A Living
Stone and a Holy People
2
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow
up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God
chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as
a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold,
I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and
whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7
So the honour is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The
stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone”,[a]
8
and
“A
stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offence.”
They
stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his
own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you
out of darkness into his marvellous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but
now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have
received mercy.
11
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of
the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the
Gentiles honourable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may
see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Submission
to Authority
13
Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,[b] whether it be to
the emperor[c] as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those
who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God,
that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil,
but living as servants[d] of God. 17 Honour everyone. Love the brotherhood.
Fear God. Honour the emperor.
18
Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and
gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful
of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it
if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and
suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For
to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you
an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin,
neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not
revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued
entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his
body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his
wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now
returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Matthew
Henry's Commentary
Verses 4-12
I.
The apostle here gives us a description of Jesus Christ as a living stone; and
though to a capricious wit, or an infidel, this description may seem rough and
harsh, yet to the Jews, who placed much of their religion in their magnificent
temple, and who understood the prophetical style, which calls the Messiah a
stone (Isa. 8:14; 28:16), it would appear very elegant and proper.
1.
In this metaphorical description of Jesus Christ, he is called a stone, to
denote his invincible strength and everlasting duration, and to teach his
servants that he is their protection and security, the foundation on which they
are built, and a rock of offence to all their enemies. He is the living stone,
having eternal life in himself, and being the prince of life to all his people.
The reputation and respect he has with God and man are very different. He is
disallowed of men, reprobated or rejected by his own countrymen the Jews, and
by the generality of mankind; but chosen of God, separated and fore-ordained to
be the foundation of the church (as 1 Pet. 1:20), and precious, a most
honourable, choice, worthy person in himself, in the esteem of God, and in the
judgment of all who believe on him. To this person so described we are obliged
to come: To whom coming, not by a local motion, for that is impossible since
his exaltation, but by faith, whereby we are united to him at first, and draw
nigh to him afterwards. Learn, (1.) Jesus Christ is the very foundation-stone
of all our hopes and happiness. He communicates the true knowledge of God
(Matt. 11:27); by him we have access to the Father (John 14:6), and through him
are made partakers of all spiritual blessings, Eph. 1:3. (2.) Men in general
disallow and reject Jesus Christ; they slight him, dislike him, oppose and
refuse him, as scripture and experience declare, Isa. 53:3. (3.) However Christ
may be disallowed by an ungrateful world, yet he is chosen of God, and precious
in his account. He is chosen and fixed upon to be the Lord of the universe, the
head of the church, the Saviour of his people, and the Judge of the world. He
is precious in the excellency of his nature, the dignity of his office, and the
gloriousness of his services. (4.) Those who expect mercy from this gracious
Redeemer must come to him, which is our act, though done by God’s grace—an act
of the soul, not of the body—a real endeavour, not a fruitless wish.
2.
Having described Christ as the foundation, the apostle goes on to speak of the
superstructure, the materials built upon him: You also, as living stones, are
built up, 1 Pet. 2:6. The apostle is recommending the Christian church and
constitution to these dispersed Jews. It was natural for them to object that
the Christian church had no such glorious temple, nor such a numerous
priesthood; but its dispensation was mean, the services and sacrifices of it
having nothing of the pomp and grandeur which the Jewish dispensation had. To
this the apostle answers that the Christian church is a much nobler fabric than
the Jewish temple; it is a living temple, consisting not of dead materials, but
of living parts. Christ, the foundation, is a living stone. Christians are
lively stones, and these make a spiritual house, and they are a holy
priesthood; and, though they have no bloody sacrifices of beasts to offer, yet they
have much better and more acceptable, and they have an altar too on which to
present their offerings; for they offer spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God
by Jesus Christ. Learn, (1.) All sincere Christians have in them a principle of
spiritual life communicated to them from Christ their head: therefore, as he is
called a living stone, so they are called lively, or living stones; not dead in
trespasses and sins, but alive to God by regeneration and the working of the
divine Spirit. (2.) The church of God is a spiritual house. The foundation is
Christ, Eph. 2:22. It is a house for its strength, beauty, variety of parts,
and usefulness of the whole. It is spiritual foundation, Christ Jesus,—in the
materials of it, spiritual persons,—in its furniture, the graces of the
Spirit,—in its connection, being held together by the Spirit of God and by one
common faith,—and in its use, which is spiritual work, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices. This house is daily built up, every part of it improving, and the
whole supplied in every age by the addition of new particular members. (3.) All
good Christians are a holy priesthood. The apostle speaks here of the
generality of Christians, and tells them they are a holy priesthood; they are
all select persons, sacred to God, serviceable to others, well endowed with
heavenly gifts and graces, and well employed. (4.) This holy priesthood must
and will offer up spiritual sacrifices to God. The spiritual sacrifices which
Christians are to offer are their bodies, souls, affections, prayers, praises,
alms, and other duties. (5.) The most spiritual sacrifices of the best men are
not acceptable to God, but through Jesus Christ; he is the only great high
priest, through whom we and our services can be accepted; therefore bring all
your oblations to him, and by him present them to God.
