Christ in 1 Peter -- The Stone The Builders Rejected

The book we know as 1 Peter began its life as a letter, written by Peter, the Apostle of Christ, to the churches in northern Asia Minor, what is now Turkey.  It was written from Rome in around 63 A.D. The letter was written in Greek, the most widely spoken language of the day, and it would have been copied by the leaders of each of the churches and spread throughout the region.  The purpose of the book was to encourage the Christians, in the face of persecution, to live holy lives, obedient to God, submissive to earthly authorities, with honor, and showing respect to all people.

Peter began his letter by reassuring the Christians, primarily Gentile, but also the Jewish Christians, that their salvation was achieved because of the mercy of God, by the resurrection of Jesus.  He encouraged them to live in anticipation of eternal life with Him when we all realize the ultimate salvation – salvation from eternal death:

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see (1 Peter 1:3-5).

This encouragement was necessary to the early Christians who were being persecuted on all sides – the established religious system saw the early believers as heretics; the non-religious society saw the believers as strange and judgmental and “holier than thou;” the Roman government saw these people who worshipped a “King” as insurrectionists.  It’s no different for Christians today!  Today, if a Christian truly lives his or her life according to the Word of God, he or she will face persecution, or at the very least ridicule and marginalization.  American Christians have it easy, though, compared to Christians in other parts of the world.  We may be inconvenienced, ridiculed, snubbed, or passed over for a promotion at work, but we are not losing our lives because of our faith – at least not yet.  We really, really need to be in prayer for our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world who are losing everything because of their faith, and we need to pray that the freedoms we enjoy will be preserved.  Every day we hear of Christians being killed in the Middle East, and there is also persecution in China, North Korea, India, Pakistan, and other parts of the world.  This is the kind of persecution Peter was addressing.  So Peter’s letter is as fresh and applicable today as it was almost 2000 years ago.  We need to study this book as though it was written just for us, because in God’s magnificent plan, it was!

Peter reminds us that Jesus had been rejected.  He was the Cornerstone that had been written about by the prophet, Isaiah, and by the psalmist, David:

Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone.  It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken (Isaiah 28:16).

The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone (Psalm 118:22).

Peter teaches us that we are stones, too.  Our lives are to be the living stones that God uses to build His church, building upon the Living Cornerstone that is Jesus Christ:

You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple (1 Peter 2:4-5a).

Jesus Himself told his disciples that they would suffer.  He was trying to prepare them for all the hardship and persecution that they would endure by following Him:

“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues (Matthew 10:16-17).”

“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you (John 15:18-20a).”

Jesus said that He chose us to come out of the world.  Peter called us resident aliens in a foreign land. That’s because he knew that our citizenship is in heaven:

Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world (1 Peter 2:11-12).

As citizens of the United States of America, we see on the news every day stories about illegal immigration, undocumented aliens, immigration reform, etc.  As Christians, we should identify with these “resident aliens” who live among us, because as Christians, we are “resident aliens” in this world.  We are here only temporarily.  Our citizenship and our eternal homeland is Heaven.  Our King is Jesus, and we must answer to Him.  But He commands us to “live properly” in this, our temporary home.  Part of that “living properly” is to submit to all human authorities – we are not above the laws of this land:

For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right (1 Peter 1:13-14).

Peter gives us a long list of ways we are to live, but it is summarized in a few short words:

As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9b).

Even when we are persecuted, insulted, mistreated, or even just inconvenienced, we are taught that we need to show others the goodness of God.  If we always do the right thing by showing others the love of God, we will be less likely to suffer.  And if we do suffer, He will know it, He will remember it, and He will reward us for it:

Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats (1 Peter 3:13-14).

So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God (1 Peter 4:1-2).

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world (1 Peter 4:12-13).

If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you (1 Peter 4:14).

But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name (1 Peter 4:16)!

My prayer for you, for me, and for all the persecuted Christians all over the world is taken from the last part of chapter five of 1 Peter:

Dear Jesus,
(Help us to) stay alert! (Reminds us to) watch out for (our) great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (May we all) stand firm against him, and be strong in (our) faith. (Cause us to) remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through (even more suffering than we are, more than we can comprehend). All power to (Jesus) forever! Amen.

All scripture references are from the New Living Translation.