The Meaning of 1 Peter 2:5 Explained

1 Peter 2:5

KJV: Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

YLT: and ye yourselves, as living stones, are built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Darby: yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

ASV: ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Ye  also,  as  lively  stones,  are built up  a spiritual  house,  an holy  priesthood,  to offer up  spiritual  sacrifices,  acceptable  to God  by  Jesus  Christ. 

What does 1 Peter 2:5 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Peter saw the church as a living temple to which God was adding with the conversion of each new believer. Each Christian is one of the essential stones that enables the whole structure to fulfill its purpose (cf. Matthew 16:15-18). Later Peter would say his readers were also priests ( 1 Peter 2:9), but here the emphasis is on their being a building for priestly service, namely, a temple.
"This "spiritual house" includes believers in the five Roman provinces of 1 Peter 1:1 and shows clearly how Peter understood the metaphor of Christ in Matthew 16:18 to be not a local church, but the church general (the kingdom of Christ)." [1]
"I Peter never speaks of the Church as ekklesia, but uses metaphorical images of OT origin." [2]
This verse helps us appreciate how much we need each other as Christians. God has a purpose for all of us to fulfill that we cannot fulfill individually. The Christian who is not working in relationship with other Christians as fellow stones, as well as with Jesus Christ as his or her foundation, cannot fulfill God"s complete purpose for him or her. While every Christian has an individual purpose, we also have a corporate purpose that we cannot fulfill unless we take our place in the community of Christians that is the church. Peter explained this purpose more fully below, but here he revealed that it involves worship and service (cf. Romans 12:1; Hebrews 13:15-16; Philippians 4:18).

Context Summary

1 Peter 2:1-10 - Building On The Precious Corner-Stone
It is easy to lay aside malice, guile and evil speaking, when we are constantly feeding on the unadulterated milk of spiritual truth. If you have tasted of the grace of Jesus, you will not want to sip of the wine of Sodom. Drink, O beloved, eat and drink abundantly, that we may grow, casting aside sinful and childish things.
The changing imagery of the next paragraph is remarkable. As we touch the Living Stone we live, and we touch others who are touching Him, and so a temple begins to grow up. Then we become a holy priesthood in the temple, and finally the sacrifices which are offered within its precincts. If Christ is not that Living Stone for you, He will be your undoing.
All that God said of His ancient people may be realized by us in and through Christ. Compare 1 Peter 2:9 with Exodus 19:6. Thus songs of praise are ever ascending to Him who has called us into His light. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Peter 2

1  He exhorts to put away wickedness;
4  showing that Christ is the foundation whereupon they are built
11  He beseeches them also to abstain from sinful desires;
13  to be obedient to authorities;
18  and teaches servants how to obey their masters;
20  patiently suffering for well doing, after the example of Christ

Greek Commentary for 1 Peter 2:5

Ye also as living stones [και αυτοι ως λιτοι ζωντες]
Peter applies the metaphor about Christ as the living stone to the readers, “ye yourselves also.” [source]
Are built up a spiritual house [οικοδομειστε οικος πνευματικος]
Present passive indicative second person plural of οικοδομεω — oikodomeō the very verb used by Jesus to Peter in Matthew 16:18 This “spiritual house” includes believers in the five Roman provinces of 1 Peter 1:1 and shows clearly how Peter understood the metaphor of Christ in Matthew 16:18 to be not a local church, but the church general (the kingdom of Christ).To be a holy priesthood (εις ιερατευμα αγιον — eis hierateuma hagion). Late word (from ιερατευω — hierateuō to serve as priest, Luke 1:8 alone in N.T.), in lxx (Exodus 19:6), in N.T. only here and 1 Peter 2:9, either the office of priest (Hort) or an order or body of priests. At any rate, Peter has the same idea of Revelation 1:6 (ιερεις — hiereis priests) that all believers are priests (Hebrews 4:16) and can approach God directly.To offer up First aorist active infinitive (of purpose here) of αναπερω — anapherō the usual word for offering sacrifices (Hebrews 7:27). Only these are “spiritual” Late (Plutarch) double compound verbal adjective (ευ προσ δεχομαι — euprosdechomai) as in 2 Corinthians 6:2. [source]
To be a holy priesthood [εις ιερατευμα αγιον]
Late word (from ιερατευω — hierateuō to serve as priest, Luke 1:8 alone in N.T.), in lxx (Exodus 19:6), in N.T. only here and 1 Peter 2:9, either the office of priest (Hort) or an order or body of priests. At any rate, Peter has the same idea of Revelation 1:6 (ιερεις — hiereis priests) that all believers are priests (Hebrews 4:16) and can approach God directly. [source]
To offer up [ανενεγκαι]
First aorist active infinitive (of purpose here) of αναπερω — anapherō the usual word for offering sacrifices (Hebrews 7:27). Only these are “spiritual” Late (Plutarch) double compound verbal adjective (ευ προσ δεχομαι — euprosdechomai) as in 2 Corinthians 6:2. [source]
Acceptable [ευπροσδεκτους]
Late (Plutarch) double compound verbal adjective (ευ προσ δεχομαι — euprosdechomai) as in 2 Corinthians 6:2. [source]
Living stones - built up - a spiritual house []
It seems as though Peter must have had in mind the conception embodied in Christ's commission to him, of a building erected upon a rock. The metaphor of a house built of living stones is violent, and sufficiently characteristic of Peter; yet it pictures, in a very striking way, the union of stability, growth, and activity in the ideal church. Note the transition from babes growing (1 Peter 2:2) to stones built up. But, as Salmond remarks, “In Paul we have even bolder instances of apparent confusion of metaphors, as when, in one breath, he represents believers as at once walking, rooted, and built up in Christ (Colossians 2:6, Colossians 2:7). [source]
To offer up [ἀνενέγκαι]
