One Foundation

“For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” I Corinthians 3:9-11

Paul is writing to the church at Corinth, and he compares the church to a building. We could imagine the people in the church as representing the stones in the outside wall of a building. Paul says that he laid a foundation, and other people have built upon the foundation that he laid. It seems that Paul is referring to the time when he first came to Corinth and began to preach the gospel there. He explains that the foundation he laid with them was Jesus Christ. In other words, the truth of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ was what they had to believe in order to become a part of the church. Paul makes it clear that there is no other foundation that can be laid. Jesus Christ is the one true foundation. Everything else that we believe rests upon what Christ did for us on the cross. Paul warns them that they need to be careful how they build upon the foundation. There is always a danger of getting sidetracked. It is easy for us to get wrapped up in side issues or focus our time and energy on frivolous things that do not really matter. The Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church, and everything that we do as Christians should be built upon Him.