1 Peter 2 Part: A Precious Cornerstone
1 Peter 2 Part: A Precious Cornerstone
1 Peter 2:6-8; Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 8:14-15; Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 21:43-44 - Jesus is the Foundation of our Faith
“For this is contained in Scripture:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,” and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.”
1 Peter 2:6-8 NASB1995
Peter continues his discussion of stones and rocks and identifies the choice stone, the precious corner stone, which is Jesus, and quotes scripture. Jesus is identified in scripture as follows, according to Enduring Word:
“The stone which the builders rejected, Has become the chief corner stone.”
Psalms 118:22 NASB1995
“Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Many will stumble over them, Then they will fall and be broken; They will even be snared and caught.””
Isaiah 8:14-15 NASB1995
“Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.”
Isaiah 28:16 NASB1995
So what is a cornerstone? Here’s a secular definition from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
1 : a stone forming a part of a corner or angle in a wall
specifically : such a stone laid at a formal ceremony
2 : a basic element : FOUNDATION
Jesus is not only the cornerstone of our faith, but He is precious, like the pearl of great price. This commentary from Enduring Word is essential for understanding this passage:
Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious: Though this chief cornerstone is rejected by the disobedient and unbelieving, undeniably He is precious to those who believe. One way to know if a person has truly Biblical faith is to see if Jesus is truly precious to them.
When Charles Spurgeon was 16 years old, he preached his first sermon in a village cottage to a handful of poor people, and he chose for his text 1 Peter 2:7: “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious.” Spurgeon said that he didn’t think he could have preached on any other Bible passage, “but Christ was precious to my soul and I was in the flush of my youthful love, and I could not be silent when a precious Jesus was the subject.” (Spurgeon)
“Is Jesus precious to your soul? Remember, on your answer to this question depends your condition. You believe, if he is precious to you, but if he is not precious, then you are not believers, and you are condemned already because you believe not on the Son of God.” (Spurgeon)
Christ is precious intrinsically.
Christ is precious positively.
Christ is precious comparatively.
Christ is precious superlatively.
Christ is precious suitably to the need of the believer.
The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone: Those who reject the Chief Cornerstone and refuse to build on Him instead stumble over Him. Instead of being their salvation, Jesus becomes to them a rock of offense.
Jesus quoted this passage from Psalm 118 in regard to Himself (Matthew 21:42). A chief cornerstone is the starting point of a building; everything is laid out according to its connection to the chief cornerstone. Because it stands at the corner, the same stone is the starting place for two walls.
Thus Jesus set out the course for both Jew and Gentile to be joined together into one glorious house for God. This in itself was a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense for the Jews, who thought that Gentiles should not have equal share with the Jews into God’s great house.
In the thinking of many Jews of that time, God should not have built a new building with both Jew and Gentile. He should have simply renovated the present structure of Judaism (adding Jesus as the Messiah) and invited Gentiles to come into that structure. But God did something different, and it was a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense for many first-century Jews.
The foundational or cornerstone is the starting place for two perpendicular walls of the new church, which is why Jesus was a stumbling block for the first-century Jews, because they did not want the Gentiles to be treated equally. Jesus set the course for both to be joined together into God’s great house. Is Jesus precious to you and the cornerstone of your foundation or is He a stumbling block and a rock of offense? Jesus answers this in Matthew 21:
“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.””
Matthew 21:43-44 NASB1995
My next devotional examines 1 Peter 2: 9-10, A royal priesthood.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - You are precious to me, more precious than anything in this world! My faith is built on the chief cornerstone, which is far sturdier than any building made by humans and lasts eternally! Thank you for being a firm foundation! Amen!
As I pray this, I thought of one of the old hymns I used to sing many years ago and the words from the first verse still echo in my mind (I’m still more of a fan of a booming organ and traditional hymn than the rock concert that we get in church these days):
The church's one foundation
is Jesus Christ her Lord;
she is His new creation,
by water and the Word;
from heav'n He came and sought her
to be His holy bride;
with His own blood He bought her,
and for her life He died.
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 are used with written permission.