Our Foundation
What exactly is our foundation?
1 Corinthians 3 v 11 tells us that Jesus is our foundation. Then verse 12 says, “Now if anyone build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, straw, the work of each shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire shall try the work of each what it is. If the work of any one which he has built upon the foundation shall abide, he shall receive a reward. If the work of any one shall be consumed, he shall suffer loss, but he shall be saved, but as through the fire.”
It is very important that we have the foundation right and also it is very important what we build upon it.
Let’s explore the subject a bit further.
Matthew 7 v 21 – 29. Jesus is saying that if we do what He has been saying then we are building upon a rock and when trouble comes we will stand but if we hear His words and don’t do them then when trouble comes we will fall.
So Jesus is saying that our foundations are the words of Jesus Himself.
In Matthew 16 v 16 – 18 when Jesus had asked the disciples who He was, Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”. Jesus answered that it was His Father that had revealed it to Peter and not flesh and blood, then He said “Upon this rock I will build my Church”. What rock is that? The rock of revelation of who Jesus is.
So we are getting a picture, our foundation is recognising who Jesus is and appropriating His word into our life or our fellowship.
Now Jesus chose out the apostles to teach them the foundational truths about Himself and what He taught, so that the church might be built upon the apostles doctrine of Jesus Christ.
Our question is, who is Jesus?
In Matthew 4 v 8 – 11 when the devil asked Jesus to worship him, Jesus, said, “it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve”.
Yet continually through His ministry people came to Jesus and worshipped Him but He didn’t correct them. In Matthew 28 v 9 the women who came to the tomb fell down and worshipped Him and then verse 16-17 tells us that the disciples worshipped Him.
Hebrews 1 v 6 tells us that all the angels of God worshipped Jesus.
That gives us a big clue to who Jesus is.
Genesis 1 v 1 tells us that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Hebrew word used here for God is Elohim. Elohim is a plural word meaning more than two (although two is plural in English, the Hebrews used another term for ‘two’ like we have the word ‘dual’).
The word ‘created’ is singular showing the Godhead acting in unity.
Now Colossians chapter 1 tells us that Jesus created everything that is created.
If God created the heavens and the earth, is Jesus God?
Thomas called Jesus, “My Lord and my God”. Jesus didn’t correct him.
Titus 2 v 13-14 says, “awaiting the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave Himself for us”.
2 Peter 1 v 1 also uses this phrase, “—through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ”.
The gospel of John chapter 1 v 1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God”. Then in verse 14 it tells us that “the Word became flesh, and dwelt amongst us”
A.T. Robertson, a well known theologian tells us that, The word (logos) was with God, existed eternally with God and was in perfect fellowship with God. “In the Trinity we see personal fellowship on an equality”. (Pages 4-5 of ‘Word Pictures in the New testament’).
Kenneth Wuest, commenting on John 1 v 1, “In the beginning was the Word”, says in his ‘Word Studies in the Greek New testament’, Volume 3 pages 51-52, “the definite article (in the Greek language) appears before “Word”. He (Jesus the Word) is not merely a concept of God among many others, for the heathen have many concepts of God. He is THE concept of God, the only true one, the unique one. He was in existence when things started to come into being through the creative act of God. He existed before all created things. Therefore, He is uncreated, and therefore eternal in His being, and therefore God.
“The Word was with God”
“The article appears before the word “God” in the Greek, which indicates that the first Person of the Trinity is meant.- - - - - - -”.
“The Word was God”.
Here the word “God” is without the article in the original. When it is used in that way, it refers to divine essence. Emphasis is upon quality or character. Thus, John teaches us here that our Lord is essentially Deity. He possesses the same essence as God the Father, is one with Him in nature and attributes. Jesus of Nazareth, the carpenter, the teacher, is very God”.
The letter to the Hebrew chapter 1 v 1-2, tells us that God Himself has spoken to us, not by someone else or using someone else but as Himself, the Son. By whom the universe was made, and who fully presents God’s glory to us. Also the essential being of God is manifested to us in the Son.
Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh.
Although God the Father is invisible He has revealed Himself to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus told His disciples that if they have seen Him they have seen the Father who is invisible.
