Beyond WWJD: Remembering a Neglected Aspect of Christlikeness
If you grew up in the 90s like I did, chances are pretty high that you were confronted by the question “What would Jesus do?” At the time, the acronym WWJD was ubiquitous in Christian youth groups. Like all trends, WWJD soon went the way of the trapper-keeper and baggy pants.
Christians today should not be so quick to dismiss the question. After all, an important part of being a Christian does involve learning to follow Jesus’ moral example. Paul suggests as much when he says, “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor 11:1 CSB).
Nevertheless, there is another side to Christlikeness that is not comprehended by the question “What would Jesus do?”and that will likely never be popularized by a catchy slogan. What is this aspect of Christlikeness? It’s the one Peter alludes to through the peculiar notion of “a living stone.”
In 1 Pet 2:4–6, Peter says,
“4 As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God— 5 you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and honored cornerstone,
and the one who believes in him
will never be put to shame.”
Here, Peter encourages readers by reminding them of what is becoming increasingly true of them: because they have come to Christ, they are being built up as a spiritual house and as a holy priesthood. These are immense privileges that ought to amaze us. Yet, there is subtle comparison Peter draws between Christ and the church that is easily missed.
“...there is another side to Christlikeness that is not comprehended by the question ‘What would Jesus do?’ and that will likely never be popularized by a catchy slogan.”
Let us begin by noticing how Peter refers to Jesus as a “living stone” in v. 4. Peter already alludes to the OT texts he is about to quote (cf. Isa 8:14; 28:16; Ps 118:22). These OT texts all mention a figurative “stone” that God lays and that has a massive impact on those within Israel. In the eyes of men, this “stone” seems unimpressive, useless, and good-for-nothing. Just another rock that you would find on a gravel road—certainly nothing you would use as the cornerstone of God’s temple.
Yet in God’s eyes, this was no ordinary stone. This stone was chosen and honored. This stone was going to be the foundation of God’s plans for the restoration of His sanctuary. All those who trusted in this stone would find it to be a source of unshakeable security. However, all those who rejected the stone would find it to be a trap and a snare. Because of their unbelief, many would trip over the stone and experience endless shame.
As Jesus encouraged his disciples to do (cf. Matt 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17), Peter understood this “stone” to be Christ himself. Jesus is the “stone” that is rejected by men and yet chosen and honored by God. But why does he say Jesus is a “living” stone despite the fact that none of these texts say anything about a “living” stone? It seems likely that Peter is referring to the fact that this stone died and was raised from the dead. The rejection Jesus experienced was expressed most clearly in Israel’s decision to crucify the Son of God (cf. Matt 27:15–26). But though he was rejected by men, Jesus was honored by God. And Jesus’ honored status was seen most clearly when God raised him from the dead.
But Jesus is not the only “living stone” in this passage. On the contrary, Christians are also described as living stones in 1 Pet 2:5. But how can Christians be described in this way? On one level, Christians are living stones because we are the metaphorical “stones” that God is using to build up His new temple. In other words, God’s presence no longer dwells in a physical building; instead, He dwells among His people, the church.
And yet, there is more to it than that. After all, if Peter only wanted to identify the church as God’s new temple, he could have just described Christians as “stones” instead of calling us “living stones.” So, why does Peter describe us in this peculiar way?
Peter’s point in calling us “living stones” is to stress that our lives will follow the pattern of Christ’s own life. Peter calls Christians “living stones” because he just called Christ “a living stone”– one that is rejected by men but chosen and honored by God. Through the identical designation, Peter intends to help Christians understand that their experience in this world will be just like Christ’s.
“The pattern of Christ’s life will be the pattern of our own. This is part of what it means to follow Christ and it is one way that we are being made by God to be like Christ. ”
Most Christians want to be Christlike. But when most of us think about being like Jesus, we take the similarity to refer only to our character. However, Christlikeness extends beyond character and applies also to our experience in this world. We, like Jesus, are “living stones.” That means that, like Jesus, we can expect to be rejected by men because of our fidelity to God. It means that, like Jesus, we can have confidence in God’s electing love in the midst of the world’s hostility. And it means that, like Jesus, we too will receive divine honors when God graciously raises us from the dead.
The pattern of Christ’s life will be the pattern of our own. This is part of what it means to follow Christ and it is one way that we are being made by God to be like Christ. And while this aspect of Christlikeness will probably never make it to fad status, we must nevertheless remember it if we are to remain faithful and joyful while following the footsteps of our Lord.
