Is Jesus Precious To You? 1 Peter 2:1-12

1 Peter 2:1-3

A. 1 So (therefore, because Jesus lives inside of you) put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good

    B. 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings. 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious (good).

        C. 4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, A. 5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

            D. 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay (tithemi) in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

                    E. 7. Unto you, therefore, which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient (disbelieving),

            D. the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of thecorner, (8) And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient (disbelieving): whereunto also they were appointed (tithemi).

        C. 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

    B. 11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 
A. Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation

  At the center of the chiastic structure in 1 Peter 2:1-12 are two contrasting statements. First:" Unto you, therefore, which believe he is precious" and second, "but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed" The whole pattern of your behavior outlined in this passage breaks down to a question: Is Jesus precious to you or not?

   Jesus is the block that sets the pattern. The pattern gives the building (God's church) its form and structure. Look at Jesus and see the perfect expression of God. Jesus displays God's great Love for man. Jesus is the Logos, a word or piece of language. The language indicates a coupling of the internal mind, inner mind (Spirit), and reality. The internal mind of God and the external world are not separate things but one thing with two aspects. God's Son is the logos; He gives insight into the external reality of God's internal mind. The understanding He gives is that internally in the mind of God is Love. God factorizes Himself into this world through Love. We factorize ourselves into God's world through Love. This is how we transfer goods from this world to Heaven, a different realm. 

   The tears are wiped away because we are admitted into God's life, and our inner minds become like Gods, and we see and act towards the outside world the same way He does. The suffering, the pain, and the humiliation become an expression of Love and the glory of God (The treasure is the inner world, aka Love.)

   Understanding the internal world is key to living well in the external world. The outward expression of the inner Love of God is key to teaching how to live well. Living well is only learned through one experiencing life in the collective face of the community of believers guided by the Spirit.