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Bible Study Commentary

1 PETER

4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men 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.

In this passage, instead of giving the Christians a command on Christian living, Peter will make them aware of what God is doing to them as they live in the midst of an unbelieving society. We must realize that Peter’s exhortation focuses more on the Christian as a community of believers rather than as individuals.

What is the basic image you see in our current passage?

answer: The image of the believers as the spiritual house of God.

What is Peter’s basis for identifying Jesus as the living Stone?

answer: The Old Testament prophecies in which he quoted later in this epistle (see verse 2:6-8).

How can the early believers relate to the experience of Jesus Christ as the living Stone rejected by men but accepted by God?

answer: As we have learned from chapter 1, the early believers were aliens in their society and suffered rejection and discrimination, but at the same time God chose them to be His people.

What is the ‘spiritual house’ mentioned in verse 5?

answer: The Greek word can mean any building or household. The mention of priesthood and sacrifices tells us that Peter is thinking of a religious building, specifically the temple of God. Peter is not thinking of the physical temple but rather a spiritual one.

What is the significance of God’s temple and priesthood in the mind of the early believers?

answer: Unlike churches or synagogues, there is only one temple and it is located in Jerusalem. It is the place God designated to represent His dwelling place here on earth. It is the place where man meets God through the worship of sacrifices and offerings. The priests are man’s representatives before God. They are the one who has been given the right to approach God on behalf of the people as they offer their sacrifices and offerings to God. The priests perform all the ministries and duties necessary for the function of the temple.

How does the believers become the temple of God and assume the position of priesthood?

answer: When the believers accept Christ, the living Stone, they also become like living stones that God is using in order to build a spiritual house. They are also given the right of a priesthood to approach God and to minister in that house such as offering spiritual sacrifices to God.

We should understand Peter’s idea is not that each believer is a spiritual house, rather each of them became a material (living stone) in building the spiritual house. It means, as a community they become God’s spiritual house (temple) in this world. In this sense, we can say that the believers become the new temple of God that replaced the temple in Jerusalem. God’s presence is among them and it is through them that others can approach and know God.

What are the spiritual sacrifices Peter is talking about?

answer: Peter did not elaborate or explain this statement in his epistle. He did mention, however, that such sacrifices are acceptable to God, they are spiritual, and are offered through Jesus Christ. We can assume that he is taking it for granted that the original readers know what he is talking about. From reading Romans 12:1, Philippians 4:8, and Hebrew 13:15-16, we can say that our own bodies living in holiness and obedience to God, our work of labor and service for God, our praises, worship and thanksgiving, and all of our good works are examples of the spiritual sacrifices that Peter is talking about.

What is the most important characteristic of our spiritual offering to God?

answer: The phrase "through Jesus Christ" means that all of our offerings are presented and accepted only through Jesus Christ. Not only that our offering should be done on behalf of Jesus Christ, but they should always be done with the right motives. Offering and sacrifices (good works) done in selfish motives will never be honored and accepted by God.

How important it is to recognize that we are God’s "temple" in our local community?

answer: Just like the temple in the Bible, it means that God has chosen us to represent Him to the people in this world. It is through us the God can manifest His presence and reality to others who do not know Him. It is through us that God can reach and talk to those that are lost. Any group of believers that are not able to manifest the reality of God to the people around them has failed to fulfill God’s purpose for his church in this world.

Since God is building us together to be a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, how should this truth influence our attitude toward each other as Christians?

answer: This truth should encourage us to strive for unity and love among believers. Although we may have different gifts, abilities and ministries, God designed us to be effective in our service to Him not as separate individuals but as one body ministering together. We should not allow jealousy, competition and division to weaken our relationship with each other.

Is there anything else that you can learn from Lesson 8? How would you apply it to your life today?

Summary of Lesson 9: Peter taught the early believers that God is building a spiritual house, and each believer that has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ is the part that makes up that building. As priests in this spiritual house (temple) they were given the right to approach God and offer spiritual sacrifices to Him. This temple (the believers) is the representative of God in the midst of their unbelieving society.  Let's go to Lesson 10.

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