What are we Building?

“For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on that foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. (1 Corinthians 3:6-13, HCSB)

Last week we looked at how God uses us to plant and water His seed in others. (See this link). Today we ask ourselves what we are building into the lives of others, and into our own life. What are we doing with what He has entrusted to us? 

St. Paul wrote, “No one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. And you’d think Christians would accurately teach the central doctrines of Christian theology when we work to build godliness into the lives of others. But even people with the best intentions can have their theological blind spots. And that’s why it’s essential that we not only be aware that WE might have some blind spots, but that our teachers may also have theirs.

In other words, we should trust our pastors and teachers – but we should also test what they tell us against the inerrant word of God and the historic teaching of the Church. 

There is good scriptural support for this kind of ‘trust but verify’ method. For example, when Paul and his Silas were run out of Thessalonica, they went to Berea to present them with the same message of truth, righteousness, judgment, and repentance. The Bereans listened – and then verified – what Paul and Silas were telling them. Here is how Luke records it: “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11) 

If the Bereans thought it prudent to search the Scriptures to verify St. Paul’s teaching, then who today – regardless of their titles, positions, or their educational training – has the right to take umbrage with anyone who wants to test what they teach with the Scriptures and the historic teaching of the Church? 

Here are two examples of (I am sure, innocent) theological blind spots that illustrate the importance of being like the Bereans: 

In the preface to the text of 1 Timothy, the editors of the New American Standard Bible (Harvest House, copyright 1995) stated this: “Paul wrote to his beloved son in the faith an epistle that would become a legacy for the church, and a pillar and support of the truth.” 

I’m not sure why the editorial board altered the actual words Paul used in this letter to Timothy, but here is what the apostle actually wrote in 1 Timothy 3:15 – “I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

In other words, Paul said the CHURCH is the pillar and support of the truth – not his letter, which the editors claimed. Their theological blind spot caused them to get it wrong. But readers wouldn’t know that without researching the Scriptures.

Another example: When I was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, I attended a communion service held by one of the Army chaplains. As he held aloft the communion bread, he told us, “Jesus said, this is a symbol of my Body.”

I thought I had misheard him. But I did not. Let me assure you, Jesus did not say, “This is a symbol of my Body.” What Jesus DID say during the Last Supper was, “This IS my body.” (Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24). But unless those of us sitting in that communion service had searched the Scriptures, we would not know the chaplain had (innocently, again I am sure) spoken from his theological blind spot.

God wants to build our lives around Jesus the Cornerstone and on the firm foundation of the Scriptures. The cornerstone is the first stone set in the construction of a brick building. All other bricks will be set in reference to that stone, thereby determining the position and the angles of the structure. 

Without a properly placed cornerstone, the entire structure will be unstable. If we hope to build godliness into the lives of others – and into our own life – we must stay within the framework given us by God – Jesus the Cornerstone, from which and around which we construct our spiritual life on the foundation of the Scriptures. 

Notice what the Lord Jesus said about foundations: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”  (Matthew 7:24-27).

Since Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, it is theologically sound to extrapolate from this text in Matthew to mean our life-stability rests squarely not only on His Sermon in chapters five through seven, but on the message of the entire Old and New testaments. Therein lay God’s truth. Pure, inerrant, salvific truth. Therein only are the building blocks of a godly life. 

The foundation upon which we must build a stable spiritual structure is pretty straightforward. The apostles repeatedly make that case that we must live obediently to Jesus who is almighty God in the flesh of a man; That He was born of the virgin, as prophesied by Isaiah; That He lived a perfectly sinless life, and then became our substitutionary sacrifice by which His bloody death satisfied God’s wrath toward us because of our sins. 

Scriptures teach us again and again that Jesus alone is the doorway to heaven. No one comes to the Father except through Him. No one can have his or her sins pardoned except with His blood. No one. 

It’s all about God’s unchangeable foundation of truth.

But for the past 2000 years, and right up to this very day, some have tried to corrupt the gospel message to build their own version of truth. 

For example, many people – even church-goers – believe and teach that Jesus is NOT the only door to heaven. Some, even pastors, will tell you all you need to be assured of heaven is to be good to others. I’ve heard some pastors teach that hell is not a place of fiery torment. It is simply eternal separation from God. Others say that God has thrown Israel aside and replaced it with the Church. Even a well-known Atlanta pastor teaches his congregation it is no longer necessary or even wise to use the Old Testament as a source for Christian faith. 

Do you see why it is important to not only have a good working knowledge of the Scriptures, but also the historical teaching of the church dating to the days of the apostles? The Lord Jesus said when blind guides lead the blind, both fall into a pit. (Luke 6:39). 

I started this message quoting Paul’s admonition to the Christians at Corinth: For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ.

What are you building in others, and in yourself? What materials are you using? Most everyone reading this knows from hard experience, life is far too short and far too fragile to build our lives on unstable foundations. 

May God help us to always build uncompromisingly around Jesus as the only cornerstone of true and salvific faith, and the Scriptures as our only foundation that will give us stability in the darkest storms.