We’re going through Peter’s first letter to the church. In my last post we saw that we were born again by the living and enduring Word of God.
It doesn’t matter how we were originally born, or our experiences growing up to this point. We are a new creation in Christ. We now have a new nature.
Peter continues this thought.
For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.”
And this is the word that was preached to you.
1 Peter 1:24-25 NIV
We all have to come to the grips with the fact that our humanity tends toward decay. We know that this is true as far as our bodies are concerned. We see the effects of aging all around us in society.
However, this tendency toward decay is true for our relationships as much as for our bodies. If you remember, Peter is telling us how true holiness breeds godly love, one toward another.
In the context of this letter, this truth about decay is being applied to our relationships. Left to ourselves we would end up hating each other. But if we let the Word of God work on us, then the effects will last throughout eternity.
That’s why godly, anointed preaching is so important. It allows us to get God’s Word into our spirit.
But it doesn’t end there. The next verse carries the same thought.
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
1 Peter 2:1 NIV
Peter is telling us that until we are truly godly, there are some things that we must put away. These are the things that bring decay into our relationships. If left unchecked, they could ruin the work God is doing in us.
The first thing he tells us to put away is all malice. That word means badness, evil, trouble. We know this one. We all like to cause trouble from time to time. But, not for ourselves – for others.
“Do you know what she said about you?”
Then we have to put away all deceit. That means baiting and trickery. It’s saying and doing things that you know will cause others to get mad. We see a lot of this happening in social media. As believers we need to stop acting this way.
Next is hypocrisy. It’s the act you put on trying to make yourself look good and others look not-so-good.
Of course, another is envy. That’s actually an inward shriveling of bitterness or spite. It only hurts you. Usually the other person is oblivious to your inner turmoil. Let it go.
Finally, Peter says to put away slander of every kind. This is defamation or talking against. This something else that people have turned into a hobby on social media. We must not be involved in it.
These are the things that must be dealt with in the maturing process. At first you have to make firm decision not to do these things. But as the Holy Spirit does His work, it becomes your nature – from the heart by the new birth.
The church in America desperately needs to walk in true godly love. We are the body of Christ and should accurately portray who He is and how He loves.
Question: How have you seen this transformation taking place in your life?
© 2025 Nick Zaccardi
The Spirit and the Word 