The Fifteenth Sermon, the Seventh on the Second Chapter - Ephesians 2:19-22
"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." - Ephesians 2:19-22
We have already seen how the Holy Ghost, through the words of St. Paul, presents us with a mirror through which we can behold the infinite goodness of God. He pulls us back from the dungeons of death to make us His children and heirs of heavenly life. That's why it is said that when we are received into the church, it is as if we are made citizens, not of some earthly city, but of heaven itself. We become companions with all the patriarchs, faithful servants of God, and even with all the angels of paradise. Because the church is not only referred to as God's city but also His house, we are considered part of His household. This serves to highlight the grace and favor that God has extended to us. To be gathered into God's house, to have Him near us, and to have constant access to Him is of greater significance to us than if we were merely citizens of a city.
Sometimes, people fail to adequately value the spiritual blessings we receive through our Lord Jesus Christ. St. Paul aims to show that we should highly esteem the adoption through which God has gathered us together by means of our Lord Jesus Christ. This adoption allows us to have familiar communion with God through hope, which is far more valuable than the whole world. He uses another analogy, that of a temple. While the Holy Scripture sometimes refers to every faithful person as the temple of God because He dwells within us through His Holy Spirit, when speaking universally of the entire church, we are likened to lively stones. The building is closely bound together, with each of us contributing to its perfection. These concepts are not contradictory. Every faithful individual is a temple of God, living a life of holiness by the Holy Spirit's work. However, we must also be united in faith, just as stones come together to form a building. This unity allows us to be joined to our Lord Jesus Christ through belief in the gospel, and it enables God to dwell in us and be worshipped purely. We are fully assured that whenever we call upon Him, He will be ready to hear us, and when we gather together in His name, He will always be among us.
This is what St. Paul conveys when he speaks of those who were once heathens, cut off from all hope of salvation, being built up by the gospel to become a temple for God. It is now clear that God considers us part of His household. This understanding arises from pure gospel doctrine, showing us that God desires to have His temples in us and is pleased with our worship. Until we have the gospel doctrine to grant us access to this invaluable benefit, we cannot be called citizens of heaven, children of God, or part of His household. Moreover, it is important to realize that we do not need to embark on arduous journeys to seek it. God offers us the privilege of entering His house, and the door is open for us, at least if we receive the promises He makes us.
We need not go about heaven or earth, for God tells us and assures us that He has adopted us so that we should cleave wholly unto Him. Therefore, we can have familiarity with Him, and He will be joined unto us. But with all this, we should also know where to seek His word. Faithless individuals are often so spiteful that they seek all sorts of loopholes to distance themselves from God. Indeed, we see that many act as if they are willing to serve God, yet they cast doubt on whether the law came from Him and whether the Gospel is His truth. Look at how people try to shake off God's yoke with all their might, shifting aside, creating excuses, and evading responsibility. They loudly proclaim their intention to humble themselves before Him, but in reality, they neither know God's word nor can they discern it. Why? It's due to their malice and ingratitude.
St. Paul, therefore, to eliminate all such trivial excuses, tells us that since God has spoken through Moses and His prophets, and finally through His apostles, we should be certain that everything contained in the law and the gospel is the truth itself. We should not fear being led astray or deceived. We may hear many objections, as every person imagines whatever suits their fancy, but God has sufficiently authenticated His words when He revealed His law. Furthermore, He gave ample authority to His prophets, and His gospel was confirmed and sealed with more than enough miracles. Therefore, we must not say, "We do not know if it is God's Word or not," for it is in our mouths, close at hand, and God deemed it fit to nourish us with it, sending mortal men to speak it directly to us.
Therefore, let us learn, above all, not to be overly skeptical when it comes to receiving God's word. We should be content knowing that He has provided sufficient evidence of His will through His prophets and apostles. In doing so, we can yield Him the obedience that pleases Him by accepting the use of these human instruments guided by His Holy Spirit. Our faith should not lack humility, and God has demonstrated His wisdom in choosing mortal men as the means through which He communicates Himself to us. Let it be a fundamental principle for us that agreement is not lacking between the law, the prophets, and the Gospel. We have indeed seen that the use of ceremonies has come to an end, but the substance of them persists. When God caused the gospel to be openly preached to the world, it was not due to His inconsistency or an intention to teach people in a new and unfamiliar manner. The law and the prophets continually bear witness to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, we are reminded to benefit ourselves from all that is contained in Moses and the rest of the prophets. Nowadays, there are some eccentric individuals who believe that we only need the New Testament for all doctrine, considering the rest to be superfluous. It is true that the fullness of wisdom is thoroughly contained in the gospel, but this does not mean that we should not be edified by the Law and the Prophets. We can see that even the apostles themselves confirmed their doctrine with their testimonies.
