1 Peter 2:7
To you therefore which believe he is precious, but to them who be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.
Besides all the opposition that meets faith within, in our hearts, it has this without, that it rows against the great stream of the world's opinion. And therefore has need, especially where it is very tender, and weak, to be strengthened against that. The multitude of unbelievers, and the considerable quality of many of them in the world, is one continuing cause of that very multitude: And the fewness of them that truly believe, does much to the keeping of them still few; and as this prejudice prevails with them, that believe not, so it may sometimes assault the mind of a believer, when he thinks how many, and many of them wise men in the world, reject Christ, from where can this be? Particularly the believing Jews, to whom this Epistle is addressed, might think it strange, that not only the Gentiles that were strangers to true religion, but their own nation, that was the select people of God, and had the light of his oracles kept in among them only; that yet so many of them, indeed, and the chief of them, should be despisers, and haters of Jesus Christ. And that these that were best versed in the Law, and so seemed best able to judge of the Messiah foretold, should have persecuted Christ all his life, and at last put him to a shameful death.
That they may know, this makes nothing against him, nor ought to invalidate their faith at all, but rather indeed testifies with Christ, and so serves to confirm them in believing, the Apostle makes use of those prophetical scriptures, that foretell the unbelief, and contempt the most would entertain Christ with, as old Simeon speaks of him, when he was come, conform to these former predictions: That he should be a sign of contradiction, as he was the promised sign of salvation to believers, so he should be a very mark of enmities, and contradictions to the unbelieving world; the places the Apostle here uses, suit with his present discourse, and the words cited from Isaiah in the former verse continuing the resemblance of a corner stone, they are partly from (Psalm 118), partly out of Isaiah 8.
To you, etc.] Wonder not that others refuse him; but believe the more for that, because, you see the word to be true even in their not believing of it, it is fulfilled and verified by their very rejecting it as false.
And whatever are the world's thoughts, concerning Christ, that imports not: For they know him not, but you that do indeed believe, I dare appeal to your selves, your own faith, that you have of him, whether he is not precious to you, if you do not really find him fully answerable to all that is spoken of him in the word, and that accordingly, you have believed concerning him.
We are here 1. To consider the opposition of the persons. And then 2. Of the things spoken of them. 1. They are opposed under the name of believers, and disobedient, or unbelievers; for the word is so near that it may be taken for unbelief, as is by some so rendered. And the things are large as near, as the words that signify them; disobedience, and unbelief. 1. Unbelief is itself the grand disobedience, for this is the work of God, that which the Gospel mainly commands (John 6:29), that you believe: Therefore the Apostle calls it the obedience of faith (Romans 1:5). And there is nothing indeed more worthy the name of obedience, than the subjection of the mind to receive, and believe those supernatural truths, that the Gospel teaches concerning Jesus Christ. To obey, so as to have, as the Apostle speaks, the impression of that divine pattern stamped upon the heart, to have the heart delivered up, as the word there is, and laid under it, to receive it (Romans 6:17). The word here used for disobedience, signifies properly unpersuasion, and there is nothing can more properly express the nature of unbelief than that, and it is the very nature of our corrupt hearts: We are children of disobedience or unpersuasibleness, altogether incredulous towards God, who is truth itself, and as pliable wax in Satan's hand, he works in them what he will, as there the Apostle expresses, most easy of belief to him, that is the very father of lies, as our Savior calls him, a liar and a murderer from the beginning, murdering by lies, as he did in the beginning.
2. Unbelief is radically all other disobedience: For all flows from unbelief. This we least of all suspect; but it is the bitter root of all that ungodliness that abounds among us. A right, and lively persuasion of the heart concerning Jesus Christ alters the whole frame of it, brings low its high lofty imaginations, and brings not only the outward actions, but the very thoughts to the obedience of Christ.
Concerning these disobedient unbelievers, these two testimonies taken together have in them. 1. Their rejection of Christ. 2. Their folly. 3. Their misery in so doing.
1. They did not receive him, as the father appointed, and designed him, as the foundation, and chief corner stone, but slighted him, and threw him by, as unfit for the building, and this did not only the ignorant multitude; But the builders, they that profess to have the skill, and the office, or power of building. The Doctors of the Law, the Scribes, and Pharisees, and chief Priests, and think to carry the matter by the weight of their authority, as overbalancing the belief of those that followed Christ. Have any of the Rulers believed in him? But this people who know not the Law are cursed (John 7:48-49).
2. We need not wonder then, that not only the powers of the world are usually enemies to Christ, and that the contrivers of policies, those builders, leave out Christ in their building, but that the pretended builders of the Church of God, though they use the name of Christ, and serve their turn with that, yet reject himself, and oppose the power of his spiritual kingdom. There may be wit, and learning, and much knowledge of the scriptures among those that are haters of the Lord Christ, and the power of godliness, and corrupters of the worship of God. It is the spirit of humility, and obedience, and saving faith, that teaches men to esteem of Christ, and build upon him.
But the vanity of those builders' opinion appears in this, that they are overpowered by the great Architect of the Church, his purpose stands, notwithstanding their rejection of Christ, he is still made the head cornerstone. They cast him away by their miscensures and reproaches put upon him, and by giving him up to be crucified, and then cast into the grave, and a stone to be rolled upon this Stone, which they had so rejected, that it might appear no more, and so thought themselves sure: But even from there, did he arise, and became the head of the corner. The disciples themselves spoke (you know) very doubtfully of their former hopes, We believed, this had been he, that would have delivered Israel, but he corrected their mistake, first by his word, showing them the true method of that great work, Ought not Christ to suffer first these things? And so enter into glory, and then really, by making himself known to them, risen from the dead. When he was from these rejected, and lay lowest, then was he nearest his exaltation, as Joseph in the prison, was nearest his preferment. And thus is it with the Church of Christ; when it is brought to the lowest, most desperate condition, then is deliverance at hand; it prospers, and gains in the event, by all the practices of men against it. And as this cornerstone was fitted to be so, by the very rejection; even so is it with the whole building, it rises the higher the more men seek to demolish it.
