1 Peter 2:1-2 “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk.”

Newborns are not so innocent as they look. We were all born in original sin. Sin is a condition, an inescapable orientation. It thoroughly corrupts our hearts, minds, and wills from the first moment of our existence. Those babies may not be actively pursuing a life of crime. They lack the physical maturity to do so. In terms of how they treat the people around them, they are relatively innocent.

When God gave us our spiritual birth by bringing us to faith, whether by baptism or the preaching of his word, we did not suddenly cease all sinful activity. But God did forgive all our sins. He applied Jesus’ payment for our sins on the cross to each of us personally. Now our Lord pronounces us sinless, regards us as sinless, and deals with us as though we were sinless. We don’t just look innocent, like those newborn babies. As God’s spiritual newborns, in his eyes we actually are innocent.

The same faith through which we know and receive God’s grace and forgiveness also sets us free from our slavery to sin. That doesn’t mean we have stopped sinning altogether. But in faith we want to. And God’s own power working in us gives us the ability to resist sin and pursue love. We can strive to live as innocent as God in his grace says we look. We live as God’s newborns, repenting and ridding ourselves of evil deeds like those Peter lists here.

“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice…” This vice encompasses everything that follows. Malice is the opposite of love. Perhaps you can be angry with someone you love. But malice and love cannot coexist toward the same person. When we are full of malice, we want only to hurt them.

We may not become close friends with everyone we meet. Different values, beliefs, and priorities may be valid reasons for keeping our distance from some. When we know someone poses a danger to others, we might even have to take steps that lead to their suffering: turning in a criminal, or using physical force to prevent them from hurting someone else. None of this is malice. But when we start to find satisfaction in their pain or misfortune, whether or not we were the cause, we have crossed the line. We have given malice a foothold in our lives.

Does that seem relatively rare among us? Or could you think of the name of a person right now– perhaps a political figure or entertainer, some loudmouth at work, an obnoxious neighbor, someone who has hurt you–that you would like to “stick it to”? Their misfortune would bring you some hint of happiness. Peter calls on us to repent and rid ourselves of malice, so that we can live as spiritual newborns this new year.

Next, Peter urges us to unload our “deceit.” Why would God’s children want to lie to each other? Isn’t there a hefty dose of disrespect we display to those we deceive? When a lie is exposed, are we ever better off than if we had simply owned up to the sin in the first place? Deceit is another evil deed to unload this New Year.

“Hypocrisy” may seem strange to find on Peter’s list. Can a person have the new birth of faith and be a hypocrite all at the same time? Isn’t a hypocrite a “false Christian”? Aren’t these two things mutually exclusive? How could Peter address this to believers?

Understand that there is more than one kind of hypocrisy. The word “hypocrite” was originally the Greek word for an “actor” on the stage. Actors pretend to be people they are not. Since Bible times the term has been applied to those who pretend that they are Christians.

Sometimes true believers also do some pretending. Though they have faith in their hearts, they fall into treating certain people one way to their face, another behind their backs. They may butter a person up to get some advantage out of them. They may hide their disrespect and disdain. Whatever the reason, this is a kind of hypocrisy. Someone is putting on an act.

Peter urges us to be straight with each other. That is not permission to be rude or impolite. He is not excusing us from genuine Christian love. But he does want us to deal with each other in an honest way. If we have problems with others, we ought to deal with them openly and lovingly. If we are putting on a front to hide our dislike, it is the attitude, not the behavior, that has to change.

“Envy” is another strange sin for God’s children. Why should it bother us when someone else does well? Why can’t we simply find joy when they are successful? God has chosen not to distribute his material blessings in different amounts to each individual. But the most important blessings are the same for us all. We share the same forgiveness, faith, Savior, heaven, and eternal life. God promises that he has custom tailored our individual earthly lives to fit our individual earthly needs. Envy makes no sense for those who live under God’s blessing.

Finally, Peter urges us to rid ourselves of “slander of every kind.” The Greek term for slander is wide enough to embrace any kind of negative speech about someone, even criticisms that are true. You know how easy it is to start talking about a person who is not present. Someone thinks of a funny story about that person. Someone else points out a negative trait of the individual. Soon, without intending to do so, we are enjoying ourselves at the expense of their reputation. No matter how the conversation came to this point, this isn’t love. It may be true, but like the other practices on Peter’s list, it is not compatible with Christian living.

With the New Year, many will be making resolutions for self-improvement. Often we aim them at health and physical well-being. Why not make resolutions with a spiritual emphasis, like addressing the vices Peter has identified for us? Let’s be the innocent children God has made us.