How lovely God is Pt 17: The precious stone
1 Peter 2:4-10 4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5you 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. 6For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 7Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
A living Stone
We often think of Jesus as our Rock, stone in this case, and foundation for our faith, but He is not cold or lifeless. He is a living Stone, a foundation that breathes, moves, and actively supports those who rest on Him.
The imagery is unusual because stones do not live; yet the resurrection changed everything. Jesus the Messiah, rejected and killed, is now the resurrected and exalted cornerstone of God’s new creation. Peter draws from passages like Isaiah 28:16, where God says, “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation.” The early church understood this to point directly to Christ. He is the tested Stone, the One proved faithful through suffering (Heb 2:10). He is the precious Stone, infinitely valuable to the Father even though people despised him.
Peter is writing to believers like us experiencing social pressure, misunderstanding, and persecution. They know what rejection feels like. But Peter reminds them: their Lord was first rejected. The religious leaders dismissed Him (Matt 21:42), the crowds demanded His execution, and even His closest friends deserted Him. Yet this rejected Stone became the foundation of God’s redeeming work. In Him human rejection never has the last word.
This is deeply personal. Many believers feel marginalized or misunderstood in culture. Others carry the wounds of family rejection, social exclusion, or personal failure. Peter’s message is this: If the world overlooks you but you have come to Christ, you have come to the One who understands rejection yet stands eternally approved by the Father. In Him you become part of something indestructible. Christian faith isn’t a one-time moment but a repeated drawing near to the living Stone who stabilizes us, shapes us, and holds us firm. Our moment of conversion is a one-time event in the sense of an eternity of salvation, but also a beginning in the sense of growth. Like a master builder, Christ aligns us to Himself. When we come to Him, we find a Rock that does not shift beneath our feet (Ps 18:2).
But Peter adds the contrast: Jesus is “rejected by humans but chosen by God.” This highlights the central decision every person makes—what they do with Christ. To some He is precious, the anchor of their lives. To others He is a stumbling stone, irritating and inconvenient (1 Pet 2:7–8; Isa 8:14). How people respond to Christ reveals their hearts. Those who trust Him find life, while those who reject Him stumble in darkness.
Being built into a spiritual house
Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we have been accepted into God’s family. We share in Jesus’ life. Because the cornerstone is alive, all who are joined to Him also become alive in God.
The idea of being built into a “house” reaches back to God’s dwelling place in the Old Testament—the tabernacle, the temple, the sacred spaces where God met with His people. But now, God’s dwelling is not a building but a people. Paul uses the same concept in Ephesians 2:21–22, saying believers are being fitted together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.
Believers are the recipients of this fitting; God Himself is the builder. He shapes, chisels, places, and fits us into His purposes. And this process is ongoing. We are not finished products; we are works under construction. Every season of our lives—joy, suffering, waiting, pruning, flourishing—becomes part of God’s building project. Even the hardships Peter’s readers endured had a purpose in strengthening and stabilizing them as God’s house. And by extension, our own struggles have the same purpose: God uses them to strengthen and draw us further into His family.
To call the church a “spiritual house” is to emphasize holiness. God’s house is where God’s presence dwells. Just as the Old Testament temple was set apart for God’s glory, so believers are called to be holy (1 Peter 1:15–16). This holiness is not cold moralism; it is the fruit of belonging to God. A stone in God’s house reflects the character of the One who dwells in that house. The metaphor also tells us something profoundly countercultural: Christian faith is communal and interconnected. A solitary stone is insignificant, but built together with others it becomes a structure strong enough to stand. Modern culture prizes individualism, but Peter reminds us that spiritual growth happens in community. You and I cannot become the temple of God alone. We need the support, sharpening, and encouragement of other living stones.
The thing to understand here is that in the Old Testament the nations were meant to see the presence of God in Israel’s temple (Isa 2:2–3). Today, the world is meant to see God’s character through His people—through their love, unity, humility, and commitment to God’s Word (John 13:34–35). When believers are fitted together in harmony, the world gets a glimpse of God’s beauty.
And this “spiritual house” is not built on sentiment but on Scripture. Peter repeatedly quotes the Old Testament in this passage (Isa 28:16; Ps 118:22; Isa 8:14), reminding us that the foundation of God’s house is not human wisdom but divine revelation. We become stable believers when we align our lives to the cornerstone of Christ and the teachings of His Word.
