Sunday morning, July 28, 1996
The Priesthood of All Believers, Part Three
1 Peter 2:4-9
By P. G. Mathew, M.A., M.Div., Th.M.
Copyright © 1996 by P. G. Mathew
We have been studying the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers as found in 1 Peter
2:1-10. In this study of verses 4-9 we want to examine what Peter says about coming to
Christ, the living Stone. As an introduction, I would like to mention that the passage
begins, "As you come to him. . ." and from the Greek text we know that means
continually coming to him ". . . the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God
and precious to him--you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ." Then Peter supports his identification of Jesus Christ as the living Stone
by quoting three Old Testament scriptures. First, ""For in Scripture it says,
'See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in
him will never be put to shame'" (Is. 28:16). Second, "Now to you who believe,
the stone is precious [which in the Greek says, "Therefore, consequently, to you
believers is honor"] but to those who do not believe, the stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone'" (Ps. 118:22). Third, "'A stone that causes men to
stumble and a rock that makes them fall'" (Is. 8:14). Then Peter makes a very
important point: "They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what
they were destined for," meaning disobedience proves that certain people are
predestined for that end, which should sober us. And finally Peter says,"But you are
a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you
may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful
light."
A Corruption of the Gospel
In our previous study of this passage, I said that if one asked, "What must I do to
be saved?" the Roman Catholic church would say, "Come to the church." And
if you went to the church, you would be told, "Come to the priest." If you went
to the priest, the priest would give you sacraments through which you would be saved. We
must note that reception of the sacraments does not require that you have a certain
believing disposition or that the priests must believe in God. In this system, salvation
is deposited in the church, particularly in the priesthood, and dispensed through the
sacraments.
On what is this view of salvation based? It is based on the argument that the church is
built upon the foundation of Peter because God gave Peter the keys of the kingdom to admit
people into or expel people from the kingdom of God. Peter became the pastor of the church
of Rome, and so salvation, it is argued, is found only in the church of Rome, pastored by
Peter and his successors. Salvation cannot be found anywhere else.
This view is a corruption of the biblical gospel. True biblical salvation requires, first
of all, the preaching of the gospel, the proclamation of the person and work of Jesus
Christ--that Christ died for our sins, Christ was buried, and Christ was raised up on the
third day according to the Scriptures for our justification. And so the biblical answer to
"What must I do to be saved?" is, "Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and you shall be saved," The biblical gospel introduces a Savior who knew no
sin but who became sin for us and died as our substitute on the cross, and says that if
one believes in him, trusting in him and not just in propositions, that individual shall
be saved.
There is one more question: How can a person believe in Christ? The Bible teaches us
the doctrine of total depravity, meaning that all people are sinful, ungodly, wicked
enemies of God. People do not naturally seek after God. You may disagree with this and
ask, "Don't you realize that there are religious people throughout the world? Don't
you think that they are seeking after God?" But I must say, "No. In the very act
of seeking after other religions, we see the rebellion and enmity of people against the
true and living God." We must understand this. People are not naturally pious and
nice, but rather, they manifest their enmity against Almighty God and his way of salvation
by creating and following their own religions. So we must ask that if every human being is
a sinner--without strength, ungodly, wicked, corrupt, depraved, spiritually dead, an
enemy--how in the world can he or she believe in the gospel and on the Lord Jesus Christ?
In this epistle Peter tells us that God the Father causes a person to be born again into a
living hope as the gospel is preached. As the individual is called to God through the
gospel, that individual is renewed, sensitized to God, and made alive. Then he will
understand the gospel and "come to him," as we are told in 1 Peter 2:4.
