Because Jesus
died on the cross, Paul the apostle told the Ephesian church members
the “Gentiles” were “no more strangers and foreigners, but
fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God”.
They were “built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets” of which “Jesus Christ” is “the chief
cornerstone”. In chapter two and verse twenty-one of his
letter, Paul described the “building” of God as “fitly
framed together” “unto an holy temple in the Lord” where we
read:
In whom
all the building fitly framed together grows unto an holy temple in
the Lord:
The
verse begins, “In whom all the
building fitly framed together ...” Paul
began with the words, “In whom”
which refers to “Jesus” “all the
building” which
means “edifice or thing built” “fitly
framed together”
which is the Greek word “synarmologeō”
and
means
“joined closely together”. The idea is the cohesiveness of Jesus
dying on the cross brought both Jews and Gentiles together like a
synergetic building consisting of many parts.
The
verse goes on to say, “...grows
unto an holy temple in the Lord:” Paul
continued, “grows unto”
or “augments, increases and becomes greater toward” “an
holy temple” which means “a
sacred, pure, morally blameless spiritual house consisting of
the saints of all ages joined together by and in Christ”
“in the Lord”
which refers to “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which
he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God and the
Messiah”. This “building”
of God continually “increases and becomes greater” until it is a
“sacred, pure and morally blameless house of God”.
When
we think through these words of Paul, we admire his metaphor for the
manner in which God builds His “holy temple”.
Jesus is the “cornerstone”
upon which the entire “church” is built, and as it “grows and
increases” it becomes the “temple”
of the Lord. God is building His church, and He includes all people
who receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior as part of His
“holy edifice”. May we all realize how determined God is to
include any and everyone in His magnificent building.
Next
time Paul shares about “an habitation of God”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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