II.
He confirms what he had asserted of Christ being a living stone, etc., from
Isa. 28:16. Observe the manner of the apostle’s quoting scripture, not by book,
chapter, and verse; for these distinctions were not then made, so no more was
said than a reference to Moses, David, or the prophets, except once a
particular psalm was named, Acts 13:33. In their quotations they kept rather to
the sense than the words of scripture, as appears from what is recited from the
prophet in this place. He does not quote the scripture, neither the Hebrew nor
LXX., word for word, yet makes a just and true quotation. The true sense of
scripture may be justly and fully expressed in other than in scripture—words.
It is contained. The verb is active, but our translators render it passively,
to avoid the difficulty of finding a nominative case for it, which had puzzled
so many interpreters before them. The matter of the quotation is this, Behold,
I lay in Zion. Learn, 1. In the weighty matters of religion we must depend
entirely upon scripture—proof; Christ and his apostles appealed to Moses,
David, and the ancient prophets. The word of God is the only rule God hath
given us. It is a perfect and sufficient rule. 2. The accounts that God hath
given us in scripture concerning his Son Jesus Christ are what require our
strictest attention. Behold, I lay, etc. John calls for the like attention,
John 1:29. These demands of attention to Christ show us the excellency of the
matter, the importance of it, and our stupidity and dulness. 3. The
constituting of Christ Jesus head of the church is an eminent work of God: I
lay in Zion. The setting up of the pope for the head of the church is a human
contrivance and an arrogant presumption; Christ only is the foundation and head
of the church of God. 4. Jesus Christ is the chief corner-stone that God hath
laid in his spiritual building. The corner-stone stays inseparably with the
building, supports it, unites it, and adorns it. So does Christ by his holy
church, his spiritual house. 5. Jesus Christ is the corner-stone for the
support and salvation of none but such as are his sincere people: none but
Zion, and such as are of Zion; not for Babylon, not for his enemies. 6. True
faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to prevent a man’s utter confusion. Three
things put a man into great confusion, and faith prevents them
all—disappointment, sin, and judgment. Faith has a remedy for each.
III.
