The Cornerstone… The Straight Post… The True Foundation
Friday, December 12th, 2008Read 1 Peter 2:4-10.
We do not build with stone much anymore. Most buildings today are made from steel and concrete and so we do not see cornerstones very often. If you go downtown in any good sized town or city there is usually still at least one building that has a prominent cornerstone. The cornerstone sets the first two sides of the building. It is known to be square and by building off from the cornerstone the resulting walls will be true. If the cornerstone is not set well or is misshapened the whole building process becomes a waste of time.
While we do not have cornerstones so much anymore we can still get the concept by watching someone building a fence. That first fencepost to be set in the ground is crucial. For the whole fence to turn out right that first post must be set at the right depth and must be straight up and down. If it isn’t true then the fence attached to it will either lean in or out. Same concept as the cornerstone.
Presbyterians are a part of the Reformed Faith. All that means is that our immediate ancestors in the faith are churches that came out of the Protestant Reformation about 500 years ago.
One of the hallmarks of the Reformed Faith has been a high view of scripture. The reformers used a two word phrase to capture the spirit of this view of scripture, Sola Scriptura. It means “only scripture.” Reformers like Calvin believed that the Bible was sufficient ground for understanding our faith. The Reformers also said Sola Christus – “Only Christ!” For the reformers these were two of their most fundamental concepts.
In our reading today the two ideas come together. As the writer of 1 Peter attempts to explain the faith to a new group of Christians, more ancient scriptures (Isaiah and the Psalms) are reread with the knowledge of Christ as a filter. Suddenly the language of cornerstones and rocks take on a new meaning. God is in the process of building a spiritual house, with a new people, and the cornerstone is his own son, Jesus the Christ.
This Spiritual household that is being built out of us (living stones) will have walls that are straight and true, because the cornerstone we are working from is Jesus Christ. How does the author know that Christ is the cornerstone? Because through the eyes of faith he has begun to see that Christ was being referred to by those ancient writers. When we read that a precious cornerstone has been chosen and laid in Zion, we like Peter can say “now I see. Yes of course, Christ.”
The building process is complicated and time consuming, but the Church (the people of God all over the world) will be perfected in the end - a flawless spiritual house with walls that are straight and true because of the all important cornerstone who is straight and true.
Whats true for us as a collective is also true for the individual. When we base our understanding of God on who we see revealed in Jesus Christ then we can trust that our faith will be well constructed because Jesus Christ is our reliable cornerstone.
This weekend pray that the Spirit will show you how to trust the revelation of God found in Jesus Christ.
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