Topical Bible: Titles and Names of the Church: God's Building

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The metaphor of the Church as "God's Building" is a profound biblical image that underscores the communal and spiritual nature of the Church as a divinely constructed entity. This concept is rooted in various passages of Scripture, where the Church is depicted as a structure built by God, with Christ as the cornerstone and believers as living stones.

1. Foundation and Cornerstone: The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, emphasizes the foundational role of Jesus Christ in the construction of the Church. Ephesians 2:19-22 states, "Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord." This passage highlights the integral role of Christ as the cornerstone, ensuring the stability and unity of the Church.

2. Living Stones: The Apostle Peter expands on this imagery by describing believers as "living stones" in 1 Peter 2:4-5 : "As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, 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." This metaphor illustrates the dynamic and organic nature of the Church, where each believer contributes to the spiritual edifice.

3. Temple of the Holy Spirit: The Church as God's Building is also depicted as a temple indwelt by the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 , Paul writes, "Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple." This passage underscores the sacredness of the Church as a dwelling place for God's presence, emphasizing the holiness and sanctity of the community of believers.

4. Construction and Growth: The process of building and growth is a continuous theme in the New Testament. In Ephesians 4:15-16 , Paul describes the growth of the Church: "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, through the work of each individual part." This passage highlights the collaborative effort of believers, under the guidance of Christ, to build up the Church in love and unity.

5. Architect and Builder: God is portrayed as the ultimate architect and builder of the Church. Hebrews 3:4 states, "For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything." This affirms the divine origin and oversight of the Church's construction, ensuring that it fulfills its purpose as a reflection of God's glory and a testament to His redemptive work.

The imagery of the Church as God's Building serves as a powerful reminder of the Church's divine foundation, its communal nature, and its ongoing growth and sanctification through the work of the Holy Spirit. This metaphor calls believers to recognize their role in this spiritual structure and to live in a manner worthy of their calling as part of God's holy temple.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Corinthians 3:9
For we are laborers together with God: you are God's husbandry, you are God's building.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The End of the War
... Church,"let us sing hallelujahs to these great names! ... in Egypt the name and sounding
titles of the king ... which ascribe the events of the Church's progress to ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the end of the war.htm

Antichrist.
... this day is venom poured into the church of God. ... to sale; yea, it is for this that
they have invented so many places, offices, names, titles, orders, vows ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bunyan/the riches of bunyan/xxiii antichrist.htm

Of the True Church. Duty of Cultivating Unity with Her, as the ...
... true piety are said to inscribe their names among the ... Those magnificent titles, as
when the temple is called ... I say, however, that the Church must first be built ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 1 of the true.htm

The
... has been an inscription of your names [398] , and a ... though a miserable man, thou
receivest one of God's titles. ... may He plant you into His Church, and enlist ...
//christianbookshelf.org/cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/the.htm

Hugh the Builder
... beauty of the world, the lower contains the names of the ... great a sire, who blessed
her with so many titles on all ... might, for it was not only a new church but a ...
/.../marson/hugh bishop of lincoln/chapter viii hugh the builder.htm

Church Fabrics and Services.
... A free church was opened at Bath, another at Birmingham ... the spirit of aristocracy,
which deform the building no less ... discordant to the worship of a God who is ...
/.../the english church in the eighteenth century/chapter x church fabrics and.htm

Period ii. The Church from the Permanent Division of the Empire ...
... single place in which the grace of God or his ... by, it pleased all the bishops, whose
names and subscriptions ... together in the holy synod of the church of Carthage ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period ii the church from.htm

Period iii. The Dissolution of the Imperial State Church and the ...
... given to all heavenly existences new explanatory titles. ... of the heavenly hierarchies
he names the order ... throughout the entire Catholic Church the transaction ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period iii the dissolution of.htm

An Old-Fashioned Home
... Let me read the names of the guests in your guest book, allow me to study the titles
of the ... with them all one of the sweet hymns of the church; and from ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chapman/and judas iscariot/an old-fashioned home.htm

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
... matters and things of worship of Antichrist; it dwells in the titles and names that
are ... then be done unto Antichrist, as he hath done to the church of God ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/of antichrist and his ruin .htm