Nougat 24

Are we guilty of deciding who is in Christ and who isn’t? What if today’s Holy Nougat was inviting us to think differently?

“You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Can we see Him as a corner stone, the linch pin holding the building together? That feels simple until we recognize that WE are God’s temple, and we therefore are the building Jesus holds together. It still sounds good, we say it all the time. I wonder however … Who comprises our temple?

For many of us, it’s not as straightforward as it sounds. For we already know the answer. My challenge is that we scarcely agree on the qualifier, that’s part of the reason we have denominationalism. As I see it, denominators are fine, we worship God with nuanced differences. Some of which is rooted in tradition and some in our experience of Christ. As the ‘body of Christ’, each member has a different role, so difference is good. That’s what we hear in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12. The body of Christ is however, the temple of God’.

When we then start suggesting to God who qualifies as temple and who shouldn’t, it gets as technical as Matthew 13:24-30. There Jesus parable suggests that even the weeds (tares) planted by the enemy ought to remain with the wheat for the sower to discard at the time of the harvest. ie Not ours to judge.

Moreover, reverting to the building image, we might find ourselves deciding who’s a legitimate part of the building and who’s not. And when deciding who’s in and who’s out, we must be careful that we do not disregard the role of the ‘outhouse’ or the outer courts. In architecture and under property law, those are still part of the building.

Finally, if the cornerstone of God’s temple is Jesus Christ, and all who call on His name are saved, then we all, who accept Jesus as Savior are part of the temple. But, it’s not my opinion that matters, and He said we’ll see/know when the day comes.

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May all we seek be found in Christ