Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.” (Isaiah 28:16)
The cornerstone must fit—squared, level, and aligned—perfectly.
During a recent home improvement, I watched as the contractor meticulously measured the corners of the proposed master bath shower. Before placing the first tile, he measured, squared, aligned, and made notes on the walls and tiles. That first tile—the cornerstone—must be perfectly precise because all subsequent tiles, cuts, corners, and seams are positioned from that cornerstone.
The Perfect Cornerstone
Scripture describes Jesus as the Cornerstone of His Church. As such, He must be perfect. Souls, lives, and eternal destinations depend on His precise fit in qualifications and performance. He must fully and flawlessly meet God’s holy standards for righteousness and the atonement for sin. Thankfully, He did.
With His death on Calvary, Jesus became the spotless, sacrificial Lamb of God who removes the sin of the world (John 1:29). Jesus Himself implied He was the rejected cornerstone of His people and the religious leaders (Matthew 21:42). Additionally, the Apostle Peter identified Jesus as the chief cornerstone (Acts 4:11).
The Solid Foundation
As the perfectly and exclusively fitting Chief Cornerstone, Jesus Christ provides the firm foundation. In Him “the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” As the Body of Christ, God is building us as His dwelling place (Ephesians 2:21-22).
Because He fits—squared, level, and aligned—He builds up the body of Christ. As part of the body, we “grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies” does its appointed share (Ephesians 4:12-16).
An Eternal Building
We are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the members of the sturdy, beautifully built, and eternal household of God (Ephesians 2:19). Whatever we build on His solid, unmovable foundation endures. But we must learn to fit (work, love, minister) together.
Every person needs a spotless Lamb and perfect Cornerstone. Jesus is both. He removes our sin, transforms us into vessels of service for Him, and precisely positions us as He builds His perfect kingdom. Thank God for His tried, precious, and sure Cornerstone.
