FIRST PETER 2:5

The Bible says in First Peter 2:5, “Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” Believers are compared directly to Jesus Christ in this verse because believers are called “living stones.” Those are the exact same words that were used to describe Jesus in the previous verse where He was called a “living stone.” God had one Son that He loved so much that God wanted to have many more children like Him. One of the uses given to stones is that they are used to build buildings. The temple was made of stones, but the time came for the temple to be done away with. What would God have in place of the temple for His holy building?

The replacement for the temple is indicated in this verse when it says that you “are built up a spiritual house.” There is no longer a physical house. Now it is a spiritual house were God dwells. He dwells in His believers. Jesus said that this would happen: that the temple would be taken away and that something else would replace it. Jesus spoke to the Jewish people and Jesus said in Matthew 21:43, “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” Jesus said in Matthew 23:37-38, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” The Bible also says in Matthew 24:1-2, “And Jesus went out and departed from the temple; and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

First Peter 2:5 tells us that not only was the temple done away with, but also the things that were associated with the temple were done away with and were replaced by a new order of things. Instead of the physical temple, now there is a spiritual house made up of all believers. Instead of a priesthood who served in the temple, now every believer is considered to be a priest. Peter wrote by the Holy Spirit that all of the believers are a part of this new “holy priesthood.” Does the New Testament teach that there are “priests” as a part of the clergy in Christianity? The answer is “no.” Every true believer is a priest in this new order of things where the physical has been done away with and has been replaced by the spiritual. Every believer can be close to God through Christ. There is no need for a priesthood. Every believer is his own priest.

One of the important things that the priests of the Old Testament performed was the animal sacrifices. But priests are no longer needed to perform animal sacrifices because Jesus sacrificed Himself once forever. Speaking of Jesus, Hebrews 10:12 says, “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.” Hebrews 10:18 says, “Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.” The Bible is very clear here in First Peter, in Hebrews, and elsewhere that God’s order of things in this age in which we live has done away with the concept of a holy building, and has done away with a priesthood as leaders of the church, and has done away with animal sacrifices and all of the ceremonies relating to them.

There are still sacrifices to be made because First Peter 2:5 says that we should offer up “spiritual sacrifices.” These spiritual sacrifices have something to do with ourselves and our relationship with God. We can find several verses about such sacrifices. Psalm 27:6 says, “And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.” It says in Jeremiah 33:11, “The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD.” The Bible says in Hebrews 13:15, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

We may be “strangers scattered” or worse. Terrible things may have happened to us in this life, but we can still lift our hearts to God and make a sacrifice. We can sacrifice ourselves and our human feelings and praise the name of Jesus Christ. We can always praise Him for salvation and eternal life. If you can do that no matter what happens to you, you will be able to keep the faith throughout the duration of your life on earth.

The Bible says in First Peter 2:6, “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” This verse that Peter quoted from Isaiah chapter 28 was also quoted by Jesus. It refers to the fact that Messiah would be the chief corner stone. Everything in true spirituality and true belief is based upon Christ. Jesus is the pattern. We study the words of Christ and the life of Christ in order to know better how we should be. The less that we are like Christ, the less that we are the way that God wishes us to be. Jesus is the chief corner stone, Jesus is the chosen one, Jesus is precious, and Jesus is the One upon whom we believe. One of the many benefits to believing on Jesus is given in this verse. It says, “he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” The word that is translated “confounded” means “put to shame.” In spite of the sufferings that may take place now, it is the final results that count. Sometimes the evil forces of the world try to put us to shame for our belief in Christ, but God will honor us in His time for the sake of the name of Christ. God keeps His promises and honors His commitments to every believer.

