As Paul continues to address the racial tension between Jews and Gentiles he has told us in verse 19 that in Jesus Jews and Gentiles are on the same standing before God and part of the same family.
The house is built on the Apostles and prophets
Paul now uses the idea of a household as a building to drive home his point. Like all the many parts of a house are brought together to build a dwelling place so now all the people of God have come together to be the dwelling place of God. Every home requires many different materials, yet they all come together to form the building. So people from every tribe, tongue, and ethnic group come together to form the household of God. The foundation of this house is nothing less than the Word of God, the teachings of the prophets (Old Testament) and the Apostles (New Testament.)
Jesus is the cornerstone
No matter the style of home you are building everything begins with one corner. This corner must be perfectly square, level, and plum. From this corner everything else is measured, set up, etc. The most important part of a house is the cornerstone. So it is with Jesus. The prophets and Apostles all rest upon Him, and He is the subject of their teaching. He is the standard by which all things are measured, and He is the rock upon which the whole building rests. Jesus is the bedrock of our faith.
In Jesus everything comes together
This is where Paul begins to draw his conclusion. Just as the foundation, walls, roof, etc. come together on the cornerstone to form a home, so Jew, Gentile, male, female, black, white, etc. come together in Jesus Christ to form the church. If you go to Lowes you will find millions of house parts segregated by lumber, appliances, flooring, etc., yet in your home all of these things seamlessly blend together. If we seek to undo racial prejudices through any other means than Jesus we will fail. It is only in Jesus that everything comes together.
The dwelling place of God
God now dwells where His people are gathered (Matthew 18:20.) God is no longer confined to the Jews’ temple in Jerusalem. He now dwells with His people of every ethnic group. When they gather together, God is present.
Application:
Paul is here driving home his point; racial reconciliation is the Gospel. God no longer dwells with the Jews only. He dwells with all His people. He is what unites us, tears down our walls of division, and builds a unified people. In light of this we must ask ourselves several questions. Is my worldview based upon the Bible? Does the way I view race, nationality, etc. show a belief in the Gospel? What role can I play in building the household of God?
- Audio (MP3) 32 MB
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