Site Search Engine

Food, Temple and Priesthood

1 Peter 2.1 to 10

God has a plan, a special purpose, in calling believers to a holy manner of life. The Church of God, of which every believer is a member, is a "spiritual house" and a "holy priesthood" (v.5). King Solomon built a temple in Jerusalem to be the house of God and the centre of worship, although admitting it was only a symbol (1 Kings 8.27). For centuries the Israelite priesthood of Aaronic descent served in the temple, offering animal sacrifices in accordance with the law of Moses.

All this, however, was only a "shadow of the truth" for such sacrifices never could take sin away (Hebrews 10.4). Now God has established a "superior thing" - He has a spiritual and holy temple (1 Corinthians 3.17), where the Spirit lives, and a spiritual and holy priesthood, which offers Him acceptable worship (John 4.23). This is the twofold calling of the Church of Christ.

With regard to the process of attaining holiness, there is the danger of adopting one of two extreme viewpoints, both very much out of line with Scripture. One is thinking that human nature is such that to be able to live for the Lord all it requires is a new direction, a purpose and a little reformation. The second follows a belief that when one is born again, as he receives something that is supernatural, all he needs to do is to sit still while God accomplishes in his life all that needs to be done. Folk in this latter class become very "pious", but they never seem to grow and develop into loving, integral, normal Christians.

Through the New Birth (born again of incorruptible seed, the Word of God), we believers have indeed a new nature, and live in that new nature by the power of the Holy Spirit. We have been brought into a loving relationship with the one whom, having not seen, we love. But our love for Him makes us want to please Him. And we please Him by growing in holiness, which requires some considerable effort on our part.

The great object in the purposes of God is to have folk saved, not only from judgment and the lake of fire, but saved from the present world. He wants them saved, not only for heaven by and by, but to witness for their Saviour now. The work of Christ on the cross has indeed settled the question once and for all of separation of God and man because of sin, for those that believe. Nothing can change that. However in our growth as children of God into holiness, we cannot expect God to do everything for us: He has certain things for us to do for ourselves.

It is absolutely necessary, before anything, for all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, all evil speaking and similar things to be discarded by the believer from his life in order to start to grow up in holiness.

On the other hand, like pure milk for the new-born, so is the spiritual food contained in the Word of God to the believer. It is the genuine spiritual milk, God's perfect nourishment, undefiled by the heresy which is added to it by sects and apostate "churches". Only when it is read, thought over and applied in daily life can a believer really develop his new life and grow into a mature and holy character.

Each child of God ought to crave His word like the new-born hungers for milk, and the value of private, home and church Bible study is incalculable, for this is how believers can edify themselves in their very holy faith (Jude 20). All the spiritual nutrition we need is not limited to lifting out a verse for comfort here and there, but in digesting the whole Word of God.

We don't come to a little Babe in Bethlehem; we come as little babes to a Living Stone. The living stone is Christ. After the confession of Simon Peter, the Lord Jesus said, ". . . upon this rock I will build my church . . ." (Matthew 16:18). Simon Peter makes it very clear here that the Living Stone is not himself but is Jesus Christ.

The picture is of a spiritual temple, made of stone, where the foundation stone is Christ. The believers are the "living stones" of this spiritual house, the Church of God (Acts 20.28; 2 Corinthians 6.16; Ephesians 2.19-22). God wants a "holy" temple - consecrated, worthy of Him - and the holiness of the temple naturally depends on the holiness of each "stone".

He was rejected by men (v.6, 1 Corinthians 3.11), but He is now placed as the corner stone. The Jewish tradition was that at the beginning of the project of Solomon's temple a very large, fine-looking stone came up from the quarry, but the builders couldn't fit it in any place; so they moved it to one side. Because it was in the way, eventually they just pushed it over the brow of the hill to make room for the other stones that they were receiving and forgot about it. Finally, when all the stones had been fitted into place, they sent down word to the quarry, "Send up the cornerstone." The building was finished except for the cornerstone. Word came back, "We sent the cornerstone to you at the very beginning." Then they remembered, "That's the stone we pushed off the hill!" So with a great deal of effort, they had to haul that stone back to the top of the hill, and they found that it did fit right into place. If this tradition is accurate, it certainly explains the verses before us.

He is also a "touch stone" to decide the eternal destiny of those who believe and those who reject Him (v.7-8, Isaiah 8.14, Acts 4.11-12). Daniel, in his vision, saw a "stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet" (Daniel 2:34). That stone of judgment which will come to smite the earth also symbolises Christ, who at His second coming will bring judgment to this earth.

We are privileged in that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people of God's own. In the Old Testament we read that God chose Israel as His people, an elect nation, whose inheritance is on earth; in the New Testament there is another elect group of people: the church, also called an elect nation and an elect people, whose inheritance is in heaven.

Another picture given here is that of a holy priesthood. Scofield notes:

1. Until the law was given the head of each family was the family priest (Genesis 8:20; 26:25; 31:54). When the law was proposed, the promise to perfect obedience was that Israel would be unto God "a kingdom of priests" (Exodus 19:6) but Israel violated the law, and God shut up the priestly office to the Aaronic family, appointing the tribe of Levi to minister to them, thus constituting the typical priesthood (Exodus 28:1). In the dispensation of grace, all believers are unconditionally constituted a "kingdom of priests" (v.9; Revelation 1:6) the distinction which Israel failed to achieve by works. The priesthood of the believer is, therefore, a birthright; just as every descendant of Aaron was born to the priesthood (Hebrews 5:1). The chief privilege of a priest is access to God.

2. Under law the high priest only could enter "the holiest of all," and that but once a year (Hebrews 9:7) but when Christ died, the veil, type of Christ's human body (Hebrews 10:20) was rent, so that now the believer-priests, equally with Christ the High Priest, have access to God in the holiest (Hebrews 10:19-22). The high Priest is corporeally there (Hebrews 4:14-16; 9:24; 10:19-22). In the exercise of his office the New Testament believer-priest is a sacrificer who offers a threefold sacrifice:

• his own living body (Romans 12:1; Philippians 2:17; 2 Timothy 4:6; 1 John 3:16; James 1:27);

• praise to God, "the fruit of the lips that make mention of His name", to be offered "continually" (Hebrews 13:15; Exodus 25:22 "I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat");

• his substance (Romans 12:13; Galatians 6:6,10; Hebrews 13:2,16; 3 John 1:5-8; Titus 3:14),

and also is an intercessor (Colossians 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:1).

All believers are holy and royal (v.9) priests, and form a kingdom of priests (Revelation 1.6). The Gentiles, before Christ, "were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy": this letter was also addressed to the Gentiles.

 

R David Jones

 

 

 

 

 

1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,

2 as new-born babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,

5 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.

6 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."

7 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,"

8 and "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offence." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

9 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 marvellous light;

10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.