Key Verse: 20
"built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone."
Today we will study Ephesians 2:19-22, which says that God's household is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone." This is a big-picture view of the Bible and the Christian life. We tend to build our lives on foundations that crumble, such as money, pleasure, romance, or self-righteousness. These false foundations are like sinking sand that tragically damages our lives and the lives of those around us. But the Gospel of Jesus, based on the Bible, is a sure foundation. On this foundation, God builds up our lives and the lives of all of his people in unity and love. Let’s think about how we can get to this foundation, what it is, and what its purpose is as we study today’s passage.
First, From Sinners to God’s People
Let’s read verse 19, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.” We can summarize the Christian worldview in four parts. First, God created human beings in his image. Second, all people fell into sin, which resulted in alienation, bondage, and conflict. Third, Christ died for our sins and resurrected from the dead as his victory over sin and death. Fourth, the entire world will be restored and those who believe in Christ will live with him forever. In the first part, as described by Genesis chapters 1-2, God created both man and woman in his own likeness, with the purpose to worship him and to live for his glory by being stewards of the earth. In the second part, man and woman rebelled against God, and sin spread to the entire human race. John Stott summarized the three consequences of sins as ABC. Alienation from God, Bondage to sin, and Conflict with others.
Verse 19 of our passage says that we were foreigners and aliens. Because of our sins, we were cut off from God (Isa 59:2); we fall short of God's expectations of us in every aspect of our lives (Rom 3:23). Despite our best efforts, we can't reach God. Yet there is a hunger in every person that only God can fill. Augustine said in his Confessions, "Thou hast made us for thyself, and our hearts are restless till they rest in thee." Human history without God is a tragedy. People are missing the destiny for which God made them. Without him, our lives are helpless, hopeless, and worthless.
In addition to alienation, sin enslaves us. Sin is not just bad behavior, it is a corruption that is deeply ingrained in the core of our beings. Jesus said, "For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person" (Mark 7:21-23). Because of our bondage, we cannot do what is right. Rules cannot free us from this bondage.
Because of our self-centeredness, we also come into conflict with others. We hear about so much conflict in the world. I heard a story which is typical of this conflict in everyday life. There were two teenage brothers. The older brother could not afford to buy a car. But the younger brother worked hard and made just enough money to buy a used Nissan Sentra. Out of jealousy, the older brother told the younger brother that it was “a chick car”. Then in discouragement, the younger brother abandoned the car and never drove it again. This is just one of many kinds of daily conflict that we have in our lives because of our sins. We either feel superior or inferior to others. We would rather talk than listen. We would rather argue than submit. We urgently need a Savior who can rescue us from sin and its consequences.
Second, Christ the Cornerstone
Let’s read verse 20, "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone." The foundation of the apostles and prophets is the Bible. The prophets of Israel wrote the Old Testament. They were chosen by God to deliver God’s word to his people, beginning with Moses in the 15th century B.C. and ending with Malachi in the 5th century B.C. Apart from Christ, the Old Testament is a tragic story composed of a whole series of tragedies. In the Exodus, Moses delivered the Israelites from Egypt, but then he rebelled and could not enter the Promised Land. Joshua conquered most of the Promised Land, but the successive Judges grew more and more corrupt. King David rose as a leader who had a heart after God’s own heart, but he committed adultery and murder, his family fell apart, and his bad influence misguided the successive kings of Israel until they were taken captive by the Babylonians. The Israelites were restored to their land in the time of Ezra, but then they continued to be oppressed by the Greek and Roman Empires, until finally in 70 AD, the temple was destroyed.
Nevertheless, the Old Testament is an important part of our Christian foundation. Jesus taught his disciples that the entire Old Testament pointed to him. Luke 24:27 says, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself”. There are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament that were fulfilled by the life of Christ. He is the true Lamb who was sacrificed for sin, the true Prophet of whom Moses was only a foreshadow, the true King of whom David was only a foreshadow, the true Temple, who brings God’s presence near to us, and so on. Without the Old Testament, Jesus would look like someone starting a new religion, but the Old Testament indicated that there would be a new covenant. It shows us how Jesus fulfilled all of God’s promises, which were made over a period of two thousand years or more. The entire Old Testament points to Christ.
The New Testament was written in the 1st Century A.D. by the apostles and their close companions. For example, Luke the gospel writer was a close companion of Paul, and Mark was a close companion of Peter. Matthew, John, James, and the others were apostles who were commissioned by Jesus with special authority to write the New Testament. As the Old Testament pointed forward to Christ, the New Testament reflects back to Christ and gives us guidelines of how the church is built on Christ.
Some people in Modern and Post-Modern times have suggested that the message of the Bible may have been distorted over the last two thousand years since it is been copied and translated. However, there is overwhelming evidence that the Bible has not changed. There are thousands of ancient manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments, and some even date from the time of Jesus and the Apostles. Scholars state that minor differences are less than one percent and do not change any Christian beliefs.
Let’s read verse 20 again, "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone." Just as a foundation supports a building, a cornerstone holds a foundation together. The corner where two walls meet is the weakest part of a building and therefore needs a strong cornerstone to hold it together. The cornerstone is a metaphor which describes how important Jesus is. Isaiah 28:16 says, “So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.’” Jesus is the cornerstone who gives meaning to both the Old and New Testaments, and who supports the entire Christian church. Without Christ, all stories would become tragedies. Just as the Old Testament was a tragedy without Christ, our lives are also tragedies without Christ. We tend to build our lives on foundations that crumble, such as money, pleasure, romance, career, etc. These might not be bad things, but they cannot be the foundation of life. These false foundations are like sinking sand that leads us to pride or despair and tragically damages our lives and the lives of those around us with alienation, bondage, and conflict. But the Gospel of Jesus, based on the Bible, is a sure foundation. On this foundation, God builds up our lives and the lives of all of his people in unity and love. Let us examine whether we have any false foundations in our lives and ask God to firmly establish us on the cornerstone of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived the righteous life that we could not live up to. Jesus solved our sin problem so that we are “no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.” Jesus removes the bondage of self-centeredness so that we are free to grow in God’s image, which is what we were created for. Jesus gives us peace and love to solve all of our conflicts with others. When we have Christ the cornerstone, we have everything we need for a secure and meaningful life.
Third, You are God’s Dwelling Place
Let’s read verses 21-22, “In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Though it is important to emphasize personal salvation, our own lives are not the only things that are supported by Jesus the cornerstone. The Bible describes each Christian as a living stone which is built together with other living stones to become the church of God. On the cornerstone of Christ, God has been building his church past, present, and future. The purpose for the foundation is to support God’s church and to make it his dwelling place. The real church is not physically a building, but is made up of all people who believe in Christ. This building includes Christians from different denominations and different parts of the world. Faith in Christ may be the only thing that some of us have in common, but it is the main thing that defines us above race, culture, career, or interest groups. Jesus said that when we gather in his name, he is there with us through his Holy Spirit. The building of the church is still incomplete, and is therefore not perfect until Christ comes again. But whenever we gather together, Jesus is among us doing his work. It is important for us to realize that the gospel of Jesus is much more than a solution to sin and a personal transformation. God’s project in world history is to build up a place where he can dwell and where we can work together to worship him and make him known throughout the world.
Today, we thought about the Bible as God’s foundation, which is the only foundation for our lives which will not crumble. All other things that we try to build our lives upon lead to alienation, bondage, and conflict. Every part of the Bible points to Jesus, who is the cornerstone. Without him, every story would be a tragedy. But with him, the purpose of God is fulfilled, and our lives have meaning and stability. On this foundation, God has been building his church, and each Christian is a part of it. God’s purpose is to build us together as his dwelling place, so that he can be with us forever, and so that we can display his glory. May God build us up on Christ the cornerstone and may we be full of joy to be his dwelling place.
Works Cited
Augustine. Confessions. n.d.
ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008.
Stott, John. Basic Christianity. Nottingham, UK: Intervarsity Press, 1958.
