Peter uses the illustration of believers being like living stones building a spiritual house—the church of Jesus. Jesus is the most valuable stone upon which we build our lives. We point others to Him through acts of service and love.
In 1 Peter 2:4-51 Peter 2:4-5 commentary, commentary Peter moves from the imagery of newborn babies desiring their mother’s milk that they might grow to maturity to the imagery of Jesus as a living stone who is in the process of building believers as living stones into a spiritual house. He begins by saying And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God (v. 4).
Peter continues to challenge the believers he is discipling to exert effort to grow in their faith:
And coming, implies a continuing action by believers, consistent with 1 Peter 2:1-31 Peter 2:1-3 commentary where believers are instructed to “long” for the “milk of the word” that they might “grow” to maturity.
The Him referred to in the act of comingto Him (v. 4), refers to Jesus Christ as can be observed by the context, from verse 5. Jesus came to earth to die for the sins of the world (John 3:16John 3:16 commentary, commentaryColossians 2:14Colossians 2:14 commentary). Now believers, who have been delivered from the penalty of sin, are instructed to continually be coming to Him.
As Jesus told His disciples, “he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:38Matthew 10:38 commentary). This again infers the need for vigorous action in order to be “worthy” of Jesus. To be “worthy” of Jesus is to overcome as He overcame. Jesus promised believers who overcome as he overcame that they will share His reward of reigning (Revelation 3:21Revelation 3:21 commentary).
The phrase as to a living stone also refers to Jesus. The idea of a stone that is living sets up a metaphor for the church of Jesus, consisting of all believers, being a house made up of living stones. The idea is that each believer is like a stone that contributes to the construction of a house. So, each believer should do his or her part in contributing gifts to the whole (Romans 12:6aRomans 12:6a commentary).
The idea of stone comes from a picture the prophet Isaiah used to describe Jesus Christ. This verse will be quoted in 1 Peter 2:61 Peter 2:6 commentary:
“Therefore thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.’” (Isaiah 28:16Isaiah 28:16 commentary)
Jesus is a stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God. Just as Jesus was rejected by the world, Peter desires believers to continually follow after Jesus and also endure rejection and loss. As the Apostle Paul asserted, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:122 Timothy 3:12 commentary).
To the world, Jesus is seen as the stone which has been rejected by men (v. 4). From God’s view, Jesus, as the stone, is choice, meaning considered the best selection, and precious, pointing to His high value and considerable worth. The phrase in the sight of God refers to God’s perspective. He is the judge of the world, even seeing into the “thoughts and intentions of the [human] heart” (Hebrews 4:12Hebrews 4:12 commentary). It is the perspective of God, the sight of God that will decide all reality (Revelation 20:13Revelation 20:13 commentary, 22:1222:12 commentary).
Jesus Christ is the cornerstone that makes this metaphorical building possible. But the building is made up of living stones that are born-again believers: you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (v. 5).
That the house being spoken of is metaphorical is made clear by the phrase spiritual house. The you in the phrase you also, as living stones, is a plural pronoun. This indicates Peter is speaking of all believers that make up the spiritual house.
We saw in 1 Peter 1:231 Peter 1:23 commentary that the audience of this letter is a group that has been “born again.” Just as Jesus is the cornerstone that is living, the believers are living stones as well. This makes sense, given that each believer is placed into Christ and is made a new creation in Him (Romans 6:4Romans 6:4 commentary, commentary2 Corinthians 5:172 Corinthians 5:17 commentary). The ongoing sanctification and maturing process is pictured by the phrase are being built up. The idea seems to be that as believers mature and “grow” (1 Peter 2:21 Peter 2:2 commentary) the spiritual house that is the church is being constructed.
The action are being built up is one Greek word (“oikodomeisthe”). This word is a construction term meaning to erect a building. Its action is present tense implying the construction is an ongoing project. And the action described is also passive, pointing to Jesus as the one doing the constructing using believers as the construction material.
This points to the reality that our basic choice is whether to walk in obedience to sin and the flesh or to walk in the Spirit (Romans 6:16Romans 6:16 commentary, commentaryGalatians 5:16-17Galatians 5:16-17 commentary). Our vigorous activity is choosing. When we choose to walk in the Spirit, it is the resurrection power of Jesus that does the work. We are His vessels, and make ourselves available through choosing to walk in obedience to Him (Philippians 4:13Philippians 4:13 commentary).
