A Building Fitly Framed: How Doctrine Unites God’s Church

Jesus Christ promised to build His Church in Matthew 16:18. There could be no more important construction project in all human history.

This Church was not assembled using typical construction materials. The apostle Paul told Christians, “You are God’s building,” you are “the temple of God” (I Cor. 3:9, 16). God’s people, “as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house” (I Pet. 2:5). Make this personal. We are the building materials—we are the stones!

Likewise, the Church’s foundation is not made of literal blocks or cement. Matthew 16:18 also shows the Rock upon which the Church is built is Christ Himself.

Ephesians 2 summarizes the entire Church structure: “[You] are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together grows unto an holy temple in the Lord” (vs. 20-21).

In construction, the cornerstone is the first stone laid in a stone or masonry foundation. It is the principal piece from which the whole foundation is measured. What better analogy could describe Christ’s crucial role in His Church?

Note that the rest of the foundation is made up of “the apostles and prophets.” These faithful servants of God were measured and established off of Jesus Christ to form the spiritual underpinning of a structure “the gates of hell [the grave]” (Matt. 16:18) would not prevail against.

Paul then described the stones built upon the foundation as “fitly framed together,” meaning we are to be closely joined together or organized compactly. What does this mean for you?

Ephesians 4:16 uses the same Greek word when saying the human body is “fitly joined together and compacted.” Your body has different parts, yet they are all organized and attached to one another with no space in between. The stones in God’s spiritual temple are supposed to be the same.

In II Corinthians 6:16, Paul further describes the temple of God as a unified group of members, stating, “You are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

God walks and dwells in a temple with blocks closely joined and organized, not a building in a state of disrepair with stones loose and out of place!

To be found fitly framed together, we must “all speak the same thing…that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (I Cor. 1:10).

The only way to ensure this is through full agreement on Church doctrine. Unity of belief connects us to each other and to the foundation of Christ, the apostles and prophets. Without it, the walls of the Church would shift and collapse.

God’s Doctrines Introduced

As a follower of Christ, you should strive to understand the basics of doctrine. Doctrines are codified sets of beliefs that define the belief system of a religious or governmental body. They cover a number of subjects.

Besides miracles, it was doctrine that most shaped the public’s view of Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry. His teachings, which He spoke with authority, were so different from those of the contemporary religious establishment that they left people astonished (Matt. 7:28-29).

Jesus later explained that the doctrines He taught came from a source even higher than Himself. They originated from the Father (John 7:16). Christ was merely the messenger teaching them to mankind.

Reaction to God’s doctrines thousands of years later is similar to how it was in the first century. Those in modern society are still left amazed at just how different our beliefs are from those of all other religions, including mainstream Christianity. Jesus would often say, “Who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 13:9). Unless God gives us “ears” of understanding, we have little to no chance to comprehend His “mysteries” (vs. 11).

Yet the Church was commissioned to spread God’s doctrines, and this was always intended to transcend Christ’s time on Earth. Before ascending to heaven, Jesus told the apostles: “Go you therefore, and teach all nations…to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20).

God the Father is the ultimate source of Church doctrine. He passed them to Christ, who is the head of the Church (Eph. 5:23). Jesus taught them to apostles, who then taught them to the Church. The Church is to spread these teachings to the entire world, which it does today.

Built Upon Doctrine

Timothy was told, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished [completely equipped] unto all good works” (II Tim. 3:16-17).

The entire Bible, written almost exclusively by apostles and prophets, covers all manner of topics or teachings from the Father to mankind. There are hundreds of doctrines coming from this Book of over three-quarters of a million words.

This further clarifies what Paul told the Ephesians regarding the spiritual temple’s foundation. The Church is not literally built on the apostles Peter, Paul, James and John. Nor are the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, or even Christ the cornerstone, somehow actually sitting underneath us.

So, what did God mean by saying we are built on these men?

The Church is built on the apostles, prophets and Christ in that it is built on their words, the truths these men taught—doctrine. Jesus said that if a wise man “hears these sayings of Mine, and does them,” he has “built his house upon a rock” (Matt. 7:24).

To be built on the apostles, prophets and Christ is to be built on the doctrines or teachings they spoke from God and recorded in the Bible (Luke 1:70). These men were led by the Holy Spirit to record what they did (II Pet. 1:21).

The Church’s doctrines form the foundation of its teachings, which we are to understand and obey. They are a mixture of biblical history, Christian living and prophecy—the three major subjects of the Bible. Without doctrine, the Church cannot stand, and poor or compromised doctrines threaten its structure.

Through Apostles

Many who listened to Christ’s teachings failed to understand His intended meaning. The many Christian denominations today prove that the human understanding of Scripture varies. You likely had your own interpretation of Bible verses prior to being called.

We know that the teachings of the Church come from the Father. But how do we know our understanding is the truth God intended?

God has always led people through one man, the human head of His government.

While Israel was wandering in the wilderness, Korah infamously tried to say that God communicates truth through all who follow Him (Num. 16:3). He, and the nearly 15,000 others who agreed with him, found out the hard way that God was only working directly through one man—Moses, the leader of His top-down government (vs.35, 49).

Since God works through human flesh, the way to consistently know we are receiving His intended meaning is to recognize God’s pattern for passing along doctrinal understanding.

In the New Testament era, true apostles are led by Jesus Christ, the head of the true Church, who receives His instructions from Almighty God the Father.

From the very beginning of the Church, the apostles taught others what Jesus taught them. They were so in tune with Christ’s teachings that what they passed along was called “the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42).

