As Christians, we need to build using gold, silver and costly stones on a Jesus foundations.
Last night in Bible study, we were looking at 1 Corinthians 3, this chapter includes Paul’s spiel on divisions in the church. This passage also includes words that I had not paid close attention to before.
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.
This is spoken about in the context of divisions within the church, saying that each person needs to be careful about how he builds his life.
We need to build our Christian lives on a foundation of Jesus. This means that whatever we do, we base it on him. In ever part of our lives we need to live for him, whether it is at school, or work, or home, or uni, or church or wherever we are. We need to live with our foundation set on Jesus.
To become mature Christians, we must build on our Jesus foundation, and how we build will be shown. If we have a strong building made of gold, then it will be shown by a reward in heaven (probably seeing the fruits of our work), and if we build weakly using straw, then that will be shown as well.
The most encouraging aspect of this passage however, is in these 2 verses
If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
No matter what, we are saved through what Jesus has already done for us, not through any works that we can do.
In thinking about this it reminded me of 2 blogs I thought I would share
- Dots and Strokes – Two metaphors for Christian maturity by Andrew Errington (because we build with purpose)
- Gold, silver and precious stones by Andrew Katay (because of the name)
