A garden is a place for the growth of life seemingly unrelated to a building. But growth and building are closely related in the Bible. God's building is not built with dead materials but with living persons ( Eph. 2:20-22; 1 Pet. 2:4-5) so the believers are both God's cultivated land for the growth of life and God building for His expression ( 1 Cor. 3:9). The believers need to be careful about what materials they use for building ( 1 Cor. 3:10-15). If they build with gold (the Father's divine nature), silver (the Son's redemptive work), and precious stones (the transforming work of the Spirit) then God will reward them ( vs. 14). If they build with other things they will suffer loss instead ( vs. 15).
Thus, in the New Testament the precious materials refer to spiritual realities, not physical treasures. The precious materials in the river in the garden of Eden ( Gen. 2:10-12) and used in the building of the tabernacle ( Exo. 35:5-9) are types of the spiritual realities in the New Testament. Similarly, the holy city at the end of the New Testament should not be interpreted as something physical. It is not different in nature than God's building of the believers into His dwelling place ( Eph. 2:21-22). Actually, the triune God and His believers abide in each other ( John 15:4). The holy city is the completion and consummation of the God's saving, transforming, and building work which is already begun in and among His believers.
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