The Godhead consist of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Philippians 2 v 5-11 says, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore also God hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name, which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.
So here we have Jesus, equal in the Godhead, yet humbling Himself and taking upon Himself the form of a servant.
Jesus, is creator of all things and Lord of all, yet He was willing to take a much lower position, that of the form of a servant, in order to save us. He who was in the form of God, took upon Him the form of a servant. He was rich and became poor in order that we might become rich.
“Being in the form of God”, existing in the form of God means the essential attributes as shown in the form. (A. T. Robertson). In His pre-incarnate state Christ possessed the attributes of God.
Wuest says that the Greek word for “form” refers to the outward expression which a person gives of his inmost nature.
‘Thus, our Lord’s outward expression of His inmost being was as to its nature the expression of the divine essence of Deity’. Wuest.
“Thought it not robbery” means that He thought equality with God was not a prize to be held onto. He was willing to let it go for our benefit in order to pay the ransom and reconcile us back to God.
Wuest says, “Equality with God here refers to our Lord’s co-participation with the other members of the Trinity in the expression of the divine essence. This is a very important point, for
when we come to consider the fact that our Lord laid aside something, we will see that it was not the possession but the expression of the divine essence”.
It is the expression of the glory in the face of God that man cannot look upon and live. (Exodus 33 v 17-23).
The Lord gave up this expression of divine essence and took upon Himself the form of a servant, being obedient to the Father in everything He did. He did this in order to pay a ransom and redeem us to Himself.
Why do we need a ransom paying to bring us back to God?
For a start, Adam was disobedient in the garden of Eden in doing what God told him not to do. Because he was disobedient he allowed sin to reign over him and all mankind after him.
Sin separates man from God. God cannot look upon sin and yet man is now under the power of sin, the bible tells us that, every one of us has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
We have all offended God and the wrath of God rest upon us all. A sacrifice must be made to satisfy the wrath of God.
Because it was impossible for man to meet the conditions necessary to deliver man, God Himself came down and paid the full price required to satisfy Himself and deliver man from the power of sin. So God was offended by us and He was the one punished because of our offence.
God our Saviour was willing to become man (only by this could He pay the ransom required to buy us back. The law required that He had to be a ‘near kinsmen’ in order to redeem us). By becoming a man He had made Himself a little lower than the angels and put Himself under limitations and restrictions making Himself subject to the things we are subject to. In this position He had to be completely dependent on the Father in all He said and did.
Hebrews 2 v 9 says, “But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour”.
As the Son of Man He was made inferior to angels therefore He could say that no one knows the day nor hour of His return, not the angels in heaven nor the Son , but the Father only.
The price of our redemption was God, the Son, becoming man then dying on the cross the death that we deserve, and the shedding of His own innocent blood as the payment for our deliverance from sin and the consequences of sin.
Isaiah chapter 53 says it all.
Yet He was willing to do all that for us.
Now He is risen from the dead and exalted far above all, having all power in heaven and earth, that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Colossians 2 v 9 tells us that “in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily”.
Then some say that He is not God!!!
He was born of the virgin Mary about 2000 years ago, died on a cross, then rose from the dead and He is alive forevermore. However, as we have already seen, the birth of Christ was not His beginning. When talking about Melchizedek, Hebrews chapter 7 v 3 says, “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God”.
Jesus is High Priest after the order of Melchizedek having neither beginning of days nor end of life. But surely, some say, Jesus had beginning of days?
The Jews accused Jesus of making Himself God by the things He said.
Let us look at some of the things Jesus said about Himself. In John 9 v 35-38 Jesus confesses that He is the Son of God. (this is one of the reasons the Jews wanted to kill Him because by saying He was the Son of God He was implying that He was equal with God). John 10 v 30, “I and my father are one” thus making Himself God. John 8 v 23, “You are from beneath I am from above: you are of this world; I am not of this world”. John 8 v 58, “Before Abraham was, I am”. John 17 v 5, “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was”. Jesus existed before the world was made and He is asking the Father for a return of the glory which He had along with the Father at this time. He has neither beginning of days nor end of life. When He came from heaven he said, “a body has thou prepared for me” Hebrews 10 v 5. He came and left His glory to do the Fathers will. Hebrews 10 v 7. 1 Timothy 3 v 16 tells us that God was manifest in the flesh.
