Living Stones
1 Peter 2:4-8
Introduction:
Peter = hope. in the first division of the book we see that hope is diplayed in our salvation.
(1:1-2) In Our Calling
(1:3-5) In the New Birth
(1:6-9) By Trials
(1:10-12) Through the Prophets
(1:13-16) By Obedience
(1:17-21) By Fear of the Lord
(1:22-25) In Love
(2:1-3) In Growth
And now in 2:4-8 as Living stones
Peter uses this metaphor of living stones to explain the importance of our Lord and our relationship to Him.
I. The Living Stone (4)
coming—drawing near (same Greek as here, Heb 10:22) by faith continually; present tense: not having come once for all at conversion.
A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments.
A. Living
The article is not used with the expression, showing that emphasis is placed upon character or quality. He is in character a Living Stone.
/Wuest's word studies
B. Rejected
Disallowed (ἀποδεδοκιμασμένον). rejected. The word indicates rejection after trial
Vincent, M. R. (2002). Word studies in the New Testament
C. Chosen
D. Precious
The greatest obstacle to being handicapped--or challenged, or disabled or whatever label we may be using this year--is not the condition but the stigma society still associates with it. The truth is we are valuable because of who we are, not because of how we look or what we accomplish. And that applies to all of us, the disabled and the temporarily able-bodied alike. I'm convinced God didn't turn His back at the moment of Jeff's conception. He is still the God of miracles, but in this instance, the one who received healing was me. Our Lord is still in the business of changing lives, but not always in the ways we expect.
Several years ago, Jeff played in a special Little League for kids with disabilities. After many seasons of watching from the bleachers and rooting while his big brother played ball, Jeff's opportunity finally arrived. When he received his uniform, he couldn't wait to get home to put it on. When he raced out from his bedroom, fully suited up, he announced to me, "Mom, now I'm a real boy!" Though his words pushed my heart to my throat, I assured him he had always been a "real boy."
Carlene Mattson, Focus on the Family, April 1993, p. 13.
Isaiah 28:16
II. The Living Stones (5)
A. A House
Ephesians 2:19-22
B. A Priesthood
Hebrews 13:15
- The word “acceptable” in the Greek text means literally “to receive to one’s self with pleasure.” - Wuest's word studies
- 1 Peter was written about 7 years before the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.
III. The Aplication (6-8)
A. To Believers
- "will not be disappointed" - double negative making it infatic.
- Separation is not isolation; it is contact without contamination.
Wiersbe, W.
B. To Unbelievers
The words “a stone of stumbling” are the translation of lithos (λιθος), “a loose stone in the path,” and proskommatos (προσκομματος) meaning “to cut against,” which altogether mean “an obstacle against which one strikes.” The words “rock of offence” are from petra (πετρα), “a ledge rising out of the ground,” and skandalou, “a trap set to trip one.”
Wuest's word studies