Eph 2:19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, (20) built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, (21) in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. (22) In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
When I read these last four verses in Chapter 2 the word that comes to mind is ‘unity.’ Paul lays out the message of salvation that has been laid out for all mankind. What was once salvation for the people of Israel has now become reconciliation for all who believe. Rather than being strangers and aliens, all people are brothers and sisters, fellow citizens in Christ with all the saints.
When Paul describes Jesus as the cornerstone, I think about the importance of that position. Being a builder once by trade, making certain that the ‘cornerstone’ was in perfect position was essential for how the rest of the building project would turn out. So to have Jesus, the Perfect Lamb of God, as the cornerstone of the holy temple we call the church is essential. Today we see so many churches being built on things other than Jesus and the outcome is a body of believers built together that are not grounded on a solid foundation. There may be a semblance of unity and truth, but true unity in the body can only come when it is built on a solid foundation.
As the church grows in Christ, they grow into a holy temple built for God by the Spirit. When we see things other than the pursuit of holiness, righteousness, and glory to God coming from the church, then we see a temple that was not built on the cornerstone of Christ and the whole structure is simply the making of men. Remove the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and eventually the whole thing will collapse.
Today I am reminded that not only does the church need to be built on Christ and the Gospel, but my life needs to be built on that as well. I can not expect the body of believers around me to be building on a solid foundation if I am, as a part of the structure that is being joined together, on shaky ground. Building on Christ the cornerstone in my personal life will make me, the brick in which He is turning me into, fit perfectly into the position God is placing me in order to complete the holy temple, the body of Christ.
Thank you Lord for allowing me to no longer be an alien and stranger, but uniting me with all the saints for the building of the body of Christ to the glory of your name… Amen