1 Peter 2:3
Verse
Context
Sermons
Keith Daniel
John Gill
John Nelson Darby
Horatius Bonar
A.W. Tozer
St. AugustineSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
If so be ye have tasted - Ειπερ εγευσασθε· Seeing ye have tasted. There could be no doubt that they had tasted the goodness of Christ who were born again, of incorruptible seed, and whose hearts were purified by the truth, and who had like precious faith with the apostles themselves. That the Lord is gracious - Ὁτι χρηστος ὁ Κυριος· From the similarity of the letters, many MSS. and several of the fathers have read, Χριστος ὁ κυριος, the Lord is Christ, or Christ is the Lord. This seems to refer to Psa 34:8 : O taste and see that the Lord is good; Γευσασθε και ιδετε ὁτι χρηστος ὁ Κυριος, Sept. And there is still a reference to the sucking child that, having once tasted its mother's milk, ever after desires and longs for it. As they were born of God, and had tasted his goodness, they would naturally desire the same pure unadulterated milk of the word.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Peter alludes to Psa 34:8. The first "tastes" of God's goodness are afterwards followed by fuller and happier experiences. A taste whets the appetite [BENGEL]. gracious--Greek, "good," benignant, kind; as God is revealed to us in Christ, "the Lord" (Pe1 2:4), we who are born again ought so to be good and kind to the brethren (Pe1 1:22). "Whosoever has not tasted the word to him it is not sweet it has not reached the heart; but to them who have experienced it, who with the heart believe, 'Christ has been sent for me and is become my own: my miseries are His, and His life mine,' it tastes sweet" [LUTHER].
John Gill Bible Commentary
If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Reference is had to Psa 34:8, "O taste and see that the Lord is good"; and the Syriac version here adds, "if ye have seen": by the Lord is meant, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the following words show, who is gracious and amiable, and lovely in his person; who has a fulness of grace in him for his people; has displayed his grace towards them, in engaging for them as a surety, in assuming their nature, obeying, suffering, and dying in their stead; he is gracious in his word and promises, truths and ordinances, and in all his offices and relations; and regenerate persons have tasted that he is so: an unregenerate man has no spiritual taste; his taste is vitiated by sin, and not being changed, sin is a sweet morsel in his mouth, and he disrelishes everything that is spiritual; but one that is born again savours the things of the Spirit of God; sin is exceeding sinful to him, and Christ exceeding precious; he, and his fruit, his promises, and blessings of grace, his word and ordinances, are sweet unto his taste: and the taste he has is not a mere superficial one, such as hypocrites may have of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come; but such a taste of Christ, and of his grace, as, by a true faith, to eat his flesh, and drink his blood, and so have everlasting life; such have a saving and experimental knowledge of Christ, an application of him, and his saving benefits to them, a revelation of him in them, so that they find and feel that he dwells in them, and they in him; such receive out of Christ's fulness, and grace for grace, and live by faith upon him, and receive nourishment from him; and of this the apostle made no doubt concerning these persons, but took it for granted that they had had such tastes of Christ, and therefore could not but desire the Gospel, which is a revelation of Christ, and sets forth the glory of his person, and the riches of his grace: and whereas, such as have truly tasted of his grace cannot but desire to have more, and fresh tastes of it; where should they have them, but in his word and ordinances? and therefore, would they grow in grace, and know more of Christ, and taste more of his goodness, it is their interest, as it is their spiritual nature, to desire the Gospel, in the purity and sincerity of it. , "O taste and see that the Lord is good"; and the Syriac version here adds, "if ye have seen": by the Lord is meant, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the following words show, who is gracious and amiable, and lovely in his person; who has a fulness of grace in him for his people; has displayed his grace towards them, in engaging for them as a surety, in assuming their nature, obeying, suffering, and dying in their stead; he is gracious in his word and promises, truths and ordinances, and in all his offices and relations; and regenerate persons have tasted that he is so: an unregenerate man has no spiritual taste; his taste is vitiated by sin, and not being changed, sin is a sweet morsel in his mouth, and he disrelishes everything that is spiritual; but one that is born again savours the things of the Spirit of God; sin is exceeding sinful to him, and Christ exceeding precious; he, and his fruit, his promises, and blessings of grace, his word and ordinances, are sweet unto his taste: and the taste he has is not a mere superficial one, such as hypocrites may have of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come; but such a taste of Christ, and of his grace, as, by a true faith, to eat his flesh, and drink his blood, and so have everlasting life; such have a saving and experimental knowledge of Christ, an application of him, and his saving benefits to them, a revelation of him in them, so that they find and feel that he dwells in them, and they in him; such receive out of Christ's fulness, and grace for grace, and live by faith upon him, and receive nourishment from him; and of this the apostle made no doubt concerning these persons, but took it for granted