1 Peter 2 Part 2: Living Stones
1 Peter 2:4-5; Matthew 27:50-51; Hebrews 10:19-22 - We are a holy priesthood, living stones, a foundation for spiritual sacrifices
“And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:4-5 NASB1995
The apostle Simon (also known as Peter from the Greek words Petros or Cephas as he was renamed by Jesus with both names meaning “rock”) is asking the Lord’s followers to come to Him, who was a “living stone”, rejected by men but precious in the sight of God. In this usage by Peter, “stone” is from the Greek word λίθος or lithos, meaning small stone, building stone, or (metaphorically) of Christ. As believers, we are also living stones.
How can we be a “living” stone? Stones are inert, dead geological objects, made of igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary substances (see, I remember my long-ago geology class!). In the photo I selected, above, someone has taken some beautiful stones and made a tower out of them, but that action required a human to intervene. The stones themselves would not fall into place in a structure like this. So the key to this phrase is that we are “living”.
Consulting the Blue Letter Bible again for this verb, living is from the Greek word ζάω or zao, and it has multiple Biblical definitions:
to live, breathe, be among the living (not lifeless, not dead)
to enjoy real life
to have true life and worthy of the name
active, blessed, endless in the kingdom of God
to live i.e. pass life, in the manner of the living and acting
of mortals or character
living water, having vital power in itself and exerting the same upon the soul
metaph. to be in full vigour
to be fresh, strong, efficient,
as adj. active, powerful, efficacious
Readers may recall an earlier devotional I wrote about Psalm 8, where I discussed how difficult it is for humans to truly define “life”. God is the author of life and only He knows all of the secrets of its mysteries and complexity and why something lives and something does not live (like a rock you find). Living stones are like living water, having vital power in themselves and exerting that power upon the soul. David Guzik has tremendous commentary about this short passage that is worth sharing:
Coming to Him as to a living stone: Peter’s picture here is that God is building a spiritual temple (a spiritual house) using living stones (Christians), those who have come to the ultimate living stone (Jesus).
This spiritual house shows that as much as Israel had a temple, Christians also have one. Yet the Christian’s temple is spiritual, and they themselves are the temple.
Jesus is first called the living stone; then we are called living stones. We live because we are connected with Him who is the source of life. “It is in union with him that they live, and answer the end of their regeneration; as stones of a building are of no use but as they occupy their proper places in a building, and rest on the foundation.” (Adam Clarke)
Chosen by God and precious: As much as God chose Israel, so the church is also chosen. As much as Israel had a priesthood, so Christians are a holy priesthood. And as much as Israel had sacrifices, so Christians offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.
A holy priesthood: The believer is his own priest before God. He does not need any mediator except his great High Priest, Jesus. “There can no longer be an elite priesthood with claims of special access to God, or special privileges in worship or in fellowship with God.” (Wayne Grudem)
Peter’s idea isn’t that God has abandoned Israel or that they have no place in His redemptive plan, but that Christianity is in no way inferior to Judaism.
To offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ: God does the work of building (being built), but we do the job of offering sacrifices pleasing to Him, as we come to Jesus as who we are – living stones, made by Him.
Even a living stone cannot build something great for God as it sits all on its own. What God does in us together is important. He is building something out of us together.
We can only serve as priests as we do it through Jesus Christ. In ourselves, we have no priestly authority, but only in Jesus.
Peter sees believers as living stones being built up together as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, with our authority through Jesus. We form a pattern out of stones, like the sturdy wall in the photo above. Peter addresses this holy priesthood task again a few verses later in Chapter 2. I concur with David Guzik in his commentary, that we, as followers of Christ, need no intermediary or mediator or designated priest between us and God other than through our relationship with Jesus Christ. We are built up together through Him, like the stones in a cairn or tower or a temple or a church that can’t move on their own unless we move them through Him and make that foundation. The separation of God from His people because of our sin (He was in the “Holy of Holies” behind the veil in the Temple, accessed only once a year by the high priest during atonement for the people) was removed when Jesus took His last breath on the Cross. The veil was torn and the rocks were split:
“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.”
Matthew 27:50-51 NASB1995
This is also brought out in Hebrews:
“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Hebrews 10:19-22 NASB1995
My next commentary will explore 1 Peter 2:6-8 The glory of the Chief Cornerstone.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Please make me a living stone that is used to build a foundation together with other believers for our holy priesthood. Sprinkle our hearts clean with living water through our faith in our Lord Jesus. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission.