What is the Church?, Part 3

“A pile of rocks ceases to be a rock when somebody contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind.” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Isaiah 28:16 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

   “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem,[d]
      a firm and tested stone.
   It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on.
      Whoever believes need never be shaken.[e]

Matthew 21:42 Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?

   ‘The stone that the builders rejected
      has now become the cornerstone.
   This is the Lord’s doing,
      and it is wonderful to see.’[i]

1 Peter2:4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.

5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests.[a] Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 6 As the Scriptures say,

   “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,[b]
      chosen for great honor,
   and anyone who trusts in him
      will never be disgraced.”[c]

7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him,

   “The stone that the builders rejected
      has now become the cornerstone.”[d]

8 And,

   “He is the stone that makes people stumble,
      the rock that makes them fall.”[e]

   They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.

9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[f] a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

10 “Once you had no identity as a people;
      now you are God’s people.
   Once you received no mercy;
      now you have received God’s mercy.”[g]

• Jesus is referred to as "the living cornerstone of God's temple".

• We are "living stones" of that temple.

• We are "His holy priests", "His royal priests", "chosen", "holy nation", "God's very own possession"
• Purpose: to "show others the goodness of God"

1 Corinthians 3:5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. 6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.

10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.

12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in[d] you? 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

• God's field is used here in an agricultural sense, but it also makes me think of the piece of land upon which a building is built.

• Although Paul has laid the foundation, as he relates to the Corinthian church, the foundation itself is Jesus Christ.
• We all have a part in building upon the foundation, and are responsible for using proper material (imperishable vs. perishable) and making the most of the individual and corporate resources that God has entrusted to us.

• "All of you together are the temple of God."

• The very Spirit of God inhabits the temple that we are building.

1 Timothy 3:14 I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, 15 so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.

16 Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith[f]:
   Christ[g] was revealed in a human body
      and vindicated by the Spirit.[h]
   He was seen by angels
      and announced to the nations.
   He was believed in throughout the world
      and taken to heaven in glory.

• The church of the living God is "the pillar and the foundation of the truth".

What are the recurring elements of these word pictures?

• Field
• Foundation
• Cornerstone
• Stones
• Pillar
• Capstone (some translations)
• Temple
• Living

The church is a living temple, God's masterpiece, built by and upon Jesus Christ, our firm foundation, established with the placement of the Living Cornerstone, comprised of living stones carefully and perfectly fit together, inhabited by His Spirit.  We serve as priests within that temple, ministering to God, and called to show others the goodness of God.