“Unto you therefore which believe, he is precious.” –1 Peter 2:7a
It would be difficult to expound on this short verse without looking at its context. This chapter in 1 Peter talks about how dearly loved, how precious we are to God. Peter refers to Christ as “the living Stone,” and then compares us whom He has chosen to living stones that “are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood.” In verse 6, he alludes to Isaiah 28:16: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” This verse sets the stage for verse 7 that demonstrates the significance of Christ to believers: He is like a cornerstone to a building. He is integral to the foundation and is, therefore, precious to all who have built on that foundation.
Not only does Peter include this metaphor of the building, but he continues with the symbolism of the stone. For believers, Christ is the irreplaceable foundation upon which our faith is built. On the other hand, for those who don’t believe, He represents a stumbling block. Peter writes in verse 7b-8, “But to those who do not believe, the stone the builders rejected has become…a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. They stumble because they disobey the message–which is also what they were destined for.” The last part of verse 8 explains the metaphor of the stumbling block–people “stumble” due to their rejection of Him and the message of the gospel, the good news.
The concept of Christ as the Stone demonstrates a paradoxical relationship. For believers, He is foundational; for unbelievers, He is an obstacle. Why? Reread the end of verse 8 where Peter alludes to the plight of unbelievers: “…which is also what they were destined for.” God doesn’t want any of us to perish. He gave His Son to save every single person, past, present, and future; everyone has the free will to choose to believe, so all are “destined,” so to speak, but unfortunately, not all choose to believe. Peter continues into verse 9 by addressing believers: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Here, he states our purpose as believers, to praise God Who has blessed us and enlightened us, and is, therefore, precious to us.