1 Peter 2:7b-8 emphasizes that Jesus, whom the religious leaders
rejected, was placed in the very position they refused Him. God reversed their
action by making Him “the cornerstone.”
The reference is not to the shape, but to the position given the stone.
In verse 8 Peter continued to
picture the destructive effect of God’s stone on unbelievers.
·
A stone that causes men to stumble
·
A rock of offense
The “stone” is a reference to
the loose stones lying around on a path over which travelers would stumble.
People just can’t get around Jesus and what He did on the cross. They may
reject Him, but that doesn’t mean the gospel is going to go away.
The “rock” portrays a large embedded boulder; it is a large rock
that human effort cannot move. “Of
offense” points to the devastating impact of that rock on
unbelievers. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians that the cross is foolishness to those
who are perishing (1:18).
These two designations declare
that by rejecting God’s stone, men only bring about their own injury and
damage. Men cannot dodge Him by their unbelief. He meets them in unexpected and
unavoidable ways. Clearly Peter does not consider encounter with the gospel a
casual affair, it is a matter of life or death.
Christ is too great to be
neglected or avoided. For His followers, He becomes the foundation on which all
life rests; where He is rejected, there is and can be only chaos and anarchy.
They continue to stumble because they disobey the word.
There is no escape for those who reject the gospel (“which is
also what they were destined for”).
This is an astonishing conclusion. What was happening was not outside of God’s
purpose. This is God’s appointment for those who reject the gospel. Their
disobedience to the divine message does not eliminate the consequence of their
unbelief.
Peter writes from man’s point of view when he
says that disobedient unbelievers are appointed to stumble because of their
disobedience to the gospel; therefore, they themselves pay the penalty for
their refusal to believe and to obey. God has established Jesus, the living
stone, as His divinely appointed way for salvation; He has also ordained that
men cannot reject His provision without suffering the consequences.
Grace & Peace,
Scott
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