3 True Ways to Build a Firm Foundation in Christ
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Though I am not an architect, I am sure that we can all agree that when it comes to the building of structures, foundations are important; a building’s integrity and stability are dependent upon it. A suitable example of this vital truth can be found in the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. The tower, whose construction was begun in the year 1173 and completed nearly 200 years later, is known not just for its unique beauty, but also for its unmistakable lean. It has been documented that even during its construction, it had already begun to lean, and by its completion, the lean had worsened. Though efforts have been made over the years to correct and reduce this most recognizable structural flaw — with very limited success — it yet retains its most visible defect.
The question is: what happened? Because of the instability of the ground on which it was built, being a dense mixture of clay, sand and shells, the foundation began to sink on one side.
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Why Is It So Important to Have a Firm Foundation?
The Christian life is also built upon a foundation, and that foundation is Christ. We read:
“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).
The purpose of having and building a firm foundation cannot be overstated. If you and I hope to have a walk with the Lord that is both unbreakable and unshakable – a walk that will withstand the storms, the trials, the challenges, and every other thing that the Enemy will bring our way – a firm foundation is absolutely mandatory. Jesus expressed the need for a firm foundation with these words:
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall” (Matthew 7:24-27).
However, before one can even begin to build a firm foundation, the truth about who Jesus is and what He has done must be firmly engraved on the tablets of our hearts to ensure consistent growth in the things of God. After all, it is through Christ and His finished work on the Cross that we have been brought into this life through “faith in His blood” (Romans 3:25). He is the reason that we are, and all that we are and all that we ever will be, rests on Him.
One noted Bible teacher once made this very insightful statement: “If you get Jesus wrong, it doesn’t matter what you get right.” This means that first and foremost, if a firm foundation in Christ is to be built, a love for the Word of God must be nurtured, along with its proper handling, because both will help to prevent the accepting of false teaching into your life.
Unless these two vital dynamics are in place, the Christian life will — like the aforementioned tower in Italy — be subject to leaning and sinking. An openhearted reading of Psalm 119 reveals to us with certainty the essential place and need for God’s Word in our lives. This, once again, is the beginning of building a firm foundation in Christ.
Armed with the powerful truth of the Person and work of Christ stamped upon our hearts, along with an unconquerable trust in the same, making Him our foundation, and coupled with a love for His Word, which will thoroughly nourish us daily, how then do we build upon this foundation? Allow me to cite three ways in which we can build a firm foundation in Christ.
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1. Remain Devoted to Christ Alone
If we are going to build a firm foundation in Christ we must first learn to adhere continually. This ultimately means that when it comes to Christ — He has no equal. We must choose to remain hopelessly devoted to Him and Him alone. The psalmist put it this way:
“My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me” (Psalm 63:8).
Do you have a mind and heart to follow the Lord closely? Never allowing yourself to be shifted from his reassuring presence? The apostle Peter illustrates both literally and figuratively the danger of following the Lord from a distance:
“Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance. Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them” (Luke 22:54-55).
Peter found himself fraternizing with the enemies of Christ, letting his guard down, and finally denying Christ three times. It naturally follows that when we take our eyes off of Jesus, it is inevitable that we will drift and find ourselves in dire straits. Following close behind the Lord is essential to building a firm foundation in Christ because the psalmist also said:
“But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works” (Psalm 73:28).
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2. Trust in the Lord to Provide
Secondly, in order to build a firm foundation in Christ we need to anticipate joyfully. The truth is that the closer we draw ourselves to Him, the more we will find ourselves trusting Him. Trust gives birth to confidence, and when both are at work in the believers’ life, there is a powerful expectation that should manifest itself in many ways. John tells us:
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).
Throughout our walk with the Lord, we will find ourselves in need. We need not conclude that each time reference is made to a need, that it must be financial in nature, because this is not the case. Our needs naturally go from the physical, to the mental, to of course the spiritual, and in each case we are assured that the Lord will meet that need as our trust and confidence is in Him. We are to joyfully anticipate Him to bring about the proper answer and response.
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4).
The very same joy that we are to have in the midst of the various trials and tests that are certain to come our way, is the very same joy that we are to retain as we anticipate the Lord to work everything together for our good. We read further from Philippians:
“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).
These verses have us anticipating what the Lord is going to do. This life in Christ is an adventure, because we never know what awaits us. We look forward to what the Lord is going to do – not with trepidation or fear, but with a joyful anticipation!
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3. Worship the Lord
This all leads to the third way in which we can all build a firm foundation in Christ. One of the most difficult things to do whenever we encounter the various tides of difficult circumstances that at times, at least from our vantage point, seek to both overwhelm and overturn our faith, is to worship Him. Each test and trial we face should not only be met with, but also end with us adoring Him increasingly. The apostle Peter said it this way:
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith — the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:6-9).
Building a firm foundation in Christ will require patience, tenacity, and above all faith. If we are to anticipate joyfully, adhere continually, and adore increasingly, proper faith is necessary; faith that is not in ourselves or in the things that we do, but in Christ alone. Because He is our foundation, He must also be the object of our faith. Let us strive to build upon our great foundation, that we ourselves might also be built up in Him. Amen!
“Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:20-22).
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