Peter admonished “newborn babes” in Christ to lay aside all hypocrisies. It is a natural battle that every babe in Christ must face. A new believer might have an inappropriate longing to please the one who led him to the Lord rather than giving the Lord preeminence. He might perform actions in hopes that his spiritual mentor will take notice. Eventually, this fault blossoms to the point where he begins to see problems in others while failing to realize the same problems exist in his own life. He might work hard to obey the strictest of commands while missing the overall desire of the Lord in his own life. Even as a babe in Christ, he must work to lay aside hypocrisy. Until he does, he will never grow into the mature believer the Lord wants him to be.
Many fine Christians know what it means to live a life filled with suffering or pain. This suffering may come as a result of wrongdoing or in spite of righteous living. No matter the circumstance, one fact remains constant: suffering, whether merited or not, is never pleasant. The Bible instructs Christians regardless of the circumstances to greet suffering with the utmost patience. In fact, the Bible emphasizes that patience during times of suffering for well doing is “acceptable with God” (1 Peter 2:20). Enduring suffering may seem difficult and our nature certainly opposes it, but it remains part of God's calling (1 Peter 2:21). The Lord exhibited great patience as He suffered as our example as He that “did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). Instead of retaliating in time of suffering, He “committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). Christians should learn from Christ's example and consistently strive to entrust their well-being to the mercy of God.
