Your Life in Christ is the Build and the Building
Some of you know that my “day job” is working in IT, more specifically, software development. At various points, a software developer will want to test what they have coded up to be certain it is behaving as desired and not producing any negative side effects. To do so, the developer must execute what is called “a build.” Once the code builds, it can be run and stepped through, command by command, in what’s called a debugger.
The Build
Your life in Christ is frequently described as both a building, and the act of building.
But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
– Jude 1:20, NIV-1978
In this case, we are instructed to build ourselves up. Each of us has a personal responsibility to build our own life in Christ. This is a call to action that is a direct refutation of the oft-heard lament, “Well, I just don’t get anything out of going to church.”
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
– Colossians 2:6–7, ESV
Again a call to action; walk, root, build, establish. There is nothing passive about this calling, no “sit there and be fed by someone else.”
So, how is it that we “build” ourselves? Again, it takes deliberate, concerted effort!
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
– 2 Peter 1:5–7, ESV
Make every effort. E.ve.ry!! Immediately preceding this strong call to action, the apostle Peter told us that God’s divine power has granted us all things, everything we need, that pertains to life and godliness.¹ What are we to do with that “everything” we have from God?
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
– 2 Peter 3:18, ESV
This is not something that is presented to us as optional. This is the apostle Peter telling us, “Do this!!” You . . . take responsibility for your growth in Christ! And when you begin to see the results of this effort, help someone else. Grow and give. Grow and give.
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
– 1 Thessalonians 5:11, ESVTherefore, let’s keep on pursuing those things that bring peace and that lead to building up one another.
– Romans 14:19, ISV
The Building
But not only are you building yourself, your faith, your life in Christ, you are a building in Christ. And you are stones in a much grander building of the entire body of believers.
You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
– 1 Peter 2:5, ESV
Buildings have foundations, and the foundation is arguably the most important element in the construction project. I’ve long been amazed at how a project can appear to be at a standstill for weeks, as the hard-to-see work of establishing the foundation is done. Then, suddenly the above-ground work begins and it is completed so quickly!
As Christ-followers, our lives are established and built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus as the chief cornerstone of that foundation.² With that flawless foundation beneath us, we build, and we build with great care.
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.
– 1 Corinthians 3:10, ESV
Each of us builds, and we must build with great forethought and deliberate action.
Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw — each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
– 1 Corinthians 3:12–13, ESV
Build well, my friends.
Blessings upon you.
Victoriously in Christ!
– damon
DamonJGray.org
X — @DamonJGray
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1. 2 Peter 1:3
2. Ephesians 2:20