The usual Old-Testament (Septuagint) term for offering of sacrifice. Lit., to bring up to the altar. Compare Hebrews 13:15. The force of ἀνά , up, appears in the fact of the altar being raised. The word is often used of carrying from a lower to a higher place. Thus Matthew 17:1; Luke 24:51. In this sense 1 Peter 2:24of this chapter is suggestive, where it is said that Christ bare ( ἀνήνεγκεν ) our sins: carried them up to the cross. See note there. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for 1 Peter 2:5

Matthew 16:18 Thou art Peter [οὺ εἶ Πέτρος]
Christ responds to Peter's emphatic thou with another, equally emphatic. Peter says, “Thou art the Christ.” Christ replies, “Thou art Peter.” Πέτρος (Peter ) is used as a proper name, but without losing its meaning as a common noun. The name was bestowed on Simon at his first interview with Jesus (John 1:42) under the form of its Aramaic equivalent, CephasIn this passage attention is called, not to the giving of the name, but to its meaning. In classical Greek the word means a piece of rock, as in Homer, of Ajax throwing a stone at Hector (“Iliadvii., 270), or of Patroclus grasping and hiding in his hand a jagged stone (“Iliadxvi., 784).On this rock ( ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέρᾳ )The word is feminine, and means a rock, as distinguished from a stone or a fragment of rock ( πέτρος , above). Used of a ledge of rocks or a rocky peak. In Homer (“Odyssey,” ix., 243), the rock ( πέτρην ) which Polyphemus places at the door of his cavern, is a mass which two-and-twenty wagons could not remove; and the rock which he hurled at the retreating ships of Ulysses, created by its fall a wave in the sea which drove the ships back toward the land (“Odyssey,” ix., 484). The word refers neither to Christ as a rock, distinguished from Simon, a stone, nor to Peter's confession, but to Peter himself, in a sense defined by his previous confession, and as enlightened by the “Father in Heaven.” The reference of πέτρα to Christ is forced and unnatural. The obvious reference of the word is to Peter. The emphatic this naturally refers to the nearest antecedent; and besides, the metaphor is thus weakened, since Christ appears here, not as the foundation, but as the architect: “On this rock will I build.” Again, Christ is the great foundation, the “chief corner-stone,” but the New Testament writers recognize no impropriety in applying to the members of Christ's church certain terms which are applied to him. For instance, Peter himself (1 Peter 2:4), calls Christ a living stone, and, in 1 Peter 2:5, addresses the church as living stones. In Revelation 21:14, the names of the twelve apostles appear in the twelve foundation-stones of the heavenly city; and in Ephesians 2:20, it is said, “Ye are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (i.e., laid by the apostles and prophets), Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone.” Equally untenable is the explanation which refers πέτρα to Simon's confession. Both the play upon the words and the natural reading of the passage are against it, and besides, it does not conform to the fact, since the church is built, not on confessions, but on confessors - living men. “The word πέτρα ,” says Edersheim, “was used in the same sense in Rabbinic language. According to the Rabbins, when God was about to build his world, he could not rear it on the generation of Enos, nor on that of the flood, who brought destruction upon the world; but when he beheld that Abraham would arise in the future, he said' 'Behold, I have found a rock to build on it, and to found the world,' whence, also, Abraham is called a rock, as it is said' 'Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn.' The parallel between Abraham and Peter might be carried even further. If, from a misunderstanding of the Lord's promise to Peter, later Christian legend represented the apostle as sitting at the gate of heaven, Jewish legend represents Abraham as sitting at the gate of Gehenna, so as to prevent all who had the seal of circumcision from falling into its abyss” (“Life and Times of Jesus”). The reference to Simon himself is confirmed by the actual relation of Peter to the early church, to the Jewish portion of which he was a foundation-stone. See Acts, Acts 1:15; Acts 2:14, Acts 2:37; Acts 3:12; Acts 4:8; Acts 5:15, Acts 5:29; Acts 9:34, Acts 9:40; Acts 10:25, Acts 10:26; Galatians 1:15.Church ( ἐκκλησίαν ) ἐκ out, καλέω , to call or summon. This is the first occurrence of this word in the New Testament. Originally an assembly of citizens, regularly summoned. So in New Testament, Acts 19:39. The Septuagint uses the word for the congregation of Israel, either as summoned for a definite purpose (Acts 7:38); but for this there is more commonly employed συναγωγή , of which synagogue is a transcription; σύν , together, ἄγω , to bring (Acts 13:43). In Christ's words to Peter the word ἐκκλησία acquires special emphasis from the opposition implied in it to the synagogue. The Christian community in the midst of Israel would be designated as ἐκκλησία , without being confounded with the συναγωγή , the Jewish community. See Acts 5:11; Acts 8:1; Acts 12:1; Acts 14:23, Acts 14:27, etc. Nevertheless συναγωγή is applied to a Christian assembly in James 2:2, while ἐπισυναγωγή (gathering or assembling together ) is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:1; Hebrews 10:25. Both in Hebrew and in New Testament usage ἐκκλησία implies more than a collective or national unity; rather a community based on a special religious idea and established in a special way. In the New Testament the term is used also in the narrower sense of a single church, or a church confined to a particular place. So of the church in the house of Aquila and Priscilla (Romans 16:5); the church at Corinth, the churches in Judea, the church at Jerusalem, etc.Gates of hell ( πύλαι ᾅδου )Rev., Hades. Hades was originally the name of the god who presided over the realm of the dead - Pluto or Dis. Hence the phrase, house of Hades. It is derived from ἀ , not, and; ἰδεῖν , to see; and signifies, therefore, the invisible land, the realm of shadow. It is the place to which all who depart this life descend, without reference to their moral character. By this word the Septuagint translated the Hebrew Sheol, which has a similar general meaning. The classical