Living Stones


1 Peter 2:4-5
4As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

A visit to the Holy Land would reveal multiple sites where stones have been erected by people of the past. It was (and perhaps for some, still is) a part of their worship lives. Throughout the Old Testament, we find stories of God’s people who commemorated His actions in their lives with “standing stones”. These solitary rock pillars, or smaller piles of rocks became reminders of what God had done for them or with them. Peter builds this section of his letter around that concept, expanding on the idea of Jesus as “the Living Stone”. Perhaps the reason that this stone metaphor so appeals to him is that it reflects his own nickname—he was Peter, a rock-man built on the Rock.

Now we too are called living stones. But as such, we don’t just stand out on the plain as reminder of God, but instead are His hands and feet into a dark world, bearing the Light of His truth and salvation. And isn’t it interesting that we are not the bricks that make up His house, but instead, stones. Stones are each unique and some of them are quite irregular. But we are notched together by God to create that which pleases Him, His Bride, the Church.

As the new temple, if you will, we are now called upon to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. This calls to mind the many references in the Old Testament that tell us what kind of sacrifices God requires and it’s not the blood of animals, but instead a broken spirit and a contrite heart. We come with repentance and offer our bodies as spiritual sacrifices. In the Old Testament system of sacrifice, the believer would come into the Temple and offer their animal on the altar and then walk away from the experience to live their lives. In Romans 12:1-2 we are told to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. There is no walking away from that experience. We are living stones … acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. It’s an amazing picture.

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