During a wedding, a groom will say to his bride: “All that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you.” As a result of these words, and being united together, the bride shares in any titles or wealth that her now-husband had before the service started.
Similarly, in chapter 2 of his first letter, Peter writes “As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him – you also like living stones….” and goes on to describe wonderful truths about the church. From this, let's consider the wonderful ways that we inherit certain “properties” from Jesus, because we are enclosed in Him and united to Him.
1. You are a part of God's house
Who is Jesus? He is the “living Stone” spoken about by many places in the Old Testament. As you come to Him, who are you? You are living stones in God’s temple, not just “like” living stones. You are part of a house for God’s glory. You, even with your shortcomings and failings, your rough edges and apparently unimpressive features – you are a living stone to share in the glory of God forever.
2. You are rejected
Who is Jesus? He is the one rejected by others. As you come to Him and live for Him, you are likely to experience that also. This is a big theme of Peter’s letter. But if you are rejected by others as a Christian, “do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name” (1 Peter 4v16). If you share in the sufferings of Christ you will certainly share in His glory – let the rejection send you back to Him again and again.
3. You are chosen
Who is Jesus? He is chosen by God and in Him you belong to His chosen people (2v9). What a privilege! I have written about this in greater depth in an earlier article here.
4. We are precious
Who is Jesus? He is precious to God, and so are you. The word "precious" (1 Peter 2v7) also has the idea of honour, and the ESV translation says “so the honour is for you who believe”. We share in the preciousness of the Son of God, which feels like bad English but is heart-warming theology!
You receive from Jesus your true identity, your true properties in the sight of God. Consider how precious the Son is to the Father – that is how you are to the Father, because you are enclosed in Christ and united to Him.
In the eyes of the living God, you share in the honour of the Lord Jesus Christ, and one day that honour will be recognised by all of creation.
