The Foundation and the Building
The Foundation and the Building
I would like to ponder with you the teaching of Saint Paul the Apostle about spiritual building, as found in his First Epistle to the Corinthians, where he said: “According to the grace of God given to me as a wise builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But let each one look how he builds on it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it is revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” (1 Cor. 3:10–15).
So what is the gold and silver and precious stones?
And what is the straw? And what is the fire?
A wise builder:
In the English translation (New King James Version) the phrase (بنّاء حكيم) appears as “A Wise Master builder,” that is: a wise building teacher. Saint Paul, as a teacher in building, made the Lord Jesus Christ the foundation of every spiritual building in our doctrine. Christ is the foundation in His redemption for us, and in every work He did for our sake.
But what do we build upon the foundation of this doctrine?
Here appears the difference from one person to another, according to each one’s behavior: a person whose building is of gold and silver and precious stones. If it is tested by the fire of afflictions and trials we do not lose his salvation, but he will be in a better state. For fire does not burn gold but purifies it from any impurities.
But if his building is of wood or grass or straw, it will be burned. Straw burns quickly, wood burns in a longer period, and grass burns with smoke. Thus the whole work is lost. He barely is saved.
Let us contemplate together all these types of building, and to what they point.
We begin first with the lofty building, that of gold and silver and precious stones:
This which the fire cannot touch. Undoubtedly this building points to the three great virtues mentioned by the Apostle in (1 Cor. 13:13), namely: faith, hope, and love, to which other qualities are added.
Faith:
For you to have a firm spiritual building, that does not perish or burn or shake, you must have true faith.
What is meant by faith is not merely intellectual belief, but practical faith.
Millions of people believe intellectually. Indeed Saint James the Apostle says: “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19). He means their mere belief in the existence of God, while all their actions are evil. Therefore the Apostle says in the same chapter “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:17, 20).
Practical faith has degrees, the greatest of which is faith that moves mountains.
About this faith the Lord spoke in (Mark 11:23) and in (Matt 17:20), (Matt 21:21).
The history of the Church has told us much about faith and the heroes of faith.
If you have a strong practical faith in your life, the Lord says: “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23).
That is, by faith nothing stands against you, but the hand of God works wonders with you. How beautiful is the Lord’s word to Martha—regarding the death and resurrection of her brother Lazarus—“Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40).
And Paul the Apostle says in this faith: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13).
And of the importance of faith is that the Lord Jesus, in many of the healing miracles He performed, would first ask the person: Do you believe? As He did with the blind (Matt 9:28–30). Or He would say to the healed one “Your faith has made you well” (Luke 8:48) (Mark 10:51–52).
It is wondrous that it is said the Lord did not do many miracles in His own country, and that was because of their unbelief, as they complained about Him (Mark 6:3–5).
Some people have doubt, therefore a miracle does not happen for them. Faith must be stronger than doubts.
“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1).
You trust that God is able to act, that He loves you and wants to act for you. Therefore you are not disturbed nor afraid nor doubtful.
Also you believe in things you do not see with your eyes “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). You believe that God sees everything you do, hears everything you say, and records everything, even the thoughts of the mind and the desires of the heart, intentions and hidden things. If you believe all this fully, you will be ashamed to commit sin and you will fear, because God sees and records.
True faith includes your belief that sin is an offense against God.
As David the prophet said to the Lord in Psalm fifty: “Against You, You only, have I sinned and done evil in Your sight.” And as Joseph the righteous said: “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Gen 39:9).
All this is because sin is disobedience to God and contrary to Him, a rejection of the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart, and a refusal to respond to the work of grace. Also it is lack of shame before God who sees you, or forgetfulness of God during sin.
There are other matters related to faith regarding forgiveness and sin.
As that you believe that sin is not forgiven except by the atonement, and by placing it upon the Lord that He may wipe it away by His blood. As if by sin you put another weight upon His cross, or bitter drops in the cup that He must drink…
And you must believe that without purity of heart no one will see the Lord, and you must believe that only the pure in heart will see God (Matt 5:8).
And you must believe that you will stand one day before God’s righteous judgment seat to give account for every deed, whether good or evil (2 Cor 5:10). This is what the Church teaches you every day in the prayer before sleep where you say: “Behold, I prepare to stand before the righteous Judge trembling and fearful because of the multitude of my sins…” And before you the word of the Lord: “Unless you repent you shall likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3, 5).
Faith also includes that you believe all His commandments and teachings and adhere to them.. this is the faith that enters into the building that is of gold and silver and precious stones.
And beside faith also there is love and its importance.
Love:
It is not enough that you only believe in God; more importantly you must also love Him.
When the Lord Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment in the Law He said it is love: love toward God and toward people: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt 22:37–39).
