In the Bible, the term "builder" is often used figuratively to describe God, Christ, and believers in various spiritual contexts. This metaphorical use highlights the roles of creation, edification, and spiritual growth within the Christian faith.

God as the Divine Builder

God is frequently depicted as the ultimate builder, the architect of the universe and the one who establishes His plans and purposes. In Hebrews 3:4, it is stated, "For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything." This verse underscores God's sovereignty and creative power, emphasizing that all creation is a testament to His divine craftsmanship.

Christ as the Foundation and Builder

Jesus Christ is portrayed as both the foundation and the builder of the Church. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus declares, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." Here, Christ is the cornerstone upon which the Church is built, signifying His central role in the establishment and growth of the Christian community.

Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 3:11, Paul writes, "For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." This passage highlights Christ as the essential foundation upon which believers are to build their lives, emphasizing the importance of His teachings and sacrifice.

Believers as Builders

Believers are also called to be builders in a spiritual sense, tasked with edifying the body of Christ and building up one another in faith. In 1 Corinthians 3:9-10, Paul describes believers as "God’s fellow workers" and urges them to build with care: "For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care."

This metaphor extends to the personal spiritual growth of believers, as they are encouraged to build their lives on the teachings of Christ. In Matthew 7:24, Jesus illustrates this with the parable of the wise and foolish builders: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock."

The Church as a Spiritual Building

The Church is often described as a spiritual building, with believers as living stones being built into a spiritual house. In 1 Peter 2:5, it is written, "You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." This imagery conveys the collective nature of the Church, where each believer contributes to the strength and unity of the whole.

Warnings Against Poor Building

Scripture also warns against building on inadequate foundations or with inferior materials. In 1 Corinthians 3:12-13, Paul cautions, "If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work." This serves as a reminder to believers to build their lives and ministries with integrity and according to God's truth.

In summary, the figurative use of "builder" in the Bible serves to illustrate the roles of God, Christ, and believers in the creation, establishment, and growth of both individual faith and the collective body of the Church.Psalm 118:22
The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
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Matthew 21:42
Jesus said to them, Did you never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?
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Acts 4:11
This is the stone which was set at nothing of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
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1 Peter 2:7
To you therefore which believe he is precious: but to them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
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Hebrews 11:10
For he looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
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1121. ben -- son
... From banah; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal
and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality ...
/hebrew/1121.htm - 8k

Matt. v. 1, 2
... For this being fixed as a base, the builder in security lays on it all the ... Some
[601] say a figurative earth, but it is not this, for nowhere in Scripture do ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily xv matt v 1.htm

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
... temple not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, of that city whose builder and
maker ... Indeed, the whole, in a manner, was a typical and a figurative thing. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/solomons temple spiritualized.htm

Divine Things Wrapped up in Figures Both in the Sacred and in ...
... But in using the figurative style, by transposing and transferring, by changing
and by ... to the grace," it is said, "given to me as a wise master builder, I have ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter iv divine things wrapped up.htm

"Nineveh, that Great City"
... full of lies and robbery." In figurative language the prophet Nahum compared the
Ninevites ... the only city that will endure is the city whose builder and maker ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 22 nineveh that great.htm

The Doctrine of the Last Things.
... For, when the disciples did not understand His figurative language, He told them ...
graciously entrusted to me, I--- like a competent master-builder"have laid a ...
/.../evans/the great doctrines of the bible/the doctrine of the last.htm

The Five Books Against Marcion
... Chapter XIV.--Figurative Style of Certain Messianic Prophecies in the Psalms Military
Metaphors Applied ... Paul, as a Wise Master-Builder, Associated with Prophecy ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/the five books against marcion/

The Note of Edification.
... humbly to claim to have been in this sense a "wise master-builder;" who can ... He that
would save his life the same shall lose it." In these figurative words lies ...
/.../jackson/the message and the man/chapter iv the note of.htm

The Great Confession - the Great Commission - the Great ...
... unity or Church' would be a building of which Christ was the Builder; that it ... about
the leaven' in a literal, which He had meant in a figurative sense, that it ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xxxvii the great confession.htm

2 Cor. Iii. 5
... And as God was the Architect; the chief Builder, Director, and Encourager of the ...
This is a figurative Expression, applied to the State of Sinners: who, as they ...
/.../sermon xiii 2 cor iii.htm

The Wages of Sin
... our hands; we are permitted to point it towards the glorious city "whose builder
and Maker ... What is the object in adopting this figurative mode of representation ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/finney/sermons on gospel themes/iii the wages of sin.htm

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