Hades embraced both good and bad men, though divided into Elysium, the abode of the virtuous, and Tartarus, the abode of the wicked. In these particulars it corresponds substantially with Sheol; both the godly and the wicked being represented as gathered into the latter. See Genesis 42:38; Psalm 9:17; Psalm 139:8; Isaiah 14:9; Isaiah 57:2; Ezekiel 32:27; Hosea 13:14. Hades and Sheol were alike conceived as a definite place, lower than the world. The passage of both good and bad into it was regarded as a descent. The Hebrew conception is that of a place of darkness; a cheerless home of a dull, joyless, shadowy life. See Psalm 6:5; Psalm 94:17; Psalm 115:17; Psalm 88:5, Psalm 88:6, Job 14:13-157; Job 10:21; Job 3:17-19; Job 14:10, Job 14:11; Ecclesiastes 9:5. Vagueness is its characteristic. In this the Hebrew's faith appears bare in contrast with that of the Greek and Roman. The pagan poets gave the popular mind definite pictures of Tartarus and Elysium; of Styx and Acheron; of happy plains where dead heroes held high discourse, and of black abysses where offenders underwent strange and ingenious tortures. There was, indeed, this difference between the Hebrew and the Pagan conceptions; that to the Pagan, Hades was the final home of its tenants, while Sheol was a temporary condition. Hence the patriarchs are described (Hebrews 11:16) as looking for a better, heavenly country; and the martyrs as enduring in hope of “a better resurrection.” Prophecy declared that the dead should arise and sing, when Sheol itself should be destroyed and its inmates brought forth, some to everlasting life, and others to shame and contempt (Isaiah 26:19; Hosea 13:14; Daniel 12:2). Paul represents this promise as made to the fathers by God, and as the hope of his countrymen (Acts 26:7). God was the God of the dead as well as of the living; present in the dark chambers of Sheol as well as in heaven (Psalm 139:8; Psalm 16:10). This is the underlying thought of that most touching and pathetic utterance of Job (1715177160_21), in which he breathes the wish that God would hide him with loving care in Hades, as a place of temporary concealment, where he will wait patiently, standing like a sentinel at his post, awaiting the divine voice calling him to a new and happier life. This, too, is the thought of the familiar and much-disputed passage, Job 19:23-27. His Redeemer, vindicator, avenger, shall arise after he shall have passed through the shadowy realm of Sheol. “A judgment in Hades, in which the judge will show himself his friend, in which all the tangled skein of his life will be unravelled by wise and kindly hands, and the insoluble problem of his strange and self-contradicting experience will at last be solved - this is what Job still looks for on that happy day when he shall see God for himself, and find his Goel (vindicator) in that Almighty Deliverer” (Cox, “Commentary on the Book of Job”). In the New Testament, Hades is the realm of the dead. It cannot be successfully maintained that it is, in particular, the place for sinners (so Cremer, “Biblico-Theological Lexicon”). The words about Capernaum (Matthew 11:23), which it is surprising to find Cremer citing in support of this position, are merely a rhetorical expression of a fall from the height of earthly glory to the deepest degradation, and have no more bearing upon the moral character of Hades than the words of Zophar (Job 11:7, Job 11:8) about the perfection of the Almighty. “It is high as heaven - deeper than Sheol. ” Hades is indeed coupled with Death (Revelation 1:18; Revelation 6:8; Revelation 20:13, Revelation 20:14), but the association is natural, and indeed inevitable, apart from all moral distinctions. Death would naturally be followed by Hades in any case. In Revelation 20:13, Revelation 20:14, the general judgment is predicted, and not only Death and Hades, but the sea give tip their dead, and only those who are not written in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). The rich man was in Hades (Luke 16:23), and in torments, but Lazarus was also in Hades, “in Abraham's bosom.” The details of this story “evidently represent the views current at the time among the Jews. According to them, the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life were the abode of the blessed. We read that the righteous in Eden see the wicked in Gehenna and rejoice; and similarly, that the wicked in Gehenna see the righteous sitting beatified in Eden, and their souls are troubled (Edersheim, “Life and Times of Jesus”). Christ also was in Hades (Acts 2:27, Acts 2:31). Moreover, the word γέεννα , hell (see on Matthew 5:22), is specially used to denote the place of future punishment. Hades, then, in the New Testament, is a broad and general conception, with an idea of locality bound up with it. It is the condition following death, which is blessed or the contrary, according to the moral character of the dead, and is therefore divided into different realms, represented by Paradise or Abraham's bosom, and Gehenna. The expression Gates of Hades is an orientalism for the court, throne, power, and dignity of the infernal kingdom. Hades is contemplated as a mighty city, with formidable, frowning portals. Some expositors introduce also the idea of the councils of the Satanic powers, with reference to the Eastern custom of holding such deliberations in the gates of cities. Compare the expression Sublime Porte, applied to the Ottoman court. The idea of a building is maintained in both members of the comparison. The kingdom or city of Hades confronts and assaults the church which Christ will build upon the rock. See Job 38:17; Psalm 9:13; Psalm 107:18; Isaiah 38:10. [source]
Matthew 16:18 On this rock [επι ταυτηι τηι πετραι]
