1 Peter 2:5 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.
To be a living stone is almost a contradiction. Peter mixes two images. Stones do not move nor do they have life. The only time stones have life is when they come out of the earth as lava. Then they harden until they be crumble. The part of the metaphor to which Peter seems to be pointing is the idea of firmness as stones and new life that comes in Christ. We form part of the walls of the house of which Jesus is the foundation. This house is spiritual in nature. It is a community joined together through the Holy Spirit. This is not an ordinary house but a temple. We are formed into God’s house where God’s Spirit dwells. Paul used a similar image in Ephesians 2:19-22.
Part of our purpose in being this spiritual house is to offer spiritual sacrifices to God through our high priest, Jesus Christ. These are similar ideas as the Book of Hebrews. The key idea in this phrase is “acceptable.” What makes such a sacrifice acceptable to God? Romans 12:1 speaks of offering our bodies as living sacrifices through giving ourselves totally in consecration to God. Hebrews 13:15 speaks of a sacrifice of praise which requires faith and obedience. An acceptable sacrifice is one that has been given over completely to God, entirely sanctified, open to be used for God’s sacred purposes.
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