And here, when St. Paul says that we must be built upon the foundation, he sufficiently shows that whatever things are taught in the Law and Prophets, both in the past and today, are profitable for us. We must practice and apply them likewise. Peter also states that these teachings serve not only for their time but also for ours. They give us a taste of our Lord Jesus Christ and the good things imparted to us through Him. We have come to the fullness of time, as St. Paul mentions elsewhere. This verifies what St. Peter said, that the doctrine of the prophets pointed to us, and we have a more complete and abundant understanding of it than those who heard it spoken. We have a greater light in Jesus Christ, making things that were once dark now open and known to us.
Therefore, let us study the Law and the Prophets, knowing well that they lead us to our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the focal point of our faith, as stated when it is said that Jesus Christ is the end of the law and also the pattern that Moses saw on the mountain. The law and the prophets bear witness to Him. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself rebuked the Jews for their boastful pride in the law, making their offense even more grievous because they rejected Him to whom the law pointed and through whom the law sought to restrain us.
To profit well from the Holy Scripture, we must always refer to our Lord Jesus Christ and fix our gaze upon Him. Sadly, many people exert great effort in reading the Holy Scriptures, but they merely skim the surface. After many years, they are as ignorant as if they had never read a single line. This happens because they wander aimlessly without a specific goal. Similarly, in worldly learning, you often see diligent scholars who, despite their effort, gain little because they lack order, measure, and purpose. They gather a collection of disjointed sentences but fail to gain any true understanding. The same is true for those who read the Holy Scriptures laboriously but do not realize that the central point should always be our Lord Jesus Christ.
For just as it is said that all our perfection is in the gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ is also declared to be the wisdom of God His Father. As the law is referred to as the way to walk in, so our Lord Jesus Christ proclaims, "I am the way." Likewise, as the Word of the Lord is described as a lamp to guide our steps, our Lord Jesus Christ declares, "I am the light of the world." Thus, everything found in the Holy Scriptures points to our Lord Jesus Christ, and He is the sole anchor for all our senses and minds. It is not without reason that He is called the living image of God His Father, for although God is pure light, we would never reach that light until our Lord Jesus Christ descended to lift us up and grant us access to a place that was once closed to us.
In conclusion, what we should understand from St. Paul's words is that the prophets and apostles were chosen and ordained to bring us to God through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is His very image. Therefore, we should focus all our senses and minds on Him for our edification through the Holy Scripture. Conversely, those who indulge in vain curiosities, seeking to be wiser than God allows, will remain in confusion. Instead of progressing, they will regress, as evident in many examples throughout history. We must learn from these examples, for the corruption, errors, ungodliness, and superstitions in the world are caused by people being ensnared by their own foolish desires and carnal inclinations, never content with the simplicity of Jesus Christ as presented in the gospel.
So, all the more, we should keep in mind what is told to us here: we must always set our Lord Jesus Christ before our eyes and in our sight if we intend to have an infallible foundation in the Holy Scripture and progress in it. We also see that we need not search here and there for God's word. We have the prophets and the apostles as our boundaries within which we must stay. Our faith should not stray to the left or right but remain obedient to God's word as contained in the Holy Scripture.
If this text had been well understood, the world would not be in such disorder as we see it today. Men have invented numerous paths to salvation because they have not known the power of our Lord Jesus Christ as shown here. There seems to be no end to superstitious beliefs and practices, and in the midst of it all, they have practically forgotten Jesus Christ. This is a corruption and distortion of God's truth because they did not know its purpose: to keep us dedicated to our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may cleave to Him and find rest for our souls.