What Jesus is in the process of constructing, using believers as building materials, is described as a spiritual house (v. 5). Peter probably has in mind the parallel picture of the house of God in the Old Testament which is the temple (Acts 7:47Acts 7:47 commentary). It seems here that Peter pictures all believers being constructed into a temple that honors God. In Revelation, we will see that God Himself will dwell upon the earth and be its temple (Revelation 21:22Revelation 21:22 commentary). Scripture uses the analogy of a “temple” or house in a number of ways.
The New Testament speaks about the church (all believers) being the household of God (1 Peter 4:171 Peter 4:17 commentary; 1 Timothy 3:151 Timothy 3:15 commentary; Galatians 6:10Galatians 6:10 commentary). It also says that each believer is viewed as a temple of the Holy Spirit,
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:191 Corinthians 6:19 commentary)
Here in 1 Peter 2:4-51 Peter 2:4-5 commentary, commentary the spiritual house metaphor is the temple in Jerusalem since it is designed for a holy priesthood. The word for indicates a goal or purpose for the building. That purpose is for a holy priesthood (v. 5). In the Jerusalem temple, only the priests could enter the temple and only the High Priest could enter the inner sanctuary, the “holy of holies” and only once per year, on the Day of Atonement (Hebrews 9:6-7Hebrews 9:6-7 commentary).
The inference is that all who are spiritually born again are appointed to serve as a holy priesthood in this temple that is made up of believers, who are living stones. The holy priesthood of the Old Testament continually served God, doing His work. They continually offered animal sacrifices (Hebrews 10:1Hebrews 10:1 commentary). But the holy priesthood that is made up of New Testament believers is to continually offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
The New Testament speaks of various spiritual sacrifices that we, as believer-priests, are to offer to God.
One such sacrifice we are exhorted to make is to continuously offer our entire body to Christ as a living sacrifice. Romans 12:1Romans 12:1 commentary says it is the rational thing to do, to offer up our bodies as a “living and holy sacrifice.”
This is the rational thing to do because living wholly unto God is the narrow path that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14Matthew 7:13-14 commentary). To follow Jesus’s example by taking up our cross daily is the way to find our lives in full (Matthew 16:24-25Matthew 16:24-25 commentary).
Another sacrifice New Testament believers can offer to God is to bring lost sinners to Him through our living witness (Romans 15:16Romans 15:16 commentary).
Ephesians 5:1-2Ephesians 5:1-2 commentary tells believers to follow Jesus’s example and live as “an offering and sacrifice to God.” We do this by walking in love. This is the same idea Peter emphasizes in this letter, exhorting his disciples to “fervently love one another from the heart” (1 Peter 1:221 Peter 1:22 commentary).
Philippians 4:18Philippians 4:18 commentary calls financial gifts to support the spread of the gospel and ministry of Jesus an “acceptable sacrifice.”
Hebrews 13:15-16Hebrews 13:15-16 commentary speaks of praising God with our lips, doing good, and sharing as sacrifices that are pleasing to God: “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”
The Bible says that Jesus “has made us to be a kingdom of priests to His God and Father” (Revelation 1:6Revelation 1:6 commentary). Peter, five verses later in this letter (1 Peter 2:91 Peter 2:9 commentary), also tells believers, “you are a chosen race [Isaiah 43:20Isaiah 43:20 commentary], a royal priesthood [Isaiah 66:1Isaiah 66:1 commentary; 1 Peter 2:91 Peter 2:9 commentary; Revelation 1:6Revelation 1:6 commentary], a holy nation [Exodus 19:6Exodus 19:6 commentary], a people for God’s own possession” (Exodus 19:5Exodus 19:5 commentary; Titus 2:14Titus 2:14 commentary).
These statements mirror an Old Testament idea that would have been familiar to Peter’s Jewish audience, namely that Israel was chosen by God as a holy nation and kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6Exodus 19:6 commentary). Israel’s job was to be a living witness and serve a priestly function by following God’s commands, given in His covenant/treaty that He made with them (Exodus 19:8Exodus 19:8 commentary). In following God’s commands, they would show the surrounding nations that living a love-your-neighbor culture created vastly superior results to the pagan culture of the strong exploiting the weak (Matthew 22:37-39Matthew 22:37-39 commentary).
