Hebrews 3:4

Hebrews 3:4

The builder of the house

This verse starts with a very obvious statement; “Every house is built by someone.” Nowadays, modern houses are built by teams of people, the architects and designers are first in line, the foundations are laid by one team, the brickwork by another, the roof demands a separate skill set as do the windows and doors, and of course the interiors decorators follow on. All of this falls under the auspices of the company that manages the whole affair. T

The church is not dissimilar, Paul reminds us that Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers (Ephesians 4:11) are all part of the construction process of the church, but there is One Name that is over all, it is Jesus Christ, or as this verse puts it, God! “God is the builder of everything” and the most sacred structure on the earth is His Church in which every true believer is a stone or brick and has its place and its role to play. Notice that it is not the name of Jesus that is used here, but God. The author’s point is that Jesus Christ is far greater than Moses, He is in fact, God. Listen to Paul’s take on this: -

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22.

Let’s also hear the words of Peter on this subject: -

“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.”1 Peter 2:4-8

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