On the other hand, the papacy grounds itself on councils, decrees, and inventions of men's own minds, claiming that all perfection can be found there, while regarding the things taught by Jesus Christ and His apostles as mere basics. They consider the Holy Scripture as a catechism for children, and to attain perfection, they argue for the necessity of their own councils. They have been so bewitched and blinded that they sought to undermine God's word, leading people astray without proper direction.
Therefore, we should remember the importance of this text, which tells us to reject anything added to the Holy Scripture, believing that God charged His prophets and apostles with everything profitable and expedient for our salvation. We should not add any morsels or fragments of our own or borrow things contrary to the pure doctrine. We must reject all such practices and avoid any patching or compromising because God can demolish whatever men attempt to add to the law and the Gospel, from which we must not turn away. As it is said, "This is the way, walk in it." When Jesus Christ declares Himself as the WAY and the light of the world, it is to encourage us to remain steadfast in Him without swaying to the right or left.
Another important aspect of this text is that we should not consent to be taught by those whom God did not make privy to His will and whom He disavows when they attempt to add even a single syllable to what should be held without dispute. While the church relies on the daily preaching of the doctrine of the prophets and apostles, and those ordained to teach are called builders of God's house, we should understand that they are, in essence, builders of the church, and, in this regard, they are one with the prophets and apostles.
However, this does not mean that they can take whatever they wish from the law or preach their own inventions. They must draw their inspiration from the pure source offered to us in the Holy Scripture. We should always be held to the simplicity of the law and the gospel, not being entangled by any wandering opinions that divert us from the obedience of faith, contenting ourselves with the means that God has provided.
When St. Paul states that Jesus Christ is the fountain and the head cornerstone, he does not imply that it is permissible to mix anything with Jesus Christ, as if He only formed a part of the building, with the rest supplied by others. It is meant to emphasize that we must build upon Him. St. Paul encouraged us to do this in the third chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians when he declared that no one can lay any other foundation than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
St. Paul wants us to understand that no one can establish any other foundation for salvation. There is no safety apart from Jesus Christ, whose dominion extends everywhere. All of us, from the greatest to the least, must submit to Him and not forsake the countless benefits He offers us and that we possess through Him. To grasp how Jesus Christ is our sole Foundation, we must know why He was sent. In the four texts mentioned, Scripture states that He was given to us as our wisdom, righteousness, redemption, and holiness. In other words, Jesus Christ is the source of all our well-being and contains everything necessary for our salvation.
To understand why Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church and why we should be established upon Him, we must recognize that God has fully revealed Himself to us through His only Son. He has placed everything required for our salvation or worthy of our desire into His hands. This enables us to draw from His fullness, as mentioned in the first chapter of St. John's Gospel. Thus, Jesus Christ is like the cornerstone that supports the entire building, just as the cornerstone bears the greatest weight of the structure.
Nevertheless, it's worth noting that St. Paul did not intend to place Christ alone in a separate category and associate other stones with Him that would have equal authority and mastery. His intention was to illustrate that there is no fundamental difference between the law and the gospel in terms of their essence. Even though Jesus Christ is the culmination of everything and we should all be united and connected through Him, forming the temple of God and being part of the spiritual building in which God intends us to dwell.
However, if our faith does not rest entirely on our Lord Jesus Christ, we cannot build upon this foundation. The papacy, with its invention of patrons and advocates to gain favour, and its establishment of numerous means for merit, has essentially made itself separate from Jesus Christ. Those who turn away from Him, even by the width of a finger, are bound to fall into peril, for a foundation is meant to support the entire structure. If the building extends too far beyond its foundation, it will inevitably collapse. Similarly, if we do not build our faith upon Jesus Christ, aligning and fastening it to Him, sticking to Him without adding anything else, He will disown us and cast us away.
The papacy and its like-minded institutions, by introducing new means according to their own desires, commit an egregious wrong and affront to our Lord Jesus Christ. They deserve to be dismantled and removed from God's Church. Therefore, if we wish to enjoy the benefits outhned here, we must ensure that our faith is so shaped by the law and the gospel that we reject anything invented by humans. We must be confident that this is the surest way to avoid destruction and that we can only be firmly grounded in Jesus Christ, standing firmly upon Him forever, if we accept all the things spoken and attested to about Him in the law and the gospel, without allowing men to add anything to it.
