A stone that can be in the foundation, above ground level or at the summit of the roof (the “capstone”). The cornerstone of a large building gives it a reliable and firm foundation, leading to the cohesion and stability of the whole building. In Scripture, such foundation-stones are taken as symbolic of the basis of faith in Jesus Christ and the church. Jesus Christ is thus represented as both the foundation upon which the church is built, and the capstone which crowns the whole.
The place of the cornerstone in buildings
Job 38:4–6 See also Jeremiah 51:26; 1 Peter 2:4–8
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone,
The cornerstone is prominent, indispensable and should be reliable
Isaiah 28:16 See also Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 19:13
So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.
Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the church
Ephesians 2:19–22 See also 1 Peter 2:5–6; Isaiah 28:16
Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.
The cornerstone is a sure foundation for believers, but a stumbling-block for unbelievers
Rejection of the cornerstone leads to stumbling and rejection
Matthew 21:42–44 parallels Mark 12:10–11, Luke 20:17–18 See also Psalm 118:22–23; Isaiah 8:13–15; Romans 9:33; Isaiah 28:16; 1 Peter 2:7–8
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
Reliance on the cornerstone gives security to believers
1 Peter 2:6–7 See also Isaiah 28:16; Acts 4:10–12; Ephesians 2:20–22
For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
The capstone as the crowning glory of a building
Psalm 118:22 Matthew 21:42–44 parallels Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17–18; Acts 4:10–12; 1 Peter 2:4–8
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.