Peter was fond of using the word “living” to describe the essential elements of the Christian faith. In 1:3, he used the words “living hope” to describe the confidence we have in our future with God that is fresh, vibrant, certain, and eternal in comparison to the things of the world that are empty, deceptive, and temporal. In 1:23, he described the Bible as the “living…word” to show how Scripture, inspired by the living God, is as powerful, relevant, and life-changing today as the day it was first penned (or chiseled). Here he describes Jesus as the “living stone.”

1 Peter 2:4
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious….

Jesus possesses life in and of himself, and he alone gives true life to others. John wrote, “In [Jesus] was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:4 NIV). Although men rejected him, Jesus was chosen by God “before the foundation of the world” (1:20) to provide true life to all who believe in him as their perfect Sin-Bearer. Not only did he die for our sin, but he rose back to life, conquering death itself.

In short, life, present and future, is found in Jesus Christ alone.

Father, thank you for your Son, his work on the cross, and the life that he gives. May we be those who live abundantly through him on the journey of life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.