What did Jesus mean by this word-play?I will build my church (οικοδομησω μου την εκκλησιαν — oikodomēsō mou tēn ekklēsian). It is the figure of a building and he uses the word εκκλησιαν — ekklēsian which occurs in the New Testament usually of a local organization, but sometimes in a more general sense. What is the sense here in which Jesus uses it? The word originally meant “assembly” (Acts 19:39), but it came to be applied to an “unassembled assembly” as in Acts 8:3 for the Christians persecuted by Saul from house to house. “And the name for the new Israel, εκκλησια — ekklēsia in His mouth is not an anachronism. It is an old familiar name for the congregation of Israel found in Deut. (Deuteronomy 18:16; Deuteronomy 23:2) and Psalms (Psalm 22:25), both books well known to Jesus” (Bruce). It is interesting to observe that in Psalms 89 most of the important words employed by Jesus on this occasion occur in the lxx text. So οικοδομησω — oikodomēsō in Psalm 89:5; εκκλησια — ekklēsia in Psalm 89:6; κατισχυω — katischuō in Psalm 89:22; Χριστος — Christos in Psalm 89:39, Psalm 89:52; αιδης — hāidēs in Psalm 89:49 (εκ χειρος αιδου — ek cheiros hāidou). If one is puzzled over the use of “building” with the word εκκλησια — ekklēsia it will be helpful to turn to 1 Peter 2:5. Peter, the very one to whom Jesus is here speaking, writing to the Christians in the five Roman provinces in Asia (1 Peter 1:1), says: “You are built a spiritual house” (οικοδομειστε οικος πνευματικος — oikodomeisthe oikos pneumatikos). It is difficult to resist the impression that Peter recalls the words of Jesus to him on this memorable occasion. Further on (1 Peter 2:9) he speaks of them as an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, showing beyond controversy that Peter‘s use of building a spiritual house is general, not local. This is undoubtedly the picture in the mind of Christ here in Matthew 16:18. It is a great spiritual house, Christ‘s Israel, not the Jewish nation, which he describes. What is the rock on which Christ will build his vast temple? Not on Peter alone or mainly or primarily. Peter by his confession was furnished with the illustration for the rock on which His church will rest. It is the same kind of faith that Peter has just confessed. The perpetuity of this church general is guaranteed.The gates of Hades Each word here creates difficulty. Hades is technically the unseen world, the Hebrew Sheol, the land of the departed, that is death. Paul uses τανατε — thanate in 1 Corinthians 15:55 in quoting Hosea 13:14 for αιδη — hāidē It is not common in the papyri, but it is common on tombstones in Asia Minor, “doubtless a survival of its use in the old Greek religion” (Moulton and Milligan, Vocabulary). The ancient pagans divided Hades Christ was in Hades (Acts 2:27, Acts 2:31), not in Gehenna. We have here the figure of two buildings, the Church of Christ on the Rock, the House of Death (Hades). “In the Old Testament the ‹gates of Hades‘ (Sheol) never bears any other meaning (Isaiah 38:10; Wisd. 16:3; 3 Maccabees 5:51) than death,” McNeile claims. See also Psalm 9:13; Psalm 107:18; Job 38:17 It is not the picture of Hades attacking Christ‘s church, but of death‘s possible victory over the church. “The εκκλησια — ekklēsia is built upon the Messiahship of her master, and death, the gates of Hades, will not prevail against her by keeping Him imprisoned. It was a mysterious truth, which He will soon tell them in plain words (Matthew 16:21); it is echoed in Acts 2:24, Acts 2:31 ” (McNeile). Christ‘s church will prevail and survive because He will burst the gates of Hades and come forth conqueror. He will ever live and be the guarantor of the perpetuity of His people or church. The verb κατισχυω — katischuō (literally have strength against, ισχυω — ischuō from ισχυς — ischus and κατ — kaṫ) occurs also in Luke 21:36; Luke 23:23. It appears in the ancient Greek, the lxx, and in the papyri with the accusative and is used in the modern Greek with the sense of gaining the mastery over. The wealth of imagery in Matthew 16:18 makes it difficult to decide each detail, but the main point is clear. The εκκλησια — ekklēsia which consists of those confessing Christ as Peter has just done will not cease. The gates of Hades or bars of Sheol will not close down on it. Christ will rise and will keep his church alive. Sublime Porte used to be the title of Turkish power in Constantinople. [source]
Matthew 16:18 I will build my church [οικοδομησω μου την εκκλησιαν]
It is the figure of a building and he uses the word εκκλησιαν — ekklēsian which occurs in the New Testament usually of a local organization, but sometimes in a more general sense. What is the sense here in which Jesus uses it? The word originally meant “assembly” (Acts 19:39), but it came to be applied to an “unassembled assembly” as in Acts 8:3 for the Christians persecuted by Saul from house to house. “And the name for the new Israel, εκκλησια — ekklēsia in His mouth is not an anachronism. It is an old familiar name for the congregation of Israel found in Deut. (Deuteronomy 18:16; Deuteronomy 23:2) and Psalms (Psalm 22:25), both books well known to Jesus” (Bruce). It is interesting to observe that in Psalms 89 most of the important words employed by Jesus on this occasion occur in the lxx text. So οικοδομησω — oikodomēsō in Psalm 89:5; εκκλησια — ekklēsia in Psalm 89:6; κατισχυω — katischuō in Psalm 89:22; Χριστος — Christos in Psalm 89:39, Psalm 89:52; αιδης — hāidēs in Psalm 89:49 If one is puzzled over the use of “building” with the word εκκλησια — ekklēsia it will be helpful to turn to 1 Peter 2:5. Peter, the very one to whom Jesus is here speaking, writing to the Christians in the five Roman provinces in Asia (1 Peter 1:1), says: “You are built a spiritual house” It is difficult to resist the impression that Peter recalls the words of Jesus to him on this memorable occasion. Further on (1 Peter 2:9) he speaks of them as an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, showing beyond controversy that Peter‘s use of building a spiritual house is general, not local. This is undoubtedly the picture in the mind of Christ here in Matthew 16:18. It is a great spiritual house, Christ‘s Israel, not the Jewish nation, which he describes. What is the rock on which Christ will build his vast temple? Not on Peter alone or mainly or primarily. Peter by his confession was furnished with the illustration for the rock on which His church will rest. It is the same kind of faith that Peter has just confessed. The perpetuity of this church general is guaranteed. [source]
John 1:29 That taketh away [ὁ αἴρων]
