The Priesthood of All Believers, Part Three

We have been studying the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers as found in 1 Peter 2:1-10. In this study of verses 4-9 we want to examine what Peter says about coming to Christ, the living Stone. As an introduction, I would like to mention that the passage begins, “As you come to him. . .” and from the Greek text we know that means continually coming to him “. . . the living Stone–rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him–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.” Then Peter supports his identification of Jesus Christ as the living Stone by quoting three Old Testament scriptures. First, “”For in Scripture it says, ‘See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame'” (Is. 28:16). Second, “Now to you who believe, the stone is precious [which in the Greek says, “Therefore, consequently, to you believers is honor”] but to those who do not believe, the stone the builders rejected has become the capstone'” (Ps. 118:22). Third, “‘A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall'” (Is. 8:14). Then Peter makes a very important point: “They stumble because they disobey the message–which is also what they were destined for,” meaning disobedience proves that certain people are predestined for that end, which should sober us. And finally Peter says,”But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

A Corruption of the Gospel

In our previous study of this passage, I said that if one asked, “What must I do to be saved?” the Roman Catholic church would say, “Come to the church.” And if you went to the church, you would be told, “Come to the priest.” If you went to the priest, the priest would give you sacraments through which you would be saved. We must note that reception of the sacraments does not require that you have a certain believing disposition or that the priests must believe in God. In this system, salvation is deposited in the church, particularly in the priesthood, and dispensed through the sacraments. On what is this view of salvation based? It is based on the argument that the church is built upon the foundation of Peter because God gave Peter the keys of the kingdom to admit people into or expel people from the kingdom of God. Peter became the pastor of the church of Rome, and so salvation, it is argued, is found only in the church of Rome, pastored by Peter and his successors. Salvation cannot be found anywhere else.

This view is a corruption of the biblical gospel. True biblical salvation requires, first of all, the preaching of the gospel, the proclamation of the person and work of Jesus Christ–that Christ died for our sins, Christ was buried, and Christ was raised up on the third day according to the Scriptures for our justification. And so the biblical answer to “What must I do to be saved?” is, “Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved,” The biblical gospel introduces a Savior who knew no sin but who became sin for us and died as our substitute on the cross, and says that if one believes in him, trusting in him and not just in propositions, that individual shall be saved.

There is one more question: How can a person believe in Christ? The Bible teaches us the doctrine of total depravity, meaning that all people are sinful, ungodly, wicked enemies of God. People do not naturally seek after God. You may disagree with this and ask, “Don’t you realize that there are religious people throughout the world? Don’t you think that they are seeking after God?” But I must say, “No. In the very act of seeking after other religions, we see the rebellion and enmity of people against the true and living God.” We must understand this. People are not naturally pious and nice, but rather, they manifest their enmity against Almighty God and his way of salvation by creating and following their own religions. So we must ask that if every human being is a sinner–without strength, ungodly, wicked, corrupt, depraved, spiritually dead, an enemy–how in the world can he or she believe in the gospel and on the Lord Jesus Christ? In this epistle Peter tells us that God the Father causes a person to be born again into a living hope as the gospel is preached. As the individual is called to God through the gospel, that individual is renewed, sensitized to God, and made alive. Then he will understand the gospel and “come to him,” as we are told in 1 Peter 2:4.

Coming To Christ

To whom is a sinner coming? In his quotation from Isaiah 28, “as you come to him, the living Stone,” Peter is referring to the Lord Jehovah of the Old Testament. And so we must notice how easily Peter now gives that title to Jesus Christ. “Coming to him” means coming to Jesus Christ the Lord. It is not coming to a church or a pope or a priestly class. And this coming to Jesus Christ means confiding in him and putting ourselves upon him as the living Stone, the sure foundation. Any church teaches that salvation is through sacraments, or that one cannot go to God immediately in the name of Jesus Christ but must be represented by a priest, is teaching a false, corrupted gospel. The gospel of the Bible declares that we can come to Christ, enabled and energized by God who gives us new life and understanding into the gospel. We can come directly to him without the mediation of any man, woman, or church.

