For it says in scripture, “Look, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and whoever believes in him will never be put to shame.” So you who believe see his value, but for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and a stumbling-stone and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race . . .
1 Peter 2:6-9a NET
This passage illustrates a tension that is often found in the Scripture. Does God call those who believe? Or do those whom God calls believe? Or is the answer not as distinct as we would like it to be?
On the one hand, is the importance of belief. Those who believe will not be put to shame. But those who do not believe will stumble. Throughout the New Testament, we find this division between belief and unbelief. It certainly seems to be a decision I make—to believe in Christ or reject him.
Yet this passage refers to those who do not believe as being destined and those who do believe as being chosen. Is one destined to stumble because of their disbelief? Or are they destined to disbelieve, leading to their stumbling? Is the other chosen because of their belief? Or do they believe because they have been chosen?
I do not find the answers to these questions as clear as I would like. However, I tend to place belief/disbelief as coming from within each person. That God chooses those who believe and causes those who do not to stumble and fall. Over and over in the Scripture, we find the call to believe, a call that, at least to me, does not make sense if it is something I am destined for.
Yet there is no denying God’s sovereignty in this matter of belief and choosing. He is the one who chooses who will be saved and who will not. It is his choice to make. So, I will believe. And I will rejoice that he has chosen me. And I will not get hung up over which came first.
I believe that in His eyes, we were all created in His image with the purpose and ability to believe. What separates us from God is not His choosing, for He did choose us. It’s challenging to put into words because He knew us before the foundation of the earth and knows the outcome of our lives. In His love, He chose everyone, offering grace to all. Yet, it is our own choices that separate the unbelievers from God. Still, God remains open, calling us to step beyond ourselves and into His grace.
Unbelief has no path or direction. It’s like walking in the dark, falling over the simplest obstacles in life. Without belief, there are no lasting goals, no race to run, and no eternal reward at the end. It leaves us empty, much like the word itself—disbelief. But belief in Christ offers light, purpose, and an eternal hope that is never running out.