There are many references to God as a rock or stone in the Bible. We have already seen that one name for Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone. Psalm 118:22 calls Him “the stone which the builders rejected”. It is clear that Jesus Christ is intended to be our foundation (I Corinthians 3:11). Paul expounded on this theme to the Corinthian church:

“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” – I Corinthians 10:1-4

Sorry to disappoint you Greek scholars, but there’s no hidden meaning to the word “rock”. Paul meant what he said, referencing the rock that followed the Israelites through the desert, providing clean water to drink. That physical rock, a type of Christ, became sustenance for physical Israel. Paul makes the point that everyone enjoyed the benefits of that rock, but some of them paid attention to the spiritual side of things and some did not. Everyone had the same basis, but not everyone made it to the promised land.

Likewise, Christians share the same firm foundation of faith, the rock Christ. If we want to remain with Him, we have to take our cues from the parable of the builders in Matthew 7:24-27 — the wise man built his house upon the Rock, willfully choosing the good and solid foundation when he could have gone elsewhere. The message is clear: Christ is perfect and secure, but we must choose to build and continue to build our lives on Him.

Faithful & True

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.”  – Revelation 19:11-13

The Greek word translated “True” in this passage is alethinos, which literally means “not concealing”. God is open about His nature: He is what He says He is. God is not concealing the truth and does not have anything up His divine sleeve. He is the Truth-Giver and revealer of secrets (Daniel 2:47). So in considering the meaning of “Faithful and True”, we know that God’s faithfulness (or “trustworthiness”) is constant. It’s the full disclosure, the real deal. With a foundation like that, confidence should spring up inside to fill the gaps of our faith: where experience fails, knowledge of the One we trust will take over.

Eph 2:19,20 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;”

It’s almost surprising that our Lord and Savior would be called a rock, a stone. Isn’t that insulting? However, God was referred to many times in the Old Testament as a rock.  The psalmist mentioned Him this way in Psalm 118:22 and many other times called Him a “rock,” meaning refuge or fortress. Isaiah spoke prophetically of Him in the 28th chapter of his book, calling Him “a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation.”

But what does all this mean?  The “corner stone” is the most important stone in the foundation. The rest play their role, but without the corner stone it will all fall apart. In fact, the building cannot exist without it.

And that’s exactly what Jesus Christ is to us: He’s all in all; He’s everything. If you are attempting to build this spiritual house that Peter talks about in I Peter 2, then you’d better have your foundation in the person of Jesus Christ. Then mix in the law and the prophets and the doctrine of the apostles. But without Him, it just ain’t gonna work regardless of who you are—Jew or Gentile, as Paul shows in verses 16 and 17. You’ve got to build on Jesus if you want your house to weather the storms.

Head of the Church

Eph 5:23 “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.”

Just as a wife is supposed to submit to a loving and provisionary husband, we are to submit to Christ. He is the head. The head receives signals from the rest of the body, just as we send our prayers and petitions up to Him. He then sends the command for the correct response to us. The head holds knowledge and wisdom. This is important here, because if I’m the feet, I might be tired of walking. To me it makes sense to stop. But to Him it makes sense to go on because He knows the end from the beginning. He can see that just over the next hill a rest awaits, so it’s always best to follow Him.

Here is a clear picture of the importance of submission to Christ in our lives: what is a body without a head? It’s certainly not a living body. And that’s exactly what every Christian is, every church, every preacher, pope, pop star, and president who won’t summit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. They may be alive and vibrant to the natural eye, but God looks on the heart. Who is in charge of my life?

Holy One

The name “Holy One” is scattered 48 times throughout the bible. Almost 30 of those come from the prophet Isaiah calling God “the Holy One of Israel.” John the Revelator saw the four beasts who each have six wings, and are full of eyes within and never rest saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”

There are many gods in this world, but this One is so holy that He could come and dwell among us and be the perfect One to be the ransom for many. How holy is God? Well, you can’t melt a giant iceberg with a small candle. In the same way, a God who is a little holy can’t forgive the magnitude of man’s sin. But that isn’t a problem for Jesus, who is the Holy One of God.