Rejected by Men, Precious to God

This Lord Jesus Christ to whom we are coming was rejected by men. The religious authorities of the New Testament–Caiaphas and Annas and elders and Pharisees and teachers and scribes and leaders–all looked at Jesus, the living Stone, like builders examine building materials. They turned this Stone up and down, looking him over carefully. They saw his miracles and heard his teaching. They analyzed him completely, and what did they declare? Christ was worthless, says Peter, “rejected by men.” In the sight of man, in the evaluation of these builders, who were the religious authorities, Jesus was a blasphemer, a Samaritan, a wine-bibber, a friend of sinners, and a demon-possessed person. But then Peter says this Stone is chosen and precious–to whom? To God the Father. To God he is chosen before the foundation of the world, from all eternity, to be our Savior. He is God’s unique Son, the only Son, concerning whom we are told, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” and of whom God said, “Hear ye him” and be saved. And not only that but in Colossians 2:9 we read that in this Son dwells all Deity, the fullness of Deity bodily; in other words, this precious one is God himself. He who knew no sin is God and Lord. He is the Creator and the Sustainer of the universe. No sparrow can fall to the ground without his sovereign order and control. Your heart is now beating because this one is permitting it to beat. It will stop one day, and even that will be in accordance with his will. Abraham Kuiper, a great theologian and the prime minister of Holland, said that there is no square inch in the entire universe which is not under God’s sovereign control.

The World Evaluates the Stone

Let us, then, further consider the valuation of this Stone. Citing Isaiah, Peter says Jesus is the chosen, precious foundation Stone. What is the background of that quotation? In Isaiah 28 Isaiah was speaking against the thinking of the people of Judah. The prophets were speaking about loving and serving God, but the people rejected their words. Instead, they were saying, No, that is Sunday School moralism, like the ABCs. That is “here a little, there a little.” That type of thinking doesn’t help. What we need is political acumen and power. We can solve problems by striking up alliances. We need to see who is the greatest power in the world, which was Assyria, and be in alliance with that power. These people did not want to hear what Isaiah was saying, that God loved his people and wanted to help them, build them up, and solve their problems.

We need to pause here and ask if we are doing the same thing. How often do we think we know how to solve problems without God’s help? We have a way of leaning onto our own understanding. Our minds work and we come up with many answers. If one doesn’t work, we find one that does.

God Evaluates the Stone

What was God’s answer to these people? In Isaiah 28, beginning with verse 14, we read, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers. . .” These people had scoffed at God’s answer. They had mocked it, saying, That is just religious language, and as you know, religion is something that does not work in the real world, in the marketplace. Religion is for the privacy of your closet, but it doesn’t solve any problems of the real world. “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. You boast, ‘We have entered into a covenant with death. . . .” death here stands for Assyria, “with the grave we have made an agreement.” The prophet is mocking these people, telling them that their political alliance will result in death. “When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place'” (Is. 28:14-15).

The educated people, the philosophers, the economic analysts of the world always laugh at God’s ways of solving human problems. But what does Isaiah say? Verse 16: “So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion. . .'” speaking about God’s only Son, the second person of the Trinity. Laying a stone meant he was going to destroy them and then build something new. This stone was a tested stone, meaning one tested by God himself. Christ was tested by Satan and tested by the world. He who knew no sin stood all the tests, and God said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” How else did Isaiah describe this stone? He said it was precious, and Peter tells us about the preciousness of Jesus Christ in the evaluation of his Father, which is all that matters.

The Foundation Stone

What was the purpose of this precious cornerstone? It was given to be a sure foundation in the new edifice that God was going to build. Having destroyed every other structure, he would build a new edifice, and Jesus Christ, the chosen, precious, tested cornerstone, would be the foundation.

This foundation stone is trustworthy. In verse 16 Isaiah also says, “the one who trusts will never be dismayed,” meaning those who trust in this living stone, will not be ashamed but will be saved. In other words, here Isaiah declares that all human solutions will wind up in death and the grave, in shame and destruction, but God has an answer that comes through this Stone, and that answer results in salvation. In Isaiah 7 we read about King Ahaz, who was also seeking political alliances. He thought he knew how to handle things, but Isaiah told him if he trusted in God, God would help him. In fact, Isaiah told Ahaz to ask God for a sign to show that God would help him. How did Ahaz respond? “Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test'” (v. 12). He said he did not want to tempt God. But Isaiah said, “Will you try the patience of my God? . . .Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son'” (v. 13-14). You see, Jesus Christ is God’s solution for the problems of the world.

God the Father laid the foundation stone. And what is this foundation all about? It is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ made atonement so that we can trust in him and be saved. That is the foundation. Where is he laying this foundation stone? In Zion, where Jesus was crucified, buried and raised up; in Zion, where the Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost; in Zion, from which the gospel was proclaimed and spread to all parts of the world. After everything else was destroyed, there is a new beginning taking place in Zion. The Father esteems Jesus Christ as the foundation stone, the head stone, the cornerstone, the living stone–a living stone that makes alive every other stone and nourishes its life. And built on the foundation of him who is called chosen and precious, a new edifice, a new temple of God, rises up. This new temple is the habitation of God, and it is constructed out of building materials called the elect and chosen of God. When we who are Christians come to the house of God, may God help us to see that we are coming into a place where God dwells in his people by his Spirit.