The Bible says in First Peter 2:7, “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.” Perhaps the Holy Spirit gave this verse to Peter in order to emphasize to these believers just exactly why they suffered certain things in this life. It has a lot to do with the difference between believers and unbelievers. Believers understand the value of Christ. Believers realize that He is precious. This creates a great difference between the believers and the unbelievers. The believers want to honor Christ and want to obey Him. Notice that this verse says that the unbelievers are “disobedient.” The unbelievers do not wish to obey Christ. This affects their whole life. This affects their relationship to the believers. The unbelievers have considered who Christ is and have disallowed Him: they have rejected Him. They have made a terrible decision because as First Peter 2:7 says, “the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.”

Expanding on this truth that Jesus Christ is a living stone, the Bible says in First Peter 2:8, “And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.” For the believers Jesus is the head of the corner. He is the foundation. But Jesus is not a corner stone for the unbelievers. He is still a stone, but He is a stone of stumbling. The unbelievers stumble over this stone, and they fall. These unbelievers might believe many things, but they do not believe in Jesus. This includes many secular humanists as well people of other religions. Jesus is a stone of stumbling and a “rock of offence.” The word that is translated “offence” refers to a trap in which someone is captured to their own destruction. Why is it that so many people will end up with Jesus as their Judge instead of their Savior? First Peter 2:8 gives the answer. It says that they “stumble at the word, being disobedient.” This verse is talking about people who have heard the truth, but who refuse to believe. They do not believe in Jesus because they do not want to believe in Him. They do not want to surrender their will to the Master. They want to retain their will for their own selfish pursuits. They refuse to be persuaded. They harden their own hearts. Once they do that, they become “appointed” to an eternal destiny that is all about their own destruction.

Having written about the unbelievers, Peter now starts writing about the believers. He writes in First Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” Remember that Peter was writing to persecuted believers, many of whom were Jewish believers in Christ. Because of their belief in Jesus Christ, they had been driven out of the Jewish nation and the Jewish religion. For all of us who have been driven out of organized religion we must remember the great truths of First Peter 2:9. The people of God are not those who have contacts within organized religion. The people of God are not those who boast in their family lineage. The people of God are not even those who can find a human relationship to Abraham himself. The people of God are the true believers. They are a part of God’s people because God has “chosen” them.

God has made His believers a “royal priesthood.” The true believers are kings and priests in the service of God. As far as God is concerned, His believers have the highest of status and position. From the standpoint of authority, they are kings. God’s believers will inherit the earth. Those who think they have the power in this world will turn it over to us at the appointed time. There is no higher authority than to know the truth about Christ, and to be sent forth by God to be a witness for that truth. We pronounce the things that will make the difference between heaven and hell. From the standpoint of religious authority, there is no higher authority than that of a priest. A priest is close to God. A priest intercedes for the people. In this age every believer is a priest. What great honor and authority God has given to every true believer.

God has a kingdom. His kingdom is not made up of territory or boundaries the way that earthly kingdoms are. Jesus said in John 18:36, “My kingdom is not of this world.” But there are individuals who are members of the kingdom. They become members by faith in Christ. James spoke of the kingdom and wrote in James 2:5, “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” Of course, in the future the kingdoms of this world will be taken over by Christ. The Bible says in Revelation 11:15 concerning this time that will come at the end, “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”

Until that time comes, two important things are said about the people of God on this earth that we should notice in First Peter 2:9. Perhaps the main characteristic and the main activity of the people of God is given in this verse. It says that we are a “holy” nation. We should be characterized by holiness. “Be ye holy for I am holy, saith the Lord.” Do you want to recognize the people of God in this world? Find the ones that are holy. Anyone else is an imposter or is back-slidden. These holy people who are believers in Jesus have one great activity to be involved in: “that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you.” What is God’s will for your life? His will is not so much where you go, but what you do wherever you go. His will is that you praise His marvelous name. Praise Him for dying for you on the cross. Praise Him for forgiving your sins. Praise Him for delivering you from darkness. Praise Him for making you a member of His kingdom. Praise Him for the wonderful future that he has planned at His return. Praise him for each new day to serve Jesus and for the countless blessings of each day. The Psalmist put it this way in Psalm 100:1-2, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.”

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