Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself.
Ephesians 2:20
Christ is the ἀκρογωνιαῖος [akrogōniaios] variously translated: cornerstone, keystone, most important stone. From Ακρον [akron] meaning the farthest bounds, uttermost parts, end, highest, extreme, belonging to the extreme corner, chief corner and γωνία [gōnia] meaning corner – an external angle or an internal corner, i.e. a secret place.
The cornerstone is the most important in the building because the edifice rests mainly on the cornerstones. If they are small, and unstable, and settle down, the whole building is insecure; and hence care is taken to place a large stone firmly at each corner of an edifice. It also occupies a conspicuous and honorable place. This phrase is used by the Jews to denote excellency in a person. A wise scholar is called “a cornerstone”. It may be rendered, “the chief cornering-stone”. The foundation stone in this spiritual building is Christ. Elsewhere Jesus Christ is termed the foundation stone. Behold I lay in Zion a foundation stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, Isa 28:16; but the meaning is the same in all the places where these terms, foundation and corner stone, occur. For in laying the foundation of a building, a large stone is generally placed at one of the angles or corners, which serves to form a part of the two walls which meet in that angle. Connect that thought with the notion of uniting both Jews and Gentiles in the same building. Both meeting and rightly aligned at the cornerstone. The same stone is at once the foundation-stone on which the whole building rests and that with gives the line for the walls. Paul supposes a stone so large as to be both at once: supporting the whole as the foundation, and ensuring the walls rise to the extremities at the correct angle, being united in the corner-stone.
Christ is the foundation upon which the apostles and prophets are built. He is the living Word of God, the corner stone and foundation stone of Old and New Testaments. He is the Word in flesh, the essence of all God intends. Not only that but He is the one in whom Jew and Gentile are made one. He is the one who embodies the unification of both strands, Jew and Gentile. In Him the in-grafting of the Gentiles is made possible. And in Him also is the unification of the Church; Only in Him does the Church find its completion. Only in Him does the body truly become the body; He is after all the head of the Church in every conceivable way.
There is debate as to what the difference is between the Cornerstone and the Foundation stone. In terms of Paul’s usage here there is no difference. Both contain the sense of building a foundation which is stable and unmoving and of alignment and correction. In order for the walls of a building to be in alignment, the foundation must be firm and unmoving as well plumbed correctly and square. If the angles are not set correctly at the beginning of the project then the walls will be out of alignment at the end. When the roof is put on the correct angles between roof and walls will not be preserved. Christ is the one is ensures we are in right alignment with God and with fellow believers. Oh not just in our church only but in the Church universal. This is all crucial to our life setting.
Thus he showed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. And the LORD said to me, Amos, what do you see? And I said, A plumbline. Then the Lord said, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people . . .
Amos 7:7-8
Make sure you are rightly aligned to the corner stone.
Ian Vail
We don’t change God’s message; His message changes us.
Ian Vail
If your roots [foundations] are forgotten then your fruits will be rotten.
Sidney Mohede