What is the meaning of Ephesians 2:20? Built on the foundation Ephesians 2:20 opens with the image of a sturdy building: “built on the foundation.” Paul has just said that believers are “members of God’s household” (Ephesians 2:19). Houses rise or fall depending on what lies beneath them. - Jesus used the same picture: “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24–25). - Paul echoes it elsewhere: “No one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). - The common thread is permanence. God is constructing a people who will stand firm because their footing is unshakable. of the apostles and prophets The verse specifies the concrete material of that foundation: “of the apostles and prophets.” Their Spirit-given teaching forms the bedrock. - The early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42), not human opinion. - Peter reminds believers “to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the commandment of our Lord and Savior through your apostles” (2 Peter 3:2). - Even the New Jerusalem is pictured “with twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:14), underscoring their once-for-all role. Because Scripture comes through these messengers, trusting their witness is trusting God Himself. with Christ Jesus Himself Next Paul tightens the focus: the foundation is not merely teaching about Christ; it is “Christ Jesus Himself.” - “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). - Believers “come to Him, the living stone—rejected by men but chosen and precious to God” (1 Peter 2:4–5). - Every doctrine, promise, and command rests directly on the person and work of Jesus. Without Him the entire structure would collapse, no matter how gifted the messengers or how earnest the hearers. as the cornerstone Finally, Paul identifies Jesus as “the cornerstone,” the indispensable stone that aligns the whole building. - “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22). - God foretold, “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a firm foundation” (Isaiah 28:16). - Peter applies this directly to Christ: “Whoever believes in Him will never be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6–7). Because Jesus is the cornerstone, every part of the spiritual house—Jew and Gentile alike (Ephesians 2:14-18)—finds unity and direction in Him. summary Ephesians 2:20 pictures the church as God’s carefully constructed household. The apostles and prophets lay the lasting foundation through the God-breathed Scriptures they delivered. Yet the foundation ultimately is Christ Himself—the living cornerstone who sets the lines, bears the weight, and guarantees permanence. Built on Him, God’s people stand secure, aligned, and unified for all eternity. |
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