THE
BADGES OF BAD ATTITUDE
1 Peter 1:1-2:
Therefore,
rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of
every kind. 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.
In this passage the great
Apostle Peter speaking to the believers who were living as foreigners in the
Roman provinces exhorted them by laying aside or getting rid of evil behavior
which was the natural bent of unbelievers before they were converted and
regenerated by their faith in Christ.
Peter mentions specifically
malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and evil speaking. We need not look far to
prove the reality of this human behavior described by St. Peter, since these
are all too common in human relationships.
A true Christian would stand out as a gem, if he succeeds to be rid of
evil behavior mentioned by the Apostle Peter, which obviously are the marks of
the unregenerate man.
Let’s look at them. Malice
is the intentional desire to do wrong or evil. Deceit is fraudulent action or
deception. Hypocrisy is false pretenses, pretending the kind of person of which
he is not, displaying false appearances, especially with respect to religious
or moral beliefs. Envy is the desire to have or possess the qualities or
virtues which another has. Evil speaking is attacking another person’s
character, by false accusation, backbiting, slander, gossip rumors, and ill
speaking against another.
There is something
remarkable in the Apostle’s exhortation which I would like to add as a
footnote. Lawyers would agree that malice,
deceit, and evil speaking are recognized in our civil and penal laws as
elements of a crime or violation of a right. Slander is an offense under our
penal law. Envy is subjective, but when
it manifests itself and results in overt action, which would violate the rights
of another, it might be a legally actionable wrong.
What I am saying is this. It
is amazing that the principles we derive from God’s word are remarkably
foundational and could be found as legal precepts in the secular legal system.
It is my prayer that lawyers and judges should study God’s Word, for wisdom and
direction. It is also my prayer that lawyers should not use the “law with an
evil eye or uneven hand.”
St. Peter reminded the
Christians that as followers of Christ they have been cleaned of this human
faults, and must show perfect love for
each other. (1 Peter 1:24).
The badges of evil behavior should
be removed and replaced with love and kindness.