that they had had such tastes of Christ, and therefore could not but desire the Gospel, which is a revelation of Christ, and sets forth the glory of his person, and the riches of his grace: and whereas, such as have truly tasted of his grace cannot but desire to have more, and fresh tastes of it; where should they have them, but in his word and ordinances? and therefore, would they grow in grace, and know more of Christ, and taste more of his goodness, it is their interest, as it is their spiritual nature, to desire the Gospel, in the purity and sincerity of it. 1 Peter 2:4 pe1 2:4 pe1 2:4 pe1 2:4To whom coming, as unto a living stone,.... Christ here, as often elsewhere, is compared to a "stone"; and Peter, by the use of this metaphor, shows that he is not the rock, but Christ is the rock on which the church is built, and he is the foundation stone on which every believer is laid; and it is chiefly with respect to the usefulness of a stone in building, that Christ is compared to one, who is the foundation and cornerstone, as well as for strength and duration; and he is called a "living" one, because he has life in himself, as God, as Mediator, and as man; and communicates life to others, as natural life to all creatures, and spiritual and eternal life to his people, whose great privilege it is to come to him: and by coming to him is meant believing in him; and it does not design the first act of faith on Christ, or a soul's first coming to Christ, but an after and continued exercise of faith on him; and it supposes Christ to be come at, notwithstanding he is in heaven, and saints on earth, for their faith and hope can enter into, and reach him within the vail, and notwithstanding their many transgressions and backslidings; it supposes life in them, or they could not come; and a sense of their need of him, of his righteousness to justify them, of his blood for pardoning and cleansing, of his fulness to supply their want of food, rest, peace, comfort, and salvation in him; and a persuasion of his ability and willingness to relieve them: and they are encouraged to come to him under the above considerations, as a stone, a foundation stone; believing that he is laid as a foundation, and that he is the only foundation, and therefore they lay the whole stress of their salvation, and build all their hopes of happiness on him; and as a living stone, deriving grace, life, and strength from him; exercising faith on him for all the mercies, blessings, and comforts of a spiritual life, and looking to his mercy for eternal life, Disallowed indeed of men; by the Jewish builders, high priests, Scribes, and Pharisees, and the body and bulk of that nation; who rejected him as the Messiah, and stone of Israel, refused him as a foundation stone, and left him out of the building; and laid another foundation, even their own works of righteousness, on which sandy foundation they built themselves, and directed others to do so likewise; and set him, at nought, as a living stone, would not come to him for life, but sought it in the law, the killing letter, and among their dead works; but though Christ was thus disallowed and disesteemed of by men, yet was he highly valued and esteemed by God: but chosen of God, and precious; his human nature was "chosen" from among, and above all other individuals of mankind; to be united to the Son of God; as God-man and Mediator, he was chosen to that high office, to be the head of the church, and the Saviour of the body; to be the foundation in the spiritual building, and to be the author and giver of spiritual and eternal life to as many as were given him. Moreover, this phrase denotes the superior excellency of Christ to angels and men in the account of God; being the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person, the Son of his love, in whom he was always well pleased, and in whom he took infinite delight, considered both as his Son, and the surety of his people; and to whom he was precious, and by him highly honoured, made higher than the kings of the earth, than the angels in heaven, than the heavens themselves, being set down at God's right hand, and a name given him above every name in this world, or that to come; and who is precious to the saints too, more so than rubies, or any precious stones, or any thing or creature whatever; his person is precious, and so are his name, his blood, his righteousness, his truths, his ordinances, and his people.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
2:3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness: The words are taken from Ps 34:8. Peter quotes this psalm again in 1 Pet 3:10-12.
1 Peter 2:3
The Living Stone and Chosen People
2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
(1 Peter - Part 18): On Laying Aside Certain Things
By A.W. Tozer26K39:05Laying AsideDEU 8:3JOS 1:8PSA 119:11PRO 4:20MAT 6:33JAS 1:221PE 2:3In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes that it is God who infuses the element of eternity into everything. Without God's intervention, mortality and corruptibility are inevitable. The preacher highlights that even the most privileged and intelligent individuals will eventually die, as it is appointed for all humans. However, the preacher also emphasizes that the Word of God calls believers to action, urging them to lay aside malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking. The preacher encourages listeners to desire the sincere milk of the Word in order to grow spiritually, emphasizing that they are the subjects of the sentence and have the ability to lay aside these negative traits. The preacher concludes by posing the question of how a person can cleanse their own heart or purge their own soul, comparing it to how a person can wash their own hands.
