1 Peter 2:1 1Therefore, ridding yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy, and all slander,
Therefore marks a shift from the topic of faith in chapter 1 to the topic of obedience in this verse. Peter links faith and obedience. Because we have received the message of the gospel with faith, our thinking should change. Believing in Jesus allows the Holy Spirit to speak into our lives, helping us develop a new mindset that influences how we behave. Purified souls lead to loving relationships, which would then avoid the vices listed in verse 1. The participle ridding (apothemenoi) has the sense of rejecting and getting something out of one’s life. As a participle, it is linked to the main verb of this sentence, which comes in verse 2: long for, desire, want, or crave (epipothēsate). The sequence is similar to the image in the New Testament of shifting from the old life to the new life and gives the evidence that a person has been born again (Romans 13:12; Ephesians 4:22, 25; Colossians 3:8; Hebrews 12:1; James 1:21).
Malice (kakian) is the internal feeling of anger that results in having a grudge against someone. It can descend into wishing evil (“mal”) upon someone in revenge. The emotion of anger is a natural defense response, but if left unchecked, it can lead to bitter and bad feelings about the person who made us angry. With God’s peace flowing through us, we can learn to channel this anger to a positive response of compassion and let it dissolve before it reaches the level of malice.
Deceit (dolon) is where we purposefully try to get our own way by avoiding or rejecting the truth. We may even convince ourselves that our lie will have no impact on others. Sometimes that is true, especially if it is a small lie for convenience. Deceit can grow into bigger lies that can impact others and cause them harm. We can grow in our integrity with the help of the Holy Spirit, the wise counsel of others, and our own quiet time with the Lord.
Hypocrisy comes from the idea of wearing a mask, and thus, having two different looks. For some people or in some situations, we may look one way in our actions, but in our thoughts and motivations, we are empty, fake, or selfish. The opposite of hypocrisy is integrity, which comes through honesty and vulnerability. We do not like others to see our true inner person for many reasons. Perhaps we have been hurt in the past and feel we need to protect ourselves by hiding behind a fake facade. Perhaps we are afraid of shame or want to fit into a certain group. We can build confidence in our lives by trusting in God more, more study and understanding of God’s word, and finding people who can cheer us on and support us.
Envy (phthonous) is jealousy for what others have. In our competitive world, we are bombarded every day by new gadgets and activities. We see others with new cars, nice clothes, the latest technology, and so on, and we envy what they have. Envy is a strong temptation in a materialistic culture.
Slander (katalalias) is putting someone else down by our words. People often belittle or say unkind or untrue things about others because they think it somehow can make themselves look better. Putting others down only shows a person’s ignorance and lack of love. Sometimes people think that sharing the latest news about someone can be a nice, Christian thing to do. Such news, however, is just another way of gossiping and slandering. All of these vices ruin the close bond of love we should have with others that Peter commanded in 1:22.