Coming To Christ
To whom is a sinner coming? In his quotation from Isaiah 28, "as you come to him, the
living Stone," Peter is referring to the Lord Jehovah of the Old Testament. And so we
must notice how easily Peter now gives that title to Jesus Christ. "Coming to
him" means coming to Jesus Christ the Lord. It is not coming to a church or a pope or
a priestly class. And this coming to Jesus Christ means confiding in him and putting
ourselves upon him as the living Stone, the sure foundation. Any church teaches that
salvation is through sacraments, or that one cannot go to God immediately in the name of
Jesus Christ but must be represented by a priest, is teaching a false, corrupted gospel.
The gospel of the Bible declares that we can come to Christ, enabled and energized by God
who gives us new life and understanding into the gospel. We can come directly to him
without the mediation of any man, woman, or church.
Rejected by Men, Precious to God
This Lord Jesus Christ to whom we are coming was rejected by men. The religious
authorities of the New Testament--Caiaphas and Annas and elders and Pharisees and teachers
and scribes and leaders--all looked at Jesus, the living Stone, like builders examine
building materials. They turned this Stone up and down, looking him over carefully. They
saw his miracles and heard his teaching. They analyzed him completely, and what did they
declare? Christ was worthless, says Peter, "rejected by men." In the sight of
man, in the evaluation of these builders, who were the religious authorities, Jesus was a
blasphemer, a Samaritan, a wine-bibber, a friend of sinners, and a demon-possessed person.
But then Peter says this Stone is chosen and precious--to whom? To God the Father. To God
he is chosen before the foundation of the world, from all eternity, to be our Savior. He
is God's unique Son, the only Son, concerning whom we are told, "This is my beloved
Son in whom I am well pleased" and of whom God said, "Hear ye him" and be
saved. And not only that but in Colossians 2:9 we read that in this Son dwells all Deity,
the fullness of Deity bodily; in other words, this precious one is God himself. He who
knew no sin is God and Lord. He is the Creator and the Sustainer of the universe. No
sparrow can fall to the ground without his sovereign order and control. Your heart is now
beating because this one is permitting it to beat. It will stop one day, and even that
will be in accordance with his will. Abraham Kuiper, a great theologian and the prime
minister of Holland, said that there is no square inch in the entire universe which is not
under God's sovereign control.
The World Evaluates the Stone
Let us, then, further consider the valuation of this Stone. Citing Isaiah, Peter says Jesus is the chosen, precious foundation Stone. What is the background of that quotation? In Isaiah 28 Isaiah was speaking against the thinking of the people of Judah. The prophets were speaking about loving and serving God, but the people rejected their words. Instead, they were saying, No, that is Sunday School moralism, like the ABCs. That is "here a little, there a little." That type of thinking doesn't help. What we need is political acumen and power. We can solve problems by striking up alliances. We need to see who is the greatest power in the world, which was Assyria, and be in alliance with that power. These people did not want to hear what Isaiah was saying, that God loved his people and wanted to help them, build them up, and solve their problems.
We need to pause here and ask if we are doing the same thing. How often do we think we
know how to solve problems without God's help? We have a way of leaning onto our own
understanding. Our minds work and we come up with many answers. If one doesn't work, we
find one that does.
God Evaluates the Stone
What was God's answer to these people? In Isaiah 28, beginning with verse 14, we read,
"Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers. . ." These people had
scoffed at God's answer. They had mocked it, saying, That is just religious language, and
as you know, religion is something that does not work in the real world, in the
marketplace. Religion is for the privacy of your closet, but it doesn't solve any problems
of the real world. "Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this
people in Jerusalem. You boast, 'We have entered into a covenant with death. . . ."
death here stands for Assyria, "with the grave we have made an agreement." The
prophet is mocking these people, telling them that their political alliance will result in
death. "When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made
a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place'" (Is. 28:14-15).
The educated people, the philosophers, the economic analysts of the world always laugh
at God's ways of solving human problems. But what does Isaiah say? Verse 16: "So this
is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion. . .'" speaking about
God's only Son, the second person of the Trinity. Laying a stone meant he was going to
destroy them and then build something new. This stone was a tested stone, meaning one
tested by God himself. Christ was tested by Satan and tested by the world. He who knew no
sin stood all the tests, and God said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased." How else did Isaiah describe this stone? He said it was precious, and Peter
tells us about the preciousness of Jesus Christ in the evaluation of his Father, which is
all that matters.
