A Solid Foundation

In various places the Bible compares the life of a believer to the construction of a building.

For instance, the epistle of Jude says:

“Building yourselves up on your most holy faith.” (v. 20)

The apostle Paul also uses the same picture in various places:

“You are God’s building... as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation.” (1 Cor. 3:9-10)

“You also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.” (Eph. 2:22)

“I commend you... to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up.” (Acts 20:32)

In all these passages, the believer’s life is compared to the construction of a building.

Now, in the natural order, the first and most important feature of any permanent structure is its foundation. The foundation necessarily sets a limit to the weight and height of the building to be erected upon it. A weak foundation can support only a small building. A strong foundation can support a large building. There is a fixed relationship between the foundation and the building.

In the city of Jerusalem, I once lived in a house that had been built by an Assyrian. This man had obtained from the municipality, a license to build a house of two stories, and the foundation was laid accordingly. However, in order to increase his income from renting the building, this Assyrian had built on a third story, without obtaining permission to do so. The result was that, while we were actually living in the house, the whole building began to settle down on one corner, and eventually went right out of perpendicular. What was the reason for this? The foundation was not strong enough to support the house, which that man tried to erect upon it.

Even so, in the spiritual order, the same thing happens in the lives of many professing Christians. They set out with every intention of raising a fine, imposing edifice of Christianity in their lives. But, alas, before long, their fine edifice begins to sink, to sag, to get out of true. It leans grotesquely. Sometimes it collapses completely, and leaves nothing but a ruined heap of vows and prayers and good intentions that have gone unfulfilled.

Beneath this mass of ruins, the reason for the failure lies buried. It was the foundation. Never properly laid, it was unable to support the fine edifice which had been planned.