Building Up the Church as Living Stones

“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 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.” (I Peter 2:4-5 NKJV)

(https://www.bible.com/bible/114/1pe.2.4-5.nkjv)

Every time I see this scripture I’m reminded of the difficulty our ensemble had picking a name for our brief tour back in 1974. It’s a silly story, but I’d like to share it, nonetheless.

Three of the six ensemble members were on the Bible Quiz team, with I Peter having been among the books we had just studied that competition season. The vocal group had won the vocal ensemble division of the Assemblies of God National Teen Talent competition, so our Bible Quiz coach set up a tour that following spring break for us to minister in churches in Pennsylvania, New York City and upstate New York.

If you have ever gone through the process of naming a group, especially with only teenagers involved in the discussion, you can imagine some of the crazy names we threw out there. We wanted something different and catchy, but with some spiritual significance. Since half of us had just quizzed using the King James Version, we even bandied about, “Peculiar People,” from this same chapter but it had connotations with which we were not comfortable.

Eventually we settled on the moniker, “Living Stones,” pulled from this passage. It seemed to fit our criteria and also had a sneaky double entendre possibility which entertained us. “What,” one may ask, “is the spiritual significance of such a name?”

The Church is not a church (or a building); it is a living organism, made up of us, the believers, with Jesus at its head. Paul uses the analogy of a body to great effect in I Corinthians 12, following it up with the great love chapter (13) to emphasize that all that he just said is of little use if not motivated by love. For this reason, we are often referred to as the Body of Christ; He is the head; we are the arms, legs, fingers, toes, eyes, ears, etc.

Peter’s analogy here is the Church as a living structure, using stonemasonry terms. In this case, Christ is the Chief Cornerstone and we, the individual believers, are all living stones. We are all held together by the masonry of love, care and concern for one another, forming a sturdy structure built on the foundation of faith. In the Related Scriptures below, you can see many instances in both Old and New Testament where Jesus is referred to in this context.

A much more involved study could be undertaken based on this line of thinking. Suffice it to say, the trials we go through help make us more sturdy building materials as part of the church. James wrote about trials in this regard in his letter (James 1:2-8, 12-20) and Peter had previously referenced it earlier in this first epistle (I Peter 1:6-9). Paul talks about edifying (or building up) the church in multiple places, another construction-related term.

What we have to ask ourselves is, “What kind of building material am I? Am I wood, hay and stubble, which will not last when put to the test, or a well-formed, well-fired brick, or perhaps a stolid stone shaped in the crucible of pressure, which can withstand the most stout of tests?

All of us are living stones; let us be worthy of our place in the structure. He will place us where He most needs us and He best knows we will succeed.

Related Scriptures

“The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.” (Psalms 118:22 NKJV)

“Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

‘Behold, I lay in Zion

A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,

And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.’

“Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,

‘The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone,’

and

‘A stone of stumbling

And a rock of offense.’

“They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” (I Peter 2:6-10 NKJV)

“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:

‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation,

A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;

Whoever believes will not act hastily.” (Isaiah 28:16 NKJV)

“Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written:

‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,

And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’” (Romans 9:32-33 NKJV)

“For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’” (Romans 10:11 NKJV)

“Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

This was the LORD’s doing,

And it is marvelous in our eyes”?’” (Matthew 21:42 NKJV)

“Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against . . ..’” (Luke 2:34 NKJV)

“‘He will be as a sanctuary,

But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense

To both the houses of Israel,

As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.’” (Isaiah 8:14 NKJV)

“For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (I Corinthians 1:22-24 NKJV)

“And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased.” (Galatians 5:11 NKJV)

“What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?” (Romans 9:22-24 NKJV)