Ephesians: You Are of God’s Household
Ephesians 2:19-22 - The Holy Temple is being built with Christ as the cornerstone.
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:19-22 NASB1995
Paul ends chapter 2 of Ephesians with this exhortation to the Gentiles: They are no longer strangers and aliens, but are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God’s household. They are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. The whole building, with that cornerstone, is being fitted together into a holy temple in the Lord, and the believers are also being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
The AI image at the top shows the two groups, Jewish and Gentile believers, laying the stones for that holy temple, the church of the Lord. This commentary from Enduring Word is quite good:
a. You are no longer strangers and foreigners: Paul refers to Christians of Gentile background. They should not regard themselves as “second-class citizens” in God’s kingdom in any regard. They are not only full citizens, but also full and equal members of God’s household.
b. Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets: Because we are one body and have the same access to God, it also follows that we are all built upon a common foundation. That foundation is the original apostles and prophets, and their enduring revelation, recorded in the New Testament. May no one ever lay any other foundation.
i. Though Chrysostom, Jerome, Calvin and others saw the prophets mentioned as Old Testament prophets, it is better to see them as New Testament prophets, perhaps New Testament authors who were not strictly members of the core apostolic group.
ii. “Those who ranked next to the Apostles in the government of the church… They were not in every case distinct from the Apostles: the apostleship probably always including the gift of prophecy: so that all the Apostles themselves might likewise have been prophets.” (Alford)
iii. In this sense of laying a foundation of supremely authoritative revelation for all God’s people, there are no more apostles or prophets today. The foundation is already set. In a lesser sense there may be apostles and prophets today, but not in the sense Paul means here.
c. Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone: This corner stone “literally means at the tip of the angle. It refers to the capstone or binding stone that holds the whole structure together… often the royal name was inscribed on it. In the East it was considered to be even more important than the foundation.” (Wood)
i. Salmond on corner stone: “It denotes the stone placed at the extreme corner, so as to bind the other stones in the building together – the most important stone in the structure, the one on which its stability depended.”
ii. “That structure and cohesion may have for its scaffolding the sacred order of the Church in her visible aspect. But the cement is not of these things; it is wholly divine; it is the Spirit, possessing each saint for God, and binding them all together by articulating them all to their Head.” (Moule)
d. In whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord: As we keep to our common foundation, the whole building of God’s people grows together in a beautiful way, as a holy temple where God dwells in beauty and glory.
i. This tells us that the Church is a building, perfectly designed by the Great Architect. It is not a haphazard pile of stones, randomly dumped in a field. God arranges the Church for His own glory and purposes.
ii. This tells us that the Church is a dwelling place, a place where God lives. It is never to be an empty house that is virtually a museum, with no one living inside. The Church is to be both the living place of God and His people.
iii. This tells us that the Church is a temple, holy and set apart to God. We serve there as priests, offering the spiritual sacrifices of our lips and hearts, our praises to God (Hebrews 13:15).
e. You also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit: When Solomon’s temple was built, the stones were prepared at a place far from the temple building site. It was said that you couldn’t hear the sound of a hammer or axe or other iron tools at the site (1 Kings 6:7). In the same way, God prepares us first, and then He fits us into His building.
i. “The Father makes choice of this house, the Son purchaseth it, the Holy Ghost taketh possession of it.” (Trapp)
ii. “And the everlasting FATHER will perfectly reveal Himself, to all the watchers of all the regions of the eternal world, not anyhow but thus – in His glorified Church, in the Race, the Nature, once wrecked and ruined, but rebuilt into this splendour by His grace.” (Moule)
iii. Adam Clarke explained how God’s work in the Church gave glory to the wisdom, power, and love of God. Seeing all this, we should praise God for His glorious Church.
· There is nothing as noble as the Church, seeing that it is the temple of God.
· There is nothing so worthy of reverence, seeing God who dwells in it.
· There is nothing so ancient, since the patriarchs and prophets worked to build it.
· There is nothing so solid, since Jesus Christ is the foundation of it.
· There is nothing so high, since it reaches as high as to the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
· There is nothing so perfect and well proportioned, since the Holy Spirit is the architect.
· There is nothing more beautiful, because it is adorned with building stones of every age, every place, every people; from the highest kings to the lowest peasants; with the most brilliant scientists and the simplest believers.
· There is nothing more spacious, since it is spread over the whole earth, and takes in all who have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
· There is nothing so Divine, since it is a living building, animated and inhabited by the Holy Spirit.
I think this is pretty self-explanatory about the church and its various aspects. It is really important to know how vital the church is, yet realize that is not just a building that you might visit. It is a place that is noble, reverent, ancient, solid, high, perfect, beautiful, spacious and divine. It is the dwelling place of God. This should give us pause when we enter a sanctuary and then waste time before the service starts surfing social media (guilty as charged).
The church doesn’t need to have an altar or vestments or a lectern or stained glass windows, although those do sometimes help identify a place as a “church”. It DOES need believers who know they are in the presence of the most High and it should not be an empty dwelling that could be a museum (the sad fate of many churches in Europe). It should be vibrant and packed with people, regardless of how it is configured.
I also liked this commentary from Precept Austin on Christ as the Rock with some key Scripture references:
1) To God Jesus is…
Smitten Stone
Exodus 17:6, 1Cor 10:4, cp John 4:13, John 4:14
(2) To Israel Messiah is…
Stumbling Stone
1Pe 2:8 (note), Ro 9:32 (note)
(3) To the Church the Lord Jesus is…
Cornerstone
1Pe 2:6 (note), Ep 2:20 (note),
1Cor 3:10, 11, 12 (foundation)
(4) To all the Gentile world powers Jesus the King of kings is the…
Stone cut without hands
Stone that grows and fills the earth
(5) To Israel at Second coming Messiah is…
Capstone of the corner
(6) To unbelievers the Lord Jesus Christ is the…
Crushing Stone of judgment
Some of the key prophecies about Jesus were part of my devotional series on the book of Daniel.
My next devotional examines Ephesians 3:1-3 - Paul as a prisoner in truth.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - You are the cornerstone of our faith, the stone cut without hands. The church is Yours and You have made it a Holy Temple for all who believe. Amen.
Citations and Credits:
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.
Precept Austin was accessed on 04/13/26 to review commentary for Ephesians 2:19-22.
Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. Within Enduring Word commentary:
Alford, Henry The New Testament for English Readers, Volume II, Part I (London: Rivingtons, 1869)
Clarke, Adam The New Testament with A Commentary and Critical Notes, Volume II (New York: Eaton & Mains, 1831)
Moule, Handley C. G. Ephesian Studies (London: Pickering and Inglis, ?)
Salmond, S.D.F. The Epistle to the Ephesians, The Expositor’s Greek New Testament, Volume III (London: Hodder and Stoughton, ?)
Trapp, John A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, Volume Five (Eureka, California: Tanski Publications, 1997)
Wood, A. Skevington Ephesians, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 11 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1978)