February 21, 2008
"Don't you realize that all of you together are the house of God, and that the Spirit of God lives among you in his house?" 1 Corinthians 3:16
Paul is writing a letter to the church in Corinth. As I read the third chapter of I Corinthians, I had three observations:
- The church's one foundation is Jesus Christ
- We are the bricks of the church
- The Holy Spirit is the mortar that holds the bricks of the church together
Paul's letter addresses division in the Corinthian church. Much of this division is attributed to spiritual immaturity. Jealousy and quarreling were tearing the church into factions. Some people were claiming to follow Paul, while others claimed to follow Apollos. Paul tells the Corinthian church that he and Apollos are working as a team with the same goal of building the church. Paul states that God taught him how to be an expert builder and that Apollos was building on what Paul had started. However, Paul says that, "no one can ever lay any other real foundation than that one we already have - Jesus Christ."
Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church and we are the bricks. As the church is built, brick by brick, the Holy Spirit, as the mortar, holds the bricks together. Bricks can be strong, but without mortar, a brick building would fall down with the first heavy wind. The mortar is what makes a brick house sturdy - it seals the bricks together to make a strong wall. With Jesus as the foundation, the Holy Spirit does the same thing in the church. The Holy Spirit guides individual Christians to work in unison toward the same objective.
What an awesome God. He not only offers us forgiveness of sins and everlasting life through his Son, God also sends the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who approaches us, brings Christians together (like mortar) and gives us strength. If it was up to us alone, our sinful nature would destroy everything. Thank you, God!
Dear God, please grant us spiritual maturity so that we do not get side-tracked from serving your needs and building your church. We are unworthy of your grace and your patience. Please send the Holy Spirit to live among us, to strengthen our house and guide us to do your will. Amen.
"The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord. She is His new creation, by water and the Word...O blessed heavenly chorus, Lord save us by your grace. That we, like saints before us, may see you face to face."
Marty Haugen