THESE THINGS LAY ASIDE

1 Peter 2:1-3 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.

Peter closed the previous chapter with this thought to his fellow Christians: he told them that they were born again ...by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever, finally telling them, And this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you (1 Pet. 1:23 & 25b). This thought was immediately preceded with this truth from God's word: Christians are to have unfeigned love of the brethren, and are to love one another with a pure heart fervently (1 Pet. 1:22). Considering these truths from the Word of God, Peter begins this chapter with, Wherefore, that is, with these truths in mind, the Christians to whom he was writing were to lay aside all malice, ...guile, ...hypocrisies, ...envies, ...and all evil speakings. And why lay them aside? Because these characteristics would destroy the love we should have for our brethren, or for mankind in general. Brotherly love can not exist if these sinful practices are used to guide our lives.

The apostle, Paul, confirmed this thought in his teaching. Notice he uses the phrase putting away and put off, which means permanently. In Ephesians 4:25, Paul says, Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. This he follows in verses 31 and 32 by saying, Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. To the Colossians he said, But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds (Col. 3:8-9).

Therefore, we are to permanently lay aside malice, which is defined by some to be a vicious desire to harm a person by deliberate retaliation for something someone has done, or you thought was done, to you. Guile is described as cunning, crafty, and deceitful conversation or conduct. A guileful person is one that uses lies and flattery to deceive another. Jesus commended Nathanael (Bartholomew, according to Matthew's gospel) by saying of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile (John1:47b)!

Also, lay aside hypocrisies. A hypocrite is a person that acts, or pretends to be, someone different from his or her own character, or to be a better person than they really are. Jesus used scribes and Pharisees a number of times, as examples of those guilty of hypocrisy. They were guilty of doing deeds of charity, as well as praying and fasting, to be seen and praised by others. They wanted to be seen as godly, but in truth they denied God's word, and Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

Envies are also to be laid aside. Envy is the ill will or hatred one has for another, due to some advantag, or the ownership of something thought to be more desirable or costly. It is a covetous jealousy that comes from a selfish heart that desires superiority over another.

And, finally, Peter says, we are to lay aside all evil speakings. This would include backbiting, spiteful gossip, slander, and malicious talk intended to hurt, or destroy, the character or reputation of another. To the extreme, it would include bearing false accusations that may bring irrepairable harm, or even death, to another person.

Malice, guile, hypocrisies, envies, and evil speakings, are all characteristics that cannot reside in a Christian. They are all contrary to what God wants His children to be. With these traits guiding our daily lives, the love that God expects us to show to our brethren, and all mankind, could not possibly exist. How, then, do we lay these sinful characteristics aside? Peter tells us that we must be born again (1 Pet. 1:23). A newborn baby is pure. It only knows love. It desires to be loved, and responds favorably by giving love in return. The only way we can lay these evil characteristics aside is to be born again and become newborn babes.

Learned sinful attitudes that guide our conduct must be unlearned. We permanently lay aside these sinful ways by becoming newborn babes. With these evil characteristics out of our lives, we can now desire, and be filled with the sincere milk of the word. God's word will not enter the heart and mind of one that is filled with the sinful nature of Satan. Evil must be cast out, before God's word will enter, reside and govern the conduct of one's life. Regarding all sin, God says these things lay aside!