1 Peter 2:1-10
Peter wrote letters to the people of faith in various parts of the world at that time. Many were persecuted for their faith and began moving from place to place. Some found established churches in Asia Minor, which is part of modern-day Turkey, and many were dispersed across that region. That is where Paul, Peter, and other apostles went to establish churches.
Peter writes to all of them as one group, not to a particular church as Paul often did. He addresses them as 'elect exiles', which we talked about last Sunday. What is very interesting is that Peter gives the people of God many different identities. Scripture itself gives us multiple identities as God’s children, but the greatest of these is that we are all children of one Father. Regardless of how we look, where we come from, or our background—whether rich or poor—we are all children of God. That is the most important identity we hold as Christians.
Jesus also said that the world would know we are God’s children by our love. Love is the defining characteristic of God’s people because God Himself is love. If we do not have love in our hearts, then we are not truly His children. Our actions, our deeds, our compassion, and our care for others are how we show the world that we belong to Him.
In his letter, Peter reminds believers of their identity during a time of great persecution. In chapter two, he calls them living stones. This phrase, like elect exiles, may seem contradictory. Can a stone be living? It almost sounds like an oxymoron. Yet that is exactly what Peter calls us.
If you remember, Pastor Tim preached a few Sundays ago from the same passage about the cornerstone, Jesus Christ. I am not speaking today about the cornerstone itself, though we know that Jesus is the foundation of our faith. Peter says that as we come to Jesus, the living stone rejected by humans but chosen by God, we too are like living stones being built into a spiritual house.
God is building a spiritual house in this world with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone, and we are the stones fitted to Him. Just as homes in the Middle East were built with real stones—solid and enduring—so are we as the church. Each of us is a part of that great spiritual building. The Church of Jesus Christ is not a dead structure but a living entity, a body that grows, reproduces, responds, and remains interconnected. That is the very definition of life.
If a body does not grow, it dies. If it does not respond, it fails. In the same way, the church must grow, bring new people into the kingdom, and respond to the needs of this world. That is what it means to be living stones.
Too often, however, churches can become like committees. Mark Twain once defined a committee as “a group of the unwilling, picked from the unfit, to do the unnecessary.” Sadly, that can describe many church bodies. But God’s church is not meant to be that way. It should be filled with people energized, enthusiastic, and zealous for the work of the kingdom.
Coming to church is not about trying to please God or to ease our guilt. Simply attending does not make you a Christian, any more than working at McDonald’s makes you a hamburger. We gather as the people of God because it is for our sake. Church is where we are nourished, strengthened, and built together as living stones in God’s house.
Jesus once said that if His followers kept silent, the very stones would cry out. I believe this to be true. Even inanimate things in creation carry life and record. Consider that silicon, a form of sand and rock, is what powers the world of electronics today. From computers to phones to medical devices, all are built on tiny chips made of rock. Even atoms, which make up all matter, are in constant motion. When Jesus said the stones could cry out, He knew what He was saying.
Jesus also said that what is spoken in secret will one day be proclaimed from the housetops. Our words and actions are recorded, and one day they will testify for or against us before God. We must therefore live carefully, knowing that everything we say and do is accountable before Him.
Peter continues by reminding us that each of us is unique in the building of God’s church. We are not identical bricks stacked one upon another, but individual stones with different talents and callings. Some preach, some teach, some share their time, and some serve in countless other ways. All of these are needed. No one is greater than another, for God uses our uniqueness to build His house.
He also reminds us that we must be nourished to remain living stones. Just as newborn babies crave milk, so must we crave the pure spiritual milk of Scripture to grow in our salvation. This craving for God’s Word must be constant throughout our lives. Whether we are new in the faith or seasoned believers, we cannot grow without the nourishment of Scripture. Without it, we face what I call a vitamin B deficiency—B for Bible.
Growth in faith is essential. Paul said, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child, I reasoned as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” In the same way, we must grow in maturity, grounded in the Word of God, and built upon Jesus Christ, our cornerstone.
We are called to be living stones with a living hope. Unlike dead stones, we carry life because of Christ. Our hope is eternal, carrying us beyond death into everlasting life with Him. That is the blessing of being part of the church God is building.
May we each continue to use our talents, our time, and our energy for the work of God’s kingdom, allowing Him to fit us together as living stones upon the cornerstone, Jesus Christ.
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