“For it stands in Scripture: ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.’ So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.’”
(1 Peter 2:6-7)
If God, through the power of His Word and the wooing of His Holy Spirit has brought you to the foot of the cross to see and embrace Christ as Savior and Lord, your faith is precious to you. And your Savior is precious because your spiritual eyes have been opened to see the beauty and splendor of God and His Son. So if you are among the blessed that God has chosen, your heart should remain in a state of continual thankfulness and adoration of the Father and His Christ.
The great Apostle Paul understood this gift of salvation to a degree that most Christians today sadly miss. Paul understood that Christ came to save sinners, “… of whom I am the worst” (1 Tim. 1:15). Before his conversion, Saul (whose name Christ later changed to Paul) was a devout Jew who truly believed he was doing God’s work by persecuting the followers of Christ. Then God opened his eyes to the truth… and from that moment on everything changed.
To be sure, Saul’s conversion experience was quite notable. But simply put, until God intervened to open his eyes, Saul was not only without hope… he was spiritually blind and ignorant. His conversion was, of course, all God’s doing, and God deserved the glory for it. “Now unto the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever, Amen,” (2 Tim. 1:14-15, 17).
And thus it is with all of us who come to know Christ as Savior. We cannot effect our own salvation; God must open our spiritual eyes. It is all His doing. And for this reason, both our faith… and our Savior… should be precious to us.
What value do you put on Christ (1 Peter 2:7)? How often do you commune with Him? He dwells in your heart, but is He precious to you? Do you honor, obey, and treasure the Lord as your Lord? Do you welcome Him in every moment of your life?
Simeon Ashe, Westminster Divine, said, “The sinner who returns to God is accompanied with resolutions to renounce all known evils they formerly indulged in. This is the language of all those who come to God when He calls them, ‘Take away all iniquity. What have I to do any more with idols?’”[1]
The soul that truly sees the beauty and glory of the Lord realizes everything else pales in comparison. All the treasures of earth are barren wasteland compared to the treasure we have in Christ Jesus. The most magnificent gem the world has to offer loses all its luster when compared to the infinite facets of God and His kingdom.
Is it not a wonder of wonders that we were chosen by the Almighty and drawn into the heart of Christ? Our condition was woefully miserable (Rev. 3:17) before God drew us to Himself, and would have been so eternally if His cords of grace had not rescued us. Therefore, this faith that is ours as a gift from God is precious, and so is the Christ in whom we believe.
Contemplation:
- My unworthiness magnifies His grace. I was not seeking God, and I had nothing in me that could merit His favor. Yet He reached down in mercy and pulled me out of ruin. I see my guilt and then see His cross. I remember my blindness and then see His light. This makes Christ all the more precious to me.
- Christ outshines all else. When my heart is right, nothing compares to the beauty of Christ. The world promises what it cannot deliver, yet Christ has never failed me. His presence, His words, His promises—they are food and light to my soul. Christ is more than enough for me… He is all.
- Salvation belongs to the Lord. I did not work my way into faith; it was divine mercy, sovereignly given. God opened my eyes and softened my heart. I believed only because He gave me the power to do so. This makes me grateful in a way nothing else can. All glory is His. He gets the praise, the honor, and the joy of seeing His grace on display in me.
- I must not drift. If Christ is precious, then my heart must stay fixed on Him. I am weak and prone to wander. But if He is truly the cornerstone, then my life must be built on Him, and not just in words, but in thought, deed, affection, and time. I need to forsake every idol and cleave to Him, cultivating a life that honors His worth.
Prayer (Thanksgiving):
Lord God, my soul gives thanks. You have done what I could never do. You opened my eyes when I was blind. You awakened faith where there was none. You drew me to Christ, not because of anything I did or anything I could offer, but solely because of Your mercy. That mercy is my life and Your grace is my breath.
I thank You for making Christ precious to me. I did not see Him rightly until You revealed Him. I mocked, I doubted, I lived as if I were my own master. But then You came. You brought me low. You made me see. And now, with trembling joy, I declare that Jesus is Lord and Savior. I was lost but You found me. I was dead in sin and You raised me up. My faith is not of myself; it is the gift You gave. And that makes it precious.
Lord, You chose me when I deserved wrath. You called me when I had nothing to answer with. You washed me with the Spirit and united me to Christ. You placed Your Word in my heart. You brought me into Your church and You have never let go. The longer I live, the more I see that I owe everything to You. My entire hope rests on what You have done.
Thank You for Christ, the cornerstone. Thank You that He was rejected for my sake. Thank You that He now holds up all who believe. Thank You that I will never be put to shame. Thank You that His honor is my inheritance. I do not deserve it, but You gave it. And I praise You for that reality.
Let my life reflect the worth of Christ. Let my words speak of His beauty and my actions reflect Your power. Let my heart burn with gratitude for this salvation. Make me a vessel of thankfulness. And make the preciousness of Christ the measure of my every thought and desire.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for 1 Peter 2:6-7:
Isa. 28:16; Rom. 9:33; Eph. 2:20; Rom. 10:11; Ps. 118:22; John 14:1.
[1] Simeon Ashe, The Efficiency of God’s Grace in Bringing Gainsaying Sinners to Christ, eBook, (Crossville, TN: Puritan Publications, 2017) The Application.
