Divine Blueprints Part 1

Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone (Eph 2:20).

Paul lets the folks in Ephesus know that despite their Gentile heritage as outsiders, they have a glorious future.  As a matter of fact, now that Jesus has brought them into God’s family, every non-Jew is now part of the greatest building project the universe has ever seen.  God is constructing a glorious temple using those who trust Him to be the building materials.

The apostle rolls out the blueprints for the project on the table.  God is not just building some backyard sand castle.  He’s designed a well-thought and detailed plan for His holy temple.  A closer look at the blueprints tells us about the footings for this divine project..  The foundation is carefully crafted out of the apostles and the prophets.  Paul’s pairing of these two groups is very intentional.  They represent the same role: God’s spokesmen.  In the OT, prophets acted as Yahweh’s direct messengers, announcing anytime they had a Word from the LORD.  Apostles did the same thing in the NT.  In the 1^st century Roman Empire, apostles were an important part of the culture.  They would act as representatives of their boss and possess all the same rights and privileges.  Orders or commands from an apostle held the same oomph as from their master.  So Jesus’ apostles were more than His assistants.  They spoke for and fully represented their risen Savior wherever they went.

The apostle wants his readers to know that they are not really part of something new and different.  This is actually an old story.  An ancient story.  A story that goes back to the beginning.  God has been about rescuing His creation ever since our first parents jacked it up by breaking the only restriction in paradise.  And from the very beginning, God has used hand-picked mouthpieces to tell everyone what He is up to.  He’s gonna fix what we broke.  He’s coming to save us.  He’s going to get personally involved in the process.  That’s the story He’s telling through His messengers.  

Paul lets us know that there is really difference between the message of the OT and NT.  Think prequels and sequels.  And they have the same Hero.  Jesus.  Christ said so Himself (Jn 5:39).  And now both Jew and Gentile are part of that great story.  The Meta-Narrative.  The Gospel.

As important as the foundation built on the teaching of the apostles and prophets, the cornerstone is Jesus Christ.  He is the long-awaited Messiah.  He is the fulfillment of every promise and prophecy in the Bible.  It starts with Him.  It ends with Him.  The massive construction project begins with the all-important cornerstone of Christ.  The rest of the building will line up according to Him.  When I’m in alignment with Jesus, things tend to work out pretty well.