Skip to main content

Corinth

Paul wrote some interesting things to the folks at Corinth. Some of them seem a little confusing (the whole - should I marry or not? - question and discussion is very misleading...), while other things are very clear and beautiful (the discussion of charity, for example). But one of the things that I particularly enjoy is the use of building analogies.

See, the Corinthians knew their buildings. They knew what a cornerstone was. They knew what a chief cornerstone was and how it is essential for all of the other cornerstones to be laid out relative to this cornerstone. They understood the importance of a solid foundation, carefully laid out and exactly placed, to the success of the rest of the building. They did not employ the arch, which later Roman and much later Gothic architecture would employ to such marvelous effect. But they achieved a simplicity and grace that was never excelled - only matched. The above column is a Corinthian column, identified by the acanthus leaves surrounding the capital. This column is located in Jordan - far from Corinth, but demonstrating the impact of Corinthian architecture far from the source.

Jesus Christ is the Chief Cornerstone of our lives and of the Gospel. It is off His atoning sacrifice that we are able to build our lives. It is through His authority and in His Sacred Name that the saving ordinances of the Gospel are performed. It is His example that we look to for inspiration, hope and love.

Paul used the ideas of foundations, cornerstones, and architecture to great effect. The people who heard/read his words could easily relate to what he was saying. In our modern world it is a little more difficult, but not impossible if we give a little study.

I have on my desk here at work an anchor bolt, sometimes called a "J" bolt because of it's distinctive shape. It is used when a foundation of concrete is being poured. It is carefully placed and into the wet concrete before the concrete sets up. The locations of these bolts are carefully laid out so that it does not interfere with later construction. Then, after the concrete has hardened, the anchor bolt is used to bolt the wooden base of the wall to the foundation.

I am reminded of the scripture in Helaman, chapter 5 verse 12 - And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Life is hard. We are subject to all kinds of adverse winds and conditions. We MUST build upon the solid Rock, anchoring our souls in Christ (the "J" in "J" bolt reminding me of Jesus), in order to stay stable in the face of the vicissitudes of life. The anchor is there, the foundation is laid. The choice is ours to affix ourselves to Him. Doing so will provide us strength we need to overcome all.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is this thing still on?

 Does anyone even blog anymore? I remember when it first got started and everyone was having a blog. I like writing, and I do a lot of it in my professional life, but not everything makes it onto this blog, which is where a lot of my personal thoughts come out. I put more into Facebook lately, too, because it's a little easier. But there's something to be said for this long-form writing exercise, and I think I will continue here periodically. You don't mind, do you? Well, in my last post I wrote about how difficult things were for me at the time. That changed in July when I finally got a job working for the State of Utah. I was the program manager for the moderate income housing database program, and that meant I worked from home a lot but also went in to Salt Lake when needed, mostly on the train. It was a good experience, for the most part, and I'm grateful for the things I learned even in the short time I was there.  In October I started working for Weber County in t...
1 comment
Read more

The Other Art

I'm not sure we appreciate photography as much as we do other art forms. Part of this comes from the reality that surrounds and permeates a photograph - it's very, very real, and the photographer strives for clarity and crispness in the representations. Perhaps this is why black and white images continue to be relevant - they strip away extraneous information (color) and leave us with something that is at once familiar and also non-existent - for nothing exists in black and white. Nothing. I also think that pictures are becoming too common-place... Everyone has a camera in their pocket, and while that's a very democratic thing (everyone can express themselves in a picture easily and readily, and can find an audience for these images, which are casually taken and casually viewed, and perhaps just as casually forgotten) I think that we embrace that casual attitude, and it spills over to all aspects of the media, making it impotent. So I read this article this morning: h...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Romantic Encounter

Him (tears in his eyes, heartbroken): I want you to know that I love you, that I'm sorry for my weakness and frailties, and that I will try and do better. I think I am doing better than I was before, and I just want to please you and make you happy. I am very grateful for your continued patience as I try to be the kind of man I want to be. Her: You need a haircut. It's getting a little long.
15 comments
Read more