What is an apostle?

The Greek word is apostolos, defined by Strong’s as “a delegate, an ambassador of the gospel, officially a commissioner of Christ (with miraculous powers).” It is also translated as “messenger” and “he that is sent.”

In summary, an apostle is one sent to hold the highest office in the New Testament Church. Under him are prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Eph. 4:11). Even when multiple apostles operated simultaneously in the early Church, God put one man, Peter, in charge.

Apostles are at the top of the ministerial hierarchy and are ultimately responsible for the Church’s well-being. True apostles were sent by God to lead His Church—a great and sobering responsibility.

The following is from the book The Government of God – Understanding Offices and Duties: “An apostle is Christ’s personal representative or, in effect, he is His delegate, ambassador, commissioner and messenger—carrying His personal and specific appointment, and His AUTHORITY, and he does things completely different from, and even more specific than, any other office.”

As with all members of God’s Church, if an apostle does not fulfill his duties, he is in danger of losing out on salvation. Paul recognized this possibility when he said, “lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (I Cor. 9:27).

The apostles of all Church eras were human beings, however, they understood that their teachings were not of themselves. The world’s churches follow the traditions of men, which Jesus called vain (Mark 7:7-8). Church teachings originate with God and are given through men, not by men. Apostles learn truth through a process of being led by the Holy Spirit and studying Scripture.

Throughout Church history, widespread apostasy has occurred after the deaths of true apostles. Unfaithful men, led by the “god of this world” (II Cor. 4:4), take advantage of Christians during these turbulent times by subtly introducing doctrinal error. This was most recently seen with the Worldwide Church of God toward the end of the 20th century.

Yet the loss of towering leaders is no excuse to fall into error. God explained what to do if anyone attempts to alter Church doctrine. He instructed Christians to “mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned; and avoid them” (Rom. 16:17). The overthrow of God’s government in His Church would always have fallen flat if people had heeded this simple instruction.

Never forget that truth comes through apostles—period. Others in the ministry or even the membership may see certain truths in the Bible, yet they do not become official Church teachings until decided upon by a faithful apostle. To do otherwise results in heresy—a markable offense.

“Prove All Things”

So, true doctrines come into the Church through God’s chosen leaders. But what role do we play in all this?

We are to “prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (I Thes. 5:21). Broadly speaking, we are to test our individual understanding and hold on to established truths.

When God first called us, we were hit with a deluge of information—enjoying every bit of it. As prospective members, we were told to take our time to ensure we completely understood all we were learning. The minister stressed the importance of proving for ourselves what we were reading—actually, what was being revealed to us.

Once proven, we were then baptized into God’s way of life (Acts 2:38).

Those who fully prove God’s truths for themselves are far less likely to be “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Eph. 4:14). They are unmovable because their faith is rooted in what they have proven to be true.

Now read I Thessalonians 5:21 with a different context. Verse 20 mentions prophecy. Verse 23 talks about the coming of Jesus Christ. Together, it states: “Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good…be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

For decades, the Church held fast to an overly simplistic prophetic timeline. While true after a fashion, this understanding either ignored or misunderstood other verses. Christians were to faithfully hold on to this old thinking as it was “present truth” (II Pet. 1:12).

As Jesus Christ’s Return draws ever closer, God has dramatically expanded our prophetic knowledge. Instead of using a vision or a visit from an angel, the God who said He changes not (Mal. 3:6) chose to reveal prophetic truth to His Church through an apostle! Appreciate the significance of this. God wanted His apostle, guided by the Holy Spirit, to put together the grand prophetic puzzle.

Adjusting decades of incomplete thinking is not easy. God anticipated there would be moments of clarification or, at times, complete U-turns in understanding. Therefore, in I Thessalonians 5:20, He tells us not to despise, loathe or feel contempt toward this process.

How does “prove all things” apply in this situation?

Led by an apostle, the entire Church must prove the prophetic truths God is revealing. In other words, we may have to test several scenarios before coming to a complete understanding of God’s intent.

Most are familiar with proving established doctrine. Far fewer are familiar with how doctrine is initially revealed to the Church, which is not always a clean or straightforward process.

“Proving all things” in light of prophetic understanding is not an invitation for heresy—anything contrary to the official teachings of the Church. For individuals to keep or throw out prophetic doctrines at their own discretion would lead to chaos at worst and confusion at best. It would also violate speaking the same things and being of the same mind and judgment.

Avoid going out on a limb and taking a twiggy approach to doctrinal understanding. Stick to prophetic doctrines as they are being taught.

Since prophecy is only to be known in part until fulfilled (I Cor. 13:9, 12), there is inevitably a process of trial and error when seeking complete understanding. God even recorded the mistakes of previous apostles to comfort future leaders and those who look to them for guidance.

Stay the Course

A stone or brick mason knows the importance of building strong, lasting walls. After completing the foundation, he meticulously places a horizontal row of stones on top, known as a course. Once the first course is complete, he places the next course on top of it, repeating this pattern until a wall is finished.

We were all placed in the Body of Christ by the Father (I Cor. 12:18). Like a stonemason, He laid us in course with the intention that we remain in place. All parts of the wall are closely joined together with no wasted space.

Appreciate the importance of God’s doctrines. Study them in your Bible, listen to them in Sabbath messages and contemplate them when reading articles and literature. Keep the sayings of this Book (Rev. 22:9). Allow them to set you in God’s Church structure—steadfast and unmovable—and in place awaiting Christ’s imminent return.