“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," and "A stone
of stumbling, and a rock of offense." They stumble because they disobey
the word, as they were destined to do.”
(1Peter 2:6-8 ESV)
In our society, today, we have an attitude of
entitlement. When bad things happen to us, we don’t think we deserve them.
However, we do believe that we deserve every good thing. We believe that we’re
deserving of every blessing God has to offer.
We must bear in mind that God’s blessing is
not granted to us because of any inherent goodness in ourselves. Nor is it granted
to us because of anything that we do. It’s given to us through faith.
Peter told us previously
that, as believers, we are being built into a spiritual house. He now carries
this picture into the above passage. And we see that Jesus is the cornerstone
of this house.
In other words, the
entire house is dependent upon him. It is built on him. He is the foundation
upon which the rest of the building takes shape.
For this reason, according to Peter, the one
who believes in Jesus will not be put to shame. Being incorporated into this
house is an honor that God has given to those who believe. It’s a privilege
that he gives to those who trust in him.
Those without faith in Christ, those who do
not believe in him, will not share in this honor. They will not share in this
blessing. Instead, Jesus will be for them a stone of stumbling. He will be the
cause of their downfall.
In this way, Peter makes it clear that
everything is dependent upon Jesus. We receive the blessings of God through
faith in him alone. And, if we reject him, if we fail to trust in him, we can
receive no blessing. In that case, we will receive only the consequences of our sin.
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