LESSON IV.—JULY 22, 1893.
REVIEW QUESTIONS.—(a) By faith in what are we purified? (b) By what are we begotten? (c) What is its character? (d) What is this word? VERSES 1-3: "Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation; if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 1. What do those begotten of God's word and born of his Spirit put away? Note 1. 2. For what are they to long? and why? Note 2. 3. Who will thus desire to feed upon God's word? VERSES 4-8: "Unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious, ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Because it is contained in Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious; and he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame. For you therefore which believe is the preciousness; but for such as disbelieve, the stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner; and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; for they stumble at the word, being disobedient; whereunto also they were appointed." 1. What is the condition of stones as regards life? Note 3. 2. To what is Christ the Lord likened? 3. How was he regarded by men? 4. How did God regard him? 5. As Christ is the elect, living stone of God, what are those who are Christ's? 6. Into what are we, as living stones, built? Note 4. 7. What precious assurance does he quote from Isaiah? 8. What is conferred upon the believer in Christ? 9. To whom does he prove a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense? 10. Why do these two classes regard him so differently? 1. Putting away therefore.—Putting away these things is set before us as a necessary result to follow the regenerating power of the word of God. He who has truly tasted that the Lord is gracious, he who has drunk of the Spirit of Christ, will be anxious to put away wickedness (margin "malice") toward all, because Christ has forgiven him (Eph. 4:32); to renounce all guile, that it may be forever cleansed away (1 John 1:9); to put away all hypocrisies, because he knows that God sees all, and his word pierces all (Heb. 4:12, 13); all envy of others' lot, because he has all good things in Christ (1 Cor. 3:22, 23); all evil speaking, because God has sent the glad tidings to him, and made him a debtor to carry it to others (Rom. 1:14; Num. 10:29). The Lord implies through Peter that those who have been begotten of Him will put away all these things. For this same putting away the Spirit pleads through Paul over the promises of God. See 2 Cor. 6:17, 18; 7:1. 2. Grow . . . into salvation.—The thought in the Revised Version is worthy of remembrance. It is not simply to grow in knowledge, in skill, or in experience, but to make a success in growing, to grow unto salvation. He who stops short of this is like the seed choked by thorns, he brings "no fruit to perfection." Luke 8:14. 3. Living stones.—The child of God is ever represented by something which has life, and implies action. He is the soldier on duty (Eph. 6:13), the contender in the games (1 Cor. 9:24), the pilgrim traveler (Heb. 11:13), a living branch of the True Vine (John 15:5); he is to grow (Eph. 4:15), to walk (Eph. 4:1), to run (Heb. 12:1), to fight the fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12), to watch, to work, etc., etc.; and when an inanimate object, like a stone, is taken to represent the Christian, that object is given life. This life comes from Christ, the living Rock, on which believers as stones are builded, receiving life from the foundation, Christ (1 Cor. 3:11; Gal. 2:20). They thus become welded or grown to the rock connected with the one life. The object of this building is said to be to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. All that makes anything acceptable to God is that Christ shall be in it, and if Christ is in us, and we in him, the praises and prayers of his people, the sacrifices for his sake, the labors of love, in fact, the very life, are all acceptable in the Beloved. See Hos. 14:1; Mal. 1:11; Rom. 12:1; Heb. 13:15, 16. 4. Are built up a spiritual house.—To the believer Christ is the precious foundation. To the unbeliever, or disobedient (for the terms are synonymous), he is a stone of stumbling. The same sun and rain which ripen and develop the wheat, also ripen and develop the tares and weeds. The latter class stumble because they will not obey; they do not wish to do God's will. "Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them; but the transgressors shall fall therein." Hosea 14:9. The earnest student of prophecy will find added interest in this lesson by a diligent study of Isa. 28:14-22. This scripture has a special force in these last days. When God's judgments sweep away the refuge of lies, and the house builded on the sand is overthrown, blessed indeed will those be who have "digged deep," and laid their foundation on the Rock Christ Jesus. Luke 6:47-49, Revised Version.559 5. WORD THOUGHTS.—"All" (v. 1), that is, every kind of wickedness, etc.—"Wickedness," the word means "malice, malignity, wickedness, depravity."—"Guile," the original word is used for "bait," something to ensnare or entrap, and hence means, "fraud, deceit, insidious artifice," which Christians should put away; it should have no place in their character.—"Hypocrisies," "to stand under," or "a taking upon one's self," hence to act a part which does not belong to one.—"Envies," "jealousy, spite," ill feeling toward others because of good or fancied good which has come to them.—"Evil speakings," literally, "speakings against;" Satan is the accuser of the brethren.—"Newborn" (v. 2), "just now born." We are not always to be babes or children of tender years.—"Long for," better than "desire," it means "earnestly desire."—"Sincere milk of the word," better as in the Revised Version, "the spiritual milk which is without guile." Of course, the milk or food of the babe is God's word. See Matt. 4:4; Jer. 15:16.—"Without guile," "unadulterated."—"Grow thereby," the best Greek texts add, "unto salvation."—"Gracious" (v. 2), actively good. "Coming" (v. 4), meaning a close and constant approach. The R. V. properly omits "as unto." "Stone," from "lithon," not the word "petros," translated Peter in Matt. 16:18. "Rejected," "disallowed," rejected after trial. The shameless trial is given in the gospels, the reason for rejection is given in Rom. 9:31-33 and John 5:44. "Precious," not the same as in 1:19. The word here means "honorable." "Living stones" (v. 5), note the striking change from babes growing to living stones "built up." "Is the preciousness" (v. 7), not as in common version, "He is precious," that is stated in verse 4; but here in verse 7 it declares that the "preciousness," the honor, comes to those who believe.—"Stone of stumbling," "rock of offense" (v. 8), something in the way of every sinner. Christ came in the way of the Jews to help them; he comes to sinners for the same purpose; but many make that which God designed to be a help a stumbling block, because of disobedient hearts.—"Appointed," because of their unbelief and consequent disobedience God appointed them. See Matt. 21:40-45.