“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”
- 1 Peter 2:1-3
Peter is addressing Christians in his epistles to the “strangers scattered” (1 Peter 1:1) throughout Asia Minor. It would be easy to think that he is referring to unsaved people when listing the characteristics found in 1 Peter 2:1. He’s actually talking about attributes that can belong to immature Christians. He calls them “newborn babes” in vs. 2.
He lists five characteristics:
Malice – evil or wickedness
Guile – deceit or subtlety
Hypocrisies – acting a feigned part
Envies – jealousy
Evil Speakings – defamation or backbiting
Now, read the following five passages of Scripture:
Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Wickedness)
John 8:44, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (Deceit)
2 Corinthians 11:14, “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” (Acting a feigned part)
Isaiah 14:14, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” (Jealousy)
Revelation 12:10, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” (Defamation)
These five passages are speaking of the devil and the characteristics they describe match exactly the characteristics Peter attributes to immature Christians.
Immature Christians can act just like the devil!
God wants us to grow and our churches need us to grow.
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2 comments:
Good observation. Like a new born baby, he still has the slime and filth of his previous habitation all over him. Like Lazarus, when he was raised from the dead, still had the filthy rags of his grave clothes on him. That stuff needs to be taken off. That's why we're commanded to "put off the old man" and his deeds and put on Christ.
I think the scarier part is that mature Christians can revert back to this condition. (Hebrews 5:12)
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