He deduces an important inference, 1 Pet. 2:7. Jesus Christ is said to be the
chief corner-stone. Hence the apostle infers with respect to good men, “To you
therefore who believe he is precious, or he is an honour. Christ is the crown
and honour of a Christian; you who believe will be so far from being ashamed of
him that you will boast of him and glory in him for ever.” As to wicked men,
the disobedient will go on to disallow and reject Jesus Christ; but God is
resolved that he shall be, in despite of all opposition, the head of the
corner. Learn, 1. Whatever is by just and necessary consequence deduced from
scripture may be depended upon with as much certainty as if it were contained
in express words of scripture. The apostle draws an inference from the
prophet’s testimony. The prophet did not expressly say so, but yet he said that
from which the consequence was unavoidable. Our Saviour bids them search the
scriptures, because they testified of him; and yet no place in those scriptures
to which he there refers them said that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. Yet
those scriptures do say that he who should be born of a virgin, before the
sceptre departed from Judah, during the second temple, and after Daniel’s
seventy weeks, was the Messiah; but such was Jesus Christ: to collect this
conclusion one must make use of reason, history, eye-sight, experience, and yet
it is an infallible scripture—conclusion notwithstanding. 2. The business of a
faithful minister is to apply general truths to the particular condition and
state of his hearers. The apostle quotes a passage (1 Pet. 2:6) out of the
prophet, and applies it severally to good and bad. This requires wisdom,
courage, and fidelity; but it is very profitable to the hearers. 3. Jesus
Christ is exceedingly precious to all the faithful. The majesty and grandeur of
his person, the dignity of his office, his near relation, his wonderful works,
his immense love—every thing engages the faithful to the highest esteem and
respect for Jesus Christ. 4. Disobedient people have no true faith. By
disobedient people understand those that are unpersuadable, incredulous, and
impenitent. These may have some right notions, but no solid faith. 5. Those
that ought to be builders of the church of Christ are often the worst enemies
that Christ has in the world. In the Old Testament the false prophets did the
most mischief; and in the New Testament the greatest opposition and cruelty
that Christ met with were from the scribes, pharisees, chief priests, and those
who pretended to build and take care of the church. Still the hierarchy of Rome
is the worst enemy in the world to Jesus Christ and his interest. 6. God will
carry on his own work, and support the interest of Jesus Christ in the world,
notwithstanding the falseness of pretended friends and the opposition of his
worst enemies.
IV.
The apostle adds a further description, still preserving the metaphor of a
stone, 1 Pet. 2:8. The words are taken from Isa. 8:13, 14, Sanctify the Lord of
hosts himself—and he shall be for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of
offence, whence it is plain that Jesus Christ is the Lord of hosts, and
consequently the most high God. Observe,
1.
The builders, the chief-priests, refused him, and the people followed their
leaders; and so Christ became to them a stone of stumbling, and a rock of
offence, at which they stumbled and hurt themselves; and in return he fell upon
them as a mighty stone or rock, and punished them with destruction. Matt.
12:44; Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it
shall fall it will grind him to powder. Learn, (1.) All those that are
disobedient take offense at the word of God: They stumble at the word, being
disobedient. They are offended with Christ himself, with his doctrine and the
purity of his precepts; but the Jewish doctors more especially stumbled at the
meanness of his appearance and the proposal of trusting only to him for their
justification before God. They could not be brought to seek justification by
faith, but as it were by the works of the law; for they stumbled at that
stumbling-stone, Rom. 9:32. (2.) The same blessed Jesus who is the author of
salvation to some is to others the occasion of their sin and destruction. He is
set for the rising and fall of many in Israel. He is not the author of their
sin, but only the occasion of it; their own disobedience makes them stumble at
him and reject him, which he punishes, as a judge, with destruction. Those who
reject him as a Saviour will split upon him as a Rock. (3.) God himself hath
appointed everlasting destruction to all those who stumble at the word, being
disobedient. All those who go on resolutely in their infidelity and contempt of
the gospel are appointed to eternal destruction; and God from eternity knows
who they are. (4.) To see the Jews generally rejecting Christ, and multitudes
in all ages slighting him, ought not to discourage us in our love and duty to
him; for this had been foretold by the prophets long ago, and is a confirmation
of our faith both in the scriptures and in the Messiah.
2.
Those who received him were highly privileged, 1 Pet. 2:9. The Jews were
exceedingly tender of their ancient privileges, of being the only people of
God, taken into a special covenant with him, and separated from the rest of the
world. “Now,” say they, “if we submit to the gospel—constitution, we shall lose
all this, and stand upon the same level with the Gentiles.”
(1.)
To this objection the apostle answers, that if they did not submit they were
ruined (1 Pet. 2:7, 8), but that if they did submit they should lose no real
advantage, but continue still what they desired to be, a chosen generation, a
royal priesthood, etc. Learn, [1.] All true Christians are a chosen generation;
they all make one family, a sort and species of people distinct from the common
world, of another spirit, principle, and practice, which they could never be if
they were not chosen in Christ to be such, and sanctified by his Spirit. [2.]
