The True Meaning Behind Jesus the Cornerstone

Jesus Christ, the Rock of your salvation, and the Stumblingblock to those snared by man’s traditions of religion is also known as Jesus the Cornerstone meaning He is the foundation for any life that is built upon Him. Traditionally, a cornerstone is set into place by the builder and all other stones in the structure are laid based on the how the cornerstone is positioned.

In Isaiah 28:16 the Lord said, “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, firmly placed…” So, it was a very intentional and purposeful thing for Jesus Christ to be referred to as the Cornerstone and when you need to rely on a faith that cannot be shaken, you’re going to need to build it upon Him and Him alone.

But before He was called Jesus the Cornerstone, He was, first, something else: The Stone that the Builders Rejected. (Psalm 118:22-23) So often, we look at the processes and problems of life and all we can see is the rejection or the pain, when God uses those terrible times for His greater purpose.

No, God doesn’t cause pain, and in fact you know He turns mourning into dancing (Proverbs 30:11-12) and works “all things together for the good of those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28), but the inevitable pain and heartaches of this fallen world are part of how the Lord shows His power and glory to the world, through your life, if you will allow Him to do so.

Why Was Jesus the Cornerstone, Rejected?

God doesn’t make bad things happen and then label them as “good” because He has a “purpose” in it. No. God is only good and the world and the enemy are bad enough to give God plenty of “bad” material to bring about transformation in your life!

Think about this: If Jesus had not experienced the process of rejection and pain the world and the enemy caused Him, He would not have been qualified to be Jesus the Cornerstone. Why? Because, He had to defeat it all, so we could too- through Him! As Peter testified, “…by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands before you whole. He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ There is no salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10-12 MEV)

Jesus Christ was “despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3) because through the manger and the cross His death would bring eternal life and His stripes would bring healing and His name gave us all authority in heaven and earth. (Matthew 28:18-20) God always has a plan!

What you build as a Christian matters because it becomes part of what the Lord is building in the Kingdom, so build it based on Jesus the Cornerstone.
~Alicia Purdy

God “firmly placed” Jesus the Cornerstone at the foundation of your life, and you have the option to build your life on a solid Rock where all the angles are true and all the lines are straight so that when storms come, what you built on His isn’t shaken. (Matthew 7:24-27) But that involves a lot more than a prayer of salvation.

The process of sanctification is where you’ll lay the “stones” of the house you build in your life and Jesus Christ, “The Word” (John 1:1-5), will guide you as you make decisions and set things into place. Jesus Christ is worthy of all honor and glory and blessing and praise as the Cornerstone because He went first.

Thought for today: A Foundation of Faith is Built Upon Jesus the Cornerstone

Don’t be afraid to be a stone that other builders reject- Jesus was too– and He is the Cornerstone upon which all faith is built! It takes effort and you can expect that some, even Christians, will “despise and reject” you- but it’s a worthy honor. With this beautiful description by the Apostle Paul, I want to encourage you to build your faith in Him better, stronger and with greater intention in your life.

What you build as a Christian matters because it becomes part of what the Lord is building in the Kingdom, so build it based on the Cornerstone:

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the entire building, tightly framed together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God through the Spirit.” (Eph. 2:19-22 MEV)

Read this next:

Build Your Life Upon Jesus the Cornerstone, a ROCK that CANNOT be moved! “Three Ways Jesus Christ is the Rock of Salvation That Cannot be Moved”

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