Built Together

September 3

Ecclesiastes 11-12

Psalm 101:5-8

Proverbs 21:27-28

Ephesians 2:11-22

Built Together

“So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord. You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22

This passage is such a beautiful picture of God’s plan of redemption in a nutshell. God did not have two plans. He didn’t start out with the Jewish people and then decide that wasn’t going to work so he turned to the Gentiles. It was one plan from the beginning. He built the foundation on Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and then the prophets. Then the apostles built on that faith. Now we are one faith, one body of believers. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord are joined together as one. Jews, Gentiles, male and female, every race, every nationality are one body in Christ. We serve One God who is Creator, Lord, Savior, Redeemer of all. We are all members of God’s household. There are differences in traditions, culture, temperament, gifts, talents, and rituals, but there should be no division. We all work together to function as a body, each with its purpose and each bringing an important piece of the puzzle to form a holy sanctuary in the Lord.

We are not foreigners or strangers. We are not intruding or invading God’s plan. We were not an afterthought. He didn’t just agree to let us in because the Jews were not faithful. God knew everything before it ever happened so He knew exactly how it would all play out. His plan was to bring redemption to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles. “Because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed---a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17

Jesus is the cornerstone. Since ancient times, builders have used cornerstones in their construction projects. A cornerstone was the most important stone, placed in the corner of the building to guide the workers in the construction. Once it was set, it was the basis for determining every measurement. Everything was aligned to it. As the cornerstone of the church, Jesus is our standard of measure and alignment. In Isaiah we find a reference to the cornerstone that is foretelling about the Messiah. “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be put to shame.” Isaiah 28:16-17 This verse is affirmed in I Peter 2:6. The promised Messiah was the foundation of the faith of the Old Testament saints and Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise and the foundation of our faith. One faith, one body, one church built together in Christ.