Misinterpretations often claim this verse establishes ongoing offices of apostles and prophets requiring new revelations to build the church today, undermining the sufficiency of Scripture completed in the New Testament era. Others erroneously elevate apostles and prophets to co-equal status with Christ, treating them as multiple cornerstones rather than servants whose foundational role pointed exclusively to Him, or misuse it to justify denominational hierarchies disconnected from Christ's centrality.
Ephesians 2:20
King James Version (1769)
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Ephesians 2:20 depicts the church as a spiritual edifice built on the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, whose teachings proclaim God's redemptive plan, with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone that perfectly aligns and supports the entire structure. This emphasizes the stability and unity of believers, Jew and Gentile alike, grounded in the unchanging truth of Christ's person and work as revealed through apostolic witness, forming the unshakeable basis for Christian doctrine and community life.