Isaiah 28:16 (NASB)
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD,
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone,
A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed.
He who believes in it will not be disturbed.
This prophecy given through Isaiah is one of the most quoted by the New Testament writers: Matt 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Eph 2:20; Rom 9:33; 10:11; 1 Pet 2:6. There is no doubt that Matthew, Mark, Luke, Peter and Paul who penned these New Testament text were saying that Jesus is the stone that the Lord God placed in Zion, that whoever believes in him should not perish.
My personal favorite text in all of Scripture is Romans 3:21-31. The NASB translators titled this section, “Justification by Faith.” Leading up to this passage, Paul shows that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; both Jew and Gentile have sinned. The Gentile has sinned without law and the Jew has sinned with law. However, God in his mercy has laid in Zion a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed and whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Later, in his letter to the church in Rome, Paul explains that God has not rejected the Jewish nation in favor of the Gentiles, but in fact, the Gentiles attained the righteousness of God by faith; but Israel did not because Israel pursued it as though it were by works. (Rom 3:30-33)