Believers Esteem the Stone

This foundation stone, which is rejected by the world but chosen and precious to God, is also esteemed by believers. We must remember that we were ungodly sinners, enemies of God, dead in trespasses and sins, and without strength to come to him. But the gospel was preached to us, and God made us alive to a living hope, causing us to born again by the living and abiding word. Our eyes were opened to the glory of Christ, and we were enabled to understand the preciousness of this one.

Some Are Blinded

We must appreciate what God has done for us! In 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 we read, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. . . .” Those who are perishing shall never come to value Jesus Christ as God the Father values him. The gospel is veiled to them with a thick veil of unbelief. They will mock Christ and try to get away from him. They will examine him, but in the end they will reject him. And in this passage St. Paul gives the reason why some are not fascinated by Jesus Christ, and why some do not trust in him, fall before him and call him Lord. Paul writes, “The god of this age”–that is Satan– “has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God,” meaning that he is God himself.

Do you understand that? What is the problem with your father and mother and uncle? What is the problem with your professor? What is the problem with a person who makes much money, or one who makes no money? The god of this age has blinded them. And this blindness prevents the person from seeing the glory of Christ who is the image of God. Where do you see this glory? In the gospel. It is not found anywhere else. That is why gospel preaching is extremely important, because the gospel proclaims, declares, placards, exalts, and lifts up Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Some Are Enlightened

Many people are blinded. But then Paul says, “For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” We must understand that we did not come to Christ through our own research and understanding. No, something happened to us and we were enlightened. In the same way God said, “Let there be light” and there was light at the creation of the world, he now said, “Let there be light”–that was effectual calling and new birth–and our eyes were opened to see the glory and the preciousness of Jesus Christ, so much so that we cried out to him: “Save us, Lord!”

We must praise God for our salvation! There is a false gospel preached that says that when you trusted in Christ somehow through your own ability, God saved you. We hear this quite often. Most modern gospel preaching says that people are not all that bad, and that when they turn to God, he will turn to them. If they stretch out their hands first, he will stretch out his hand and grasp them. This is not biblical salvation.

God Must Enlighten Us

In the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13, Jesus spoke about the gospel, the kingdom of God, and himself. And in verse 11 he told his disciples, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you but not them,” meaning there is a difference, a distinction among people. Some understand and appreciate the gospel–maybe not fully, but they do understand it, while others do not. So this illumination, this understanding, is a gift of God to us. Our eyes have been opened to understand the nature of the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 13:44 Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all that he had and bought the field.” Illumination was given to this man to see that this was not just a useless stone that makes people stumble. He realized that this stone was really a treasure of inestimable value–something chosen and precious. It was Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the world. When that revelation came to this man, what did he do? He covered it all up, because it did not belong to him yet, went with great joy and and sold all that he had, and bought the field and the stone. Like this man, once we are given understanding into Christ, we will forsake everything and follow Jesus Christ. Our behavior is based on enlightenment.

God must enlighten us. In Matthew 16:15 Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” That is the greatest question ever asked. What was the answer? “Simon Peter said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven'” (vv. 16-17). You see, Peter’s blindness was removed. He was enlightened by the Father and given revelation into the preciousness of his Son so that he could say, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Another time many of Jesus’ disciples turned back from following him, and Jesus asked the Twelve, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” What did Peter say then? “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” meaning he understood that God was taking the initiative to save them. And again, the Father revealed this to Peter and the others. This knowledge did not come out of their own research or understanding. It was a gift granted to them.

Those Enlightened by God Will Come to Him

In Matthew 11:27-29 Jesus said, “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” No one will know who the Father and the Son are unless that knowledge is given to that individual. And to those people Jesus would say, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Why? Jesus is rest, peace, righteousness, life, hope, heaven, and eternal life. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” All who are enlightened by God and given understanding of who Jesus Christ is will come to him. We do not have to play the organ in a certain way or sing a little chorus to make those people come. No. Impelled, propelled, attracted, motivated, and powered by heaven, they will come. And they will come, not to negotiate, but to acknowledge wholeheartedly that Jesus Christ is Lord. They will fall down before him, worship him, trust him and follow him.

