Is one house as good as another?

‘A nd I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

(Matthew 16:18–19) The three little pigs taught us a valuable lesson that seems to have been forgotten in recent years. Surely, everyone is familiar with the story of the three little pigs and are familiar with the inability to agree with one another which led to the downfall of two-thirds of their work. When the three pigs could not agree which materials would be the best to use in building a house, they decided to build three houses, one of straw, one of sticks, and the other of brick. Sadly, two of the houses did not stand when the big bad wolf came along and huffed and puffed and blew down the house of straw and the house of stick. The three pigs found out that one house was better than the others regardless of the desires/preferences they had. Jesus Christ promised He would build His church, and nothing would prevail against it (Matt. 16:18).

Jesus went to the cross to purchase His church (Acts 20:28) and sent the apostles into all the world to establish congregations of the church that belongs to Jesus (Matt. 28:18-20; Luke 24:46-47; John 20:21-22; Mark 16:15-20; Acts 1:8).

Sadly, there have been false teachers to come along and corrupt the minds of men and have perverted the Gospel of Christ (Gal. 1:6-9; 2 Tim. 4:2-4), and now we live in a world that does not distinguish the superiority of the church that belongs to Jesus and the inferiority of the religious groups that teach false doctrine.

It would surprise many, although clearly stated in Scripture, there is one house that is better than another, and just as we saw the downfall of the little pigs, we can be assured there will be a downfall of those outside of the house Jesus established.

Was one house as good as another during the days of Noah? There was a time when the Lord looked upon mankind and was grieved that He made man (Genesis 6:3-6). Because every imagination of man was evil continually, God would send a flood that would destroy man, beast, and fowl (Genesis 6:7), and would appear that the future of mankind would end when the flood would be sent. Luckily, we read there was one upon the earth that found grace in the eyes of the Lord, a just man, perfect in his generations, and one that walked with God (Genesis 6:8-9).

God spoke directly to Noah, warning him of the downfall of mankind, and the destruction that is to come.

God would give Noah a detailed list of instructions to follow so he would be able to prepare an ark that would save him from the flood God would send (Genesis 6:14ff.). If Noah had not followed the instructions given to him, would he be saved from the flood? If Noah decided it would have been more efficient to use materials other than the goopher wood God instructed, would that have been sufficient in God’s eyes? If instead of bringing every animal upon the ark, and Noah decided it would be better if spiders or snakes be left off, would God have been pleased with what Noah decided? Noah received the instruction from God, and followed the instructions given to him, saving his house from the floods God sent to destroy the other houses on earth at his time. “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” (Hebrews 11:7). It is obvious that Noah’s house was better than the other houses at his time.

Was one house as good as another during the final plague of Egypt? Moses was commanded by God to go to Pharaoh and have the Israelites released from their bondage (Exodus 3). God saw the affliction of His people, He heard their cries because of their affliction, and Moses was instructed to bring the people out of Egypt so God could bring them to the Promise Land (Exodus 3:7-8). Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh and requested the Israelites be released from Egypt, but, sadly, Pharaoh responded, “who is God that I should obey His voice” (Exodus 5:2). Pharaoh would learn a hard lesson as God would send a series of plagues upon Egypt, each plague proving Jehovah is superior to the idol gods of Egypt. In the tenth, and final, plague, God would give Israel a list of detailed instructions to follow and promised to “pass through Egypt”, smiting the firstborn in the land (Exodus 12). In this list of detailed instructions, the Israelites were told to prepare a lamb for every house, this lamb was to be without blemish, they were given the exact day they were to sacrifice the lamb, the blood of the lamb was to be placed on the doorposts of each house, the flesh was to be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, nothing was to remain the next day, and they were to remain in their houses on a certain night.

What would have happened if the Israelites wanted to change any of the details God gave them? What if they did not want to eat the lamb that was sacrificed, what if they did not want to apply the blood to the doorposts, what if they did not want to stay inside their houses but wanted to come out to see the Lord pass over them? Would Israel be saved if they ignored any of the Lord’s instructions? It is easily understood that this night, one house was better than another, and those that kept the Lord’s instruction would be passed over and saved from this plague.

Is there one house that is as good as another today?

The prophecies were given long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, stating there is a house that is going to be established. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” (Isaiah 2:2). This house is also called a kingdom and is a kingdom that was spoken by Daniel, who prophesied it would last forever. “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” (Daniel 2:44). This house/kingdom was promised by Jesus to be a kingdom that would have nothing prevail against it (Matt. 16:18) and was purchased by the shedding of the blood of Jesus (Acts 20:28). This kingdom/house began in Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, then the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8-2:47). God spoke to man in past times, warning them of coming destruction and giving detailed instruction to follow to be saved. Likewise, the Lord has warned us of a day that is to come in which the heavens will pass away, the earth will melt with fervent heat, and we will all face the judgment (2 Peter 3:10), but God has given instruction to be saved from the coming destruction. If one will apply the blood (not the blood of a sacrificial lamb but the blood of the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world) to the proper place, contacting the blood of Jesus in baptism and having our sins washed away (Rom. 6:3ff; Acts 22:16), and will be placed in the house of the Lord (Acts 2:47) then they can be saved. The true test, however, is which house is the right house? The Lord gave instruction and those that followed those instructions could be saved. God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) and if we follow these instructions in every aspect (in obtaining salvation, in worship, in church leadership, in church work, etc.) then we can be assured we will be in the right house.

The big bad wolf blew down the house made of straw, and the house made of sticks. The little pigs built a house that was pleasing to themselves, but it would not stand the huffing and puffing of the big bad wolf.

Satan walks around seeking who he may devour (1 Peter 5:8) and those that are in a house that is not following the detailed instruction of God will not stand but will be taken away. Judgment is coming and eternity is too long to be unsure of the house you are in. Search the Scriptures, follow God’s instruction, and be saved when Judgment comes!

Jeremy Thornton is Minister of Highway 77 Church of Christ in Marion, Arkansas.

Jeremy Thornton