The Foundation Stone
What was the purpose of this precious cornerstone? It was given to be a sure foundation in
the new edifice that God was going to build. Having destroyed every other structure, he
would build a new edifice, and Jesus Christ, the chosen, precious, tested cornerstone,
would be the foundation.
This foundation stone is trustworthy. In verse 16 Isaiah also says, "the one who
trusts will never be dismayed," meaning those who trust in this living stone, will
not be ashamed but will be saved. In other words, here Isaiah declares that all human
solutions will wind up in death and the grave, in shame and destruction, but God has an
answer that comes through this Stone, and that answer results in salvation.
In Isaiah 7 we read about King Ahaz, who was also seeking political alliances. He thought
he knew how to handle things, but Isaiah told him if he trusted in God, God would help
him. In fact, Isaiah told Ahaz to ask God for a sign to show that God would help him. How
did Ahaz respond? "Ahaz said, 'I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the
test'" (v. 12). He said he did not want to tempt God. But Isaiah said, "Will you
try the patience of my God? . . .Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The
virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son'" (v. 13-14). You see, Jesus
Christ is God's solution for the problems of the world.
God the Father laid the foundation stone. And what is this foundation all about? It is
the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ made atonement so that we can
trust in him and be saved. That is the foundation.
Where is he laying this foundation stone? In Zion, where Jesus was crucified, buried and
raised up; in Zion, where the Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost; in Zion, from
which the gospel was proclaimed and spread to all parts of the world. After everything
else was destroyed, there is a new beginning taking place in Zion. The Father esteems
Jesus Christ as the foundation stone, the head stone, the cornerstone, the living stone--a
living stone that makes alive every other stone and nourishes its life. And built on the
foundation of him who is called chosen and precious, a new edifice, a new temple of God,
rises up. This new temple is the habitation of God, and it is constructed out of building
materials called the elect and chosen of God. When we who are Christians come to the house
of God, may God help us to see that we are coming into a place where God dwells in his
people by his Spirit.
Believers Esteem the Stone
This foundation stone, which is rejected by the world but chosen and precious to God, is
also esteemed by believers. We must remember that we were ungodly sinners, enemies of God,
dead in trespasses and sins, and without strength to come to him. But the gospel was
preached to us, and God made us alive to a living hope, causing us to born again by the
living and abiding word. Our eyes were opened to the glory of Christ, and we were enabled
to understand the preciousness of this one.
Some Are Blinded
We must appreciate what God has done for us! In 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
we read, "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
. . ." Those who are perishing shall never come to value Jesus Christ as God the
Father values him. The gospel is veiled to them with a thick veil of unbelief. They will
mock Christ and try to get away from him. They will examine him, but in the end they will
reject him. And in this passage St. Paul gives the reason why some are not fascinated by
Jesus Christ, and why some do not trust in him, fall before him and call him Lord. Paul
writes, "The god of this age"--that is Satan-- "has blinded the minds of
unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is
the image of God," meaning that he is God himself.
Do you understand that? What is the problem with your father and mother and uncle? What
is the problem with your professor? What is the problem with a person who makes much
money, or one who makes no money? The god of this age has blinded them. And this blindness
prevents the person from seeing the glory of Christ who is the image of God. Where do you
see this glory? In the gospel. It is not found anywhere else. That is why gospel preaching
is extremely important, because the gospel proclaims, declares, placards, exalts, and
lifts up Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Some Are Enlightened
Many people are blinded. But then Paul says, "For we do not preach ourselves but
Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God who said,
'Let light shine out of darkness' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." We must understand that
we did not come to Christ through our own research and understanding. No, something
happened to us and we were enlightened. In the same way God said, "Let there be
light" and there was light at the creation of the world, he now said, "Let there
be light"--that was effectual calling and new birth--and our eyes were opened to see
the glory and the preciousness of Jesus Christ, so much so that we cried out to him:
"Save us, Lord!"
