Knowing that Paul compares the ecclesia to the temple in his letters, we can find many treasures beneath the surface in the Old Testament histories. We can then assume that what we find described about the temple is ambiguous, that it has a double meaning. It is about the temple, but it speaks in a hidden way about the ecclesia. “Or do you not know that you are God’s temple?” (1 Cor.3:16).
Head and body, Cornerstone and temple
Christ Jesus is the Head of the body (Col.1:18). He cares for the members of the body, causes the body to grow (Col.2:19) and connects the members of the body together (1 Cor.12:12-27; Col.2:19).
Something similar is also said in the imagery of the ecclesia as a temple. In this, Christ Jesus is the Cornerstone, in whom the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord (Eph.2:21). He is the One who builds the house.
1 Kings 6
7 Now the house (see verse 1: the house of YAHWEH), when it was built, was built of perfect stone, as they were brought, so that no hammers, or axes, or any tools of iron, were heard in the house when it was built.
His work
Where the temple was being built, no sound of tools could be heard. The stones no longer had to be touched up or perfected. It is a picture of how the Lord builds His ecclesia. He prepared the stones that He used for this Himself, they are perfect. We don’t have to improve ourselves or try our best to be good enough. That is His work, He is building His ecclesia!