This is what I have been thinking about for the past few hours. (Correct me if I'm wrong in anything that I've typed.) God's Word is Amazing!
I was reading in 1st Peter in my Bible and I read a passage that talked about how Jesus is a precious cornerstone and how "we are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood." (1st Peter, chapter 2, verse 5) (I paraphrased a little bit there.
) Here is the passage that I read.
1st Peter 2:4-6 says this. NIV
4. As you come to him, the living Stone —rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5. you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6. For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
Jesus is the cornerstone that this passage is talking about. We are the "holy priesthood." (1st Peter 2:5) In the Old Testement the priest (or was it the high priest?) was the only person allowed in the temple to do the sacrifices and offerings for the people. Now, everyone can be near the Lord if they believe and have a relationship with Him. And, because Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty of sin, we no longer need to sacrifice the animals that the Israelites sacrificed in the Old Testement.
The "spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God" is obedience to Him. (This sentence was in my Bible notes.)
1st Samuel 15:22
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
As you can see, God desires obedience rather than sacrifice. You may ask, Then why does it say "spiritual sacrifices" in 1st Peter? What I found is that spiritual sacrifice is laying down our own desires and following Him. (That was also in my Bible notes.)
In Romans the Bible says this: NIV
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
In the Bible God tells us to live in a way pleasing to God. When we do this we are also worshiping Him. We also need to obey what God is telling us.
It also says this in verse 2.
Romans 12:2
2. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Since we are becoming more like Christ, we are told not to "conform to the pattern of this world." When we have a close relationship with God, we won't want what the world has.
What is the"spiritual house" in 1st Peter 2? The Bible talks about the "Body of Christ." So what is the "spiritual house?" We are called by God to be the Body of Christ. We all have our place in the Body of Christ too. For example, one person might be the hands of Christ as a missionary while another person might be the ears of Christ as a Christian Councilor. (Don't get me wrong though, many people are gifted to do many things.)
We are "being built into a spiritual house." (verse 5a) There need to be walls and a roof to make a house. (Duh!) If there isn't a certain wall or beam to hold the roof up, then the whole house will fall. Also, the whole house can't stand without a foundation. There has to be a start to the house, right?
Jesus talked about the house on a rock and a house on the sand in Matthew 7:24-27.
Matthew 7:24-27 NIV
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
When Jesus talked about houses in that passage, He was talking about our lives. Jesus talked about having a strong foundation in our lives. As Christians, our foundation is God's Word. We need to listen to what it says and obey it.
When you look at both houses, you can see a difference between the two. Let's talk about the one on the rock. The wind and rain are the struggles in our lives. When we listen to and obey God's Word and the struggles in our lives come, then we will stand firm on His Word and we won't crumble. On the other hand, when we don't listen to God's Word and we build our house on the sand, then we'll crumble when struggles come into our lives.
Let's go back to 1st Peter 2:6.
1st Peter 2:6
6. For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
When I searched, I tried to find out what the word Zion meant. What I found was that Zion is used as a synonym for Jerusalem. (wikipedia) I don't know what the name means in this verse though.
The "stone" in this verse is not talking about an actual stone. The Bible uses different words to describe different things. In this case, the "stone" is Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 28:16
So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.
Jesus is the perfect Son of God. He is the strong foundation of our faith.
1st Peter 2:4-6 says this. NIV
4. As you come to him, the living Stone —rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5. you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6. For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
Jesus is the cornerstone that this passage is talking about. We are the "holy priesthood." (1st Peter 2:5) In the Old Testement the priest (or was it the high priest?) was the only person allowed in the temple to do the sacrifices and offerings for the people. Now, everyone can be near the Lord if they believe and have a relationship with Him. And, because Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty of sin, we no longer need to sacrifice the animals that the Israelites sacrificed in the Old Testement.
The "spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God" is obedience to Him. (This sentence was in my Bible notes.)
1st Samuel 15:22
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
As you can see, God desires obedience rather than sacrifice. You may ask, Then why does it say "spiritual sacrifices" in 1st Peter? What I found is that spiritual sacrifice is laying down our own desires and following Him. (That was also in my Bible notes.)
In Romans the Bible says this: NIV
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
In the Bible God tells us to live in a way pleasing to God. When we do this we are also worshiping Him. We also need to obey what God is telling us.
It also says this in verse 2.
Romans 12:2
2. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Since we are becoming more like Christ, we are told not to "conform to the pattern of this world." When we have a close relationship with God, we won't want what the world has.
What is the"spiritual house" in 1st Peter 2? The Bible talks about the "Body of Christ." So what is the "spiritual house?" We are called by God to be the Body of Christ. We all have our place in the Body of Christ too. For example, one person might be the hands of Christ as a missionary while another person might be the ears of Christ as a Christian Councilor. (Don't get me wrong though, many people are gifted to do many things.)
We are "being built into a spiritual house." (verse 5a) There need to be walls and a roof to make a house. (Duh!) If there isn't a certain wall or beam to hold the roof up, then the whole house will fall. Also, the whole house can't stand without a foundation. There has to be a start to the house, right?
Jesus talked about the house on a rock and a house on the sand in Matthew 7:24-27.
Matthew 7:24-27 NIV
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
When Jesus talked about houses in that passage, He was talking about our lives. Jesus talked about having a strong foundation in our lives. As Christians, our foundation is God's Word. We need to listen to what it says and obey it.
When you look at both houses, you can see a difference between the two. Let's talk about the one on the rock. The wind and rain are the struggles in our lives. When we listen to and obey God's Word and the struggles in our lives come, then we will stand firm on His Word and we won't crumble. On the other hand, when we don't listen to God's Word and we build our house on the sand, then we'll crumble when struggles come into our lives.
Let's go back to 1st Peter 2:6.
1st Peter 2:6
6. For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
When I searched, I tried to find out what the word Zion meant. What I found was that Zion is used as a synonym for Jerusalem. (wikipedia) I don't know what the name means in this verse though.
The "stone" in this verse is not talking about an actual stone. The Bible uses different words to describe different things. In this case, the "stone" is Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 28:16
So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.
Jesus is the perfect Son of God. He is the strong foundation of our faith.
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