A Spiritual House - Its Building

by L. Burrows, Kingston upon Thames | Category: The House Of God | Jul 1974

"Will God in very deed dwell on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have builded!" So spake Solomon, with some degree of humility, at the dedication of his magnificent temple (1 Kings 8:27). Since that day men have built great edifices, allegedly for the glory of God and in which, so men think, the worship of God can be carried on in an environment suited to the high purpose in view. But Stephen, addressing the Jewish elders who revered Herod's temple and gloried in outward observances, said, "Solomon built Him a house. Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in houses made with hands". Such bold criticism of his accusers cost Stephen his life but the truth of what he said could not be suppressed, for the Lord Jesus Himself had already given warning of a fundamental change in the way God would be worshipped henceforth. A few days before His crucifixion He said to the Jews, "Your house is left unto you desolate", referring to the services of God's house which were being carried on at that time in Herod's temple. Hitherto God had, in His sovereign grace, condescended to manifest His presence there and honour the humble service of a few who were still faithful to Him. But the Israelites, as a nation, were about to reject the Son of God, and their leaders were characterized by hypocrisy and unbelief. Withdrawal of divine recognition must inevitably follow. No longer would the sweet savour of the burnt offering, typifying the sacrifice of Christ, ascend to the presence of God; no longer would the sins of the people be put away for another year as, on the day of Atonement the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies to minister in the very presence of God. All such holy service would cease. The most direct and powerful sign for the priests came when the Lord Jesus yielded up His Spirit on the cross. Immediately the veil of the temple was torn apart from top to bottom, displaying to the eyes of men a sanctuary devoid of the very reason for its existence; the divine Presence was no longer there.

Had God's purpose in man been frustrated by unbelief? By no means. In the divine counsels there was something far better in view, and this had already been revealed in principle to a Samaritan woman who, in common with the rest of her race, had faulty views about the house of God. When the Lord met this sinful woman at the well of Sychar, discerning in her a spirit of repentance and humility, He graciously chose to disclose to her one of the greatest truths of this dispensation: "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). Magnificent stonework, rich draperies, gold, silver and precious stones would not in future meet the eyes of those seeking after God and engaging in divine service. Though beautiful and appealing to the human senses, they were but shadows of the Substance, which was Christ. Because the Substance has come, such material types have been superseded. As the writer of the letter to the Hebrews puts it, "But Christ having come a High Priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, entered in once for all into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption" (9:11,12).

In the wilderness of Sinai God said to His ancient people, "If ye will obey My voice ... ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests and an holy nation" (Exod. 19:5,6). The apostle Peter in his first letter, using language similar to that of Moses, shows how that under the New Covenant the house of God has features corresponding to those of the former material house with which most of the saints to whom he was writing were familiar. He describes these saints as "Elect ... unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ" (1:1,2) and, "an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession", recalling how the Israelites had said, "All that the LORD hath spoken will we do, and be obedient", following which Moses had taken the blood of the burnt offerings and sprinkled it upon the people, calling it the blood of the covenant. Upon this the Israel nation became God's "peculiar treasure ... a kingdom of priests and an holy nation" (Exod. 24:3-8, 19:5,6). Both Old and New covenants afforded privileges and blessings conditional upon the obedience of the people, but the first was ratified by the blood of an animal sacrifice whilst the second needed nothing less than the blood of Christ. Believers who had purified their souls in obedience to the truth and come to Christ, explains Peter, would be built into the house of God as living stones, for Christ is the Living Stone who was rejected by men but God made Him the Chief Corner Stone. This imagery derives from the use in ancient buildings of a special stone of perfect shape in the foundations. Every edge in this stone was true and every angle a right angle, so that, placed at one of the principal corners of the building, it controlled all its vertical and horizontal lines, ensuring that the architect's design was faithfully carried out. The same simple picture makes it plain how necessary it is for the believer to be obedient to his Lord, for however fine in shape or appearance a block of stone may be it is of little value until the builder takes the passive material and sets it in its correct position as determined by the lines of the corner stone. Then it becomes an essential part of the structure, supporting and protecting its fellows similarly laid, and receiving the same assistance from them. So the believer in obedient submission to his Lord becomes part of the house of God and occupies his proper place in relation to others who have similarly subjected themselves to the Master Builder. In fellowship together there is mutual help and blessing and the house of God is beautified and given strength to the glory of God. In this way the believer has the privilege of rendering the highest form of service open to man.

The Tabernacle was built by Moses exactly according to the divine pattern (Heb. 8:5) and Solomon's temple was built according to all that David was given by the Spirit (1 Chron. 28:11,12). The same point is repeatedly emphasized at the end of the book of Exodus where is found recorded the building of the Tabernacle under the direction of Moses. After the mention of each completed part, the words "as the LORD commanded Moses" are added; not once but many times all the way through the account the same phrase is used, showing how meticulously every detail was faithfully attended to exactly as God required. The culmination of all this zealous and careful work was that "The glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle", a fitting outcome foreshadowing the blessing which may be experienced by those who collectively follow the New Testament pattern for the building of God's house today. So the pattern of God's house in this dispensation is contained in the New Testament revelation and must be adhered to implicitly if divine blessing is to be experienced.

The building of the New Testament house of God began in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. Those who accepted the gospel message spoken by Peter and the other apostles were baptized and added to the Lord. They continued in the apostles' teaching, in fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:41,42, 5:14). These formed the church of God in Jerusalem (8:1). As the apostles and others travelled throughout the ancient world with the gospel message the same pattern was repeated wherever the word of God was heeded, and many churches of God were established in towns, cities and villages throughout the Roman Empire. Paul called the church of God in Corinth "God's building" showing that it was divine, not man-made. And he seems to have had a similar thought in mind when he wrote to the Ephesians, "Ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the Chief Corner Stone". The church of God in Ephesus, together with other churches of God, "fifty framed together", writes Paul by inspiration, formed "a holy temple in the Lord" (2:19-22). The house of God is thus seen in Paul's day as being composed of all those true churches of God which were built according to the New Testament pattern.

A description of God's house in this dispensation would be incomplete without a reference to the service of God's people in the heavenly sanctuary. In the Mosaic Tabernacle there was a sanctuary constructed by the hand of man, founded as to its material structure upon the sand of the desert: "a sanctuary of this world" (Heb. 9:1). Once only in the year was the high priest permitted to enter its most holy place, whereas Christ, our High Priest, "entered not into a holy place (holies) made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us" (Heb. 9:7,24). There He has gone through His own precious blood, there He officiates perpetually as our Great High Priest and it is there that believers in God's house with boldness collectively enter as a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (Heb. 10:19-22, 1 Pet. 2:5). Such a supreme privilege is only possible because a holy God looks not upon the worshippers but upon His Son and is satisfied because of the infinite worth of His precious blood. God's worshipping people have no fear in the presence of a thrice holy God but boldly claim, "Clothed in His perfections we would our homage pay".

L. Burrows, Kingston upon Thames | Jul 1974
The House Of God