Ephesians 2:20

Context

Ephesians is traditionally regarded as a letter written by Paul while in prison. Some scholars hold that a disciple of Paul wrote it in his name.

Ephesians 2:11–22 is addressed to Gentile believers. It describes how those who were once outside Israel, "strangers from the covenants of promise," have been brought near to God in Christ. Verse 19 calls them "fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God." Verse 20 likens that community to a building, and verses 21–22 go on to say that the building "groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord."

Interpretation

• Meaning of "foundation": The "foundation" is the base of a building. One view reads it as the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, that is, the teaching they proclaimed. Another view holds that the apostles and prophets themselves constitute the foundation.
• Identity of the "prophets": Some interpreters take them to be the Old Testament prophets, reading the verse to mean that the Old and New Testaments together form the foundation of the church. Many commentators, however, identify them as prophets of the New Testament church, noting that the same order ("apostles and prophets") appears in Ephesians 3:5 and 4:11.
• "Cornerstone": The most common interpretation takes it as the stone set at the corner of a building's foundation, which determines the building's alignment and level. Some scholars read it as the capstone that completes an arch or crowns the top of a building. Either way, there is broad agreement that Christ is the center who holds the entire building together and brings it to completion.

Debates and Issues

• Continuation of spiritual gifts: Reformed proponents of cessationism cite this verse in support of their position: since a foundation is laid only once, the role of the apostles and prophets who delivered revelation ended with the early church. Continuationists in the Pentecostal and charismatic traditions hold that the verse speaks only of the offices that laid the foundation and does not mean that the gift of prophecy as a whole has ceased. The New Apostolic Reformation claims that the offices of apostle and prophet have been restored today. Its critics cite this verse to argue that new apostles or prophets cannot become the foundation of the church.
• Foundation of the church: Protestants cite this verse to support the view that the foundation of the church is not a single apostle but the teaching of the apostles as a whole, with Christ as the cornerstone. This bears on the interpretation of Matthew 16:18. The Catholic Church understands the statement that the church is built upon the apostles in connection with the authority of the episcopate handed down from the apostles (apostolic succession).
• Translation: Among Korean translations, the Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul) renders "cornerstone" as motungi dol (two words), while the New Korean Revised Version writes it as the single word motungitdol. The Revised New Korean Standard Version uses yeeonja rather than seonjija for "prophet."

In the Korean Church

The verse is frequently used in sermons on the foundation of the church. It is also commonly read at cornerstone-laying ceremonies during the construction of church buildings and at dedication services.

Related Passages

• Psalm 118:22: The stone which the builders refused becomes the head stone of the corner
• Isaiah 28:16: A sure foundation stone laid in Zion
• 1 Corinthians 3:11: No other foundation can be laid than Jesus Christ
• 1 Peter 2:5: Believers, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house
• Revelation 21:12–14: The names of the twelve apostles inscribed on the twelve foundations of the wall of the New Jerusalem