“You also, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it is also contained in the Scripture, ‘Behold, I place in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen, precious, and he who believes on Him shall by no means be put to shame.’ Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,’ and ‘a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.’ They stumble, being disobedient to the Word, to which they also were appointed.” 1 Pet. 2:5-8
Devotional Thought For The Day
The church, which consists of “you who believe,” is described as a living temple of the Lord God Almighty. Just as each stone in a building faces outwardly and inwardly, so also each “living stone” who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ remains ever in the presence of God, viewing, rejoicing in, and celebrating His gracious love [which is His glory] even as we continue to live and move and have our being among the people we know – in our family, at work, in the neighborhood, at the businesses we frequent, and especially within our congregations, gatherings of fellow believers. We live a dual life, or rather have a dual view of reality, two quite disparate realities as we continue on in our journey in this life headed toward the glory of God’s eternal heavenly kingdom – that reality within the temple and that on the outside.
Sometimes we forget the nature of our lives as such “living stones,” and the beautiful use that God makes of us in this fallen world of sin. We are privileged to be offering up “spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God,” acceptable not because they are perfect, sinless, absolutely pure in themselves, but “acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” They are acceptable through faith in Jesus Christ, a prerequisite of which is honest repentance and confession of our sin. Faith grasps the very nature of God, that God is love, and holds to His wondrous gift of atonement and reconciliation accomplished by Jesus on the cross – as clearly described and solemnly promised in His Word.
Those who believe understand how precious Jesus is – as they remain obedient to the Word. Those who reject the grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love of God in Jesus – Who is now the chief cornerstone of God’s temple, His great project of reclaiming fallen human beings and gathering them back to Himself, to His blessed fellowship – are “disobedient to the Word,” and outside of the temple of God, having rejected the precious Rock of God’s salvation as the “cornerstone” of their life and being. The unbelieving are not “appointed” to this state of being absolutely and inexorably, by some foreordained decree of God. Such a thought denies the very nature of God, that God is love, and also rejects His Word – that “God wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” [1 Tim. 2:4] They are perhaps appointed to this because of a self-hardening of heart, wherein their hearts and minds become impervious to the good news of Jesus’ blood atonement for the sins of the whole world, as was the case with those of Jerusalem whom Jesus desired to gather to Himself, but they would not. [Luke 13:34] But we are not such – by His powerful Word and Spirit He has given us the gift of faith and new life, so that we are “living stones” which He is building into His temple.
We are also described as belonging to a “holy priesthood.” This is not just “pastors” or “priests” – for even some of these who hold and exercise the office of preaching the Word may be devoid of faith, while hopefully most are “living stones.” No, the “holy priesthood” is what God is building with all believers in Christ Jesus, all who are “living stones.” It is our privilege to “offer up spiritual sacrifices,” sacrifices of praise to God – with our prayers and worship, and also with our acts of kindness and love to others, which are truly done to the Lord Jesus Himself [Matt. 25:40]. We offer these sacrifices not to gain anything from God – like mercy, forgiveness, merit, salvation, a higher rung in heaven, or some earthly benefit like wealth or health. No, all “living stones” behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, and they know that they already have all blessings through the grace of God, as His free gifts of love. So they are able to offer up true spiritual sacrifices out of gratitude and love for God, to the glory of God, and this happens just because of who they are, what God has made them, “living stones” and a “holy priesthood.”
It is hard for us to fathom the full blessedness of what has been done for us in Christ Jesus, and what He is accomplishing with us, in us, and through us as His “living stones.” It is worth pondering, and this reality is worth incorporating into how we view our lives in this world. Always, we are in the presence of God and have vision of His glorious love in Christ Jesus, and we reflect that great Divine reality to the world we live in as magnificent “living stones being built into a spiritual house” – that others might see the glory of God in our love and be drawn to the Father and His beloved Son. May He grant us wonder and joy and fulfillment in all of this, His work of love!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, often we fail to see ourselves as You see us and describe us in Your Word. We are excluded, rejected, and often put to shame in our lives in this world, sometimes even by “churchly” people. When we see the failures of lovelessness within the visible church, we may grow to have doubts about Your spiritual house, and our place in it. Help us to trust Your craftsmanship and construction, and to focus our attention on the glories of Your love. Then our lives will also be filled with spiritual sacrifices that reflect and reveal Your love and glory to others. Amen.