No Other Foundation

For no other foundation can anyone lay that that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

I Corinthians 3:11

Paul was a craftsman. His trade was tent-building. As a tradesman, he understood the basic elements of craftsmanship. Earlier in the passage he used the metaphor of planting and watering. In the verses preceding our text he began to use the metaphor of building saying, ‘For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.’ In our text, he refers to Christ as the only foundation. This harks back to Christ’s reference to building when He was preaching the Sermon on the Mount. There He refers to the man who built his house on the rock versus the other who built his house on the sand. Paul is reiterating the concept that the foundation of any building is critical, and that Christ is the only foundation for ministry. This follows logically from Paul’s earlier statement that he had determined to preach nothing else other than Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Christ is the only foundation for our life, our home, our relationships, and our wider perspective. If we are to understand things rightly, we must gain the insight He has. Therefore, He is central to who we are and how we build whatever it is in life we are building. He is that foundation other than which no man can lay. We need not fear to make too much of Him. No matter what else we do in life, let us make Christ the foundation of it.

Our Gracious and Almighty God,
we rejoice at all the things that You have made.
We praise You that what You have done,
leads us to Christ.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning