"Gentlemen, this is a football.” These were the infamous words of legendary football coach, Vince Lombardi, at the start of football season. His point in making this statement was to underline the importance of the fundamental principles of the game of football. He recognized the problem of players who forgot why they were doing what they were doing.
This same type of statement is just as necessary for our families and churches today. “Brethren, this is the Bible!” And unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. These Spirit-filled words were spoken by Solomon in Psalm 127:1.
Psalm 127 is all about the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture. It is about the biblical principle that the Holy Bible contains everything we need for all of life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). What Solomon is telling us in Psalm 127 is that God will only be glorified in the building of the “house,” when we employ the principles that He alone dictates. If we want to have strong families that honor God then we must build that house on the commands of God. If we desire to see churches fulfill their God-given role as salt and light to a dark and dying world, then we must build that house on the Word of God.
One of the most important aspects of building a physical house is the laying of the cornerstone. The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone that is set in the construction of a masonry foundation. This is the most important stone since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone. Ultimately, this stone determines the position of the entire structure.
For a spiritual house, this cornerstone is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. In Psalm 118:22, the Psalmist tells us of a stone which the builders refused; this stone became the chief cornerstone; the stone referred to in this verse is Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus Himself tells us this truth in Matthew 21:42: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.”
The truth is that we are all building houses. We all have a role to play in the building of the family and the church. Where do we get our blueprint for building these houses? Our instructions must come straight from God Himself, through the Word of Jesus Christ, and illuminated by the power of the Holy Spirit.
May we all embrace the doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture. May we all embrace the doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture. May we all embrace the doctrine of the infallibility of Scripture. However, all these doctrines are meaningless to us if we do not actually live by the very book we claim to be inspired, inerrant, and infallible. May we all lovingly embrace and rejoice in the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture!
by Steve Breagy. Steve Breagy currently serves as an elder of Moore Christian Assembly in Southern Pines, NC. Breagy is a 1990 graduate of West Point and served as a helicopter pilot in the Army for twelve years. After retirement from the military, he worked for Johnson & Johnson as a pharmaceutical sales representative. Steve is currently enrolled in the Master of Divinity Program at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Steve has been married to Kristina for twenty-one years, and they have seven children.
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