In essence, what St. Paul conveys in these words is that we do not truly belong to our Lord Jesus Christ or God's Church unless we adhere to the pure doctrine of the law and the gospel, forsaking all the impurity and abominations that people have concocted through their own fantasies and concoctions, no matter how appealing they may seem. If we desire to be united with Jesus Christ, we must remain in Him to the exclusion of all else. Furthermore, we learn that to be recognised as God's children, we must cultivate genuine harmony. As mentioned earlier, the pure teaching of God's word should lead Christians to receive it with one heart and one mind, and to maintain fraternal unity, speaking with one voice and making a singular, pure confession.
So, just as we have seen that we must build our foundation solely upon God's pure word, it is also evident here that each of us must not be attached to our own opinions but, instead, conform to the unity of faith. St. Paul speaks of this in Philippians 3, emphasising the need for unity, stating, "If you intend to be perfect, aim at one mark, and be truly united in one." We are all susceptible to ambition, and every individual seeks to elevate their own status. Indeed, the root of all heresies is this pride, deeply ingrained in the human heart, which leads people to desire always to know more than is permissible. As a result, they behave improperly, with each person wanting to act as a teacher. However, we are reminded here that instead of such conduct, we must be closely connected, speaking as if with one voice and confessing that we have but one God and one Father, demonstrating that we acknowledge no other masters except Jesus Christ.
Nevertheless, it is indeed true that such concord alone would not be sufficient. I have already explained the starting point, which is the pure instruction we receive from the prophets and apostles. The papists boast excessively about their unity, and they may indeed appear to have unity, for the devil possesses them in such a way that they are completely entangled. There is certainly enough discord and quarrelling among them, like barking dogs within their own synagogues. Yet they stick together in promoting all manner of ungodliness. Their devilish madness and wilful stubbornness become evident when they argue for the preservation of their own falsehoods against God's truth.
However, they show us how we should truly achieve unity, not through dreams and fancies, nor in the things concocted by men, but in the doctrine of the prophets and apostles. Since the papists have banished the Holy Scripture, and even when they claim to accept it, they distort and corrupt it with their own inventions, they are far from achieving the unity they proclaim. Without the doctrine of the prophets and apostles, they possess no mark of the true church whatsoever.
Even if people were willing to accept everything contained in the Holy Scripture without objection, if they then mix in their own fantasies, they corrupt and confuse all of Christianity. The papists not only entangle God's truth with their own inventions but also completely overthrow it. Consequently, God's service is corrupted by them, and poor souls are tossed about. Our Lord Jesus Christ is so misrepresented that He becomes a mere figment, and His offices are attributed to various individuals as if they were plunder. Therefore, when we witness how the papists turn God's word upside down in this absurd manner, we can conclude that despite their claims to be the true church, God disowns and rejects them. If one does not flee from this den of thieves, it is impossible to be united with our Lord Jesus Christ.
The key lesson here is that to be united with God through His only Son, and to be counted among the angels of heaven, and the brethren of the patriarchs, holy kings, and prophets, one must separate from the hellish synagogues present in the Papacy. It is clear that Antichrist reigns there, and Jesus Christ is wholly deprived of His rightful sovereignty. Their audacious assertion that the See of Rome is the foundation of the church is a grave misuse of Christ's words in Matthew 16:18, "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my church." In reality, Jesus Christ meant that Peter would be built upon Himself, not that Peter should pass on his office to someone else. This demonstrates a complete lack of reverence for the Holy Scripture among the papists and their desire to establish a tyranny to suppress the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is a shocking disregard for the Holy Scripture, manifest blasphemy, and moral decay among them. Even children would be disgusted considering the great abominations that have prevailed. Despite the fact that the Holy Scripture used to be their nourishment, it was buried, defaced, and the world was left desolate for a time, all in the darkness of the devil's reign. Therefore, we should reject all these blasphemies, knowing that we cannot be firmly grounded except in our Lord Jesus Christ. Once we are faithfully instructed in Him, we need not seek assistance elsewhere, as He has provided everything necessary for our salvation. It is not fitting to dishonor Him by seeking other sources; instead, we should wholly commit ourselves to Him.
