• 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 as it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay on Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will be 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 offense.” 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 marvelous light;

The apostle Peter wrote this letter to the scattered churches of that long ago day as the Christians were under persecution and needed to see their identity as God’s people. Christian Jews and Gentiles had become by virtue of their faith in their redemption in Christ a new priesthood in the world analogous to the priesthood of Israel. Israel preferred to be a nation like all the other nations but Christians were not just living stones of the church of Christ but also priest with access in Christ to God. This was done by denying acts or good works as accepted not for their own merits but ONLY through faith in Christ do they find worth. And in Christ we have direct access to God. The efforts of those who reject Christ as revealed in the gospel are in vain. Peter has established that the faithful have been transformed and are new people in Christ and are now moved to behave as they (us) believe. Our souls can only find rest in Christ.

The Scripture quoted tell us that Christ is the stumbling block for those with a false and meaningless opinion of this world; Peter includes the words of the prophets to warn us. The prophet introduces God as the speaker who is telling us that Christ has been ordained as the foundation of our salvation. The faithful of which the prophet speaks must look on Him alone. In Christ we are beyond danger of failure.

A chosen generation or race are the faithful. And to what honor and purpose they have been raised and are partakers of Christ Jesus’s priesthood. They have been called out of darkness into eternal light