February 26, 2023: 1 Peter 2:5 - You Also, as Living Stones

“…you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” - 1 Peter 2:5

The apostle Peter in this epistle was speaking to Jews who had accepted Jesus as their Savior. No longer did they need to go to the temple, the house of God made by human hands, where the high priest would offer up sacrifices to God to atone not only for their sins but also for his own sin. Peter was reminding them that they no longer needed to do that, for Jesus Himself is the perfect, sinless sacrifice, given once and for all, for all who believe in Him.

Before He was crucified and resurrected, Jesus prophesied that the temple would not stand and that Jerusalem would be destroyed:

“Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’” (Matthew 24:2)

“Now as He [Jesus] drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.’” (Luke 19:41-44)

And, that is exactly what happened when the Romans destroyed it in 70 AD and left no stone unturned.

Jesus Himself atoned for our sins once and for all with His precious blood, for all who believe in Him as Savior, whether we are Jew or non-Jew (Gentile). We who believe in Him, yes, every single one of us, are the living stones that make up His spiritual house that was not built with human hands, a house in which He is the cornerstone, and the house which stands forever and ever. Each of us as believers in Christ comprise the holy priesthood, and we praise His holy name, we sing songs of praise to Him, and we tell others about Him, planting seeds of faith so that they too might believe in Him one day as their Savior. We live our lives to the best of our ability so that we mirror His image to others. These are our spiritual sacrifices to God that Jesus makes acceptable to Him on our behalf, for without Jesus, we are still sinners in the eyes of God.

Unlike the Jewish high priests of the temple, who had to atone for their own sins, Jesus has no sin, and it is only by His perfect sacrifice that God will forgive us of all our sins.He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is the only One without sin who could redeem us of all our sins.

“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” (Hebrews 9:11-15)

Let us hold fast to our faith in Jesus Christ, never letting go:

“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.” (Hebrews 3:1-6) ✝️