- 42. Foundation and Cornerstone
Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, behold, I lay in Zion for a foundationa stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
God promised the Church He would lay a foundation with a cornerstone, for believers to build upon and trust in. In the NT this promise is fulfilled for us in the person of Jesus Christ and the Apostles, according to 1 Peter. We, as believers in Christ, rest on this promise. If we did not have a solid rock foundation we would crumble in the first wind and wave and storm, but He has given us a sure foundation and a precious cornerstone. The Apostles and their sure word of the Gospel of Jesus, spelled out and written down in the New Testament, is the foundation. Jesus Christ is the cornerstone, which is the blueprint and guide to the building and every stone in it. Believers are the stones that are fitly joined together. Each stone is chiseled and shaped to be aligned with and shaped like the cornerstone.
This is what the Lord is doing in His infinite wisdom with the whole church of Jesus Christ on the earth. And He is also doing something with each of the individual believers: the Lord is setting us on the sure foundation every day. The foundation of our lives is the pure Gospel of grace, the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. When we stray away and into the muck of sin He brings us back through the Gospel and sets us on the solid rock. The loving Lord keeps us on the right path and on the solid foundation with His sure Word of Gospel.
The Lord is also working on us, chiseling, shaping, sanding and smoothing us to resemble the chief cornerstone so that we look something like Jesus. Christ is our example and we reflect Him to the world. But we must be aware that He is the one who makes us Christlike; we do not do it ourselves with our own will, reason, effort or strength. We cannot hound ourselves with the Law (do this, do that, be better, try harder); instead we focus on Jesus and concentrate on Him by going to church, reading the Word, staying connected in prayer, and hearing the Gospel. Then He goes to work gently molding us in His image. We do not try to copy or imitate Jesus; He does the work on His forgiven building stones. Live on the promise.