Co-workers as builders with Christ

2.         God's building

The second important work that we were ordained to perform along with Jesus Christ as co-workers is that of building God's spiritual temple. And therefore, we have been admonished saying; "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire" (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

Jesus Christ is the four corner stone on which we are to construct our building and knowing how to build on these four corner stone is of intrinsic importance for example;

·         Jesus became for us the wisdom from God

This wisdom from God is the wisdom of sending His One and Only Begotten Son to the world in the form of sinful human flesh to pay the price of sin in man’s stead. A wisdom which is defined as follows; “However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1Corinthians 2:6-8).

·          Jesus Christ our righteousness

Jesus Christ is our righteousness by paying the price of sin in our stead and making things right with the Father and imputed to us His righteousness when we are renewed in the spirit of our mind and have put on the new man who was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. He is presently our High Priest sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf and making things right with the Father.

·         Jesus Christ is our sanctification

Our sanctification is through the body of Jesus Christ as we have been duly admonished saying; “By that will we have been sanctified (set apart) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).

This once and for all phenomenon basically means that Jesus Christ sacrificed His body once and for all for our sanctification as was prophesied by the prophet Isiah who wrote; “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).

The broken body of Jesus Christ was a once and for all phenomenon, but He has left us the bread to represent His body which we are to partake of at His appointed time for the sanctification and healing of our body and so we have been duly admonished saying; “Command the children of Israel, and say to them, 'My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time' (Numbers 28:2).

• Jesus Christ our redemption

Jesus Christ is our redemption through His blood. Like the once and for all sanctification through His body represented and being perpetuated by eating of the bread, so is the once and for all phenomenon though His blood which is represented by the wine which is the only means for our redemption as we have been duly instructed saying; “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14).

I therefore beg to ask the question, are we building our spiritual building on the right foundation! And are we using the right endurable material?