A couple weeks ago, we had some nasty thunderstorms in the area pouring down rain and flashing lightning everywhere. I sat up in the middle of the night scared about the house because of my experience in Texas with hurricanes; we had boarded up our windows for good reason down there! Eventually, I made it back to sleep and awoke the next morning safe and sound, and the house was none the worse for the wear.
Why? It was well-constructed for these conditions! My worry in no way degraded the structural integrity of the house.
In today’s third part of our God’s providence series, I wanted to speak to another architectural masterpiece: the bride of Christ, the church which God calls His own. God sovereignly constructs His church brick by brick, day by day, according to His good designs.
Living Stones
Peter’s first letter to the scattered Jewish Christians calls the church “living stones” which are built upon the cornerstone of Christ. Like with any building, God has drawn up the blueprints and ordered the full stock of living stones to compose His church, which is also His temple and His dwelling place.
God does not order these stones off of Amazon, though. God is a farm-to-table sort of construction worker in that He goes to the far corners of the earth, all across human history to pick out the precious stones for His church. He quarries these stones by His strength, mining them Himself and cleaning them up Himself for use in His palatial home. This is the work of Jesus dying on the cross and rising from the grave: Jesus redeems us from the scum of sin that pervades our stony existence.
Turning Our Rebellion into Glory
Lest we think that God builds us into His church only through glory, remember that Jesus worked redemption through His own death. God chisels us into the image of Christ day by day, including during all of our moments of continued rebellion. Our worst trespasses against God are not excused yet cannot escape the reach of redemption. God works all things for our good and His glory, especially our failures!
Earlier I mentioned that God drew up a blueprint for the church. I encourage you to read Revelation 21 and look at the description of New Jerusalem. As John recounts the gemstones and precious metals that adorn the city, meditate on how this picture is what God uses to describe His church in full glory. That picture describes the fate of the church today!