The Greatest Danger This World Faces Today
By Keith Daniel8531:22:002KI 22:12CH 7:142CH 34:3EZR 7:6NEH 8:1HOS 10:12JAS 4:4JAS 4:81PE 2:3This sermon emphasizes the importance of seeking God desperately for revival, drawing parallels from the stories of King Josiah and Ezra in the Bible. It highlights the need for the Church to separate from worldly influences, to preach the full Word of God fearlessly, and to avoid compromising with the world. The message urges believers to return to a deep reverence for the Scriptures, to live in holiness, and to seek God's face earnestly for a true spiritual awakening.
1 Peter 2:3
By John Gill0Spiritual GrowthGrace Of GodPSA 34:8JHN 6:531PE 2:3John Gill emphasizes the significance of experiencing the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, as referenced in 1 Peter 2:3. He explains that true believers, having tasted the goodness of Christ, develop a spiritual appetite for His word and promises, contrasting them with the unregenerate who find no sweetness in spiritual matters. Gill highlights that this taste is not superficial but deeply rooted in a saving faith that leads to a transformative relationship with Christ. He encourages believers to continually seek nourishment from the Gospel, which reveals the glory and grace of Christ, fostering a desire for deeper understanding and growth in faith.
Letter: 30e 59 Mrs Darnell, Yverdun, March 25th, 1843
By John Nelson Darby0GraceAssurance of SalvationPSA 103:12ISA 53:5JHN 3:16ROM 8:282CO 5:21EPH 2:8PHP 4:7HEB 10:141PE 2:31JN 1:9John Nelson Darby addresses Mrs. Darnell, encouraging her to rely on God's goodness as revealed in Christ, despite her feelings of distress and doubt. He emphasizes that our emotions should not dictate our understanding of God's character, and that the work of the Holy Spirit is essential in discerning our spiritual state. Darby reassures her that feelings of guilt and despair can be part of God's process to bring us to a deeper understanding of grace and our need for Christ. He reminds her that Christ's sacrifice is sufficient for salvation, regardless of personal feelings or past neglect. Ultimately, peace comes from recognizing our nothingness and Christ's all-sufficiency.
Every Christian a Teacher.
By Horatius Bonar0JOB 12:11MAT 16:28MAT 27:34MRK 9:1LUK 9:27JHN 8:52HEB 2:9HEB 6:41PE 2:3The preacher delves into the meaning of 'tasted' (geuomai) in the Bible, which can refer to physically tasting something or figuratively experiencing or coming to know something. This term is used in various contexts in the New Testament to convey deep spiritual truths. For instance, in Hebrews, it is mentioned that Jesus 'tasted death for everyone,' emphasizing His sacrifice for humanity. The sermon explores how believers are encouraged to 'taste' the Word of God, seeking spiritual nourishment and growth.
Faith and Experience
By A.W. Tozer0Spiritual ExperienceFaithPSA 34:8MAT 11:28JHN 7:37JHN 10:10ROM 15:13GAL 5:22EPH 3:19PHP 3:10HEB 5:141PE 2:3A.W. Tozer emphasizes that true preaching of Jesus Christ must lead to genuine Christian experience among believers. He argues that if preaching fails to foster spiritual growth and maturity, it does not faithfully represent the Christ of the Scriptures. Tozer highlights that Jesus invites us to experience Him personally, urging believers to come to Him with determination. He references Psalm 34, illustrating that just as we taste food, we are meant to experience the goodness of God in our souls. The essence of knowing Christ is rooted in the experiential relationship we cultivate with Him.
Exposition on Psalm 107
By St. Augustine0PSA 106:1PSA 106:4PSA 106:10PSA 106:13PSA 106:18PSA 106:23PSA 106:30PSA 106:431PE 2:3St. Augustine preaches on the mercies of God as seen in the Psalms, emphasizing the importance of experiencing God's goodness personally to truly appreciate His praises. The Psalms reflect the universal Church's redemption from enemies, leading to a spiritual journey symbolized by the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. Through various trials and deliverances, God's mercies are evident in leading His people to repentance, healing, and restoration, ultimately bringing them to a place of praise and thanksgiving.
Kisses
By Thomas Brooks0Spiritual IntimacyThe Love of ChristPSA 36:7PSA 63:1SNG 1:2ISA 54:10JHN 15:9ROM 5:5EPH 3:19PHP 3:81PE 2:31JN 4:19Thomas Brooks passionately expresses the profound longing for the love of Christ, likening it to the delightful kisses of His mouth, which are more satisfying than wine. He emphasizes that once a soul has experienced Christ's love, it craves more, desiring an abundance of His grace and mercy. Brooks illustrates that true love for Christ leads to an insatiable thirst for deeper communion with Him, where nothing else can fulfill that longing. The sermon encourages believers to seek and cherish the intimate relationship with Christ, recognizing that His love is beyond comprehension yet essential for spiritual fulfillment.