3. Their unhappiness that believe not is expressed, in the other word, He is to them a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, because they will not be saved by him, they shall stumble, and fall, and be broken to pieces on him, as it is in Isaiah, and in the Evangelists: But how is this? Is he that came to save, become a destroyer of men, he whose name is salvation, proves he destruction to any? Not he in himself, his primary and proper use is the former, to be a foundation for souls to build, and rest upon; but they that instead of building upon him, will stumble, and fall on him, what wonder, being so firm a stone, though they be broken by their fall; thus we see the mischief of unbelief, that as other sins disable the Law, it disables the very Gospel to save us, and turns life itself into death to us. And this is the misery, not of a few, but of many in Israel, many that hear of Christ, by the preaching of the Gospel, shall lament, that ever they heard that sound, and shall wish to have lived and died without it, finding so great an accession to their misery, by the neglect of so great salvation. They are said to stumble at the word; because the things that are therein testified concerning Christ, they labor not to understand and prize aright; but either altogether slight them, and account them foolishness, or misconceive them, and pervert them.
The Jews stumbled at the meanness of Christ's birth, and life, and the ignominy of his death, not judging of him according to the Scriptures, and we in another way think we have some kind of belief, that he is the Savior of the world, yet not making the Scripture the rule of our thoughts concerning him, many of us undo ourselves, and stumble, and break our necks upon this Rock, mistaking Christ, and the way of believing; looking on him as a Savior at large, and judging that enough; not endeavoring to make him ours, and to embrace him upon the terms of that New Covenant, of which he is Mediator.
To which also they were appointed.] This the Apostle adds for the further satisfaction of believers in this point; how it is that so many reject Christ and stumble at him? Telling them plainly, that the secret purpose of God is accomplished in this, having determined to glorify his justice on impenitent sinners, as he shows his rich mercy in them that believe. Here it were easier to lead you into a deep, than to lead you forth again. I will rather stand on the shore, and silently admire it, than enter into it. This is certain that the thoughts of God are all no less just in themselves, than deep, and unfathomable by us. His justice appears clear, in that man's destruction is always the fruit of his own sin: But to give causes of God's decrees without himself, is neither agreeable with the primitive being of the nature of God, nor with the doctrine of the Scriptures; this is sure that God is not bound to give us further account of these things, and we are bound not to ask it, Let these two words (as Saint Augustine says) answer all: What are you, O man? And O the depth!
Our only sure way to know, that our names are not in that black line, and to be persuaded, that he has chosen us to be saved by his Son, is this, to find that we have chosen him, and are built on him by faith, which is the fruit of his love, that first chooses us. And that we may read in our esteem of him.
He is precious] or your honor. The difference is small: you account him your glory, and your gain, he is not only precious to you, but preciousness itself. He is the thing that you make account of, your Jewel, that if you keep, though you be robbed of all besides, you know yourselves rich enough.
To you that believe] Faith is absolutely necessary to make this due estimate of Christ.
1. The most excellent things, while their worth is undiscerned, and unknown, affect us not; Now faith is the proper seeing faculty of the soul, in relation to Christ, that inward light must be infused from above, to make Christ visible to us; without it, though he is beautiful, yet we are blind, and therefore cannot love him for that beauty, but by faith we are enabled to see him that is fairer than the children of men, indeed, to see in him, the glory of the only begotten Son of God; and then it is not possible, but to account him precious, to bestow the entire affection of our hearts upon him. And if any say to the soul what is your beloved, more than another, it willingly lays hold on the question, and is glad of an opportunity to extoll him.
2. Faith as it is that which discerns Christ, so it alone appropriates him, makes him our own. And these are the two reasons of esteeming, and affecting any thing; its own worth, and our interest in it, and faith begets this esteem of Christ by both. 1. It discovers to us his excellencies, that we could not see before. 2. It makes him ours, gives us possession of whole Christ, all that he has, and is. As it is faith that commends Christ so much, and describes his comeliness in that song, and moreover, that word is the voice of faith, that expresses propriety, My Wellbeloved is mine, and I am his, and these together make him most precious to the soul, having once possession of him, then it looks upon all his sufferings as endured particularly for it, and the benefit of them all as belonging to itself; sure it will say, can it choose but account him precious that suffered shame, that he might not be ashamed; and suffered death that he might not die; that took that bitter cup of the father's wrath, and drank it out, that he might be free from it.
Think not that you believe, if your hearts be not taken up with Christ, if his love do not possess your soul, so that nothing is precious to you in respect of him, if you cannot despise, and trample upon all advantages, that either you have or would have, for Christ, and count them with the great apostle loss and dung in comparison of him. And if you do esteem him, labor for increase of faith, that you may esteem him more; for as faith grows, so will he still be more precious to you. And if you would have it grow, turn that spiritual eye frequently to him that's the proper object of it; for even they that are believers may possibly abate of their love, and esteem of Christ, by suffering faith to lie dead within them and not using it in beholding and applying of Christ: And the world, or some particular vanities, may insensibly creep in, and get into the heart, and cost them much pains before they can be thrust out again, but when they are daily reviewing those excellencies that are in Christ, which first persuaded their hearts to love him, and discovering still more, and more of them, his love will certainly grow, and will chase away those follies that the world dotes upon, as unworthy to be taken notice of.
