![]() Jesus is the “stone the builders rejected” (Mark 12:10 cf. ![]() Unfortunately, not everyone aligns with the cornerstone. The Cornerstone is also reliable, and “the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (verse 6). Peter says that Jesus, as our cornerstone, is “chosen by God and precious to him” (1 Peter 2:4). Furthermore, in 1 Peter 2:6, what Isaiah said centuries before is affirmed in exactly the same words. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:19– 21). The apostle Paul desires for the Ephesian Christians to know Christ better: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ![]() In the New Testament, the cornerstone metaphor is continued. In context, God speaks to the scoffers and boasters of Judah, and He promises to send the cornerstone-His precious Son-who will provide the firm foundation for their lives, if they would but trust in Him. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line’” (Isaiah 28:16–17). In several places the Messiah is referred to as “the cornerstone,” such as in this prophecy: “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. The book of Isaiah has many references to the Messiah to come. As the cornerstone of the building of the church, Jesus is our standard of measure and alignment. Once the cornerstone was set, it became the basis for determining every measurement in the remaining construction everything was aligned to it. The Bible describes Jesus as the cornerstone that His church would be built upon. The cornerstone was usually one of the largest, the most solid, and the most carefully constructed of any in the edifice. A cornerstone was the principal stone, usually placed at the corner of an edifice, to guide the workers in their course. And as members of God's household, all believers become one spiritual family and as a holy temple, all believers together form a habitation for God.Since ancient times, builders have used cornerstones in their construction projects. As fellow citizens, we are part of the kingdom of God. Ephesians 2:19-22, "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the Chief Cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple of the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 3:9a, "For we are God's fellow workers, you are God's field, you are God's building." Jesus being the Chief Cornerstone of our faith brings unity to the body of Christ. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the 'Chief Cornerstone.' Nor is there any salvation in any other, for there is no other name under the heaven given among men by which we must be saved." In Acts 4:11 when Pater is addressing the Sanhedrin, Peter actually tells them, "Let it be known to you all, and to all of the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom 'you' crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. The smitten stone of Exodus becomes a picture of the smitten Christ who became the fountainhead of blessing as His blood gushed forth on the cross and He became the Redeemer of the world. When Paul mentions this in 1st Corinthians 10:4, he interprets the passage prophetically: "They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ." In Exodus 17, we read of Moses striking a rock, which brings forth water. Jesus came to His own, and instead of embracing Him, they stumbled over Him and ultimately nailed Him to the cross. Matthew 21:42-44, "Jesus said to them: 'Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the Chief Cornerstone, this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?'" Psalm 118:22 calls Christ "the stone which the builders rejected," describing the Jews attempt to build their house but leaving out the stone who was Jesus Christ. Jesus is also called the stumbling stone. Isaiah 28:16, "Therefore this says the Lord God: 'Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.'" Jesus was and is the only plan of salvation. As the Chief Cornerstone, Jesus ensures the stability of the whole system of our salvation. ![]() Scripture describes Jesus as the "Chief Cornerstone" of our faith.
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