Either takes away or takes upon himself, in order to bear: either removal or expiation of sin. The one idea, however, is included in the other. The taking away of the sin is through His bearing it. In Isaiah 53:1-12(Sept.), φέρω , to bear, and its compound ἀναφέρω (see on 1 Peter 2:5) are used, and αἴρω , to take up and carry away, occurs only in the phrase his life is taken from the earth, A.V., he was cut off out of the land of the living, in accordance with the universal usage of the Septuagint, which never employs αἴρειν to express the bearing of sin. If the Baptist had meant bearing, he would probably have used φέρω . Compare 1 John 3:5: “He was manifested to take away ( ἵνα ἄρῃ ) our sins,” and 1 John 1:7, “cleanseth us from all sin.” In the use of the present tense, taketh, the Baptist views the future consummation of Christ's atoning work as potentially present. [source]
Acts 7:38 Lively []
Better, living, as Rev. Compare 1 Peter 2:4, 1 Peter 2:5. [source]
Acts 9:31 Edified [oikodomoumenē)]
Present passive participle, linear action also. One result of the enjoyment of peace after the persecution was the continued edification (Latin word aedificatio for building up a house), a favourite figure with Paul (1 Corinthians 14; Eph 3) and scattered throughout the N.T., old Greek verb. In 1 Peter 2:5 Peter speaks of “the spiritual house” throughout the five Roman provinces being “built up” (cf. Matthew 16:18). [source]
Acts 9:31 Had peace [eichen eirēnēn)]
Imperfect active. Kept on having peace, enjoying peace, because the persecution had ceased. Many of the disciples came back to Jerusalem and the apostles began to make preaching tours out from the city. This idiom Edified (oikodomoumenē). Present passive participle, linear action also. One result of the enjoyment of peace after the persecution was the continued edification (Latin word aedificatio for building up a house), a favourite figure with Paul (1 Corinthians 14; Eph 3) and scattered throughout the N.T., old Greek verb. In 1 Peter 2:5 Peter speaks of “the spiritual house” throughout the five Roman provinces being “built up” (cf. Matthew 16:18). In the comfort of the Holy Spirit Either locative (in) or instrumental case (by). The Holy Spirit had been promised by Jesus as “another Paraclete” and now this is shown to be true. The only instance in Acts of the use of paraklēsis with the Holy Spirit. The word, of course, means calling to one‘s side Imperfect middle passive. The multiplication of the disciples kept pace with the peace, the edification, the walking in the fear of the Lord, the comfort of the Holy Spirit. The blood of the martyrs was already becoming the seed of the church. Stephen had not borne his witness in vain. [source]
1 Corinthians 3:9 Building [οἰκοδομή]
Paul's metaphors are drawn from the works and customs of men rather than from the works of nature. “In his epistles,” says Archdeacon Farrar, “we only breathe the air of cities and synagogues.” The abundance of architectural metaphors is not strange in view of the magnificent temples and public buildings which he was continually seeing at Antioch, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus. His frequent use of to build and building in a moral and spiritual sense is noteworthy. In this sense the two words οἰκοδομέω and οἰκοδομή occur twenty-six times in the New Testament, and in all but two cases in Paul's writings. Peter uses build in a similar sense; 1 Peter 2:5. See edify, edification, build, Acts 9:31; Romans 15:20; 1 Corinthians 8:1; 1 Corinthians 8:10, where emboldened is literally built up, and is used ironically. Also Romans 14:19; Romans 15:2; 1 Corinthians 14:3; Ephesians 2:21, etc. It is worth noting that in the Epistle to the Hebrews, while the same metaphor occurs, different words are used. Thus in Hebrews 3:3, Hebrews 3:4, built, builded, represent κατασκευάζω toprepare. In Hebrews 11:10, τεχνίτης artificerand δημιουργὸς , lit., a workman for the public: A.V., builder and maker. This fact has a bearing on the authorship of the epistle. In earlier English, edify was used for build in the literal sense. Thus Piers Ploughman: “I shal overturne this temple and a-down throwe it, and in thre daies after edifie it newe.” See on Acts 20:32. In the double metaphor of the field and the building, the former furnishes the mould of Paul's thought in 1 Corinthians 3:6-9, and the latter in 1 Corinthians 3:10-17. Edwards remarks that the field describes the raw material on which God works, the house the result of the work. [source]
1 Corinthians 3:11 Than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus [παρα τον κειμενον ος εστιν Ιησους Χριστος]
Literally, “alongside Paul scouts the suggestion that one even in the interest of so-called “new thought” will dare to lay beside Jesus another foundation for religion. And yet I have seen an article by a professor in a theological seminary in which he advocates regarding Jesus as a landmark, not as a goal, not as a foundation. Clearly Paul means that on this one true foundation, Jesus Christ, one must build only what is in full harmony with the Foundation which is Jesus Christ. If one accuses Paul of narrowness, it can be replied that the architect has to be narrow in the sense of building here and not there. A broad foundation will be too thin and unstable for a solid and abiding structure. It can be said also that Paul is here merely repeating the claim of Jesus himself on this very subject when he quoted Psalm 118:22. to the members of the Sanhedrin who challenged his authority (Mark 11:10.; Matthew 21:42-45; Luke 20:17.). Apostles and prophets go into this temple of God, but Christ Jesus is the chief corner stone All believers are living stones in this temple (1 Peter 2:5). But there is only one foundation possible. [source]
2 Corinthians 6:2 The accepted time [καιρὸς εὐπρόσδεκτος]
Rev., acceptable. Paul uses for the simple adjective of the Septuagint a compound “well -received,” which is stronger, and which occurs mostly in his own writings. See Romans 15:16, Romans 15:31; 1 Peter 2:5; and compare acceptable year, Luke 4:19. [source]
Galatians 6:1 Spiritual [πνευματικοὶ]
Comp. 1 Corinthians 3:1. Mostly in Paul. See 1 Peter 2:5. Those who have received the Spirit and are led by him. See Galatians 3:2, Galatians 3:3, Galatians 3:5, Galatians 3:14; Galatians 4:6; Galatians 5:5, Galatians 5:16, Galatians 5:18, Galatians 5:25. He leaves it to the readers' own conscience whether or not they answer to this designation. [source]
Ephesians 2:21 Fitly framed together [συναρμολογουμενη]
