Jesus is the cornerstone of the spiritual temple

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.” (Isaiah 28:16, II Peter 2:6 NIV)

Jesus is the cornerstone of the spiritual house of God that consists of all true believers (I Peter 2:5). This house is a house of the living, and Jesus Himself is “a living stone” (I Peter 2:4).

Those who are in Christ are spiritual alive. If you are reading this right now and you are not in Christ you are spiritually dead, and will face eternal death if you do not repent.

All True Christians Are Priests: Do Not Be Fooled By Fake Priests

“As you come to him, the living Stone —rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 2:4-5 NIV)

All true Christians are priests. Therefore, do not pay any regard to those who claim to have special priestly authority above the common lay person. They are liars and deceivers who are usurping the power that God has given to all of his saints.

But what is a priest? A priest is someone who can come to God directly, talk to God, and God will listen to him. All those who truly believe are priests (I Peter 2:7,9). This is an impressive privilege that God has given us through the blood of Christ! We are part of a spiritual house that God is building. Our job is to “offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” We do this through our prayers and our good works “which God prepared beforehand.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Therefore, let us constantly perform our priestly duties

 “brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscienceand having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:19-23 NIV)

Christianity that is not based on the Biblical Jesus is useless

Unfortunately there are many so-called Christians who base their beliefs on doing good to others, while completely divorcing the Biblical Jesus from their doctrine. They make Jesus out to be just another human being trying to do the best he can to please God.

Yes, it is good to be nice to other people, but giving money to the poor will not save your soul. Only the blood of Christ will save you. This doctrine is offensive to many people, even to those who call themselves Christian.

However, we who are true Christians know that the Biblical Jesus–who literally died for us and rose from the dead and ascended into heaven–is our only basis for hope. Those who reject this Jesus reject God.

Jesus Christ is the basis of all belief in the true God. He is:

 ^“a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,” (I Peter 2:4 NKJV)

Question for Christian Teens: Is your Enthusiasm For Real?

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)

There are many Christian young people who claim to be excited about God. You often hear them share exciting, emotional stories at youth-group meetings about how good God has been to them.

But are they telling the truth? Are they really as excited about God as they claim to be, or are they simply getting a spiritual fix so that they can enjoy an emotional high? The answer varies from individual to individual.

One of the ways to tell if  a Christian teenager is serious about God is by whether or not he/she studies his Bible. If he has really “tasted that the Lord is good” he should have a genuine craving to learn more about God. Therefore, he should strive hard after “pure spiritual milk” by reading his Bible, praying in private, and asking questions from knowledgeable adults.

Christians should not be malicious, envious, deceitful, slandering, hypocrites

“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” (I Peter 2:1)

True Christians need care enough to actively weed out the vices mentioned above.

1.We must avoid malice. This is when we start thinking hateful thoughts against other people, often after they have sinned against us. But we must never hate another person just because they are sinners. We are the worst sinners ourselves. Rather, we need to pray that they will repent with open hearts that really want what’s best for them. Fight back against all malicious thoughts in your own mind, and never allow your body to be used for a malicious action or say a malicious word.

2. We must avoid deceit. Our culture teaches us that mild deceit is perfectly alright in many common situations. However, they are wrong. Christians need to live transparent lives. We need to be careful not to do anything that is morally questionable, so that we are not tempted to lie about it later. A lot of lies are the result of previous decisions.

3. We must avoid hypocrisy. As true believers we love to tell people about what the Bible says. But we must act out our own preaching in our own lives!

4. We must avoid envy. God is sovereign and does not make mistakes. He always has a reason when He refuses to give us what we want. Therefore, we should not become envious of other people for what they have.

5. We must avoid slander. We must avoid spreading bitter untruths about other people. In fact, some things that are true should not necessarily be publicly talked about either. Our words should be words of love. Few things destroy a Christian’s testimony as quickly as slander.

A Story About An Activist

The narrative below is based on Jesus’ words in Luke 18:9-14.

“Two people went into a church to pray, one an activist and the other a murderer.  The activist stood by herself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—corrupt executives, evildoers, dictators—or even like this murderer.  I have raised millions of dollars for orphans and donated all of my parents’ estate to feed starving people.’

“But the murderer stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the activist, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

A Story About An Imam

The narrative below is based on Jesus’ words in Luke 18:9-14.

“Two people went into a mosque to pray, one an Imam and the other a prostitute.  The Imam prayed in the front of the mosque and said in his mind: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this prostitute.  I have made the haj and always pay zakat.’

“But the prostitute stood in the back of the mosque. She could not look anyone in the eyes, but beat her breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this woman, rather than the Imam, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

A Story About A Hypocritical Christian.

The narrative below is based on Jesus’ words in Luke 18:9-14.

“Two men went into a church to pray, one a devout Christian and the other a homosexual.  The Christian stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this homosexual.  I have been baptized and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the homosexual stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

You are a dying hunk of flesh and bones. But eternal change, renewal, is available.

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For,

“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
²⁵ but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word that was preached to you.  (I Peter 1:23-25 NIV)

Do not try to change yourself through human effort and religious ritual. Come to God through the blood of Jesus Christ, who is the word of God (John 1:1) and He will transform you eternally starting with the heart.

Why Christianity Works When Religion Fails

“you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” (I Peter 1:23)

“Religion” teaches you how to become a good person by doing good works and rituals. Religious people try to change the sinful human heart into something good through human effort. These religions include, but are not limited to, Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism and others.

The Bible teaches us that human effort is not good enough. A long list of rules and regulations will only make us arrogant (Luke 18:9-14), and do nothing to stop us from sinning in the heart (Colossians 2:20-23).

True heart change must come from God. This is the “imperishable seed” that Peter is talking about. It is given by God’s grace and power only, and it comes through the gospel message.