We must praise God for our salvation! There is a false gospel preached that says that
when you trusted in Christ somehow through your own ability, God saved you. We hear this
quite often. Most modern gospel preaching says that people are not all that bad, and that
when they turn to God, he will turn to them. If they stretch out their hands first, he
will stretch out his hand and grasp them. This is not biblical salvation.
God Must Enlighten Us
In the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13, Jesus spoke about
the gospel, the kingdom of God, and himself. And in verse 11 he told his disciples,
"The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you but not
them," meaning there is a difference, a distinction among people. Some understand and
appreciate the gospel--maybe not fully, but they do understand it, while others do not. So
this illumination, this understanding, is a gift of God to us. Our eyes have been opened
to understand the nature of the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 13:44 Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all that he had and bought the field." Illumination was given to this man to see that this was not just a useless stone that makes people stumble. He realized that this stone was really a treasure of inestimable value--something chosen and precious. It was Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the world. When that revelation came to this man, what did he do? He covered it all up, because it did not belong to him yet, went with great joy and and sold all that he had, and bought the field and the stone. Like this man, once we are given understanding into Christ, we will forsake everything and follow Jesus Christ. Our behavior is based on enlightenment.
God must enlighten us. In Matthew 16:15 Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" That is the greatest question ever asked. What was the answer? "Simon Peter said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven'" (vv. 16-17). You see, Peter's blindness was removed. He was enlightened by the Father and given revelation into the preciousness of his Son so that he could say, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Another time many of Jesus' disciples turned back from following him, and Jesus asked
the Twelve, "You do not want to leave too, do you?" What did Peter say then?
"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life," meaning he
understood that God was taking the initiative to save them. And again, the Father revealed
this to Peter and the others. This knowledge did not come out of their own research or
understanding. It was a gift granted to them.
Those Enlightened by God Will Come to Him
In Matthew 11:27-29 Jesus said, "All things have been committed to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and
those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." No one will know who the Father and the
Son are unless that knowledge is given to that individual. And to those people Jesus would
say, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Why? Jesus is rest, peace, righteousness, life, hope, heaven, and eternal life. "Take
my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls." All who are enlightened by God and given understanding of who
Jesus Christ is will come to him. We do not have to play the organ in a certain way or
sing a little chorus to make those people come. No. Impelled, propelled, attracted,
motivated, and powered by heaven, they will come. And they will come, not to negotiate,
but to acknowledge wholeheartedly that Jesus Christ is Lord. They will fall down before
him, worship him, trust him and follow him.
Salvation is through Christ Alone
This chosen, precious Stone, Jesus Christ, is our only hope for salvation. In Acts 4:12
Peter declared, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under
heaven given to men by which we must be saved." You see, Peter was given an
understanding into the preciousness of Jesus Christ. Salvation is found in Christ alone.
We must preach this gospel throughout the world. Will it be welcomed everywhere? No. We
recently heard of a man who came to know Christ and publicly identified himself as a
Christian. As a result of his profession, this man was tried and found guilty of
blasphemy, and his wife, children, and job were taken away from him. He was stripped of
all privileges, but forbidden to leave the country. This was actually gracious treatment,
because he could have been killed for believing in Christ. Should we preach this gospel in
such a situation? Yes, we must proclaim it throughout the whole world. Why?
"Salvation is found in no one else , for there is no other name under
heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Are There Other Means of Salvation?
Some people, especially young people, think salvation will come through other means, such
as achieving great athletic feats. Think of our modern Olympic games. I am sure some
athletes think they are saved now. Why? They achieved great things. To some, anyone who
got even a bronze medal is saved. If one gets a silver medal, that person is very saved.
