The apostle Paul describes the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ as a “building.” He says, “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.” (1 Corinthians 3:9) Not only is the church God’s building in the sense that He is the Owner of it but also that He is the Builder of it. It is all His work. Therefore Christ says, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) But the Church of God is not a denomination, institution or material building, it is a living building! He alone can make it such because the material for this building is hewn from the quarry of fallen humanity, from Adam’s sinful race, and as He says in the Revelation, “from among men.” He builds, not from a special quarry of fine marble, but from the common stones of those who are “by nature the children of wrath even as others.” Thus the glory goes to the Builder alone. As a matter of fact, those in His church are told to remember their origins and Who it was that brought us out and put us in this buildings: “Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.” (“Isaiah 51:1) From this pit of death God has hewn these stones according to His own will and pleasure and made each of them to be “living stones” in this building. The life these stones are given comes from the Living Stone, the Lord Jesus Christ. “To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,.” (1 Peter 2:4-8) All in this building are there through the blood and righteousness of Christ. In other words, by righteous grace. When the last of these stones are called out and the building is seen complete, “he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it” By grace, it is said of all believers, “Ye are God’s building.”.
Gary Shepard
“Say unto my soul, I am your salvation.” – Ps 35:3
To keep water fresh, it must be perpetually running. And to keep the life of God up in the soul, there must be continual exercises. This is the reason why the Lord’s people have so many conflicts, trials, painful exercises, sharp sorrows, and deep temptations—to keep them alive unto God; to bring them out of, and to keep them out of that slothful, sluggish, wretched state of carnal security and dead assurance in which so many seem to have fallen asleep—fallen asleep like the sailor upon the top of the mast, not knowing what a fearful gulf is boiling up below. The Lord, therefore, “tries the righteous.” He will not allow his people to be at ease in Zion; to be settled on their lees, and get into a wretched Moabitish state. He therefore sends afflictions upon them, tribulations, and trials, and allows Satan to tempt and harass them.
And under these feelings the blessed Spirit, from time to time, raises up in them this sigh and cry, “Say unto my soul, I am your salvation.” None but yourself, Lord, can save me; nothing short of your voice can whisper peace to my conscience; nothing short of your blood can speak away guilt from lying as a heavy burden upon my heart; nothing short of your love shed abroad by the Holy Spirit can make my soul happy in yourself.