|
Two new articles every two weeks. Bible Question? E-mail us. THIS ISSUE: "Indestructible Foundations" (see below) and "Set for the Defense" Indestructible Foundations "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3). Everyone knows that when one is building a house, he needs a proper foundation. A nice structure with a poor foundation can be useless although it may still look beautiful. However, a dilapidated building with a sturdy foundation may have potential for usefulness although it may appear quite bad. Christianity is built upon foundations. These foundations are indestructible in the sense that they are true no matter what people may think. But they can be destroyed in people's minds, and thus people may be kept or moved away from the faith. The purpose of studying evidences is to provide a solid foundation upon which people can build their faith and their lives in a way that pleases God. What are these indestructible foundations? One is the existence of God. The Bible claims that God exists. It begins by telling us, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). If a person does not already accept the Bible, how can he be brought to believe in God? The fact is that nature itself provides evidence for the existence of a Builder who brought it all about. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). Something cannot come from nothing. Design demands a designer. Based on the claims of the scripture, corroborated by the evidence of creation, "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which are visible" (Hebrews 11:3). Another indestructible foundation is the deity of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament prophesied that the Anointed One (Messiah in Hebrew, Christ in Greek) to come would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah in the tribe of Judah, and would be One "Whose going forth have been from old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2). His nature would be eternal ("from everlasting"), which identifies Him as divine. The New Testament teaches that a man named Jesus fulfilled such prophecies and is the Christ. Peter confessed to Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). Notice that calling Jesus the Christ was equivalent to acknowledging Him as the Son of the living God. The evidence of this fact is His resurrection from the dead, since Paul write that He was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:3-4). Many have denied the resurrection, but none has ever successfully refuted it. Still another indestructible foundation is the inspiration and authority of the scripture. Where did the scripture come from? It's origin is described in 2 Peter 1:20-21, where the apostle says that it "never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." It did not come from the minds of the men who wrote it. Rather, they simply wrote what was given to them by God as they were guided by the Holy Spirit. But how did this happen? Of its purpose Paul again wrote, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The scripture was inspired by God (literally, "God-breathed") so that we might have the teaching necessary to be pleasing to Him. A final indestructible foundation is the divine origin of the church. We are not referring to any human-founded denomination, but the spiritual body of Christ made up solely of those who are saved by the grace of God through the blood of Christ upon their obedience to His gospel. Jesus promised to build His church (Matthew 16:18). Therefore, it belongs to Him. And it is His church not churches. When one builds a house that belongs to him, he must purchase the materials. Jesus purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). Thus, He alone is the head of it because it is His spiritual body (Ephesians 1:19-23). The church of our Lord is the blood-bought body of Jesus Christ which the Lord established Himself. "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" (Matthew 7:24). Since the terms mentioned in this article come from the teachings of Jesus, they are all part of the foundation of a life pleasing to God. If people reject these facts, they are rejecting the foundations and cannot build a good spiritual life. As Christians, who already believe these things, we need to study them continually to build up our faith, to make sure that we bring up our children to believe them, to be able to teach them to others who have not yet accepted them, and in general to help us stand against the wiles of the devil in a world of unbelief.
|
BACK
TO MAIN PAGE
|