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Jun 12, 2025 06:00am

Living Stones: How Holiness Strengthens the Church

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Daily, I see posts from my friends at Woods Masonry and Repair LLC. They bid building projects, but they also work with many clients for repairs to existing structures. I love when they share about the right way to build something using stone or brick versus the wrong way.

Some contractors will cut corners, and the work suffers to save a dollar. The integrity of the structure relies on the strength of the foundation and the stones built upon it.

Imagine if one of those stones cracked and began to gradually crumble. The weakness of even that one stone would make a difference in the stability of the structure over time. And what if it were a few stones, a handful, or even 10? How much weaker would that structure be before collapse?

1 Corinthians 3:16–17
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”

Can I share something with you? Not just you as an individual, but “you” collectively, all who are reading this.

The Greek word (the original language used) translated as “you” is actually plural.

Just like in my previous question, Paul wasn’t just addressing one believer—he was addressing them as a whole.

Remember the context of this passage. Paul is speaking to the believers in Corinth about the unity of the church—the collective group.

His question to them, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple,” refers to them as the church. It’s like a building—the Lord is our foundation, and like Peter describes us in 1 Peter 2:5, we are “living stones” pieced together and built upon the Lord. Together, we are the church. We are the temple of God, a holy place for God’s presence.

So, what happens if one of us living stones becomes cracked by the temptations of the world and begins to crumble with every sin? Our weakness to sin can cause issues in the church. And imagine if it was a few of us—5 or even 10. That amount of sin and degradation would be detrimental to the structure of the church.

Paul urged them to holiness and unity. Together, they could accomplish great things for the Lord. They would be unified in their efforts to complete His mission of sharing the name of Jesus and making disciples throughout the whole world.

If there are believers who are struggling, come alongside them, build them up, help them with their burdens. Repairs can be made, and the structure will still be sound and secure. Think your sin only affects you and isn’t hurting anyone else? If we allow sin to continue to corrupt our lives personally, it will affect the group collectively and weaken the structure and integrity of the church.

We are the church—individually and collectively. We each are an important living stone with a calling, a gift, and a purpose. Together, we can change the world. Unified, we can reach the nations. ♥️

Are you searching for purpose, wondering how God could use you in His plan? Go to follow.lifeword.org. Now in Spanish at follow.lifeword.org/spanish.