The Greek epoikodomeo (Strong's G2026) means 'to build upon,' 'to continue building,' or 'to edify further.' It combines epi (upon) and oikodomeo (to build a house/edify). In the New Testament it appears in the context of building upon the foundation of Christ — in Paul's discussion of church-building (1 Corinthians 3:10-14), in Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 2:20, and in Jude's exhortation to 'build yourselves up in your most holy faith.'
Paul's theology of epoikodomeo in 1 Corinthians 3 is foundational for understanding Christian ministry and character formation. The foundation is Jesus Christ — laid once, fixed, non-negotiable. But upon this foundation, different builders build with different materials: gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, straw. The fire of judgment will test the quality of what has been built. Jude's command to 'build yourselves up in your most holy faith' (Jude 20) is the individual application: every believer is both a building and a builder. We receive spiritual formation and we actively participate in our own construction. The word is inherently progressive — building is always unfinished until the Day of completion.