All the true servants of Christ are a royal priesthood. They are royal in their
relation to God and Christ, in their power with God, and over themselves and
all their spiritual enemies; they are princely in the improvements and the
excellency of their own spirits, and in their hopes and expectations; they are
a royal priesthood, separated from sin and sinners, consecrated to God, and
offering to God spiritual services and oblations, acceptable to God through
Jesus Christ. [3.] All Christians, wheresoever they be, compose one holy
nation. They are one nation, collected under one head, agreeing in the same
manners and customs, and governed by the same laws; and they are a holy nation,
because consecrated and devoted to God, renewed and sanctified by his Holy
Spirit. [4.] It is the honour of the servants of Christ that they are God’s
peculiar people. They are the people of his acquisition, choice, care, and delight.
These four dignities of all genuine Christians are not natural to them; for
their first state is a state of horrid darkness, but they are effectually
called out of darkness into a state of marvellous light, joy, pleasure, and
prosperity, with this intent and view, that they should show forth, by words
and actions, the virtues and praises of him who hath called them.
(2.)
To make this people content, and thankful for the great mercies and dignities
brought unto them by the gospel, the apostle advises them to compare their
former and their present state. Time was when they were not a people, nor had
they obtained mercy, but they were solemnly disclaimed and divorced (Jer. 3:8;
Hos. 1:6, 9); but now they are taken in again to be the people of God, and have
obtained mercy. Learn, [1.] The best people ought frequently to look back upon
what they were in time past. [2.] The people of God are the most valuable
people in the world; all the rest are not a people, good for little. [3.] To be
brought into the number of the people of God is a very great mercy, and it may
be obtained.
V.
He warns them to beware of fleshly lusts, 1 Pet. 2:11. Even the best of men,
the chosen generation, the people of God, need an exhortation to abstain from
the worst sins, which the apostle here proceeds most earnestly and
affectionately to warn them against. Knowing the difficulty, and yet the
importance of the duty, he uses his utmost interest in them: Dearly beloved, I
beseech you. The duty is to abstain from, and to suppress, the first
inclination or rise of fleshly lusts. Many of them proceed from the corruption
of nature, and in their exercise depend upon the body, gratifying some sensual
appetite or inordinate inclination of the flesh. These Christians ought to
avoid, considering, 1. The respect they have with God and good men: They are
dearly beloved. 2. Their condition in the world: They are strangers and
pilgrims, and should not impede their passage by giving into the wickedness and
lusts of the country through which they pass. 3. The mischief and danger these
sins do: “They war against the soul; and therefore your souls ought to war
against them.” Learn, (1.) The grand mischief that sin does to man is this, it
wars against the soul; it destroys the moral liberty of the soul; it weakens
and debilitates the soul by impairing its faculties; it robs the soul of its
comfort and peace; it debases and destroys the dignity of the soul, hinders its
present prosperity, and plunges it into everlasting misery. (2.) Of all sorts
of sin, none are more injurious to the soul than fleshly lusts. Carnal
appetites, lewdness, and sensuality, are most odious to God, and destructive to
man’s soul. It is a sore judgment to be given up to them.
VI.
He exhorts them further to adorn their profession by an honest conversation.
Their conversation in every turn, every instance, and every action of their
lives, ought to be honest; that is, good, lovely, decent, amiable, and without
blame: and that because they lived among the Gentiles, people of another religion,
and who were inveterate enemies to them, who did already slander them and
constantly spoke evil of them as of evil-doers. “A clean, just, good
conversation may not only stop their mouths, but may possibly be a means to
bring them to glorify God, and turn to you, when they shall see you excel all
others in good works. They now call you evil-doers; vindicate yourselves by
good works, this is the way to convince them. There is a day of visitation
coming, wherein God may call them by his word and his grace to repentance; and
then they will glorify God, and applaud you, for your excellent conversation,
Luke 1:68. When the gospel shall come among them, and take effect, a good
conversation will encourage them in their conversion, but an evil one will
obstruct it.” Note, 1. A Christian profession should be attended with an honest
conversation, Phil. 4:8. 2. It is the common lot of the best Christians to be
evil spoken of by wicked men. 3. Those that are under God’s gracious visitation
immediately change their opinion of good people, glorifying God and commending
those whom before they railed at as evil-doers.
