By Tin-chee (TC) Lo (盧天赐)； December 22, 2020
匠 人 所 棄 的 石 頭 、 已 作 了 房 角 的 頭 塊 石 頭 (The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone) (1 Peter 2:7)
就建築而言，房角石在傳統上是第一塊基石，而其他所有石材的安置都是以它為參照點。 房角石標記著房屋的正確地理位置和方向, 並而此定位是建築師在建造房屋前預先決定的。
房角石一詞是什麼意思？ 在詞典中可找出以下的關鍵字眼：
骨幹，核心，基岩，試金石，中心裝飾品，柱石，中流中柱，制輪楔，基礎 ，命脈，支撐，中心，角，本質，元素，支點，錨點，塊，傑作，癥結。 簡而言之，房角石是指極其重要，必不可缺的東西。耶穌作為主要的房角石基，確保了我們整個救恩體系(靈宮)的穩定。 耶穌昨日, 今日, 和永遠都是唯一的創始成終者。 以賽亞書28:16 説：
「所以主耶和華如此說、看哪、我在錫安放一塊石頭、作為根基、是試驗過的石頭、是穩固根基、寶貴的房角石、信靠的人必不著急。」
在《新約》中，耶穌在建造靈宮 (教會) 中的作用的主要意義, 在某種程度上，不是根基。 祂乃是建造根基的藍圖。《新約》說，除了在基督耶穌中奠定 (藍圖) 的根基以外，沒有任何「自作主張」的根基可以把靈宫建立起來，但是耶穌不是根基, 祂是房角石 (see Note in th English version below)，他比根基更重要。 房角石標出教會 (靈宮) 的位置和方向。 如果方向和定位錯了，那麼, 根基越牢固，越宏偉，它造成的損害就越大。 許多異端教會在組織力量和財務資源方面都有很強大基礎，但是他們的方向走錯了，導致更多人誤入歧途。 感謝神，這些建設在錯誤根基上的大廈，終必 (在末日) 被剪除。那麼，耶穌基督的教會的根基是什麼呢？ 當新約談到建築靈宮時，它說的是「先知和使徒是它的根基 (Eph. 2:20)。」 先知和使徒們給了我們上帝的道，上帝的啓示，和上帝的預言 (特別是末世的預言) 作為建造教會靈宮的基礎。這樣的靈宮必永遠長存。
正如詩人在舊約中說的（詩11：3），“根基若毀壞、義人還能作甚麼呢？” 教會的正統性取決於根基，而根基正確功能的發揮取決於房角石。 聖誕節的嬰孩耶穌就是那房角石。此房角石留給我們只有兩個選擇：那些相信耶穌基督的人將成為永生神的活石； 那些拒絕耶穌的人會絆倒在房角石上而因此滅亡, 神沒有給予我們中間地帶。
2020 Christmas Reflection
“Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone.” (1 Peter 2:7)
In relation to architecture, a cornerstone (or capstone) is traditionally the first stone laid for a structure, with all other stones laid in reference. A cornerstone marks the geographical location by orienting a building in a specific direction pre-determined by the builder.
What is another word for Cornerstone? Dictionary yields the following keywords: backbone, centerpiece, bedrock, touchstone, centerpiece, pillar, mainstay, lynchpin, core, basis, lifeblood, Underpinning, heart, corner, essence, element, fulcrum, anchor, block, masterpiece, fundamental, crux…
In short, the cornerstone is an extremely important element.
As the Chief Cornerstone, Jesus ensures the stability of the whole system of our salvation. Jesus was and is the only plan of salvation. Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore this says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, for a sure foundation, the one who trusts will never be dismayed'”. Peter was referring to this text as source.
In the New Testament, the primary sense of the role of Jesus in the building is not that of the foundation. The New Testament says that no foundation can be laid except that which is laid in Christ Jesus, but Jesus is not the foundation. He is more important than the foundation. The cornerstone sets forth the location and orientation of the church. If the direction and orientation is wrong, the firmer the foundation, the bigger the damage it would incur. Many heretic churches have very strong foundation in terms of the strength of their organization and financial resources, but their directions are wrongheaded, leading more people to go astray. Now, then, what is the foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ? When the New Testament speaks of the spiritual building, the Church, it speaks of the foundation as being the Prophets and Apostles. These servants of God serving as God’s mouthpieces, gave us the Word of God, which is established as the foundation of the whole edifice.
As the Psalmist said (Ps. 11:3) in the Old Testament, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”. The Church depends on the foundation, and the foundation depends on the Cornerstone. This Cornerstone of Christmas leaves us only two choices: You believe in Jesus Christ to become the living stones unto eternal life. Or you reject Jesus Christ and stumble over the Cornerstone and perish.
Note:
R.C. Sproul writes in his article “The Church’s One Foundation“:
The foundation, Paul tells us, consists of the prophets and the Apostles (Eph. 2:18-21). In Revelation 21, we read of the magnificent vision of the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city that comes down from above. Verse 14 tells us that “the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Even the heavenly Jerusalem is based upon the foundation of the apostles. Historically, the Christian church is, in its very essence, Apostolic. The term Apostle comes from the Greek word apostolos, which means “one who is sent.” In the ancient Greek culture, an apostolos was first of all a messenger, an ambassador, or an emissary. But he wasn’t just a page. He was an emissary who was authorized by the king to represent the king in his absence, and he bore the king’s authority. The first Apostle in the New Testament was actually Jesus, for He was sent by His Father into the world.
