having been built on the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being
the corner stone,
Ephesians 2:20 New American Standard
Bible 1995
We are citizens of God’s
country and members of His family because of the work and grace of Christ, but
it doesn’t stop there. That is our status at the point of salvation, kind of an
entrance to the community, but then we grow and develop within that community
from there. We enter a community that is made up of all the believers in
history, before and after our time. It began with Christ. He was the first. If
you think of it like a building; Jesus was the first, most solid part of the
foundation, then the apostles went on top of Him as the vessels who brought us
the Bible, the written Christ/Word of God. Our faith is built on them because
of the work they have done. Obviously Christ’s is the most important, for
without it we would not have salvation or faith so the rest would be pointless,
but the work of the apostles also adds to our faith for without that we would
not have the Bible to teach and comfort us. Yes we can have faith and salvation
without the Bible, but it so deeply enriches our faith that it is still vital.
The work of every evangelist, missionary and preacher I believe goes on top of
that, for we all needed someone to tell us about Christ, especially for those
who do not have access to the Bible for whatever reason. Everyone who tells
anyone about Jesus in any measure fits into that category for they are all
necessary to bring the gospel to the lost, to be the Bible for those who don’t
have it.
We are being built on that
foundation. We fit into it as children of God in some way and some place. Our
roles are all different, but we are all necessary for the work of the gospel.
We can’t all be missionaries, evangelists or preachers, but they need people to
support them in various ways. The pastor of a church for instance cannot, and
should not, do everything in the church. It takes the work of everyone to have
a healthy church. It is important that we remember that, and the foundation we
have been built upon. Every job is important, and if it is where God wants us
it is the most important work we can do. We need to remember that Jesus is the
bedrock of our foundation, as a believer and as a person. Our worth, function
and position are not based on anything else. He is where we have our beginning
and our innate worth, and He grows us from there. We also need to remember the
foundation that has been laid by those before us so that we can appreciate them
and what they have done. We should not leave off the Biblical teaching we have
been given, nor forsake or discredit the Scriptures that are Christ’s Word to
us. We need to remember their sacredness and value.
Where do you find your worth?
Where do you determine your position? Do you value the work of others and
especially the Bible? Ask God to reveal your worth in Him, and to help you
appreciate and value the work of others.
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