God's Temple

The church is a building with individual Christians laid as its stones on the foundation of Christ (1 Peter 2:5). The apostles and prophets of the first century were the ones who proclaimed Jesus as the foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11; Matthew 16:13-20). There are two different thoughts on the cornerstone. Lipscomb describes it as a massive stone off of which two lines of the building are formed. It being perfectly square would be imperative to a well-formed structure. However, others believed it to refer to the stone which holds together the roof or a supporting arch. In any case, this stone is a key part of the structure without which the building could not take form. Such a stone perfectly represents Christ (2:20).

Christians must be united to form a dwelling place for God. Also, they must be united "in the Lord" to be acceptable for God to inhabit. In Christ, Christians are built together to form a suitable dwelling place for God. Evidently, God occupies this dwelling in the form of the Holy Spirit. Knowing we are God's dwelling place should make us very careful to have proper associations and keep ourselves free from sin's defilement (2:21-22; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

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