1 Peter 2:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In these few words he embraces the whole multitude and variety of evil. Those regenerated to incorruptible life must not fall into the snares of malice or prefer what has no being to what truly is. For evil is not a substance, but lies in the defect of a created substance. There is a great difference between life in its own proper being and what only enters it incidentally. They, he says, must appear free from deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and every slander. For deceit and slander are far from the truth and from the teaching preached to you. Deceit seeks the destruction of the one it deceives. Hypocrisy thrives in divergence from reality, while the saving teaching in which you were instructed thrives in the opposite. And what place is there among you for envy and slander?

That is, having been born again through the Word of the living God, lay aside all deceit, because a child has no deceit in the heart.

The law of God requires that we be perfect. Yet we attain perfection only by gradual ascent and progress, being first nourished with milk like newborn infants and growing in Him unto salvation.

If the divine law wills us to be perfect, yet according to ascent and progress in perfection, then we begin as newborn infants who drink milk and grow by it unto salvation. For this is also what Paul's saying has in view: "Do not be children in understanding; in evil be infants, but in understanding be mature" (1 Cor 14:20). For it is impossible, without washing away malice and becoming infants, to come to purity. Nor can one, without being perfected in mind, enter the state of a perfect man, a blameless worker.

It is not right that those regenerated for incorruptible life should be caught in the nets of evil, for then they would prefer what is not to what is. For evil is not a substance. It arises from the sinfulness of a created substance. It is in no way inherent in life that is firmly established upon a single foundation. They, the Apostle says, are worthy to be free from deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and every slander. For deceit and hypocrisy are far from the truth and from the good tidings proclaimed to you. Deceit leads those who are misled to destruction, and hypocrisy diverges from true being. But the saving word in which you were instructed plainly leads to the opposite. As for envy and slander, what place do they have among you? You are bound by the unbreakable bonds of brotherly love, and nothing that divides can harm you.

Since you have recently been born again, he says, and have become sons of God through baptism, be, through zeal for a virtuous life, such as newborn infants are by the natural qualities of innocent age.

This verse is almost literally similar to Jas 1:21. In general, both apostles present birth from the word in the same expressions. Evidently, the Apostle Peter had before him the writing of the Apostle James. At the same time, one cannot fail to see how the heralds of Christ, from different places, hastened to help Christians with a word of consolation and exhortation when they saw their distress or their morally dangerous condition.

The Apostle's instruction on the spiritual growth of Christians is based on the same thought of Christian regeneration that underlies the preceding instructions. It is also based on the thought of sincere brotherly love among Christians (1 Pet 1:22). With brotherly love from a pure heart, such feelings as malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander are incompatible. Therefore, if brotherly love must reign in the heart, these things must be uprooted from it. If the seed of new life has been placed in the heart, it must grow, feeding on food appropriate to it. "Having laid aside all malice," and so forth. This figure of speech is often encountered (cf. Jas 1:21; Eph 4:22; Col 3:8). It is taken from removing and putting aside clothing.

Regeneration (1 Pet 1:23-2:3). Christians must lead a new, pure, and holy life on the foundations of brotherly love, "as those born again, not of corruptible seed," meaning by descent from Adam, "but of incorruptible. Through the word of God, living and abiding forever." The Apostle calls the word of God the means of regeneration because it leads to faith, and faith leads to baptism and repentance. "Having laid aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy," which belong to those who have grown and become hardened in evil, you, the Apostle urges, "as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word," that is, the Gospel teaching. Desire it "so that by it you may grow unto salvation; for you have tasted that the Lord is good." This means that you have experienced in yourselves the action of God's grace in the Christian Mysteries.

The opening words of chapter 2 are closely connected with what precedes. The seeds of new life have been sown by the word of God. Therefore all the tares of life that oppose love, such as malice, deceit, and envy, must be uprooted. Christians are a new generation. Liveliness of feeling, receptivity to everything new and good, and withdrawal from everything old and evil should especially belong to youth. Yet for those beginning a new life and not yet strengthened in it, not everything needed for spiritual nourishment and growth is easy to receive. Infants are not nourished by every kind of food, but only by light food, such as milk.

"Having laid aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slanders, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow unto salvation. Since you have tasted that the Lord is good." The beginning of this section has a necessary connection with the instruction on brotherly love in verse 22 of the preceding chapter (1 Pet 1:22). Continuing this instruction, the Apostle exhorts Christians to lay aside sins opposed to brotherly love. These are all malice, that is, all forms of ill will and hostility toward one's neighbor; deceit, or evil intent; hypocrisy, the absence of heartfelt sincerity in dealing with neighbors; envy; and slanders.

This too troubles the heretics: "unless one is born of water and the Spirit" (Jn 3:5), and, "You must be born from above" (Jn 3:7), and everything similar to these words. In them it is shown that nature is not good or bad.