It is a matter of common sense that a culture based on truth and mutual cooperation will lead to substantially greater human flourishing as compared to a society built on exploitation. An exploitive culture will inevitably sink into violence and poverty. Conversely, a mutually cooperative society without envy or violence will naturally thrive. It was God’s design for humans to reign over the earth in harmony with God, nature, and one another. As we walk in truth and love we restore God’s (good) design.
Similar to the call God placed on Israel, New Testament believers are to be a living witness by showing fervent love for one another (1 Peter 2:221 Peter 2:22 commentary). We are to abstain from fleshly lusts, which lead to exploitation of others, and instead do good deeds as a witness to those who are not believers (1 Peter 2:11-121 Peter 2:11-12 commentary).
God desires that every spiritual sacrifice we make be acceptable to God, meaning it causes a favorable response from God. Hebrews says that faith is a necessity if we are to please God:
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6Hebrews 11:6 commentary)
We see from this verse in Hebrews that there are two things we must believe in order to please God. The first is to believe that “He is.” God is the “I Am,” the very essence of existence. He is God, we are not. That means that what He says is true, and He is who He says He is. We do not define Him, He is the definition of all that is. If we believe this, then it makes sense that we will seek to understand and adopt His perspective. It will lead us to “long for the pure milk of the word” that we might understand God’s ways and adopt them (1 Peter 2:21 Peter 2:2 commentary).
The second thing we must believe if we are to please God is that “He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” It will not make sense to choose the narrow gate and walk the difficult path if we do not believe God’s promise that there is true life at the end of that journey. This “life” represents our deepest possible fulfillment. If we do not believe that God’s promised reward of sharing His throne and entering into His joy will be our greatest fulfillment, then we will not have the motivation and commitment to seek to know and live His word, to overcome as He overcame and to steward well the talents He has given us (Matthew 25:21Matthew 25:21 commentary, commentaryRevelation 3:21Revelation 3:21 commentary).
The spiritual sacrifices Peter desires his disciples to offer up are acceptable to God because they are offered through Jesus Christ. This implies that Jesus is the means or agent working in us to produce these spiritual sacrifices. This is consistent with the concept presented throughout the New Testament that the human capacity to live a transformed life comes through learning to live through the resurrection power of Jesus and the power of the Spirit rather than through our own power (Philippians 3:9-10Philippians 3:9-10 commentary, commentaryGalatians 5:16Galatians 5:16 commentary).
being committed to learn and practice the “pure milk of the word” of God in scripture (1 Peter 2:21 Peter 2:2 commentary).
We are to be built up as a spiritual house through offering spiritual sacrifices that please God; sacrifices like love, dedication, good deeds, generosity, and praise (1 Peter 2:51 Peter 2:5 commentary).
This will please God, which will bring us great reward (Hebrews 11:6Hebrews 11:6 commentary). And it will also serve as a witness to unbelievers, which is part of our calling, to serve as a holy priesthood by mediating with them to come to know God through our witness (1 Peter 2:51 Peter 2:5 commentary, 1212 commentary). In serving as a witness in this manner, these deeds will serve to glorify God when He returns (1 Peter 2:121 Peter 2:12 commentary).
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1 Peter 2:4-5 meaning
In 1 Peter 2:4-51 Peter 2:4-5 commentary, commentary Peter moves from the imagery of newborn babies desiring their mother’s milk that they might grow to maturity to the imagery of Jesus as a living stone who is in the process of building believers as living stones into a spiritual house. He begins by saying And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God (v. 4).
Peter continues to challenge the believers he is discipling to exert effort to grow in their faith:
As Jesus told His disciples, “he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:38Matthew 10:38 commentary). This again infers the need for vigorous action in order to be “worthy” of Jesus. To be “worthy” of Jesus is to overcome as He overcame. Jesus promised believers who overcome as he overcame that they will share His reward of reigning (Revelation 3:21Revelation 3:21 commentary).
“Therefore thus says the Lord God,
‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone,
A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed.
He who believes in it will not be disturbed.’”
