1 Peter 2:4-8

1 Peter 2:4-8

“To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priest hood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

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, 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.”

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus for the first time talks about the church, and says that He will “build His church.” The picture He constantly paints is a picture where He is fashioning a giant building; and instead of using brick and mortar, He is using “living stones” (Christians). In 1 Peter 2, starting in verse 6, Peter starts quoting the Old Testament and begins to show how that these verses were prophetic, and that Jesus came and as the “Master Builder” and also as the “Cornerstone” He fulfilled these prophecies. As the “Master Builder,” He is the one who fashions and shapes the church into what God desires it to be. As for the reference to the “Cornerstone,” a cornerstone is a stone that is used in the construction of a building. Often it would be referred to as the “foundation stone.” This stone would be set at the base of a building and would establish the exact location of where a building would be built. More than that though, because of it’s perfect shape it would be used as a guide for which direction all of the other stones would be laid. This is the perfect picture of who Jesus is. He is the chief cornerstone who established this building (the Church). He showed in His life and His death the exact location where His church would be established and where in spite of trials and testings, that same church must grow and flourish. He showed furthermore, in which direction every stone that came after Him would have to be lain. Sadly, as Peter points out the truth that Jesus was chosen by God to be not just the “Master Builder” but also the “Chief Cornerstone,” unfortunately many Jews and others living around Peter had a hard time putting their faith in Jesus. The very one who God had set as an example for the rest of the world, instead of being a “foundation block” for their lives, had become a “stumbling block” (or something that caused them to be confused).  Praise God today that He set a very clear example in Jesus, and then wrote that example down in His Word so that we could read about it and learn from it.

Food For Thought: In what ways is Jesus the perfect “Chief Cornerstone?”