Therefore, the meaning of what Paul is conveying here is that we should all be constructed and developed into a spiritual building, reaching toward God in the spirit. First, when he mentions that we must be "built," it is meant to encourage us to grow continuously in faith. He also uses the word "grow," signifying two important aspects. Firstly, we should not consider ourselves so perfect that we become like those arrogant individuals who are so puffed up with pride that they believe they are already wise enough and too important to engage with God's Word or be taught by it. Such pride is unwarranted because we can only be disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ by understanding that it is necessary for us to be firmly grounded in Him and be His followers throughout our lives.
God's Word possesses such vast depth, breadth, and length that even if a person were to dedicate their entire life to studying it without eating, drinking, or sleeping, they would still not exhaust its entirety. Therefore, we should engage with it throughout our lifetime, recognizing that God intended it to guide us on our journey. We must progress gradually, remaining humble and modest, as God's Word serves as our path of growth and learning.
Once again, St. Paul emphasises that in order to be firmly established in our Lord Jesus Christ and to progress in the blessings He bestows upon us, we must have His Word as our foundation. We should continue building upon it, growing steadily, and recognising that our faith will never be perfect in this world, as we can clearly observe from our own experiences. Therefore, what Paul conveys here regarding our growth and progress in this spiritual building is a crucial point to understand.
However, it's important to remember that it's not merely about putting on an impressive display. The main focus should be on pleasing the Lord and completely dedicating ourselves to Him, allowing Him to reside within us as in His temple. The Papists, on one hand, may make a grand show, boasting of their large numbers and worldly pomp, but they are blinded by their devilish pride and arrogance. They despise us because we are a smaller group in comparison. They claim Christendom extends throughout Europe, Greece, and Africa. Nevertheless, their pride and ostentation are not what truly matters in the eyes of God. All their outward displays are superficial, and while they may impress ignorant souls, they are an abomination before God.
Therefore, we must not be swayed by the Papists' numbers or outward appearances, for their church is lacking a true head, as Jesus Christ does not hold preeminence within it. Simple reminds us that we should not be envious or despise them, but instead, we should recognise the falsehood of their claims. Their so-called church is a monstrous entity with no true head.
To understand how we should grow, it is stated that we must grow towards the Lord and in the Spirit, as St. Paul says. Simple directs us away from worldly superstitions, emphasising that they are worthless before God. We must grow in the Spirit, as the shadows of the law have ceased with the arrival of the fulfilment and substance in our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of clinging to the old figures, we should give them up and focus on building ourselves in a spiritual manner in Christ.
This teaching of Christ should be precious and dear to us, inspiring us with love for it. It should lead us to willingly renounce the world and dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to our Lord Jesus Christ. On the contrary, we should also be cautious not to fall under judgment, as Christ warned, for those who reject this precious stone. By building upon Jesus Christ, we have a secure foundation for our salvation, and we can be confident that He is more than capable of upholding us, ensuring that we will not be abandoned.
If we stumble justly against the stone, it is certain that we will not be able to withstand it, but rather, we will sink beneath it. In the end, it will crush and break us into pieces. Therefore, we must take care that our Lord Jesus Christ does not become a stumbling stone for us, as is the way of the world today, which maligns Him to the extent that everyone proudly raises their rebellious bristles to rush against Him. Instead, let us consider ourselves and be meekly disposed to offer our service to Him, so that He may sustain us until the end.
Even though we witness Jesus Christ being rejected by the world, and it may seem strange that people would fight against Him, treating Him as a target, we must never cease to regard Him as a precious stone. Peter advises us in the second chapter of his first epistle to see Jesus Christ in this way.
So, when we hear these promises that St. Paul speaks of, we should be drawn to our Lord Jesus Christ, giving ourselves completely to Him and forsaking all that the world may deem excellent. We should also be cautious not to be ungrateful and reject Him as a precious stone, for God tells us that all our well-being rests in Him being our temple and being called upon by us. Therefore, let us benefit from this great and invaluable gift, continually growing and increasing in it until we reach our heavenly inheritance, where we will fully experience all the good things that we currently only perceive through faith.
Now, let us humble ourselves before the majesty of our good God, acknowledging our sins and praying for His forgiveness, so that they may not be held against us. May He also correct us in a way that we remain devoted to Him and come to Him freely at all times, even though we are unworthy. Let us all say, "Almighty God, Heavenly Father, etc."