Destined (1 Peter 2)

"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 don't believe,
    
     'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,'

and
     
     'A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.'

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do."

     Jesus is the cornerstone that will be rejected, indeed, has been by many. When you are confronted with the reality of Jesus, there are only two possible responses: rejection or belief. One thing that is interesting about these verses in 1 Peter is that Peter states that some were destined not to believe, not to obey the word.

     Peter contrasts those who were destined not to believe with those who were chosen to belong to God. He continues in verse 9:

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession."

Peter states that believers are chosen for a purpose:

"that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness [see Col. 1:13] and into his marvelous light.' (insertion mine)

     Peter reiterates that it is God who does the choosing and He does it in mercy:

"Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; 
 once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

     Peter is here echoing the words of the prophet Hosea as Hosea spoke of the restored people of God and God's heart toward them in one of my favorite passages of Scripture in chapter 2 of his prophecy:

"And in that day I will answer, declared the LORD,
     I will answer the heavens, 
     and they shall answer the earth,
and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil,
     and they shall answer Jezreel,
     and I will sow her for myself in the land.
And I will have mercy on No Mercy,
     and I will say to Not My People, 'You are my people';
     and he shall say, 'You are my God.'" (vv. 21-23)

     Peter makes a connection between the promises of God to Israel - His chosen people - and applies those promises to those who are spiritually His people - believers.  According to Ephesians 1, He chose those who would belong to Him before He created the world!!!

     I marvel at His tender mercy and love toward his own and I grow uneasy when I think that there are those whom He has not chosen. Since we do not know who those people are, we are commanded to share the gospel with 'every creature' (Mark 16:15). The response of those who hear is not our responsibility. The obedience to share is. God will grant the faith necessary to believe and He will save (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 8:29-30). Let us not grow lax in our sharing because 'God's going to save whom He will.''  That is a lazy excuse used by those who do not understand either the gospel or the utter lostness of those who are perishing and displays a rebellious heart that fails to submit to the command to share the gospel. We have been given a command and God uses the foolishness of the message we share to save (Romans 10:14-15; 1 Cor. 1:26-31). It is He who saves, choses, condemns.

"Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Spirit, teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." Matt. 28:19-20