The angels announced to the Shepherds, when Jesus was born that a Saviour had been born who was Christ the Lord. Not going to be Christ the Lord at the age of thirty but was already Christ the Lord. When Jesus was only a few days old He was taken to the temple in Jerusalem and Simeon announced that he had finally seen the Lord’s Christ and could now go to his resting place. Jesus always was from eternity to eternity, Christ the Lord.
Jesus Christ has all power in heaven and earth, and we are complete in Him.
Isaiah 9 v 6 when talking about the Son being born says that His name shall be called, wonderful, counsellor, The mighty God. The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Jeremiah 23 v 5-6 tells us God will raise up a righteous Branch unto David, who shall reign as king and he shall be called Jehovah our Righteousness. In other words Jehovah is Jesus.
Isaiah 47 v 4, 44 v 6, tells us that Jehovah of host is our Redeemer, Isaiah 49 v 26 says that “I, Jehovah, am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer”.
So Jehovah is our Redeemer and Saviour, yet the New testament tells us continually that Jesus is our Saviour and Redeemer (Titus 1 v 4, Philippians 3 v 20, Galatians 3 v 13, Ephesians 1 v 7, Colossians 1 v 14, Hebrews 9 v 12).
The angel told Joseph to call His name, Jesus, Emmanuel, which means, Jehovah Saviour, God with us (Matthew 1 v 21-25). In Isaiah 43 v 11 God says, “I am Jehovah and beside me there is no saviour”. The apostle Paul often refers to Jesus as “our Saviour Jesus Christ”.
No one can see the face of God with all His glory and live (Exodus 33 v 20) yet men have looked upon Jesus without dying. The reason is because Jesus laid aside the manifested glory in order to become man. Also who was Jehovah that Abraham met and spoke to face to face? (Genesis chapter 18). In Jesus Christ deity was veiled in flesh. The glory of God was hidden.
Jesus called His Father His God, yet the Father also called Jesus God, “But as to the Son, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever” (Hebrews 1 v 8). Then God goes on to say of Jesus, “thou art the Same” verse 12. This is a title of God, the self existing One who never changes (Deuteronomy 32 v 39, Hebrews 13 v 8).
Does God need to pray to God? This question was asked of me because Jesus prayed to His Father. I need to emphasise what I said earlier, there is only one God consisting of Father, Son and Holy Spirit co-existing in unity and equality. There is absolute agreement between them in all things yet Jesus as the Son submits to God the Father, not because He has to but because He is full of humility. He loves the Father and wants to please Him in all things. Being obedient to the Father He became the Son of Man and therefore as the Son of Man prayed to His Father in all things. However they have always communicated together. Genesis 1 v 26 says that God said “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”.
Jesus Christ is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1 v 30).
When we believe on him, that is, put our confidence in Him, then God credits it to us as righteousness and therefore because we are righteous in Christ, God justifies us and gives us eternal life (Romans 4 v 5, 5 v 21).
Jesus Christ is also our sanctification, because He is Holy we are holy. However there is still an ongoing work of sanctification that takes place in our lives by the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1 v 2) and the word of God (John 17 v 17).
Which brings us right back to what Jesus said, that except we build upon the rock of His word, as revealed to us by His Spirit, we will fall.
Let us build on this foundation things that will last us through eternity.
So how or what do we build?
2 Timothy 2 v 16 says, “but profane, and vain babblings shun, for they will advance to greater impiety, and their word shall spread as a gangrene”. Verse 20 then says, “But in a great house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also wooden and earthen; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 21, If therefore one shall have purified himself from these, (in separating himself from them), he shall be a vessel to honour, sanctified, serviceable to the Master, prepared for every good work”.
Profane and vain babblings are the earthen vessels because they are works of the flesh, being opinions that lead to contentions. These we must shun. If we want to be a vessel of honour and used of God then we must renounce all unrighteousness in our lives.
If we walk in the Spirit then the fruit and gifts of the Spirit produce works of the Spirit that are gold and silver vessels that are not burnt or consumed by the fire.
By Mark Greenwood
June 2009