Leaders Wo Are Spiritual Visionaries
By A.W. Tozer0PSA 25:8NAM 1:7MAT 11:30LUK 6:35ROM 2:41CO 15:33EPH 4:321PE 2:3The preacher delves into the meaning of 'chrestos,' emphasizing its significance in describing that which is useful, suitable, excellent, and serviceable. 'Chrestos' embodies kindness, goodness, and benevolence, contrasting harshness and bitterness. This kindness is reflected in loving affection, sympathy, friendliness, and patience, urging believers to exhibit kindness in their words and actions, reflecting the nature of Christ. The sermon explores various biblical instances where 'chrestos' is used, highlighting God's kindness, the importance of forgiveness, and the gentle, benevolent nature of Christ's yoke.
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
If so be ye have tasted - Ειπερ εγευσασθε· Seeing ye have tasted. There could be no doubt that they had tasted the goodness of Christ who were born again, of incorruptible seed, and whose hearts were purified by the truth, and who had like precious faith with the apostles themselves. That the Lord is gracious - Ὁτι χρηστος ὁ Κυριος· From the similarity of the letters, many MSS. and several of the fathers have read, Χριστος ὁ κυριος, the Lord is Christ, or Christ is the Lord. This seems to refer to Psa 34:8 : O taste and see that the Lord is good; Γευσασθε και ιδετε ὁτι χρηστος ὁ Κυριος, Sept. And there is still a reference to the sucking child that, having once tasted its mother's milk, ever after desires and longs for it. As they were born of God, and had tasted his goodness, they would naturally desire the same pure unadulterated milk of the word.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Peter alludes to Psa 34:8. The first "tastes" of God's goodness are afterwards followed by fuller and happier experiences. A taste whets the appetite [BENGEL]. gracious--Greek, "good," benignant, kind; as God is revealed to us in Christ, "the Lord" (Pe1 2:4), we who are born again ought so to be good and kind to the brethren (Pe1 1:22). "Whosoever has not tasted the word to him it is not sweet it has not reached the heart; but to them who have experienced it, who with the heart believe, 'Christ has been sent for me and is become my own: my miseries are His, and His life mine,' it tastes sweet" [LUTHER].
John Gill Bible Commentary
If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Reference is had to Psa 34:8, "O taste and see that the Lord is good"; and the Syriac version here adds, "if ye have seen": by the Lord is meant, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the following words show, who is gracious and amiable, and lovely in his person; who has a fulness of grace in him for his people; has displayed his grace towards them, in engaging for them as a surety, in assuming their nature, obeying, suffering, and dying in their stead; he is gracious in his word and promises, truths and ordinances, and in all his offices and relations; and regenerate persons have tasted that he is so: an unregenerate man has no spiritual taste; his taste is vitiated by sin, and not being changed, sin is a sweet morsel in his mouth, and he disrelishes everything that is spiritual; but one that is born again savours the things of the Spirit of God; sin is exceeding sinful to him, and Christ exceeding precious; he, and his fruit, his promises, and blessings of grace, his word and ordinances, are sweet unto his taste: and the taste he has is not a mere superficial one, such as hypocrites may have of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come; but such a taste of Christ, and of his grace, as, by a true faith, to eat his flesh, and drink his blood, and so have everlasting life; such have a saving and experimental knowledge of Christ, an application of him, and his saving benefits to them, a revelation of him in them, so that they find and feel that he dwells in them, and they in him; such receive out of Christ's fulness, and grace for grace, and live by faith upon him, and receive nourishment from him; and of this the apostle made no doubt concerning these persons, but took it for granted that they had had such tastes of Christ, and therefore could not but desire the Gospel, which is a revelation of Christ, and sets forth the glory of his person, and the riches of his grace: and whereas, such as have truly tasted of his grace cannot but desire to have more, and fresh tastes of it; where should they have them, but in his word and ordinances? and therefore, would they grow in grace, and know more of Christ, and taste more of his goodness, it is their interest, as it is their spiritual nature, to desire the Gospel, in the purity and sincerity of it. , "O taste and see that the Lord is good"; and the Syriac version here adds, "if ye have seen": by the Lord is meant, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the following words show, who is gracious and amiable, and lovely in his person; who has a fulness of grace in him for his people; has displayed his grace towards them, in engaging for them as a surety, in assuming their nature, obeying, suffering, and dying in their stead; he is gracious in his word and promises, truths and ordinances, and in all his offices and relations; and regenerate persons have tasted that he is so: an unregenerate man has no spiritual taste; his taste is vitiated by sin, and not being changed, sin is a sweet morsel in his mouth, and he disrelishes everything that is spiritual; but one that is born again savours the things of the