The
Apostles, the Foundation of the Church
Ephesians 2:19-22 affirms, “Now,
therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with
the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief
cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows
into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a
dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
In the last edition of the Midweek
eBulletin, we discussed the imagery of Christ as the Chief Cornerstone of this
“spiritual temple” or “household of God.” Today we turn our attention to the
foundation. The foundation in a building is set according to the cornerstone.
It is measured, set against, and finds its course in relation to the
cornerstone. Moreover, the entire structure must rest upon the foundation. In
these ways, the foundation must be carefully laid, robust, and unrepeatable.
The New Testament affirms that the
apostles are the foundation of the church (also see 1 Cor 3:10). The apostles
are, specifically, those original men (minus Judas, plus Matthias, plus Paul)
chosen and commissioned by the Lord Jesus Himself to be His authoritative
representatives. The preaching of the apostles hurled the Gospel into the world
and established the church of the living God. The uniquely inspired writing of
the apostles and their close associates has given us the scriptural doctrines
which have instructed the church for centuries and will until Christ returns.
Thus, we must look to the apostles for
all matters of faith and practice. We tap into their authoritative ministries
by engaging the Holy Scriptures. However, many ministries today have attempted
to shift congregations off of their original foundation (Christ and His
apostles) and onto a new foundation. This does not work but only leads to
disaster. If one shifts the congregation’s foundation, or builds a new one,
then that crowd has become just that, a crowd, and not the people of God,
redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus. There is only one, true foundation. So
then, we must be a people of the Book. We must be a people standing to learn,
believe, teach, and defend the Bible as the Word of God, delivered through His
apostles, and serving as the unrepeatable foundation of the church of the Lord
Jesus Christ.