According to Ephesians 2:20 the apostles, along with the prophets, are the foundation for the building up of the church. This verse says, “Being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.” The foundation of the church is Christ (1 Cor. 3:11). Since the mystery of Christ has been revealed to the apostles (Eph. 3:5-6), the revelation they received is considered the foundation upon which the church is built. This corresponds to the rock in Matthew 16:18, which is not only Christ but also the revelation concerning Christ, upon which Christ will build His church. Therefore, the foundation of the apostles and prophets is not the apostles and prophets themselves but the revelation they received for the building up of the church. This is in contrast to Revelation 21:14, where the foundations are the very persons of the apostles.
The foundation of the holy city consists of twelve precious stones. “The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone: the first foundation, jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst” (Rev. 21:19-20). Precious stones are not created but transformed from things created. All the apostles were created pieces of clay, but they were transformed into precious stones for God’s eternal building. This regeneration and transformation is required for every believer who will be a part of the New Jerusalem.
The colors of the twelve precious stones of the foundation, which signify the twelve apostles, are as follows: the first is green, the second and third are blue, the fourth is green, the fifth and sixth are red, the seventh is yellow, the eighth is bluish-green, the ninth is yellow, the tenth is apple-green, the eleventh and twelfth are purple. The twelve layers of the foundation in the above colors give the appearance of a rainbow, signifying that the city is built upon and secured by God’s faithfulness in keeping His covenant (Gen. 9:8-17).
It was through the transforming work of the Lord the Spirit that Peter and then the other apostles were transformed into precious stones. When Peter, the first of the twelve apostles, was brought to the Lord, He changed his name to “a stone” (John 1:42). Later, the Lord called him by this name when He spoke to him concerning the building of His church (Matt. 16:18). Gradually, Peter and the others were transformed by the Lord the Spirit into the embodiment of God’s all-inclusive grace.
Paul speaks of the Lord the Spirit in 2 Corinthians 3:18. “We all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.” The Lord the Spirit may be considered a compound title like Jehovah God, Father God, Lord Jesus, Jesus Christ, and Lord Christ. The Lord the Spirit is the One who does the work of transformation. If we have not seen that today the Lord Jesus is the life-giving Spirit as the Lord the Spirit, we will not experience His transforming work. However, if we know that our Lord Jesus Christ is the life-giving Spirit and call on Him, saying “O Lord Spirit,” we will enjoy His transforming work.
If we would experience transformation, the Lord must be subjective to us as well as objective. The three matters of enjoying, experiencing, and expressing the processed Triune God are all subjective. Enjoying Christ as the bread of life is also a subjective matter, for this involves eating the Lord, and eating is surely subjective. The enjoyment of Christ as the bread of life is a matter that is altogether subjective.
The Lord the Spirit makes everything of Christ subjective to us. As we contact Him by calling on Him, He transforms us. He transforms us by dispensing His divine element into our being. The result of this dispensing is not an outward, corrective change but an inward, metabolic change. Even though our experience may be limited, we can testify from experience to the reality of the transforming work of the Lord Spirit.
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