Spirit of God; sin is exceeding sinful to him, and Christ exceeding precious; he, and his fruit, his promises, and blessings of grace, his word and ordinances, are sweet unto his taste: and the taste he has is not a mere superficial one, such as hypocrites may have of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come; but such a taste of Christ, and of his grace, as, by a true faith, to eat his flesh, and drink his blood, and so have everlasting life; such have a saving and experimental knowledge of Christ, an application of him, and his saving benefits to them, a revelation of him in them, so that they find and feel that he dwells in them, and they in him; such receive out of Christ's fulness, and grace for grace, and live by faith upon him, and receive nourishment from him; and of this the apostle made no doubt concerning these persons, but took it for granted that they had had such tastes of Christ, and therefore could not but desire the Gospel, which is a revelation of Christ, and sets forth the glory of his person, and the riches of his grace: and whereas, such as have truly tasted of his grace cannot but desire to have more, and fresh tastes of it; where should they have them, but in his word and ordinances? and therefore, would they grow in grace, and know more of Christ, and taste more of his goodness, it is their interest, as it is their spiritual nature, to desire the Gospel, in the purity and sincerity of it. 1 Peter 2:4 pe1 2:4 pe1 2:4 pe1 2:4To whom coming, as unto a living stone,.... Christ here, as often elsewhere, is compared to a "stone"; and Peter, by the use of this metaphor, shows that he is not the rock, but Christ is the rock on which the church is built, and he is the foundation stone on which every believer is laid; and it is chiefly with respect to the usefulness of a stone in building, that Christ is compared to one, who is the foundation and cornerstone, as well as for strength and duration; and he is called a "living" one, because he has life in himself, as God, as Mediator, and as man; and communicates life to others, as natural life to all creatures, and spiritual and eternal life to his people, whose great privilege it is to come to him: and by coming to him is meant believing in him; and it does not design the first act of faith on Christ, or a soul's first coming to Christ, but an after and continued exercise of faith on him; and it supposes Christ to be come at, notwithstanding he is in heaven, and saints on earth, for their faith and hope can enter into, and reach him within the vail, and notwithstanding their many transgressions and backslidings; it supposes life in them, or they could not come; and a sense of their need of him, of his righteousness to justify them, of his blood for pardoning and cleansing, of his fulness to supply their want of food, rest, peace, comfort, and salvation in him; and a persuasion of his ability and willingness to relieve them: and they are encouraged to come to him under the above considerations, as a stone, a foundation stone; believing that he is laid as a foundation, and that he is the only foundation, and therefore they lay the whole stress of their salvation, and build all their hopes of happiness on him; and as a living stone, deriving grace, life, and strength from him; exercising faith on him for all the mercies, blessings, and comforts of a spiritual life, and looking to his mercy for eternal life, Disallowed indeed of men; by the Jewish builders, high priests, Scribes, and Pharisees, and the body and bulk of that nation; who rejected him as the Messiah, and stone of Israel, refused him as a foundation stone, and left him out of the building; and laid another foundation, even their own works of righteousness, on which sandy foundation they built themselves, and directed others to do so likewise; and set him, at nought, as a living stone, would not come to him for life, but sought it in the law, the killing letter, and among their dead works; but though Christ was thus disallowed and disesteemed of by men, yet was he highly valued and esteemed by God: but chosen of God, and precious; his human nature was "chosen" from among, and above all other individuals of mankind; to be united to the Son of God; as God-man and Mediator, he was chosen to that high office, to be the head of the church, and the Saviour of the body; to be the foundation in the spiritual building, and to be the author and giver of spiritual and eternal life to as many as were given him. Moreover, this phrase denotes the superior excellency of Christ to angels and men in the account of God; being the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person, the Son of his love, in whom he was always well pleased, and in whom he took infinite delight, considered both as his Son, and the surety of his people; and to whom he was precious, and by him highly honoured, made higher than the kings of the earth, than the angels in heaven, than the heavens themselves, being set down at God's right hand, and a name given him above every name in this world, or that to come; and who is precious to the saints too, more so than rubies, or any precious stones, or any thing or creature whatever; his person is precious, and so are his name, his blood, his righteousness, his truths, his ordinances, and his people.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
2:3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness: The words are taken from Ps 34:8. Peter quotes this psalm again in 1 Pet 3:10-12.