Paul's main intention in Ephesians 2 is to let Gentile converts know that they have equal privileges with Israelite converts. We are being created into Jesus Christ's image, and leadership is what God is looking for in us. How? God first addresses their "works." As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 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. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. ‣ ).They were gathered out of cultivated fields ( Isaiah 5:2; Compare 2 Kings 3:19).This word is also used figuratively of believers ( 1 Peter 2:4 1 Peter 2:5), and of the Messiah ( Psalms 118:22; Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11, etc. We are those stones, planned for a specific spot for which God is preparing us. The world's approach to salvation focuses almost exclusively on being saved by confessing Jesus Christ as Savior. It is active and dynamic, indicating that the building is being done by somebody else. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Ye also — Believing in him with a loving and obedient faith, as lively — Greek, ζωντες, living, stones — Quickened and made alive to God by spiritual life derived from him, are built up — Upon him, and in union with each other; a spiritual house — Spiritual yourselves; and a habitation of God through the Spirit. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. A building block or stone, used to construct a spiritual house or a temple, must be sound. 6 For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be … These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. Introduction. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. The Lord Jesus is the living stone. Whatever his origins, each individual forms a separate piece of the "building," and all fitted together provide a habitation for God. 75 likes. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Peter's illustration is of a construction job. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. If God is active and present in us, we are living stones and part of His spiritual Temple. See more. You cannot serve God and money.”. The living Stone is “precious” to those who believe (1 Peter 2:7), but some men reject the living Stone in order to build their lives their own way, not God’s way (see Psalm 118:22 and Luke 6:46–49). The Living Stone and a Chosen People. Suffering is part of the process of quarrying, sizing, polishing, and preparing us, the living stones, for our roles in God's Kingdom. Christ will appoint only those already prepared for these positions. I Stone. These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. ‣ (ibid.). He was in the beginning with God. You are all part of this building in which God himself lives by his Spirit. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Q Then he built the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the ceiling he overlaid the walls on t… Just as the Temple had many types of stones, rocks. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Blog, A Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. The issue is resolved because Christ, the Lamb, is qualified to open it because of what He has already accomplished. 5 You also are like living stones, and God is using you to build a spiritual house. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. A great deal of sacrifice awaits us once we commit ourselves to the salvation process, which prepares us for our responsibilities in the Temple of God. The church is His House, the "House of God" (I Timothy 3:15). The scripture tells us that we are chosen “in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”. Because of His grace, blessings, and gifts, we will be fulfilling a precise role in His holy Temple. Much of the rock chosen was probably the hard white limestone found near Jerusalem, but Solomon's builders found many other beautiful stones, boulders, and pillars from all over the known world. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—. "Chief cornerstone" is mentioned in verse 6, and like the chief cornerstone, each of us, as living stones, are being individually set apart from all of the other rocks in the field, then prepared and fitted into what is called "a spiritual house." God needs gems, stones, and boulders of different shapes, sizes, materials, and colors to finish His beautiful House. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. G No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. 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. Somebody else is picking up the stones, knocking off the rough edges, and fitting them exactly into the place where the Builder wants them to go. ‣ If rocks could speak, they would probably complain bitterly about the harshness of the chisel and saw. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, Matthew 16:18 ESV / 10 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 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 marvelous light. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”. Living stones will come from all around the world, from different "quarries." Let the life of Jesus sink into your mind and heart with 312 readings from the gospels—one for … S Publication date: Dec 16, 2020. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious. In Peter's illustration, the stone mason looks over a selection of stones in a field, but only chooses certain ones, which he then crafts to His specifications for its place in the building. OpenBible.info 4 As you come to him, the living Stone —rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 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. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. In the original context in Isaiah, the “cornerstone” is a figure for justice. The Living Stone and the Holy Nation. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. ye also, as living stone s, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to … He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. No one comes to the Father except through me. ‣ ‣ Christ The Rock Christ's Life Precious. It shows Christians being transformed into a suitable dwelling place for God—individually and as an institution, as a church. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. (From Forerunner Commentary). But the passage isn’t done. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The hewing, chipping, sizing, and polishing are all vital parts to making each stone fit the Architect's blueprints please the Master Builder, God the Father. P So come to him. ‣ Notice the phrase "being built up." For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ", John W. Ritenbaugh L The foundation of God’s building is His Son, Jesus Christ, the “living Stone.” The “living stones,” in turn, are believers who come to Jesus and place their lives upon this foundation. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone. ... And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. We must sacrifice significant parts of our lives, habits, cultures, reasoning, and values to be transformed into one of God's jewels (Malachi 3:17), a gem fit for our Master, which is His will and desire for each of us (Romans 12:1-2). And God saw that the light was good. Solomon's building was the "Temple of God" because of God's presence, and so it is today. So come to him. Even Jesus experienced "the quarry," as God perfected Him for His dual role as High Priest and King of Kings, by what He suffered: [Jesus], in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. Livingstone definition, Scottish missionary and explorer in Africa. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But what is God's reply to him? Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’, 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.”, So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”. It helps to know that the term “kings and priests” is better translated as “kingdom of priests,” as numerous modern translations render it. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. ‣ M In his mind's eye, as he was writing this, he saw a literal building being built by a stone mason, God, with His Son Jesus Christ. So Solomon built the house and finished it. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, ... And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit. Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com. ... For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Worship is our response to God, and real worship is the offering of our everyday life to Him. We must prepare to lead in the Kingdom of God. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 4 As you come to him, the living Stone —rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 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. Stones were commonly used for buildings, also as memorials of important events ( Genesis 28:18; Joshua 24:26 Joshua 24:27; 1 Samuel 7:12, etc. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. H ‣ 1 Peter 2:4-25 New International Version (NIV) The Living Stone and a Chosen People. Catholic Online has many special features to help you find the information you are looking for. Both of these future positions help us focus on what we are to do within our calling now before the events of Revelation 5 and 14 occur. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. Y 2 Therefore put away all wickedness, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking. The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 2:5. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. That the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. That process is not all fun! N It is called the Holy Place. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? He knows exactly what "stone" He wants and where He needs it. Can that faith save him? Visit the Bible online to search for words if you don’t know the specific passage your’re looking for. After the party had gone 300 miles, Livingstone was obliged to throw away some of the books because of the fatigue of those carrying his baggage. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Being living stones embraces the knowledge that we are all special. Come to the Living Stone. I ask, then, has God rejected his people? 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. Builders rejected has become the cornerstone human beings and imagine stones out in a field or Temple! In which God is with man goats on the foundation, God is eternal life in Christ himself. 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