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Peter used the word house to describe Christians as members of a new, spiritual temple <1 Pet. 2:4-10>. Christ is the chief cornerstone <v. 6>. He is "a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense" <v. 8>, a "living stone, rejected... by men, but chosen by God and precious" <v. 4>. Like Christ, Christians are "living stones" who are being built into a "spiritual house," or temple <v. 5>. The metaphor of the "spiritual house" is combined with that of the "holy priesthood" that offers "spiritual sacrifices" <v. 5>. And this "royal priesthood" of believers is a "holy nation," God's new people who proclaim His praises <vv. 9-10>, the New Israel <Ex. 19:6>.
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
(Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)