Cornerstone Christ ...

Tuesday, Nov 23, 2010. There would be no Christian faith without Christ. He has a special role for faith. But he has a special role beyond faith - that is the claim of the Christian message. He is the one who was selected to bring salvation. He is the door. He is the way. He is the truth.

Without him it does not work …

Jesus himself claimed to be this key person - the gospels report this claim and the stories around him. In the letters, the apostles pick up this important point and put it into their particular framework. In Ephesians, Paul brings the following images:

18 Because of what Jesus has done for us, both groups are able to come close to our Father God through his Spirit. 19 You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens and members of God’s family. 20

We are like a building whose foundation is God’s messengers (his “apostles” and “prophets”5), with Christ himself being the “cornerstone”. 21 In Christ, the whole building is held together, and is growing into a sacred temple for God.

22 You are included in this building, which is a home in which God lives through his Spirit. (Ephesians 2: 18-22)

God is creating a new building. It is made from living creatures, with humans being its “stones”. All who believe are part of this building. And Christ is the cornerstone. This is the image which the apostle Paul uses to describe the growth of the church. The old temple, build from rock, is dead. But the new temple, build on the faith of humans, is alive.

Being part of the temple …

We are meant to be part of his temple. It is a building, where God is present. He lives in his temple. He wants to be in it, he wants to be it. The solidarity of God, his love and goodness, wants to be completely immersed in the people he loves. He wants them to be as holy as he is, as full of truth, … the image is quite heavy.

How can we be a part of this temple? The bible tells us that we are, with our faith in Jesus. We are, even if we do not feel like it. We might not be that holy, we might have many thoughts which do not fit into God's temple. We might do and say things which we should not do or say. When we look into our life, we realize that it cannot really be us.

But then Christ is there, his death, his holiness given to you! Who believes in him is free of all guilt. Who believes in him, is as holy as he is. He is dead in his old life, as he has been dead. He is living in a new life, as he is living. He is the open door, and faith brings us through it. It is a fantastic miracle, which happens in Christ. It happens every day, when we come to him in faith. When we open our heart for his message, for his presence, for his miraculous power in our life. Here, where he is, we become a part of the temple …! ... more texts