What do you have that is precious? It might be an heirloom which has been in the family for a long time. Others would say that items which have great monetary value are things which are precious. When the apostle Peter wrote his first letter, he talked about several things that are really precious!
The Proof of One’s Faith
The people to whom Peter wrote were proving that their faith was real! He said of them, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:6-7). Even though they had gone through great distress due to their trials, they could rejoice because they had passed the test! Christians and Christianity today are being put to the test more than any time in my eighty plus years of living. The percentage of those who claim to be Christians is lower than ever before. Many are abandoning the faith, often because the truths of Christianity are being mocked and ridiculed. Around the world Christians are being slandered and physically abused. Christian values are ridiculed! Christians are made to look like they are in the wrong while those who are wicked are made to look right. With all of these things happening, at the very least, Christians are being slandered, just as the people of Peter’s day. Peter exhorted them and us with these words, “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation” (2:12). When we endure trials because of our faith it proves that our faith is for real! When we pass that test, we can say, “The proof of our faith is precious – more precious than gold.”
The Blood of Christ
What would your family give to ransom you from danger? Families have been known to pay millions of dollars to redeem a loved one. That same idea may be seen when families spend thousands of dollars in medical bills to “redeem” a loved one from death.
Satan and sin held us captive (Romans 6:16). The payment for sin was not cheap! We could not be redeemed with precious metals such as silver or gold. It took the blood of Christ! God loved us so much that He gave His only begotten son to redeem us! Peter reminded the brethren of his day, “You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1:18-19). Let’s never forget the price that had to be paid to redeem us from Satan and our slavery to sin! Let’s take to heart the words of Paul who wrote, “In Him (Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us” (Ephesians 1:7-8). We reach the blood of Christ when we are immersed in water for the forgiveness of our sins (Romans 6:3-4). We continue to remain pure because when “walk in the light (the word of God) as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (I John 1:7). How precious is the blood! That precious blood purchased the church (Acts 20:28). That is why one can only be reconciled to God by being in the church (Ephesians 2:16; 1:22-23). Oh, how wrong are those who think they can be saved without being a member of the Lord’s blood-bought church! Only those who are members of the church are the bride of Christ and part of His spiritual body. Christ is only going to save those who make-up His church – His spiritual body on earth (Ephesians 5:23). How precious is the blood of Christ!
The Precious Corner Stone
In biblical days when houses were made of stone, the builder would go to the rock quarry and select the very best stone to be placed at the corner where the house was to be built. All measurements were then taken from that special (precious) cornerstone. Three times in a context of five verses, Christ is referred to as “a precious stone.” “And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in Scripture: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.’” This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, the stone which the builders rejected, this became the very corner stone, and ‘a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense’” (2:4-8).
Christ is the “corner stone” of the church and everyone who becomes a member of that church is spoken of a being part of the “living stone.” Notice that the text says that this stone is precious and choice in the sight of God. Since Christ is precious to God, the Father, shouldn’t He be precious to us? Again, this passage teaches that Christians must be part of the spiritual house – the church. Christ is the precious corner stone and each Christian is a stone added to the spiritual building of which Christ is the precious corner stone.
A Gentile and Quiet Spirit
A woman’s true beauty is not the clothes she wears or the jewels which decorate those garments. The woman’s real beauty is what she is on the inside. “Your adornment must not be merely external – braiding the hair; and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God” (3:3-4).
Since a gentle and quiet spirit is precious to God, would not all women crave that! Just prior to that statement Peter said this kind of Christian woman can convert an unbelieving husband into a Christian husband. “Gentle” mean that she has a nature that deals with all people and situation in kind, loving way – gently dealing with others. She is concerned with the feelings of others and doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Having a “quiet” spirit means that she will not be a “take-charge” personality. But, neither does it mean that she cannot speak, but when she speaks it is with gentleness and not as a loud boisterous “Master Sergent.”
This “gentle and quiet spirit” is not what we see in feminist movement that is trying to dominate all aspects of our society. This is not to say that women cannot be in leadership capacities in the secular world. The great challenge for women is to provide leadership in the world and at the same time manifest “a gentle and quiet spirit” which is precious in the sight of God. Each must ask the question, “Am I trying to be precious to men and women around me or to God above me?”
Conclusion
What one holds as precious reveals a great deal about his or her character and value-system. Think about all the ideas that Peter said were “Precious.” What do we think of those ideas and how do we manifest our view of those “things” the inspired apostle said were “precious.”
Wayne Burger