Concordia Seminary Newsroom
Chosen to Be His Living Stones
The Apostle Peter opens his first letter by writing to the “chosen exiles of the Dispersion” (1 Peter 1:1). Peter’s audience is Christians who were scattered across different regions, surrounded by people who do not share their faith in Jesus, far from home and far from one another. Peter is honest with them that their situation will bring trials, persecution, and the need to defend and explain their hope in Jesus. Difficult words!
Even so, Peter assures them of their unity and hope in Christ. God the Father is at work in them according to His foreknowledge and plan (I Peter 1:2; 5:10). Across great distances, they are one in Christ Jesus (I Peter 2:24–25; 4:12–14). The Holy Spirit who brought them the Good News empowers their faith, their lives and their witness (I Peter 1:12; 4:14). In other words, they are not alone. Their situation is no accident. Jesus has brought them to Himself, builds them together as one in Him, and works life and salvation in the world through their acts of love, proclamation of the Gospel and even their sufferings. Good news, indeed!
Peter’s words are great news for us as Christians today. While our situation is not exactly the same, we need the same encouragement to point our hearts and minds to Jesus for our identity, purpose and life together in the world. This is why our theme for this academic year at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis is “Christ the Living Stone … Building Us Together,” based on (1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV): “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Let us walk through this passage of Scripture and see how the Apostle Peter describes who Jesus is, how our identity is found in Him alone and what He does for us and through us as His people in the world.
The passage begins with us coming to Jesus. But Peter is clear that this is not our doing; it is the work of Jesus, who ransoms us (I Peter 1:18), gives us faith (I Peter 1:21), calls us out of darkness (I Peter 2:9), heals us by His wounds (I Peter 2:24), saves us by Baptism (I Peter 3:21) and gives us His Spirit (I Peter 4:14). We are not alone. Jesus unites and gathers His people as one by faith through the Gospel (Is. 56:6–8; Ezek. 37:15-24; John 10:14-16).
And who is this Jesus? He is the “Living Stone.” First, this means that Jesus lives! Resurrected from the dead, He will never die again!
Second, this means that He gives life. The Living Stone makes what was once dead in sin alive again. Christ and His work were rejected by men and considered worthless. But, in the sight of God, Jesus is chosen and priceless. By His cross and resurrection, He is the Living and Life-Giving Stone of God. He brings life and salvation to all who believe and set their hope on Him.
Jesus is the Life-Giving Stone, chosen and priceless in God’s sight (I Peter 2:4, 6). So too are we, as living stones, because we are built on Him (I Peter 1:1; 2:5, 9). Our identity is derived from His. Jesus, the crucified and risen Lord of all, is our foundation, our salvation and our source of identity. We live because He lives. We are chosen and priceless because Jesus has made us His own. Jesus is the Living Stone, who makes us alive and chosen by building us on Himself.
Peter then moves from our shared identity in Christ to our shared purpose. Jesus is building us together in a special way for a special goal. Our situation is no accident. Jesus has brought us to Himself, builds us together as one in Him and works life and salvation in the world through our acts of love, proclamation of the Gospel and even our sufferings. Or, to use Peter’s words, we are being built together into a spiritual house, for a holy priesthood, in order to offer spiritual sacrifices. Wherever we are scattered around the world, however large or small our congregation size or circuit or district, no matter how budgets look, we are together one spiritual house, one holy priesthood, one in purpose because we are built on Christ, the Living Stone.
Peter writes that our shared purpose in this priesthood is to offer spiritual sacrifices that are pleasing to God through Jesus Christ. What are these sacrifices? We need to keep reading! Our priestly role includes proclaiming the excellencies of God and receiving His mercy (I Peter 2:9–10). We offer spiritual sacrifices when we call on the Father’s name (I Peter 1:17), set our hope on Jesus (I Peter 1:13) and follow Him even through suffering and hardship (I Peter 2:21–24; 4:12–16). Our priesthood is one of prayer (I Peter 3:7; 4:7), love for others (I Peter 4:8–9) and patient expectation of God’s goodness in His time (I Peter 1:3–5; 1:8–9; 5:10). Our offerings to God through Christ serve as a witness to the world, so that they might see Jesus as He dwells within us and works His good through us (I Peter 2:12–15; 4:19). But it is not our effort, the perfection of our offering or even our sincerity of faith that makes our spiritual offerings pleasing to God. It is that they are offered through Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Life-Giving Stone, builds us together so that, through our spiritual offerings, by His grace and power alone, He works life and salvation in us and through us.
As we reflect on this academic year theme for the Seminary, this is the foundation that we seek to cultivate in the lives of our students, our faculty, our staff and all our community. As we form, certify and send pastors and deaconesses for service in Christ’s church, it is Peter’s Jesus-centered approach to identity, life and ministry that we want them to take into congregations, chaplaincies, missionary work and throughout the world! Christ alone is the center of our identity as God’s people. Christ alone is the center of our relationships and community life, as He builds us together. And Christ alone is the center of our proclamation and witness in the world. Purely by His grace, He uses our spiritual sacrifices to work life and give hope, to us and to those around us, even through times of suffering and difficulty.
It can be easy to feel isolated and alone — as people, as congregations, even as a Synod. Sometimes we can struggle in the face of trials and the evils of sin, both in the world around us and in our own hearts. And, especially in modern times, it can be increasingly difficult to understand what it means to live faithfully as Christians in a culture that is constantly tempting us to seek power over others, to act in self-righteous anger and to find our identity in anything and everything other than Christ alone. Jesus works through us, His people, to point others to His cross and His salvation alone for hope, life and peace. Christ is the Living Stone, building us together. He is our identity, our life, our purpose — our everything.