The
term 'spiritual house' is found in the apostle Peter's writings. Let's look at 1
Peter 2:5, "You also, as living
stones, are being built up a spiritual
house, a holy priesthood, to offer up sacrifices acceptable to God through
Jesus Christ."
Who
is the apostle Peter writing to? 1Peter 1:1 states, "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the
Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia." These
people were Jewish Christians who had been persecuted for their faith in Jesus
Christ and had been forced to flee from Israel. They had left behind them the
Jewish ordinances and traditions.
The
apostle's letter to them encourages them to keep going on in faith and he
points out to them that their inheritance is far superior to those under the
law given via Moses. 1 Peter 1:3-5, "(3)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His
abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) to an inheritance incorruptible and
undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, (5) who are
kept by the power of God..."
In
Chapter 2 the image Peter is conveying is that of a building; and he thus
uses words relating to this image. However, this is no ordinary bricks and
mortar type of building. It is composed of living materials. In chapter 2:4
we read, "Coming to Him as a living
stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious." Christ
is the Living Stone!
Peter
points out in chapter 2:6 that the Old Testament Scriptures foretold
this. "Therefore it is also
contained in the Scripture, 'Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect,
precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."
I
have a good friend who is a builder. Here in North Queensland, Australia we live
in a Cyclone prone area (remember Cyclone Larry and Cyclone Yasi). The majority
of houses are built of reinforced concrete blocks, laid on solid concrete
slabs. My friend John carefully measures and marks out the foundation slab.
When the reinforced concrete slab has been poured and is ready he then very
carefully marks out the position of his 'chief
corner stone'. The first concrete block laid is the most important! Every
other block laid, and indeed the whole building, is measured from that first corner
block. That block has to be perfectly level, both vertically and horizontally.
Otherwise, the building will be out of alignment and out of square.
When
it comes to perfection - there is only one Christ - Jesus the Son of God!
Now
let's return to our lead verse. We have established from the Scriptures that
Christ is the Living Stone and the 'chief
corner stone'. In 1 Peter 2:5 we learned that born again believers
in the Lord Jesus Christ are 'living
stones'. We are being built up 'a spiritual house' - not a bricks
and mortar house; but a 'spiritual house'
where God dwells.
This
verse also informs us that we are a 'holy
priesthood'. Every born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is a priest
before God 'to offer up sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ'. These are not the animal
sacrifices made under the law given via Moses. These are the sacrifices of
praise and worship to our God 'through
Jesus Christ'. They are the outpourings of the heart expressed via praise
and worship.
Hebrews
13:15,
"Therefore by Him [Christ] let us continually offer the sacrifice of
praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."
This is what a 'holy priesthood' does.
This is the purpose of 'the spiritual
house' to bring praise and worship; and to glorify God.
Although
the apostle Peter wrote to Jewish Christians, the truths of 'the spiritual house' apply to every
born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are a believer in the Lord
Jesus Christ are you exercising your rights as part of the 'holy priesthood' in God's 'spiritual
house'?
Jon Peasey
Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey
[All
Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted.
Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted
for clarity. Words in bold type
emphasise a point
You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or
elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate
directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]
[If you have any questions or comments you are
invited to contact me via the comments section below.]