The Bible
Panorama
1 Peter 2
V 1–3: BABES Just as
babies desire milk, so they should desire the Word of God. This implies laying
aside everything that is evil, deceitful and hypocritical in order to taste
God’s graciousness personally.
V 4–8:
BUILDING
Jesus is a living stone to us and a cornerstone. Based upon that certainty,
Christians are living stones themselves, and are built up into God’s building,
the church. Trusting in Christ means that we are built on Him. Those who reject
Him will stumble in their disobedience because of Him.
V 9–10: BELONGING As
Christians, they now belong to God, who has called them into light and praise,
as a priesthood to Him. Previously they were not His people but are now His
special people because they have obtained mercy from Him. They are chosen,
royal, holy and special.
V 11–12: BATTLE To win the
battle for holiness, the Christians are told to abstain from fleshly lusts and,
rather, glorify God by their good works. What they are will contradict the
false accusations spoken against them by their enemies.
V 13–23:
BEHAVIOUR
Because of this, their behaviour should be distinctive, and include keeping the
law, obeying authorities, doing good, honouring and fearing God. Servants
should obey masters to be a good testimony to them, even if they are made to
suffer. Christ is the supreme example of this, by life and by lip. He never
reacted to the wicked behaviour against Him.
V 24–25: BODY Peter
reminds them that Jesus was much more than a good example. In His body on the
cross, He actually bore their sins so that they should die to sin and live
righteously for Him. They have returned from their sinful straying to the
Shepherd who takes care of their souls.
Dictionary
of Bible Themes
5317
foundation
The
solid base on which a secure structure may be built; used chiefly for the base
of the temple. It is used figuratively of Jesus Christ and the apostles and
prophets as the secure foundation on which the church is built. Obedience to
the teaching of Jesus Christ is the true foundation of Christian living.
The
place of foundations in building
1Ki
5:17 Jericho rebuilt: Jos 6:26; 1Ki 16:34 Solomon builds the temple: 1Ki 6:37;
1Ki 7:10; 2Ch 3:3; 2Ch 8:16
Ezr
3:3,11-12; Ezr 4:12 restoring the walls of Jerusalem; Ezr 5:16; Ezr 6:3; Job
4:19; Isa 44:28; Eze 41:8; Hag 2:18; Zec 4:9; Zec 8:9; Ac 16:26
Destruction
of foundations is an indication of divine judgment
La
4:11 See also Dt 32:22; 2Sa 22:16; Jer 51:25-26; Eze 13:14; Eze 30:4; Mic 1:6
The
foundation of the church
Jesus
Christ 1Co 3:11 See also Isa 28:16
The
apostles and prophets Ro 15:20; 1Co 3:10; Eph 2:19-20
The
church as the foundation of God’s truth
1Ti
3:14-15 See also 2Ti 2:19
Obedience
as a secure foundation
Mt
7:24-27 pp Lk 6:46-49 See also Job 22:15-18; 1Co 3:12-15; 1Ti 6:18-19
The
foundation of the earth
Ps
102:25 See also 1Sa 2:8; Job 38:4; Ps 18:7,15; Ps 24:1-2; Ps 82:5; Pr 8:22-31;
Isa 48:13; Isa 51:13,16; Mic 6:2; Zec 12:1; Heb 1:10
The
foundations of the city of God
Heb
11:10 See also Rev 21:14,19
Figurative
use of foundation
God
himself as the foundation Isa 33:5-6
The
foundation of God’s throne Ps 89:14 See also Ps 97:2
The
need for a firm foundation in the Christian life
Mt
7:24-27; Mt 16:18; Eph 2:19-22; Heb 6:1-2; 1Pe 2:4-5
Some
Scriptures on the Christian’s Foundation
1. Jesus Christ is our Foundation.
1
Corinthians 3:11-16 English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)
11
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus
Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day
will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test
what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on
the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is
burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as
through fire.
