“Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).
“Built up” is also translated as “edify” (1 Thessalonians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 8:1; Acts 9:31). Peter was writing to Christians: Christ’s church.
We are familiar with physical buildings. The church is a spiritual building. In a physical building, we need a floor-plan—blueprints.
God has given His floor-plan for the church. "God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine [pattern of teaching, CA] which was delivered you" (Romans 6:17). It is the gospel pattern of teaching (Romans 1:16) that they obeyed (Romans 6:3–4). God's gospel floor-plan teaches us the good news of Jesus Christ. Believing it will lead us to do whatever it takes to complete (obey) God's floor plan.
The New Testament clearly teaches that repentance (Acts 17:30), confession (Romans 10:10), and immersion in water (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16) are all in God's design for His church.
Following the floor-plan for a physical building, the foundation can be built. Jesus Christ is the foundation and chief cornerstone of the church (1 Corinthians 3:11; Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6).
When we obey Him in penitent faith leading to baptism, we put Him on — He becomes our identity, life, and pattern (Galatians 3:26–27; 2:20).
He becomes the foundation of our lives because we are now His church (Acts 2:47; Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1:22–23; 5:23; Colossians 1:18; 1 Peter 2:5).
After the foundation is built according to the floor plan, our physical building can be built upon with framework and finishing.
Concerning the framework and finishing of the Lord's church, Paul wrote, "Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss" (1 Corinthians 3:12–15).
The framework and finishing of God's house involves teaching God's plan for man’s salvation and service. The edifying of the church continuously relies on God's floor plan and foundation.
Paul said of Jesus' church, "We are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building" (1 Corinthians 3:9).
Unfortunately, many today continue to look to the floor plans of prominent men (creed books) or personal preference (Judges 17:6; 21:25; Proverbs 3:5–7).
If this be the case, no matter how much we claim to follow Jesus, He cannot be our foundation, and in the end, our framework and finishing will not stand.
Clifton Angel preaches for the Coldwater Church of Christ in Coldwater, Miss.
