1 Corinthians 3:11 “For other foundation can no man lay than
that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
A good foundation
is essential to the integrity of any building. The ability of a house to
weather storms and the relentless powers of decay, is dependent on the quality
of its foundation. Spiritually, Jesus Christ is the only foundation of the
Christian faith. He is the only foundation that will stand the storms of time
and the eternal judgments of God.
I observed a newer
brick home recently that was severely damaged as the result of a faulty
foundation. Because the foundation had sunk on one corner, the brick walls also
sank, causing very large and unsightly cracks in the brick work. No doubt the
owner of that house will suffer significant financial loss as the result of
this faulty foundation. We would all be wise to consider the foundation of our
faith and hope of heaven. If we have a faulty spiritual foundation, our entire
faith someday will sink, and we will fall into everlasting destruction in the
lake of fire and suffer the loss of our eternal souls!
May we take time
even now to examine the foundation of our faith, and make certain that we are
standing on the only sure foundation. As we will see from the scriptures, the
only true foundation of the Christian faith is the person and the work of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 1:23 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it
not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took
upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
First, we see from these verses that
Jesus Christ is the virgin born Son of God. He had no earthly father, but God
Himself was His Father. It is essential to a good spiritual foundation that we
believe in the virgin birth of Christ. All of the teachings concerning His
person and work are dependant upon the foundation of His virgin birth.
Secondly, we see that Jesus Christ is
very God. These and many other verses of scripture clearly teach that Jesus is
truly God manifest in the flesh. Jesus must be God in order to suffer
the eternal penalty for the sins of His people. If Jesus is not God, then we have no savior. Thus our foundation
must include the deity of Christ.
Thirdly, Jesus is a man. As a man
Jesus hungered, thirsted, grew weary, was tempted, and was capable of suffering
pain. In His virgin birth, Jesus took
upon Himself a body “like unto his brethren” (Hebrews. 2:17). It was essential
for Jesus to be man in order to suffer as a man for the sins of His people- to
be our “kinsmen redeemer”! Hence a good spiritual foundation must include the
manhood of Christ.
Fourthly, Jesus is Holy and without
sin:
Hebrews 4:15 “For we have
not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but (Jesus) was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
Hebrews 7:26 “For such an
high priest became us, who (Jesus) is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from
sinners, and made higher than the heavens”
2 Corinthians 5:21 “For
he hath made him (Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin”.
Jesus had to be sinless in order to be our Savior. The sacrifice for
ours sins must be without spot:
Hebrews 9:14 “How much
more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living
God?”
1 Peter 1:19 “But with
the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot”.
Because Jesus is God it was impossible for Him to sin, and because
Jesus is the sinless man, He was sufficient to be our sin sacrifice. Therefore
a good spiritual foundation must include the impeccability of Christ, which was
manifested in His sinless life.
All of these attributes that pertain to the person of Jesus Christ are
essential to the foundation of the Christian faith. Is this Jesus the
foundation of our faith? Do we trust in the virgin born Son of God, Who truly
is God and truly is man? Is the Jesus that we trust perfectly Holy and without
sin? If not, we are not trusting in the Jesus of the Bible. Any other Jesus is a
faulty foundation.
Jesus, the virgin born Son of God and sinless man, came down from
heaven to earth to do a great work! The work of Jesus Christ was great because
it was His Father’s work:
John 4:34 “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish
his work.”
…and the work
which the Father ordained for Jesus Christ to do, even from before the
foundation of the world, was to save all of His chosen people from their sins:
Matthew 1:21 “And she shall bring forth
a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from
their sins.”
Here we see that
the paramount reason why Jesus was born of a virgin was to save His people from
their sins. Not merely to make a way for people to be saved, or to show us the
way to be saved by our good works- but to literally and actually save His
people by His work! Understanding and believing this truth is absolutely essential
to a soul saving foundation. How exactly then did Jesus save His people from
their sins? The following verses answer this question:
Galatians 3:13 “Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it
is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree”
As sinners we are under the curse of God’s Holy and righteous law
because we are law breakers. Sin is the transgression of God’s law. But Jesus
bore the curse of the law for His people when He suffered, bled, and died on
the cross of Calvary for our sins. Jesus saved His people by suffering the
wrath of God that we rightfully deserve!
Peter tells us that the death of Christ was substitutionary in nature.
Jesus literally took the sinners place when He suffered for our sins:
1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ
also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring
us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit”.
Jesus was not the substitute for all men in general, but for His chosen
people individually- otherwise all men would be saved!
The apostle Paul speaks about the greatest transaction of all time and
eternity. Jesus took our wicked sins
upon Himself and gave us His perfect righteousness in exchange:
2 Corinthians 5:21 “For
he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him.”
The very heart of the gospel, according to the apostle Paul, is the
death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins:
1 Corinthians 15:1 “Moreover, brethren,
I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have
received, and wherein ye stand; 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that
which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” 4
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according
to the scriptures”
Have we trusted in this Jesus Who suffered, bled, and died on the cross
to pay our personal sin debt? Who was
buried in a tomb, and raised again from the dead the third day for our
justification? If not, we have a faulty foundation!
How does Jesus Christ become our foundation? The Scriptures teach that
we receive Jesus Christ by faith in His person and work. We must believe that
Jesus is the sinless, virgin born Son of God; that as a man He died on the
cross for our sins; and that He was buried and rose again the third day for our
eternal justification.
Does your faith rest on the foundation of church membership, baptism,
good works, keeping the law of Moses, or on keeping some manmade creed? Or is
your foundation one of believing in Jesus and holding out faithful to the end
for salvation? May the Lord help you to see that your foundation is faulty! We
are saved by believing in Jesus and His works for our salvation. We are not
saved by our doing or working:
Galatians 2:16 “Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus
Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by
the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the
law shall no flesh be justified.”
Yes, baptism and church membership are works. Holding out faithful to
the end for salvation is works. Keeping the law of Moses for salvation is works. Be not deceived, the natural man seeks to be
justified by his works.
If you are trusting in your works or in another Jesus, may the Lord
grant you grace to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ according to the
Scriptures, and to receive the only true foundation of the Christian faith.