Double compound from συν — sun and αρμολογος — harmologos (binding, αρμος — harmos joint and λεγω — legō), apparently made by Paul and in N.T. only here and Ephesians 4:16. Architectural metaphor. Into a holy temple (εις ναον αγιον — eis naon hagion). The whole structure with all the οικοδομαι — oikodomai Another metaphor for the Kingdom of God with which compare Peter‘s “spiritual house” (οικος πνευματικος — oikos pneumatikos) in which each is a living stone being built in (1 Peter 2:5). [source]
Ephesians 2:21 Into a holy temple [εις ναον αγιον]
The whole structure with all the οικοδομαι — oikodomai Another metaphor for the Kingdom of God with which compare Peter‘s “spiritual house” (οικος πνευματικος — oikos pneumatikos) in which each is a living stone being built in (1 Peter 2:5). [source]
Ephesians 2:22 Ye also are builded together [και υμεις συνοικοδομειστε]
Ye Gentiles also. Present passive indicative (continuous process) of common old verb συνοικοδομεω — sunoikodomeō to build together with others or out of varied materials as here. Only here in N.T. In 1 Peter 2:5 Peter uses οικοδομειστε — oikodomeisthe for the same process. [source]
Hebrews 13:15 Let us offer [ἀναφέρωμεν]
Lit. bring up the offering to the altar. See James 2:21, where the full phrase occurs. For the phrase offer up through Jesus Christ, comp. 1 Peter 2:5. [source]
Hebrews 10:22 Sprinkled from an evil conscience [ῥεραντισμένοι - ἀπὸ συνειδήσεως πονηρᾶς]
This qualification for a right approach to God is stated typologically. As the priests were sprinkled with the sacrificial blood and washed with water before ministering, so do you who have now the privilege and standing of priests in approaching God, draw near, priestlike, as sharers in an economy which purges the conscience (Hebrews 9:14), having your consciences purged. Your own hearts must experience the effects of the great sacrifice of Christ, - pardon, moral renewal, deliverance from a legal spirit. On the priesthood of believers see 1 Peter 2:5, 1 Peter 2:9; Exodus 19:6; Isaiah 61:6. This idea is dominated in our epistle by that of Christ's priesthood; but it is not excluded, and is implied throughout. See Hebrews 13:15. For sprinkled, see on 1 Peter 1:2. [source]
Hebrews 10:20 By a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us [ἣν ἐνεκαίνισεν ἡμῖν ὁδὸν πρόσφατον καὶ ζῶσαν]
The A.V. is wrong. Ἣν whichis to be construed with εἴσοδον entranceThus: “having boldness for the entrance which he has inaugurated (or opened) for us - a way new and living.” For ἐνεκαίνισεν see on Hebrews 9:18. The way must be opened, for every other way is closed. Ἐνκαινίζειν in lxx of the inauguration of a house, kingdom, temple, altar. See Deuteronomy 20:5; 1 Samuel 11:14; 1 Kings 8:63; 2 Chronicles 15:8. Πρόσφατον newN.T.oIn lxx, see Numbers 6:3; Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 80:9; Ecclesiastes 1:9. The derivation appears to be πρὸς nearto, and φατός slain(from πέμφαμαι , the perfect of φένειν tokill ). According to this the original sense would be newly-slain; and the word was used of one so recently dead as to retain the appearance of life: also, generally, of things which have not lost their character or appearance by the lapse of time; of fishes, fruits, oil, etc., which are fresh; of anger which has not had time to cool. Later the meaning was weakened into new. Note that the contrast is not between a new and an old way, but between a new way and no way. So long as the old division of the tabernacle existed, the way into the holiest was not opened, Hebrews 9:8. Ζῶσαν livingA living way seems a strange expression, but comp. Peter's living stones, 1 Peter 2:5. Christ styles himself both way and life. The bold figure answers to the fact. The new way is through a life to life. [source]
Hebrews 7:27 First [προτερον]
Regular adverb for comparison between two, though πρωτον — prōton often occurs also (John 1:41), with επειτα — epeita (then) following. For the sins Only the article in the Greek with repetition of υπερ — huper or of αμαρτιων — hamartiōn When he offered up himself First aorist active participle of αναπερω — anapherō to offer up. See same idea in Hebrews 9:14 where εαυτον προσηνεγκεν — heauton prosēnegken is used. Old verb for sacrifice to place on the altar (1 Peter 2:5, 1 Peter 2:24). [source]
James 2:21 When he had offered [ἀνενέγκας]
Incorrect. For the participle states the ground of his justification. By works gives the general ground; offered, etc., the specific work. Compare Genesis 22:16, Genesis 22:17. Rev., correctly, in that he offered. The word ἀνενέγκας is, lit., brought up to; and means, not actually to offer up in sacrifice (though Isaac was morally sacrificed in Abraham's will), but to bring to the altar as an offering See on 1 Peter 2:5. [source]
1 Peter 2:24 Bare [ἀνήνεγκεν]
See on 1 Peter 2:5. Bare up to the cross, as to an altar, and offered himself thereon. [source]
1 Peter 1:3 Lively [ζῶσαν]
Better, as Rev., literally rendering the participle, living: a favorite word with Peter. See 1 Peter 1:23; 1 Peter 2:4, 1 Peter 2:5, 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 4:5, 1 Peter 4:6; and compare Acts 9:41, where Peter is the prominent actor; and Acts 10:42, where he is the speaker. [source]
1 Peter 1:3 Unto a living hope [εις ελπιδα ζωσαν]
Peter is fond of the word “living” (present active participle of ζαω — zaō) as in 1 Peter 1:23; 1 Peter 2:4, 1 Peter 2:5, 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 4:5, 1 Peter 4:6. The Pharisees cherished the hope of the resurrection (Acts 23:6), but the resurrection of Jesus gave it proof and permanence (1 Corinthians 15:14, 1 Corinthians 15:17). It is no longer a dead hope like dead faith (James 2:17, James 2:26). This revival of hope was wrought “by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” Hope rose up with Christ from the dead, though the disciples (Peter included) were slow at first to believe it. [source]
1 Peter 2:9 A royal priesthood [βασιλειον ιερατευμα]
From Exodus 19:6 (cf. Revelation 1:6; Revelation 5:10). The official in Christian churches is πρεσβυτεροσεπισχοπος — presbuteros =ιερευς — episcopos not ιερεις — hiereus We are all ετνος αγιον — hiereis (priests). Cf. 1 Peter 2:5. [source]
1 Peter 2:19 For this is acceptable [τουτο γαρ χαρις]
