In 1 Peter 2:4-7 we have another word about Christ as the cornerstone. "Coming to Him, a living stone, rejected by men but with God chosen and precious, you yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it is contained in Scripture: 'Behold, I lay in Zion a cornerstone, chosen and precious; and he who believes on Him shall by no means be put to shame.' To you therefore who believe is the preciousness; but to the unbelieving, 'The stone which the builders rejected, this has become the head of the corner.'" How can we who are lifeless clay become living stones? We can become living stones only through Christ's being the cornerstone. Christ as the cornerstone is the factor for many things. We have been saved because Christ is the cornerstone. Now we are being transformed and built up also because Christ is the cornerstone.

This revelation concerning Christ as the cornerstone is unveiled in the praises of the psalmist. Often, while the psalmists were expressing their complex sentiments, something suddenly came forth as a revelation concerning Christ. This is the way the revelations of Christ are presented to us in the Psalms.

Have you ever thanked the Lord for being the cornerstone or praised Him for His being the cornerstone? I doubt that many among us have done this. We need to pray, saying, "Lord Jesus, I thank You that You are the cornerstone as my Savior and as my salvation. I praise You that You are the cornerstone for God's building. Without You we do not have any element or factor to be built up as God's temple."

I am concerned that even after you have heard that Christ is the cornerstone, you may have no interest in thanking and praising Him for this. Instead, you may prefer to pray in an old way regarding the Lord's mercy and lovingkindness. I would encourage you to pray like this: "Lord, I thank You for unveiling to me that You are the cornerstone to be my salvation and to be the element and factor for me to be transformed and built up into Your habitation."

The most striking point of Christ being made the cornerstone is that the New Testament unveils to us that Christ as the cornerstone is for the building up of the church in the New Testament age (Matt. 21:42-43). In God's New Testament economy, Christ, in His salvation, firstly makes us living stones for the building up of God's spiritual house (Acts 4:10-12; 1 Pet. 2:5-6), and then, in the process of His transformation, builds us up into a dwelling place of God (Rom. 12:2a; Eph. 2:20-22), that He may carry out God's eternal economy for God's good pleasure (Eph. 1:9).