And if one gets a gold medal, he or she is completely and totally saved. If one gets two,
three, four, or five medals, that person is very, very, very saved.
Does athletic prowess result in salvation? We must realize that we think this way
sometimes when we exalt those who accomplish much. We must remember that Paul said bodily
exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable in this life and in the life to
come, because it alone has promise of life (1 Tim. 4:8). There is salvation to be found in
no one else but Jesus Christ.
Have You Evaluated Christ?
What is your evaluation of Jesus Christ? Are you trusting in him, or are you looking him
over and giving him back? We must remember that God the Father calls him precious, chosen,
and of great value. I am glad that God opened my eyes, removed the veil from my mind and
heart so that I was able to see the glory of Jesus Christ. I came to him, and if you are a
Christian, you also came without negotiating. It is an illusion to think that salvation
can be found in anything else.
God opened the eyes of St. Paul. Paul had evaluated Jesus Christ and concluded that he
hated him. He was an enemy of God who acted like a wild beast, breathing out slaughter and
threatening against God, his Son, and his people (Acts 9). But when God arrested him and
gave him a revelation as to who Jesus Christ is, Paul instantly understood and began to
preach in Damascus that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God and Savior of the
world. In the book of Galatians Paul speaks about this revelation which was granted to
him: "But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was
pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles. . . ."
(Gal. 1:15-16). And eventually, in God's time, Paul died for his faith in Christ.
Let me ask you: Have your eyes been opened to see who Jesus Christ is? I know you are
fascinated with things of the world. I know you have passions. But has God opened your
eyes to see the glory of his Son? If not, you are of all people most to be pitied. If he
has opened your eyes to see his preciousness, then you will say, Iesous Kurios
--Jesus is Lord. No one is going to confess that Jesus is Lord without this revelation
from God. That is what we did, and Romans 10:9 tells us "if you confess with your
mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you
will be saved"--forever! Neither death nor life can separate us from the love of God
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. That is what salvation is all about.
Enlightened Ones Worship
All our needs are met in Jesus Christ. We have been enabled to see the worthiness of Jesus
and to value him who is beyond valuation. So we worship and adore him, because worship is
recognition of the infinite worth of the person of Jesus and of our own worthlessness.
Worthy is the Lamb!
In the book of Revelation, we read what some of people are doing in terms of
recognizing the preciousness of Jesus Christ. From God our Father and from his church,
this One is receiving glory and honor:
"And when he had taken [the scroll], the four living creatures and the twenty-four
elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls
full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song: 'You are
worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your
blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You
have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the
earth.' Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon
thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living
creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: 'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!' Then
I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all
that is in them, singing: 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and
honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!' The four living creatures said, 'Amen,' and
the elders fell down and worshipped. (Rev. 5:8-14).
Are You Worshiping This Stone?
Do you worship Christ? Do you recognize who he is? Are you fascinated by his glory, his
transcendence, his work, and his person? Are you fascinated by the gospel? Let me say
again, salvation is found in Christ alone. God the Father through the Spirit is still
enlightening people. He is still saying, "Let there be light!" This is called
the new creation, and when God does this to you, instantly you see the transcendence, the
might, the wonder, the greatness of Jesus Christ. You become all excited and will do
anything and everything for Christ. God may say, "Cut off an evil relationship."
What will you say? "Oh, absolutely--no problem. What else do you want me to do?"
Hate your father, mother, sister, uncle, and your own life, and deny yourself, take up the
cross daily and follow me." If you know who Jesus Christ is, you will do anything and
everything for him. Even if you are offered all the gold in the belly of the earth, you
will instead choose to serve Christ.
May God have mercy upon us and open the eyes of our understanding, that we may know that he has given us his Son, the chosen, precious, tested foundation stone. May we trust in him that we may be saved forever and that we may be fully satisfied in him.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
"NIV" and "New International Version" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark office by International Bible Society.
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