“For this thing (neuter singular τουτο — touto obedience to crooked masters) is grace” “Acceptable” calls for ευπροσδεκτον — euprosdekton (1 Peter 2:5), which is not the text here. [source]
1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come [οτι ο καιρος]
No predicate, probably εστιν — estin (is) to be supplied. The phrase that follows comes from the vision of Ezekiel (chapter Ezekiel 9:1-11). The construction is unusual with του αρχασται — tou arxasthai (genitive articular aorist middle infinitive of αρχω — archō), not exactly purpose or result, and almost in apposition (epexegetic), but note του ελτειν — tou elthein used as subject in Luke 17:1. The persecution on hand (1 Peter 1:7) was a foretaste of more to come. By “house of God” he can mean the same as the “spiritual house” of 1 Peter 2:5 or a local church. Biggs even takes it to refer to the family. [source]
1 Peter 1:3 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ [ο τεος και πατηρ του κυριου ημων Ιησου Χριστου]
This precise language in 2 Corinthians 1:3; Ephesians 1:3; and part of it in 2 Corinthians 11:31; Romans 15:6. See John 20:17 for similar language by Jesus.Great (πολυ — polu). Much.Begat us again First aorist active articular The Stoics used αναγεννησις — anagennēsis for παλινγενεσια — palingenesia (Titus 3:5). If ανωτεν — anōthen in John 3:3 be taken to mean “again,” the same idea of regeneration is there, and if “from above” it is the new birth, anyhow.Unto a living hope (εις ελπιδα ζωσαν — eis elpida zōsan). Peter is fond of the word “living” (present active participle of ζαω — zaō) as in 1 Peter 1:23; 1 Peter 2:4, 1 Peter 2:5, 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 4:5, 1 Peter 4:6. The Pharisees cherished the hope of the resurrection (Acts 23:6), but the resurrection of Jesus gave it proof and permanence (1 Corinthians 15:14, 1 Corinthians 15:17). It is no longer a dead hope like dead faith (James 2:17, James 2:26). This revival of hope was wrought “by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (δια αναστασεως — dia anastaseōs). Hope rose up with Christ from the dead, though the disciples (Peter included) were slow at first to believe it. [source]
1 Peter 1:3 Begat us again [αναγεννησας ημας]
First aorist active articular The Stoics used αναγεννησις — anagennēsis for παλινγενεσια — palingenesia (Titus 3:5). If ανωτεν — anōthen in John 3:3 be taken to mean “again,” the same idea of regeneration is there, and if “from above” it is the new birth, anyhow.Unto a living hope (εις ελπιδα ζωσαν — eis elpida zōsan). Peter is fond of the word “living” (present active participle of ζαω — zaō) as in 1 Peter 1:23; 1 Peter 2:4, 1 Peter 2:5, 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 4:5, 1 Peter 4:6. The Pharisees cherished the hope of the resurrection (Acts 23:6), but the resurrection of Jesus gave it proof and permanence (1 Corinthians 15:14, 1 Corinthians 15:17). It is no longer a dead hope like dead faith (James 2:17, James 2:26). This revival of hope was wrought “by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (δια αναστασεως — dia anastaseōs). Hope rose up with Christ from the dead, though the disciples (Peter included) were slow at first to believe it. [source]
1 Peter 2:9 An elect race [γενος εκλεκτον]
From Isaiah 43:20. The blood relation of the spiritual Israel (not the Jewish race) through the new birth (1 Peter 1:23).A royal priesthood (βασιλειον ιερατευμα — basileion hierateuma). From Exodus 19:6 (cf. Revelation 1:6; Revelation 5:10). The official in Christian churches is πρεσβυτεροσεπισχοπος — presbuteros =ιερευς — episcopos not ιερεις — hiereus We are all ετνος αγιον — hiereis (priests). Cf. 1 Peter 2:5.A holy nation Also from Exodus 19:6, but here applied, not to the national Israel, but to the spiritual Israel of believers (both Jews and Gentiles).A people for God‘s own possession (λαος περιουσιος — laos eis peripoiēsin). The idea here occurs in Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 7:6; Deuteronomy 14:2; Deuteronomy 26:18, where we have εις περιποιησιν — laos periousios as in Titus 2:14 (alone in the N.T.), and in Malachi 3:17 we find Περιουσιος λαος — eis peripoiēsin (for a possession). περιποιησις — Periousios laos is a people over and above the others and περιεποιησατο — peripoiēsis is a possession in a special sense (Ephesians 1:14). See Paul‘s use of οπως εχαγγειλητε — periepoiēsato in Acts 20:28. The old rendering, “a peculiar people,” had this idea of possession, for “peculiar” is from pecus (Latin for flock).That ye may shew forth Purpose clause with ινα — hopōs rather than εχαγγελλω — hina with the first aorist active subjunctive of τας αρετας — exaggellō old verb, to tell out, here alone in N.T.The excellencies (τα μεγαλεια του τεου — tas aretas). From Isaiah 43:21. Old word for any preeminence (moral, intellectual, military), often for “virtue,” but not in that sense in the O.T. or the N.T. The word has the sense of moral worth in 2 Peter 1:3, 2 Peter 1:5; Philemon 4:8; and the Apocrypha. In Isaiah (here quoted) it means praise and glory to God. So also Isaiah 42:12. See Acts 2:11 σκοτους — ta megaleia tou theou (the mighty works of God).Darkness Heathenism.His marvellous light (ταυμαστον — to thaumaston autou phōs). Christianity. For ταυμαζω — thaumaston (from thaumazō) see Matthew 21:42. For the change from heathenism to Christianity see Colossians 1:12; Ephesians 5:8-14. [source]
Revelation 3:12 Pillar [στύλον]
The word occurs, Galatians 2:9; 1 Timothy 3:15; Revelation 10:1. The reference here is not to any prominence in the earthly church, as Galatians 2:9, but to blessedness in the future state. The exact meaning is doubtful. Some explain, he shall have a fixed and important place in the glorified church. Compare Matthew 19:28. Others emphasize the idea of stability, and find a possible local reference to the frequent earthquakes from which Philadelphia had suffered, and which had shaken its temples. Strabo says: “And Philadelphia has not even its walls unimpaired, but daily they are shaken in some way, and gaps are made in them. But the inhabitants continue to occupy the land notwithstanding their sufferings, and to build new houses.” Others again emphasize the idea of beauty. Compare 1 Peter 2:5, where the saints are described living stones. [source]
Revelation 1:6 Priests [ἱερεῖς]