Salvation is through Christ Alone

This chosen, precious Stone, Jesus Christ, is our only hope for salvation. In Acts 4:12 Peter declared, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” You see, Peter was given an understanding into the preciousness of Jesus Christ. Salvation is found in Christ alone.

We must preach this gospel throughout the world. Will it be welcomed everywhere? No. We recently heard of a man who came to know Christ and publicly identified himself as a Christian. As a result of his profession, this man was tried and found guilty of blasphemy, and his wife, children, and job were taken away from him. He was stripped of all privileges, but forbidden to leave the country. This was actually gracious treatment, because he could have been killed for believing in Christ. Should we preach this gospel in such a situation? Yes, we must proclaim it throughout the whole world. Why? “Salvation is found in no one else , for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Are There Other Means of Salvation?

Some people, especially young people, think salvation will come through other means, such as achieving great athletic feats. Think of our modern Olympic games. I am sure some athletes think they are saved now. Why? They achieved great things. To some, anyone who got even a bronze medal is saved. If one gets a silver medal, that person is very saved. And if one gets a gold medal, he or she is completely and totally saved. If one gets two, three, four, or five medals, that person is very, very, very saved.

Does athletic prowess result in salvation? We must realize that we think this way sometimes when we exalt those who accomplish much. We must remember that Paul said bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable in this life and in the life to come, because it alone has promise of life (1 Tim. 4:8). There is salvation to be found in no one else but Jesus Christ.

Have You Evaluated Christ?

What is your evaluation of Jesus Christ? Are you trusting in him, or are you looking him over and giving him back? We must remember that God the Father calls him precious, chosen, and of great value. I am glad that God opened my eyes, removed the veil from my mind and heart so that I was able to see the glory of Jesus Christ. I came to him, and if you are a Christian, you also came without negotiating. It is an illusion to think that salvation can be found in anything else. God opened the eyes of St. Paul. Paul had evaluated Jesus Christ and concluded that he hated him. He was an enemy of God who acted like a wild beast, breathing out slaughter and threatening against God, his Son, and his people (Acts 9). But when God arrested him and gave him a revelation as to who Jesus Christ is, Paul instantly understood and began to preach in Damascus that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God and Savior of the world. In the book of Galatians Paul speaks about this revelation which was granted to him: “But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles. . . .” (Gal. 1:15-16). And eventually, in God’s time, Paul died for his faith in Christ.

Let me ask you: Have your eyes been opened to see who Jesus Christ is? I know you are fascinated with things of the world. I know you have passions. But has God opened your eyes to see the glory of his Son? If not, you are of all people most to be pitied. If he has opened your eyes to see his preciousness, then you will say, Iesous Kurios –Jesus is Lord. No one is going to confess that Jesus is Lord without this revelation from God. That is what we did, and Romans 10:9 tells us “if you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”–forever! Neither death nor life can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. That is what salvation is all about.

Enlightened Ones Worship

All our needs are met in Jesus Christ. We have been enabled to see the worthiness of Jesus and to value him who is beyond valuation. So we worship and adore him, because worship is recognition of the infinite worth of the person of Jesus and of our own worthlessness. Worthy is the Lamb!

In the book of Revelation, we read what some of people are doing in terms of recognizing the preciousness of Jesus Christ. From God our Father and from his church, this One is receiving glory and honor: “And when he had taken [the scroll], the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.’ Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’ The four living creatures said, ‘Amen,’ and the elders fell down and worshipped. (Rev. 5:8-14).

Are You Worshiping This Stone?

Do you worship Christ? Do you recognize who he is? Are you fascinated by his glory, his transcendence, his work, and his person? Are you fascinated by the gospel? Let me say again, salvation is found in Christ alone. God the Father through the Spirit is still enlightening people. He is still saying, “Let there be light!” This is called the new creation, and when God does this to you, instantly you see the transcendence, the might, the wonder, the greatness of Jesus Christ. You become all excited and will do anything and everything for Christ. God may say, “Cut off an evil relationship.” What will you say? “Oh, absolutely–no problem. What else do you want me to do?” Hate your father, mother, sister, uncle, and your own life, and deny yourself, take up the cross daily and follow me.” If you know who Jesus Christ is, you will do anything and everything for him. Even if you are offered all the gold in the belly of the earth, you will instead choose to serve Christ.

May God have mercy upon us and open the eyes of our understanding, that we may know that he has given us his Son, the chosen, precious, tested foundation stone. May we trust in him that we may be saved forever and that we may be fully satisfied in him.