We’ve often heard Christ referred to as the Chief Cornerstone – the foundation of the Church. But do we fully grasp the richness of that image and what it implies for the rest of the stones?
According to my research, the Chief Cornerstone:
• Sets the alignment and stability of the entire structure; every other part is measured from it.• Bears the weight of the entire building.• Holds the walls together – it’s the unifying strength.
Importantly, the Chief Cornerstone is placed first, with intentionality - often, in the northeast corner. This is symbolically significant, especially in light of the eastern facing entrance of the tabernacle and temple.
Placement of the Cornerstone was a ceremonial event, sometimes accompanied by a blood sacrifice, and it was often inscribed with the name of the owner and builder – a sign of ownership and new beginning.
Peter further describes Jesus as the Living Stone which men rejected and threw away, “but which is chosen and precious in God’s sight.” (v 4)
We are instructed to come to Him like living stones to “be built into a spiritual house, for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable and pleasing to God.
But what is the deeper meaning of these stones?
First let’s recall that in Matthew16:15-19, Jesus asked the disciples “Who do you say that I am?” In response, Simon declares that Jesus is “The Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus calls Peter blessed for his understanding, because he could only have declared it so because the Father revealed it to him. He says to Simon, “You are Peter (the English form of the Greek word Petros or Cephas in Aramaic) and on this rock [Greek Petra – a huge rock] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”
In other words, Jesus is declaring that He will build His church using petra, or stones. Again, in 1Peter 2:5, Peter tells us to come as living petra to be built up into a spiritual house for a holy (dedicated) priesthood.
It is important to note that during the building process in which these stones are used, they must be cut and squared using copper chisels in order to fit together very precisely and very tightly. If they were not shaped properly, the entire building would be off.
Since Christ is building His Church using the Petra, we absolutely must allow Him to shape us to fit together with the other living stones around us. We must come together with other believers as closely and tightly as possible. This is why the Lord admonishes us to come together in the fellowship of the saints, and why it is so vital to be fit together with the full body of believers.
To be a Christian but insist that we don’t need to be part of the body, indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of why we are called to gather in the first place. It's not optional. When the building is complete, the stones which were not fit together into the structure would have been lying as rubble outside the walls to be collected and removed. If Christ is building His Church, do we really want to be outside on the ground to be collected as refuse and disposed of? Perish the thought!
Some of these stones were also ground using a harsh abrasive to polish them smooth. This allowed them to fit together even more snuggly, with no open spaces in between, as that would have allowed erosive wind and rain to encroach. The tight fit kept these corrosive elements out. Some of the stones thus polished were also used for decorative purposes, adding beauty to the structure; they were honored, adorned, and visible.
Your trials, your shaping, your abrasions may be for more than utility. You may be called to be a reflection of His glory in both structure and splendor.
In Petra, builders carved large steps into the rockface to support work at higher levels. These steps weren’t decorative; they were platforms of support, allowing the workers to stand firm and operate with skill—without relying on lesser supports like ropes.
But to create those steps, the stone had to be cut more deeply, ground more extensively.
This struck me.
Do we desire to be used by God at higher levels—but resist the deeper shaping and grinding it requires?
The steps were made not for show, but for service. God’s work at elevated heights requires those who are willing to be cut more deeply, shaped more intentionally, and placed with purpose to provide stability for His work.
To be part of God’s holy dwelling, we must embrace the shaping of the Master Builder. Let us not shy away from the chisel or the grinder. Let us welcome the friction of fitting together—knowing that in that closeness, we are sheltered from corrosion and made strong.
As living stones, we are not merely part of a structure—we are part of a living legacy, bearing the weight of the testimony of Christ, fitted together to reflect His beauty, built on the Chief Cornerstone who will never be moved.
“Father, shape me according to Your will. Cut away what does not belong. Polish me where I must shine. Fit me tightly into Your house, with joy and humility. I long to be useful in Your hand.”
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