NOTES for Pe1 2:4-5
The apostle Peter says that all of us are stones from which the Church is being built. The words that Christ is the "cornerstone, chosen and precious" are more or less familiar. We also remember that Jesus said to Peter, "You are a stone, and on this stone I will build My Church" (Matt. 16:18). But it turns out that each of us is a stone from which the Church is being built. We are not simply in it; we are part of it. If there were no Christians, there would be no Church.
The stones from which the Church is built are not ordinary stones, but living ones. And this means that the Lord did not simply pick out objects of a suitable size and shape by some mechanical process. In His building plan each separate little stone is taken into account, because all of them are different and alive, and if they are alive, that means they change. This matters because the Church is not merely a building either; she is alive. So each of us is not a cog in a machine, but part of the living Church. And so it is important for us to remember that the Church is not two or three small stones, but all the stones together. If the living stones are hostile to one another, the Church will fall apart, and we see how this happens. If the stones strive for peace and love, the Lord will be able to build from them His house, the Church.