Kingdom describes the body of the redeemed collectively. Priests indicates their individual position. Peter observes the same distinction (1 Peter 2:5) in the phrases living stones (individuals) and a spiritual house (the body collectively), and combines both kings and priests in another collective term, royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). The priesthood of believers grows out of the priesthood of Christ (Psalm 60:4; Zechariah 6:13; Exodus href="/desk/?q=ex+19:6&sr=1">Exodus 19:6). In the kingdom of Christ each individual is a priest. The priest's work is not limited to any order of the ministry. All may offer the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving: all have direct access to the holiest through the blood of Jesus: all Christians, as priests, are to minister to one another and to plead for one another. The consummation of this ideal appears in Revelation 21:22, where the heavenly Jerusalem is represented as without temple. It is all temple. “It is the abolition of the distinction between holy and profane (Zechariah 14:20, Zechariah 14:21) - nearer and more remote from God - through all being henceforth holy, all being brought to the nearest whereof it is capable, to Him” (Trench). [source]
Revelation 14:4 Were purchased from among men [ηγοραστησαν απο των αντρωπων]
First aorist passive indicative of αγοραζω — agorazō repeating the close of Revelation 14:3.First fruits (απαρχη — aparchē). See for this word 1 Corinthians 16:15; Romans 11:16; Romans 16:5. This seems to mean that the 144,000 represent not the whole, but only a portion of the great harvest to come (Matthew 9:37), not only the first installment, but those marked by high spiritual service to God and the Lamb (Romans 12:1; Hebrews 13:15; 1 Peter 2:5). [source]
Revelation 14:4 First fruits [απαρχη]
See for this word 1 Corinthians 16:15; Romans 11:16; Romans 16:5. This seems to mean that the 144,000 represent not the whole, but only a portion of the great harvest to come (Matthew 9:37), not only the first installment, but those marked by high spiritual service to God and the Lamb (Romans 12:1; Hebrews 13:15; 1 Peter 2:5). [source]
Revelation 14:4 For they are virgins [παρτενοι γαρ εισιν]
Παρτενος — Parthenos can be applied to men as well as women. Swete takes this language “metaphorically, as the symbolical character of the Book suggests.” Charles considers it an interpolation in the interest of celibacy for both men and women. If taken literally, the words can refer only to adultery or fornication (Beckwith). Jesus recognised abstinence only for those able to receive it (Matthew 19:12), as did Paul (1 Corinthians 7:1, 1 Corinthians 7:8, 1 Corinthians 7:32, 1 Corinthians 7:36). Marriage is approved by Paul in 1 Timothy 4:3 and by Hebrews 13:4. The New Testament exalts marriage and this passage should not be construed as degrading it.Whithersoever he goeth (οπου αν υπαγει — hopou an hupagei). Indefinite local clause with modal αν — an and the present active indicative of υπαγω — hupagō The Christian life is following the Lamb of God as Jesus taught (Mark 2:14; Mark 10:21; Luke 9:59; John 1:43; John 21:19, etc.) and as Peter taught (1 Peter 2:21) and John (1 John 2:6).Were purchased from among men First aorist passive indicative of αγοραζω — agorazō repeating the close of Revelation 14:3.First fruits (απαρχη — aparchē). See for this word 1 Corinthians 16:15; Romans 11:16; Romans 16:5. This seems to mean that the 144,000 represent not the whole, but only a portion of the great harvest to come (Matthew 9:37), not only the first installment, but those marked by high spiritual service to God and the Lamb (Romans 12:1; Hebrews 13:15; 1 Peter 2:5). [source]

What do the individual words in 1 Peter 2:5 mean?

also you yourselves as stones living are being built up as a house spiritual into a priesthood holy to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable - to God through Jesus Christ
καὶ αὐτοὶ ὡς λίθοι ζῶντες οἰκοδομεῖσθε οἶκος πνευματικὸς εἰς ἱεράτευμα ἅγιον ἀνενέγκαι πνευματικὰς θυσίας εὐπροσδέκτους [τῷ] Θεῷ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ

καὶ  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
αὐτοὶ  you  yourselves 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Nominative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
λίθοι  stones 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: λίθος  
Sense: a stone.
ζῶντες  living 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ζάω  
Sense: to live, breathe, be among the living (not lifeless, not dead).
οἰκοδομεῖσθε  are  being  built  up 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 2nd Person Plural
Root: οἰκοδομέω 
Sense: to build a house, erect a building.
οἶκος  as  a  house 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: οἶκος  
Sense: a house.
πνευματικὸς  spiritual 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: πνευματικός  
Sense: relating to the human spirit, or rational soul, as part of the man which is akin to God and serves as his instrument or organ.
εἰς  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
ἱεράτευμα  a  priesthood 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: ἱεράτευμα  
Sense: the office of a priest.
ἅγιον  holy 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: ἅγιος  
Sense: most holy thing, a saint.
ἀνενέγκαι  to  offer 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: ἀναφέρω  
Sense: to carry or bring up, to lead up.
πνευματικὰς  spiritual 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: πνευματικός  
Sense: relating to the human spirit, or rational soul, as part of the man which is akin to God and serves as his instrument or organ.
θυσίας  sacrifices 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: θυσία  
Sense: a sacrifice, victim.
εὐπροσδέκτους  acceptable 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: εὐπρόσδεκτος  
Sense: well received, accepted, acceptable.
[τῷ]  - 
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεῷ  to  God 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
διὰ  through 
Parse: Preposition
Root: διά  
Sense: through.
Ἰησοῦ  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.
Χριστοῦ  Christ 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Χριστός  
Sense: Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God.