Foundational

Too often an hour on Sunday morning is insufficient to cover the thoughts from our lesson. This past Sunday’s was 1 Corinthians 3:10-23. Go ahead, click and read those thirteen verses. I have set my own space limits on the blog and will overfill with pasting them here.

Paul calls himself “a wise masterbuilder.” The Greek is ἀρχιτέκτων – architekton – and I’m certain that word needs no explanation as to how it’s used today. Someone who plans from the foundation up, then builds. We were blessed to be able to do that with our home. We planned for wide doors, to accommodate wheelchairs (thinking we wouldn’t really need it, but we did), and fireproofing with brick, roofing and concrete board siding (our valley has experienced wildfires in the past, one within a half a mile just a few years ago.)

We put a lot of thought into the foundation, with dozens of concrete piers where the land had sloped and we had to build it up. Another home, built just before hours, did not put as much planning into the foundation. No one lives there now. It’s had several owners – whether they overlooked the problem, were not aware of it or thought they could overcome it, the foundation does not support the house.

What is the foundation for Christianity? Myths, a goodly number of people would say. Thomas Jefferson thought it was the writings of a bunch of over zealous men so he edited out what he could not accept (miracles and deity) and compiled what he liked of the gospels. Is that the foundation we build on? What we want the Bible to have said?

Do we pick and choose a good verse that suits what we want:

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (Psalms 37:4 KJV)

Then displace God when we do not receive the desires of our hearts?

If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. (John 14:14 KJV)

So, we end the prayer, “In the name of Jesus,” and after a while it remains unanswered do we reject Jesus?

The foundation of our beliefs must be on the full counsel of God’s word. Luke, in sharing Paul’s words before the Ephesians, tells us Paul gave the full story:

For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. (Acts 20:27 KJV)

If we want our heart’s desire, we must delight ourselves in the Lord – it’s conditional. If we ask in Jesus’ name, we must understand His authority – it’s conditional. It’s foundational.

Please click here and read Luke 6:46-49. Just three verses about building houses. Both builders heard the same words but did not experience the same results. It’s conditional. It’s foundational.

What is the foundation of your views of Christianity?