And a royal priesthood
To think believers could become a royal priesthood would stun a first-century Jewish mind. Under the Old Covenant only specific Levites could be priests, and only they could offer sacrifices and draw near to God in the temple. But now, through Christ, all believers—Jew and Gentile, men and women, rich and poor—have access to God. This is the of the priesthood of all believers, but it was Peter who first proclaimed it.
Priests in the Old Testament had two primary roles:
To draw near to God on behalf of the people, offering sacrifices.
To represent God before the people, teaching His Word and displaying His holiness.
Peter says we now fulfill those roles—not through animal sacrifices, but through “spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (v. 5). What are these sacrifices?
Praise (Heb 13:15)
Good works (Heb 13:16)
Our bodies offered to God (Rom 12:1)
Obedience (Phil 2:17)
Generosity (Phil 4:18)
In other words, all of life—our time, energy, relationships, work, and worship—becomes an offering to God. We live before His face.
Peter also calls believers a royal priesthood, echoing Exodus 19:6 where Israel was called to be a kingdom of priests. Royalty speaks of dignity and authority. This doesn’t mean believers are to dominate others; rather, we represent the reign of God’s kingdom in the world. Our lives testify to a different King, a different set of values, and a different hope. Instead of operating by the world’s standards—power, status, self-advancement—we live by the kingdom’s standards: humility, service, righteousness, and sacrificial love.
Priests stood between God and people. So do we. Believers become bridges through which others encounter God. Our words of witness, prayers of intercession, acts of compassion, and faithful presence in society all serve as priestly ministry. We don’t have to have our names on marquees or lead congregations. The lives we live either invite people closer to Christ or push them further away. This is why Peter says we are to “declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness” (v. 9). Our mission is proclamation—verbally, relationally, and through holy living.
The priesthood of believers also emphasizes our direct access to God. We do not come to God through a human mediator; we come through Christ, the great High Priest (Heb 4:14–16). This means prayer is always open to us. Scripture is always open to us. God’s presence is always open to us. No believer is spiritually second-class. Peter’s readers would have felt small, marginalized, and powerless in a hostile culture. But Peter says: You are royalty in God’s kingdom. You are priests in His service. You are part of God’s redemptive plan. Their identity in Christ transcended their social standing, and the same is true today.
Becoming the people of God
“Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Pet 2:10). Peter quotes Hosea 2:23, a passage originally spoken to Israel after a season of rebellion and judgment. God promised that those who were once “not my people” would again be called “my people.” Peter applies this to believers—especially Gentile believers—who were formerly outside the covenant community. Through Christ, God has created a new people, a new family, a new nation drawn from every tribe, language, and background. Identity is transformed not by ethnicity, morality, or human merit but by mercy.
To say we are “the people of God” means:
1. We belong to God. We are His treasured possession (Exod. 19:5; 1 Pet 2:9). He has set His love on us, not because of our performance but because of His grace.
2. We are shaped by His mercy. Peter’s audience faced injustice, but they were recipients of mercy. This becomes the heartbeat of Christian identity. We are not defined by sin, wounds, failures, or past identities but by the mercy of God poured out in Christ.
3. We represent God to the world. Being God’s people means we carry His name. Just as Israel was called to be a light to the nations, so the church is called to reflect God’s character in a dark world. Peter will later say, “Live such good lives among the pagans that… they may see your good deeds and glorify God” (1 Pet 2:12).
4. We live with hope. If we are God’s people now, then we will be His people forever. Nothing can separate us from His love (Rom 8:38–39). Our trials are temporary; our identity is eternal.
What about me?
The vision in these verses is sweeping and deeply personal. Christ is the living Stone, rejected by the world but chosen and honored by God. When we come to Him, we are joined into a spiritual house, a dwelling for God’s presence. We become a royal priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices and declaring His praises. And we are transformed into the people of God, recipients of mercy, participants in His mission, and bearers of His name.
This passage speaks to identity, belonging, purpose, and endurance. It reminds us that everything God is building in us is anchored in Christ, the precious cornerstone. And because He is precious to God, all who belong to Him are precious as well.
So, believer, you are not alone. Whether you have just accepted Jesus as your Savior, or have been His possession for years makes no difference. He is your King, your Savior, your Master, your friend. Trust Him, follow Him, and let Him shape you. It leads to a better, fulfilled, wonderful life.