When I was in high school, my dad built a house. We spent a lot of time setting the frame for the concrete slab that everything else would be built upon. All the other details of the house would be dependent on how square the slab was and the angle it was poured at. Once the foundation was laid, we spent the next three years constructing the house. Many evenings and Fridays were spent working on the house. It felt like an eternity, but eventually the hard work paid off and developed into a beautiful home.
As believers, our lives are also under construction. God is working day-by-day, and even moment-by-moment, to shape us into better followers of Christ. The Bible not only tells us how to live, but it tells us what our identity is. As a follower of Jesus, you are God’s spiritual home. Our identity is first and foremost found in Christ. The way we relate to other people is based on how we relate to God. In the Old Testament, the temple is where God met His people. In the New Testament, 1 Peter 2:4-8 uses the temple to describe our identity as Christians.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 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 Christ Jesus. 6 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.” 7 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,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. – 1 Peter 2:4-8
From these verses we see:
1. A Christian is a living stone
Jesus is described as a living stone that has become the cornerstone. We can receive life because Jesus rose from the grave and is still living. Jesus is the foundation that the Christian life is built upon.
2. As living stones, we’re being constructed into the house of God
Jesus shows us what the family of God is supposed to look like. We all have a part to play, but the family is much bigger than any individual. As we fill the role God has given us, He will build us up together with other believers.
3. As God’s living house, we are to offer spiritual sacrifices to God
Peter says that we do not only have access to God just like the temple, but we also have a responsibility to minister to others like priests. We are called to live our daily lives by the power of the Holy Spirit so we can make God’s love known to the world around us.
When building a house, some steps bring more change than others, but all are necessary for the finished product. Christians are also in a process of growth as God is changing our lives to fulfill the identity and responsibility He has given us. Our obedience and submission to God are crucial for living a life that is still under construction.