Because of this the Apostle said about the three great commands: “Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13:13).
And he said: “Love never fails.” (1 Cor 13:8).
And it is said in the Song of Songs about love: “Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it.” (Song 8:7).
You have faith, that is good. But it is built by love, as the Apostle says: “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6). He says: “If I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” (1 Cor 13:2).
Therefore the Lord says: “My son, give Me your heart, and let your eyes observe My ways.” (Prov 23:26). Love from the heart. Its fruit is the keeping of the commandments.
For this the Lord says: “He who loves Me keeps My commandments.”
He also says: “If you keep My commandments you will abide in My love.” (John 15:10). And Saint Augustine says: “Love, and then do what you will.” That is, act within the love of God. The Apostle placed love first among the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22).
The love required is that you love God more than everything and more than everyone—even more than the whole world.
Concerning the world Saint John the Apostle says: “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15). And Saint James the Apostle says: “The friendship of the world is enmity with God.” (James 4:4).
And the Lord says: “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” (Matt 10:37).
And the Book gave you an example in our father Abraham who loved God more than his only son whom he loved. Before offering him as a burnt offering, because of his great love for God and his obedience to Him (Gen 22).
If you want to build your life a spiritual building upon the love of God, ask yourself with complete frankness: do you love anything or anyone more than God? Is there anything that competes with God in your heart?
I remember an outreach story that happened with us about fifty-five years ago.
We were servants in Sunday Schools. We went to visit a brother who had ceased to attend the church. We sat with him, and each of us asked him the reason for his absence from the church meetings, what is it? Our questions increased. But a spiritual servant among us said to him: “I do not want to trouble you with many questions. I want to ask you one question: Do you now love God as you used to love Him before?!”
And of course this was the core of the matter. For if his love for God remained as it was, he would not be absent from the church. For this the Lord said to the shepherd of the church of Ephesus: “You have left your first love” (Rev 2:4).
The love of the martyrs for our Lord is what made them lay down their lives for Him.
Each of them loved God more than himself, more than the life of the world. Love made him welcome death with joy. The Lord said: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13).
Yes, this is love. For many say they love God, but when the hour of trial comes it becomes clear whether they really love God or not.
For “the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.” (1 Cor 3:13).
And the fire may be temptations or afflictions or the assaults of the demons.. it may reveal in you a certain lust which prevents you from loving God, if you love that lust more than your love for God!!
We said of gold and silver and precious stones: faith and love; there is also hope in eternal life.
Hope in eternity:
If you constantly think of your eternity you would not sin.
For this the Church taught us to set eternity before us every day where we say in the prayer of sleep: “If life were permanent and this world everlasting, then to you, O my soul, there would be a clear excuse…” “But repent, O my soul, as long as you dwell in the land, for the dust in the grave does not praise…”.
Truly, if a person continually contemplates his eternity and standing before the righteous Judge, fear would possess him and he would not sin..
Other matters:
• Among the precious stones with which you build your life: fellowship with the Holy Spirit. This is what Saint Paul the Apostle mentioned in (2 Cor 13:14).
That is, you are in fellowship with the Holy Spirit in every work you do, in every thought that occurs to your mind, and every desire that is in your heart. Ask yourself in all this: does the Spirit participate with you or not? If not, depart from everything in which the Holy Spirit does not participate.
• There is also perseverance in God.
The Lord says: “Abide in Me, and I in you.” (John 15:4), and He says: “Abide in My love.” (John 15:9). This abiding is like the abiding of the branch in the vine, so that it may bear fruit..
The person who is steadfast in the Lord does not quickly waver. The Apostle says: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Cor 15:58).
• Also among the precious stones that build your spirituality: depth.
Depth in your prayer, in your meditations, in your understanding of the Scripture, also in your service and concern for others, and in every spiritual work you do.
Straw:
If the matter is thus, what is the straw that is burned?
• Like straw is superficiality in spiritual life that has no depth. Like worship without understanding, Communion out of mere habit, confession without repentance, you take it as a solution for the old to open a new account of the same kind!
• An example is prayer without reverence, without depth, without emotion, a mere reciting of words; Mar Isaac warned about this phrase “Say I have not stood before God to count words!”.
• Another example of straw is reading the Holy Bible without understanding or meditation. Or hearing sermons with no implementation, merely attendance.. or worship to which applies the Lord’s saying: “This people draw near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” (Isa 29:13).
• It is mere outwardness, or a form of religiosity to gain people’s praise. Not out of virtue and love of good.. mere straw..
• The spiritual test comes and burns all this straw, and the person falls and stumbles, and all his work is lost to no avail.
It is the fire of testing that examines the work of man, and the extent of his relationship with God in all he does. And whether his virtues are steadfast in the love of God or not?
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