Living Stone- Believed or Rejected (1Peter 2:1-8)

LIVING STONE- BELIEVED OR REJECTED: (1Peter 2:1-8): 

Peter asks the Elect to put away all their malice, deception, hypocrisy, envy, and slander because they had already accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and they ought to live according to the Word of God. At first, Peter reminds them about the state of the believers, then reminds them what they ought to do and then cautions them what they ought not to do. All that is malice, deceit, hypocrite, jealousy, and hatred are not the acceptable characters that are to behold by believers which does not signify the purity of heart. Becoming a disciple is just a point but being a disciple is a lifelong process.  Every believer needs to grow in the likeness of God.  Peter stresses the believers to long for the Spiritual milk as a child longs for the milk. Like the milk nourishing the newborn  baby to grow and even grownups by providing nutrition, the Word of God nourishes by giving good instructions to lead our life by knowing ourselves and the purpose for which the creator has created us. The Word of God helps to grow in the Salvation which is ever ending but acquired when first believed with the true heart of longing for forgiveness, putting best efforts to rid of sinfulness, tasting the goodness of heart after accepting the sacrifice of Jesus once for all and committing the life to live God-pleasing useful life.

Peter says metaphorically that Jesus as a living stone which could mean that as the stone is used to build the home, Christ as a living stone could build our lives beautifully. Yet many people had rejected him. But God knew the purpose of Christ and he does know everything beyond time. That which is rejected by men due to shortsightedness was chosen and was valuable in the sight of God. The believers who had accepted Jesus, a living stone in their life are being built by God so that they had become a spiritual house to build so many others for God, for becoming a holy priesthood who lead people and offer spiritual sacrifices of offering the self that is acceptable to God, with the guidance of Jesus Christ as a model. Peter restates the scripture from Isaiah 28:16 which is used by Paul in Romans 9:33 for strengthening the believers’ faith. It says that Christ is laid as a stone in Jerusalem who was an important one as that of a Cornerstone. Christ is chosen and precious, whoever believes Him will not put to shame as they start depending on Him, who could provide all their need.

The Believers will gain all the honor in God as they are aware of building their lives with their faith at all times. But those who do not believe Him or those who believe Him for a temporary gain will rule out their faith at the times they want to gratify self. Even when they keep on rejecting Him, that doesn’t make the Lord less important in their lives for them to neglect Him. God is all who is needed at all times and at a certain point, Christ will be looked as He had become a cornerstone who is very important for all. God is ever-existent and no one can deny him, for everything around us claims it. But for those who don’t believe, their rejection had caused Christ as that of stone which is stumbling, offending to correct or get right. The disobedience to the Word of God had caused many to stumble, who doesn’t heed for correction and God had given them to the destination that has to occur because of the disobedience which was already destined.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection

1.      What all needs to be put away by Elect?

2.      What we need to long for? For what it is compared to? Why?

3.      What do you mean by Cornerstone? Why Christ is compared to Cornerstone?

4.      What the Believers were compared to? What they need to do?

5.      What is the privilege for those who believe in the living stone?

6.      What does the Livingstone had become for those who didn’t believe it?

7.      What do you mean ‘The stone that the builders rejected had become a cornerstone’?

8.      Why do the unbelievers stumble?

9.      What do you mean to be a spiritual house built by living stone?