(Isaiah 28:16Isaiah 28:16 commentary)
Jesus is a stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God. Just as Jesus was rejected by the world, Peter desires believers to continually follow after Jesus and also endure rejection and loss. As the Apostle Paul asserted, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:122 Timothy 3:12 commentary).
To the world, Jesus is seen as the stone which has been rejected by men (v. 4). From God’s view, Jesus, as the stone, is choice, meaning considered the best selection, and precious, pointing to His high value and considerable worth. The phrase in the sight of God refers to God’s perspective. He is the judge of the world, even seeing into the “thoughts and intentions of the [human] heart” (Hebrews 4:12Hebrews 4:12 commentary). It is the perspective of God, the sight of God that will decide all reality (Revelation 20:13Revelation 20:13 commentary, 22:1222:12 commentary).
Jesus Christ is the cornerstone that makes this metaphorical building possible. But the building is made up of living stones that are born-again believers: you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (v. 5).
That the house being spoken of is metaphorical is made clear by the phrase spiritual house. The you in the phrase you also, as living stones, is a plural pronoun. This indicates Peter is speaking of all believers that make up the spiritual house.
We saw in 1 Peter 1:231 Peter 1:23 commentary that the audience of this letter is a group that has been “born again.” Just as Jesus is the cornerstone that is living, the believers are living stones as well. This makes sense, given that each believer is placed into Christ and is made a new creation in Him (Romans 6:4Romans 6:4 commentary, commentary 2 Corinthians 5:172 Corinthians 5:17 commentary). The ongoing sanctification and maturing process is pictured by the phrase are being built up. The idea seems to be that as believers mature and “grow” (1 Peter 2:21 Peter 2:2 commentary) the spiritual house that is the church is being constructed.
The action are being built up is one Greek word (“oikodomeisthe”). This word is a construction term meaning to erect a building. Its action is present tense implying the construction is an ongoing project. And the action described is also passive, pointing to Jesus as the one doing the constructing using believers as the construction material.
This points to the reality that our basic choice is whether to walk in obedience to sin and the flesh or to walk in the Spirit (Romans 6:16Romans 6:16 commentary, commentary Galatians 5:16-17Galatians 5:16-17 commentary). Our vigorous activity is choosing. When we choose to walk in the Spirit, it is the resurrection power of Jesus that does the work. We are His vessels, and make ourselves available through choosing to walk in obedience to Him (Philippians 4:13Philippians 4:13 commentary).
What Jesus is in the process of constructing, using believers as building materials, is described as a spiritual house (v. 5). Peter probably has in mind the parallel picture of the house of God in the Old Testament which is the temple (Acts 7:47Acts 7:47 commentary). It seems here that Peter pictures all believers being constructed into a temple that honors God. In Revelation, we will see that God Himself will dwell upon the earth and be its temple (Revelation 21:22Revelation 21:22 commentary). Scripture uses the analogy of a “temple” or house in a number of ways.
The New Testament speaks about the church (all believers) being the household of God (1 Peter 4:171 Peter 4:17 commentary; 1 Timothy 3:151 Timothy 3:15 commentary; Galatians 6:10Galatians 6:10 commentary). It also says that each believer is viewed as a temple of the Holy Spirit,
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”
(1 Corinthians 6:191 Corinthians 6:19 commentary)
Here in 1 Peter 2:4-51 Peter 2:4-5 commentary, commentary the spiritual house metaphor is the temple in Jerusalem since it is designed for a holy priesthood. The word for indicates a goal or purpose for the building. That purpose is for a holy priesthood (v. 5). In the Jerusalem temple, only the priests could enter the temple and only the High Priest could enter the inner sanctuary, the “holy of holies” and only once per year, on the Day of Atonement (Hebrews 9:6-7Hebrews 9:6-7 commentary).
The inference is that all who are spiritually born again are appointed to serve as a holy priesthood in this temple that is made up of believers, who are living stones. The holy priesthood of the Old Testament continually served God, doing His work. They continually offered animal sacrifices (Hebrews 10:1Hebrews 10:1 commentary). But the holy priesthood that is made up of New Testament believers is to continually offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
The New Testament speaks of various spiritual sacrifices that we, as believer-priests, are to offer to God.
This is the rational thing to do because living wholly unto God is the narrow path that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14Matthew 7:13-14 commentary). To follow Jesus’s example by taking up our cross daily is the way to find our lives in full (Matthew 16:24-25Matthew 16:24-25 commentary).
