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1 Peter 2:4<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Coming to Him<\/span> as to<\/span><\/em> a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God<\/span> and<\/span><\/em> precious,<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n Truth to Learn<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n We have the great privilege of directly approaching our Lord.<\/p>\n Behind the Words<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cComing<\/span>\u201d is translated from the Greek word proserchomai<\/span><\/em>, made up of pros<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201cto\u201d or \u201ctoward,\u201d and erchomai<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201cto come\u201d or \u201cto go.\u201d Adding pros<\/span><\/em> to the verb, which already means \u201cto come,\u201d intensifies the intent. Hence, the meaning is \u201ccoming very near to Him.\u201d This is further intensified by the words pros on<\/span><\/em> (meaning \u201cto Him\u201d) which appear before proserchomai<\/span><\/em>. Finally, this word is expressed as a present tense participle indicating continuous, repeated action. Hence, the first part of this verse could be paraphrased as, \u201cContinually coming directly to Him \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n The word translated \u201cdisallowed<\/span>\u201d is the Greek word, apodokimadzo<\/span><\/em>, which means \u201cto disapprove\u201d or \u201cto reject.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChosen<\/span>\u201d is translated from eklektos<\/span><\/em>, which means \u201cthe selected one,\u201d or \u201cthe chosen one.\u201d<\/p>\n The word \u201cprecious<\/span>\u201d is the Greek word entimos<\/span><\/em>, made up of en<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201cin\u201d and a form of time<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201chonor, esteem, or value.\u201d It is used here to describe the chosen one; He is \u201cthe honored chosen one\u201d or \u201cthe precious chosen one.\u201d<\/p>\n Meaning Explained<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The \u201cHim<\/span>\u201d in this verse refers to \u201cthe Lord<\/span>\u201d in the previous verse. This is an obvious reference to Jesus our risen Lord. Those of us who have experienced salvation and God\u2019s provision, repeatedly come to Him. He is referred to here as \u201ca living stone,<\/span>\u201d which is a reference to Isaiah 28:16<\/span><\/strong> which says:<\/p>\n Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste<\/span><\/p>\n or possibly to Psalms 118:22<\/span><\/strong> which says:<\/p>\n The stone which the builders rejected has become the headstone of the corner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Not only was Christ rejected and crucified by the Jews, but He continues to be rejected by unbelievers on a daily basis. This same stone who was rejected by men has been chosen by God, according to Peter. Furthermore, he tells us that He was selected as the Honored One.<\/p>\n This Christ, or Lord, unto whom we came at salvation and unto whom we come daily for forgiveness and spiritual sustenance, was chosen by the trinity before time began to be to one who would become a man, live a perfect life, and willingly give that life for us. He is the One who has become the foundation for the church universal, to be built upon by those who would accept His sacrifice and willingly serve Him. Peter\u2019s next verse will complete this thought.<\/p>\n Application<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Think about how often you come to Christ for comfort or direction, either in prayer or through the reading of His Word. You do so because you have a privileged relationship. Because you have accepted the gift of salvation, you are the children of God; therefore, you can come to the living stone. And because of this you can offer yourself as an additional building block of the church universal when you submit to Him and serve Him.<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2008 Will Krause. All rights reserved.<\/span><\/p>\n – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –<\/p>\n <\/span>If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, you can call the church phone (618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to:![\"signature\"](\"..\/..\/signature.gif\")
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