationship we have with God. Now, that's truly compelling.

If you are acting unlovingly or with anger toward a brother or sister, your spiritual growth is being hindered. Stop it! Get that relationship right today, because if you don’t, you’ll never grow in your relationship with God. Love one another, because your spiritual life depends on it.

Reason number one to love each other: our relationship is eternal – we’re going to be together a long time. Reason number two to love one another: your spiritual life depends on it. Here's a third reason to love one another:

God has made us his people.

The third reason to love one another is what God has made us, his people. Peter was writing to a group of low-status individuals—aliens and strangers with little social standing or wealth. Verses 4 to 10 are rich with meaning and could honestly form the basis for months of sermons. Peter's point is that God has transformed us, a group of unknowns, into something truly rich and magnificent. But it only happens to us together. God has made us into a spiritual house.

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-5)

Instead of a simple group of social outcasts, we’re the dwelling place of God. We’re the living stones of God’s new temple, and we’re a holy priesthood – able to draw near to God ourselves.

In verses 6 to 8, Peter discusses how we may face rejection from people, just as Christ did, but emphasizes that we are accepted by God. He reminds us that we are part of a spiritual house and a holy priesthood.

What else are we together?

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

We together are the true people of God. Peter uses rich Old Testament imagery to paint a beautiful picture of our position in Christ. He paints four beautiful pictures describing not individual Christians, but the church as a whole. Claiming that we are kings and priests might appear to lack significance in today's world. It suggests that becoming a Christian greatly enhances your status, making you a child of God with direct access to Him.

Peter is saying something like this. Imagine being a menial worker in a company and being elevated to the position of CEO. In Christ, we are elevated from being nobodies to having profound and lasting privileges. We've undergone a massive status change from God, who has made us his people forever. But notice that these four terms don’t describe individual Christians; they define the church as a whole. In other words, we’re more together than we are apart. God has united us, a diverse group, through Christ, elevating us to be a chosen people, priests, and His holy nation. You’re not alone; you’re with those around you, including the person next to you, others in the row, and even those in the balcony you might not get along with. So love one another—sincerely, intensely, with all your hearts.

So I ask you again, don’t you hate it when the Bible gets all specific? Don’t you just hate it that Peter says that to be holy, we have to love our brother and our sister – even the ones we don’t really get along with? Do you wish Peter hadn't said we should love one another because our relationship is eternal, our spiritual lives depend on it, and God has created more through our togetherness than individually?

Now we might not like it because it creates a problem for some of us who have broken relationships. You can’t grow spiritually until you get this straightened out. If you hold a grudge or feel animosity toward a fellow Christian, it indicates a spiritual issue. And you can’t progress until you take care of it.

In a minute I’m going to ask each of you to bow your heads. It’s time to deal with this. Some of you have grudges that go back a long time. Some of you let your worship preferences damage relationships. Some of you have let an incident – real or not – bring division between you and another. Pay attention: according to God’s Word, focus on getting it right today. You’ll be in a lifelong relationship with this person, and your spiritual life relies on it.

Jesus said:

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24)

Some of us need to prioritize reconciliation this morning. Before continuing with our plans, we should set aside our gifts and resolve any issues with others, then return to offer our gifts.

It’s decision time. I believe your Spirit has shown us that true holiness means improving our relationships. As Peter said, we must rid ourselves of malicious behavior, deceit, insincerity, and backstabbing. The Spirit has urged some of us to take action today so we can grow spiritually.

Lord, I pray for those who need to take action this morning. It could be an apology, a change in behavior, or an effort to repair a damaged relationship.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18)

I pray we won't leave this morning until we truly commit to living out the Word and sincerely love even the hardest person in this church with all our hearts. Amen.