16
Do you not know that you[a] are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in
you?
2.
The apostles and prophets are foundational to the
Church
Romans
15:15-20 New Living Translation (NLT)
15
Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing
that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace, 16 I am a special
messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that
I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy
Spirit. 17 So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done
through me in my service to God. 18 Yet I dare not boast about anything except
what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and
by the way I worked among them. 19 They were convinced by the power of
miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit.[a] In this way,
I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to
Illyricum.[b]
20
My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ
has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by
someone else.
Ephesians
2:16-22 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
16
and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, [a]by it
having put to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who
were far away, and peace to those who were near; 18 for through Him we both
have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens
with the [b]saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner
stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a
holy [c]temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a
dwelling of God in the Spirit.
3. The church as the foundation of God’s truth
1
Timothy 3:14-16 English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)
The
Mystery of Godliness
14
I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if
I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and
buttress of the truth. 16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of
godliness:
He[a]
was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated[b] by the Spirit,[c]
seen by angels,
proclaimed
among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
2
Timothy 2:14-21English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)
A
Worker Approved by God
14
Remind them of these things, and charge them before God[a] not to quarrel about
words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to
present yourself to God as one approved,[b] a worker who has no need to be
ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble,
for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will
spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have
swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They
are upsetting the faith of some. 19 But God's firm foundation stands, bearing
this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his”, and, “Let everyone who names the
name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
20
Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of
wood and clay, some for honourable use, some for dishonourable. 21 Therefore,
if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonourable,[c] he will be a vessel
for honourable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready
for every good work.
4. The need for a firm foundation in the Christian
life
Matthew
7:24-29 New Living Translation (NLT)
Building
on a Solid Foundation
24
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who
builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the
floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse
because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t
obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains
and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a
mighty crash.”
28
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his
teaching, 29 for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of
religious law.
Hebrews
6:1-3 New Living Translation (NLT)
6
So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let
us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need
to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds[a]
and placing our faith in God. 2 You don’t need further instruction about
baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal
judgment. 3 And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.
Encyclopedia
of The Bible
CHURCH,
THE
(ἐκκλησία,
G1711). The Eng. word “church” with its
cognate form, “kirk,” is derived
from the Gr. word kyriakón, signifying “the
Lord’s” or “belonging
to the Lord.” The NT equivalent ekklÄ“sÃa
was originally employed by the Greeks to denote an assembly or congregation of
free citizens summoned or “called out” by a herald in connection with public
affairs (Acts 19:39). Occasionally it was applied to an assembly of any kind
whether lawfully convened or not. In the LXX the “congregation” of Israel is
referred to as the ekklÄ“sÃa, esp. when
gathered before the Lord for religious purposes (Deut 31:30; Acts 7:38). The
Jews had been “called out”
from the nations to be God’s special
people (Rom 9:4). In its simplest meaning the word may be taken to denote the
“assembly” or “congregation” of those who are the recipients of His heavenly
grace and have been “called out” to be Christ’s witnesses in the world (1 Pet
2:9). K. L. Schmidt points out in his article in Kittel’s Wörterbuch that the
electorate (dēmos) of a Gr. city-state were called
out or summoned (ékklētoi) by the
herald (kérux). “This
naturally suggests,” he says, “that
in the Bible the reference is to God calling men out of the world.”
Schmidt suggests that Gr.-speaking Jewish Christians may have begun to use the
term ekklÄ“sÃa even
before the Apostle Paul, since they were anxious to distinguish their
communities from the Jewish synagogues.
The
actual word ekklÄ“sÃa was used
only twice by the Lord Himself. The first occasion was when Peter uttered His
great confession of faith at Caesarea Philippi (Matt 16:16ff.), and the other
instance was in the context of instructions which the Lord gave His disciples
concerning their duty toward an offending brother (Matt 18:17).
II.
