BUILDING ON THE FOUNDATION

"For no man can lay any foundation other than the one that is already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if anyone builds on this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; his work will be shown for what it is: for the day will bring it to light, because it will be tested by fire; and the fire will reveal the quality of each man’s work of what sort it is." (1 Corinthians 3:11-13 KJV-2011).

 

We Christians have all been placed as individual members of the body of Christ.  Just as our natural bodies are made up of many unique members that work together in perfect union and harmony to accomplish a multitude of specific tasks, so also is the body of Christ.  Jesus Christ Himself is the head of this body, and He directs the activities of every single member by His Holy Spirit.  Not one member is unnecessary: each one has his proper function in the body, and without that member the body would be crippled.  If I were a foot, I shouldn't say that I am not useful to the body because I am not a hand.  No matter how useful a hand may be, it cannot convey the body like a foot.  Neither should I say that everyone must become a foot and be just like me, or they are not true members of the body.  No, despite our many differences and peculiarities, God has set us all together in the same body.  It is our diversities that give power and versatility to the body.  We are now forever linked, and our success or failure is dependent on whether we learn to work as one, or not; and whether we take our direction from the head rather than doing what we think He might want.  "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:13).  One phrase that is used repeatedly in the book of Acts to describe the Church is that they were of "one accord." (Acts 1:14; 2:1; 2:46; 4:24; 5:12).  The meaning of this phrase is to be of "one mind" and "one passion."  The church was healthy and dynamic as long as this was true of them, but when they allowed divisions and schisms to fracture their unity, they were considered carnal (1 Corinthians 3:3).

 

Another way in which God's Word illustrates the truth of the body of Christ is by likening it to a temple.  1 Corinthians 3:11 describes Jesus Christ as the foundation of this temple upon which the rest of the building is constructed.  Without a proper foundation, the building is subject to sinking, shifting, and ultimately collapsing.  Christ is a sure foundation, however.  He is immoveable and everlasting.  He is also the cornerstone (or headstone) of this building.  The cornerstone was extremely important to the rest of the structure and, in fact, insured the integrity of the finished work.  When this block was set, it was carefully measured and perfectly set, both level and plumb, because every subsequent block would be lined up with it.  If it was off, the building would be off.  If it was perfect, the building would be perfect.  Jesus is the pattern which every stone is measured against.  "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house." (1 Peter 2:5a).

 

As we have all received gifts and callings according to the grace of God, we must learn to be responsible with what the Lord has entrusted to us.  "We then, as workers together with Him..." (2 Corinthians 6:1a).  We must build carefully upon this precious foundation so that we don't use inferior materials that will not last; and our labor, in the end, turns out to be in vain.  Neither do we want our work to be damaging to the temple of God in any way (1 Corinthians 3:17). 

 

Paul presents a list of building materials in 1st Corinthians chapter 3 to illustrate the importance of how we build on the foundation of Christ:  "Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble [straw]..." verse (3:12).  We quickly notice that three of these materials are very costly, and three are very common and even inferior.  Before we proceed, let's be very clear that the building that Paul is describing in this chapter is not some earthly temple, or a natural structure of any kind.  He is referring to the temple of the Holy Spirit which is His chosen people: those born again, blood-bought, purchased people who are "builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:22).  Those who think it is a virtue to spend great sums of money to embellish some earthly building, and use as an excuse that it is God's house and therefore no expense should be spared, are simply ignorant of the truth, and are wasting God's precious resources.  The costly materials that were used to build the temple of Solomon in the Old Testament were a type and shadow of what Paul is teaching here.  The temple itself represented what God was longing for from the beginning: a people in whose hearts He could dwell by faith.  "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands." (Acts 17:24).  "For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." (2 Corinthians 6:16).  What Paul is teaching us is that there are two ways in which we can approach our ministry to the body of Christ.  We can build with things that will endure not only time, but also the fires of tribulation; or we can build with things that will not last, and perish quickly when they are tried. 

 

If we allow the Lord to open the eyes of our understanding, we will see that there is another layer of truth to glean from this picture.  Wood, hay, and straw have this in common with each other: they all occur naturally on the surface of the earth, and are easily destroyed by fire.  On the other hand, gold, silver, and precious stones are hidden deep in the earth and are uncommonly valuable.  In the same way, the works that we do which come from our outward man are of little value to God.  That which is mined from the depths of our spiritual man is costly indeed, though.  The outward man is the seat of our thoughts, our plans, our emotions - none of which are subject to God.  "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." (Romans 8:7).  Just because we are born again doesn't mean that every thought in our head is all of a sudden aligned with God's eternal purpose!  We still have an old nature to bring under subjection, and this is a process that can only proceed as we learn to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.  God's Spirit communes with our spirit, and it is there that we sit at Jesus' feet and learn of Him.  As we do, we find nuggets of truth and gems of wisdom that we can then share with others in order to build up the people of God.  The wonderful thing about these costly materials is that, they become more valuable in the hands of God.  As a Master Refiner, He applies the heat ever so carefully to allow the impurities to be released from the raw metals so they can be skimmed off and discarded.  He is also the Master Gemologist, Who cuts and polishes the raw stone until it can catch the light and send it with dazzling colors in a thousand directions.  

 

Luke, in the tenth chapter of his gospel, gives the account of Jesus entering into Bethany for the first time.  While there, He encountered Martha and her sister Mary.  Martha had invited Jesus and His disciples to her house where she might minister to their needs.  This, indeed, may have been more than she bargained for, because she soon found herself "cumbered about with much serving" (Luke 10:40a).  In her distraction she came to the Lord and stated her complaint.  Now her sister Mary had been sitting at Jesus' feet quietly hearing the words which He spoke, and drinking them in; but Martha's sense of injustice had risen up, and she said to Jesus, "Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me." (Luke 10:40b).  How often do we accuse the Lord in our hearts because we think that He doesn't see what we're going through?  Never mind that Martha had taken this task upon herself in the first place.  Jesus' words to Martha speak right to the heart of what true ministry must be.  He said, "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41,42).  Martha was trying to juggle many things in her zeal to serve the Lord, but none of them were meaningful because her spirit was not right.  She had neglected the one thing that was necessary to make her service life-giving.  She was focused on outward service only (wood, hay, and straw), and neglecting that inward service to the Lord Himself (gold, silver, and precious stones).  Mary's service to Jesus was comprised of sitting at His feet (or humbling herself before her Lord and Master), and hearing His word - not just listening to Him, but hearing Him.  Faith comes from hearing, hearing comes from the Words of God, and faith leads to obedient action. 

 

Any effort that we make to serve must begin with humbling ourselves before the presence of the Lord, and hearing His instruction.  He is the head of the body, and He is capable of directing every member so that they can operate together in perfect harmony.  Only then can the church be restored to the power and influence that it enjoyed in the first century.  "That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me." (John 17:21).  Oh, Father, may it be so once more!