The Bible says that Jesus “has made us to be a kingdom of priests to His God and Father” (Revelation 1:6Revelation 1:6 commentary). Peter, five verses later in this letter (1 Peter 2:91 Peter 2:9 commentary), also tells believers, “you are a chosen race [Isaiah 43:20Isaiah 43:20 commentary], a royal priesthood [Isaiah 66:1Isaiah 66:1 commentary; 1 Peter 2:91 Peter 2:9 commentary; Revelation 1:6Revelation 1:6 commentary], a holy nation [Exodus 19:6Exodus 19:6 commentary], a people for God’s own possession” (Exodus 19:5Exodus 19:5 commentary; Titus 2:14Titus 2:14 commentary).
These statements mirror an Old Testament idea that would have been familiar to Peter’s Jewish audience, namely that Israel was chosen by God as a holy nation and kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6Exodus 19:6 commentary). Israel’s job was to be a living witness and serve a priestly function by following God’s commands, given in His covenant/treaty that He made with them (Exodus 19:8Exodus 19:8 commentary). In following God’s commands, they would show the surrounding nations that living a love-your-neighbor culture created vastly superior results to the pagan culture of the strong exploiting the weak (Matthew 22:37-39Matthew 22:37-39 commentary).
It is a matter of common sense that a culture based on truth and mutual cooperation will lead to substantially greater human flourishing as compared to a society built on exploitation. An exploitive culture will inevitably sink into violence and poverty. Conversely, a mutually cooperative society without envy or violence will naturally thrive. It was God’s design for humans to reign over the earth in harmony with God, nature, and one another. As we walk in truth and love we restore God’s (good) design.
Similar to the call God placed on Israel, New Testament believers are to be a living witness by showing fervent love for one another (1 Peter 2:221 Peter 2:22 commentary). We are to abstain from fleshly lusts, which lead to exploitation of others, and instead do good deeds as a witness to those who are not believers (1 Peter 2:11-121 Peter 2:11-12 commentary).
God desires that every spiritual sacrifice we make be acceptable to God, meaning it causes a favorable response from God. Hebrews says that faith is a necessity if we are to please God:
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
(Hebrews 11:6Hebrews 11:6 commentary)
We see from this verse in Hebrews that there are two things we must believe in order to please God. The first is to believe that “He is.” God is the “I Am,” the very essence of existence. He is God, we are not. That means that what He says is true, and He is who He says He is. We do not define Him, He is the definition of all that is. If we believe this, then it makes sense that we will seek to understand and adopt His perspective. It will lead us to “long for the pure milk of the word” that we might understand God’s ways and adopt them (1 Peter 2:21 Peter 2:2 commentary).
The second thing we must believe if we are to please God is that “He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” It will not make sense to choose the narrow gate and walk the difficult path if we do not believe God’s promise that there is true life at the end of that journey. This “life” represents our deepest possible fulfillment. If we do not believe that God’s promised reward of sharing His throne and entering into His joy will be our greatest fulfillment, then we will not have the motivation and commitment to seek to know and live His word, to overcome as He overcame and to steward well the talents He has given us (Matthew 25:21Matthew 25:21 commentary, commentary Revelation 3:21Revelation 3:21 commentary).
The spiritual sacrifices Peter desires his disciples to offer up are acceptable to God because they are offered through Jesus Christ. This implies that Jesus is the means or agent working in us to produce these spiritual sacrifices. This is consistent with the concept presented throughout the New Testament that the human capacity to live a transformed life comes through learning to live through the resurrection power of Jesus and the power of the Spirit rather than through our own power (Philippians 3:9-10Philippians 3:9-10 commentary, commentary Galatians 5:16Galatians 5:16 commentary).
As believers, we are to:
This will please God, which will bring us great reward (Hebrews 11:6Hebrews 11:6 commentary). And it will also serve as a witness to unbelievers, which is part of our calling, to serve as a holy priesthood by mediating with them to come to know God through our witness (1 Peter 2:51 Peter 2:5 commentary, 1212 commentary). In serving as a witness in this manner, these deeds will serve to glorify God when He returns (1 Peter 2:121 Peter 2:12 commentary).