Last updated on February 7, 2021

Living Stone

A living stone is a spiritual stone that is used by God to build his spiritual temple. The “cornerstone” of God’s temple is Jesus Christ. This spiritual temple of God is called Zion, the Jerusalem that is above.

A person is considered to be a “living stone” by God when that person is “living” in the spirit, meaning, that person has a “spiritual life” in the Son Of God, Jesus Christ.

1 John 5:12 “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

Apostle Peter in the following verses said that God’s believers are “living stones” who are called out of darkness into his marvelous light.

1 Peter 2:4-8 As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this, they were appointed. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 

Understanding how to come out of darkness to be in the light is key to living in the spirit.

The Light Of Life

To be considered a living stone, a person needs to live in the spirit and must live by faith. In order to live in the spirit, you must receive and have faith in God’s light and come out of the darkness.

John 1:4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

Jesus Christ himself declared:

John 8:12 Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

So, we must believe and receive God’s chosen light, that is our Lord Christ Jesus, and we must love each other also.

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. 

And in the following verse, Apostle John also declared:

1 John 2:10 Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him.

So my friends, in order to continue living in the spirit, we keep our Lord’s commandment to love each other and to live by faith.

Alive In The Spirit

Apostle Paul explained how by God’s grace we are made alive in Christ. He saved us from the dominion of death and darkness and brought us into His Son’s kingdom where our sins are forgiven and where we are living in the spirit.

Colossians 1:12-14 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

We were dead in our sins but God made us alive in the spirit in Christ, as Apostle Paul explained in the following verses.

Ephesians 2:1-5 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! 

And God gave us power in the spiritual realm to be able to subdue all the power of our adversary. We are given this power so that we can walk in his way and help those who need our help. It is “the way” that God has prepared for us to walk in before the time began. This is the word that we heard when he said “let there be light”.

Our Lord Jesus Christ himself told us that he’s given us the power over the enemy in the following verses:

Luke 10:19-20 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and overall the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”…

Living and operating in the spirit as workers of righteousness is what God has prepared for us to do. This is how God planned to share his glory with us. So we ought to endure and let our light shine.

Ephesians 6:6-10 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

Light Of The Gospel

As believers of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, we understand that in order to live in the spirit and become living stones in the sight of God, we need to come out of the darkness and let our light shine. This is what he commanded for us to do in the beginning. To be in the light is how God chose us before the foundation of the world when he commanded “the light” to shine out of the darkness. In the light is where God’s glory can be seen and experienced by God’s chosen people. Apostle Paul explained this clearly in the following verses.

2 Corinthians 4:1-6 Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us this ministry, we do not lose heart. Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by open proclamation of the truth, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Jerusalem, Mount Zion, The Light Of The World

Now, the temple of God which is called Zion is also referred to in the Bible as the city of God, Jerusalem, the house of God, the bride of Christ, the wife of God, the body of Christ; and it is also God’s church or congregation, Mount Zion, The Tribe of Judah; as part of the nation of Israel. It is also the “light of the world”. A city situated on the mountain that cannot be hidden.

Matthew 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

And King David wrote in the Psalm:

Psalm 74:2 Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed— This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.

Zion is God’s temple. It is God’s church, the body of Christ. It is now being built by God using living stones to complete it. Apostle Paul explained:

Ephesians 2:19-22 Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens of the saints and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.

One of these days, when God finally fulfills his promises to his people. When all the prophecies written in the Bible are fulfilled, God will use the believers as living stones to build Zion and will turn it into the “New Jerusalem”. The New Jerusalem is the kingdom of God. It is where God’s spirit will finally live with mankind from that day and forever. Then those who have insight will shine like the sun in the kingdom of God.

Conclusion

A person who is living in the spirit, in the Son Of God, Christ Jesus is considered a living stone. In order to live in the spirit, a person must receive the light and let his light shine. Zion is made up of people who are living stones with the light, Jesus Christ as the cornerstone. Zion which is presently called the heavenly Jerusalem will one day become the New Jerusalem, the kingdom of God where all the living stones will become kings and priests and will sit on thrones to rule in God’s kingdom.

The prophet Isaiah’s prophesy of Zion:

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

That’s all for now brethren and friends. I hope that this blog has helped you understand what a living stone is. Until next time, may God bless you!