The nature of the Church
The
NT offers several fig. descriptions of the Church, each one stressing some
particular aspect of its nature.
A.
The body of Christ. This phrase is used with reference to the Church universal
(Eph 1:22; Col 1:18), but it is applied also to a single congregation (1 Cor
12:27). The use of this metaphor lays emphasis on the unity of the Church, the
interdependence of its members, and their vital relationship with its Head, the
Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
B.
The temple of the Holy Spirit (or of God). In the OT, the Temple—and the
Tabernacle before it—was the place where God had chosen to dwell in the midst
of His people. By the use of this figure emphasis is placed on the fact that
Christians individually and corporately are indwelt by God the Holy Spirit;
thus the church at Corinth is a temple of God in which the Holy Spirit dwells
(1 Cor 3:16). In the epistle to the Ephesians Paul speaks of believers as
growing into “a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph 2:21); while the Apostle Peter
describes believers as “living stones” which are built up into “a spiritual
house” (1 Pet 2:5). By the use of such imagery the accent is placed on the
holiness of the Church and also on the fact that it constitutes a worshiping
community.
C.
The new or heavenly Jerusalem. In the NT the Church is seen to be the spiritual
counterpart of Jerusalem as the Jews had regarded that city (Rev 3:12; 21:2).
Under the old covenant Mount Zion was the place upon which Israel’s worship was
centered, and Jerusalem in a special sense was regarded as the place of the
divine Presence (Heb 12:22). The concept of a “new Jerusalem” is a familiar one
in the OT.
D.
The new Israel. The Apostle Paul visualized the Church as being a “new Israel”
raised up. The old Israel had failed, and God’s judgment had fallen upon it.
The Lord had said in one of His parables, “the kingdom of God will be taken away
from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it” (Matt 21:43).
Christians, whether Jews or Gentiles, are to regard themselves as “the seed of
Abraham” (Gal 3:29). Similarly the Apostle Peter takes phrases which were
originally applicable to ancient Israel and applies them to the Christian
Church (1 Pet 2:9). The “new Israel” knows no racial barriers, but embraces all
those who truly belong to Christ.
E.
The pillar and bulwark of the truth. This expression is found in 1 Timothy 3:15
with reference to the Church in general. The implication is that the Church is
the guardian of God’s truth and the defender of it. The Church is grounded on
the truth, and is the citadel of it.
F.
The household of God. The emphasis is on the fact that Christians have been
born into God’s family, and therefore stand in a special relationship to Him as
well as to one another (Gal 6:10). Knowing the same Father, they should
recognize themselves to be brothers and sisters in Christ.
G.
The bride of Christ. The marriage relationship is used in Scripture as an
illustration of the relation between God and His people Israel, and between
Christ and His Church. In the gospels there are a number of references
picturing Christ as the heavenly Bridegroom (e.g., Matt 9:15; 25:1-12; Mark
2:19; Luke 5:34, 35). John the Baptist is represented as the “friend of the
bridegroom” (John 3:29). In the Book of Revelation there are the most explicit
references to the Church as being the Bride of Christ. In Revelation 19:7 the
Church is seen as the Bride of the Lamb. In the same ch. the “wedding” is
pictured whereby the Bride begins her consummated life in the new age.
The
NT has a number of different metaphorical descriptions of the Church, which
reveal varied names which are used to describe those who make up the membership
of the Church. Originally the Church appeared as a sect within Judaism, the
“sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5). Christians themselves preferred to be
known as those who belonged to “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14).
When Paul wrote to the different churches which he had founded, he almost
invariably addressed them as “saints” (Rom 1:7, etc.). These same people were
reminded on various occasions that they were witnesses (Acts 1:8), fellow
citizens (Eph 2:19), soldiers of Jesus Christ (2 Tim 2:3), stewards of the
grace (1 Pet 4:10), and aliens and exiles as far as this world is concerned (1
Pet 2:11). They were to see themselves as constituting “a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people” (1 Pet 2:9).
Be
Blessed today
Yours
by His Grace, for the sake of His Kingdom & His Church
Blair
Humphreys
Southport, Merseyside, England
