REFLECTIONS

“Building on the firm foundation”
 
1 Corinthians 3:11-12

“Here the apostle informs us what foundation he had laid at the bottom of all the labours among them—even Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone. Upon this foundation all the faithful ministers of Christ built. Upon this rock all Christians found their hopes. Those that build their hopes of heaven on any other foundation build upon the sand. Other foundation can no man lay besides what is laid—even Jesus Christ.

“The doctrine of our Saviour and his mediation is the principal doctrine of Christianity. It lies at the bottom, and is the foundation, of all the rest. Leave out this, and you lay waste all our comforts, and leave no foundation for our hopes as sinners. But of those that hold the foundation and embrace the general doctrine of Christ’s being the mediator between God and man, there are two sorts:

“(1) Some build on this foundation gold, silver, and precious stones, v.12, namely those who receive and propagate the pure truths of the gospel, who hold nothing but the truth as it is in Jesus, and preach nothing else. This is building well upon a good foundation, when ministers not only depend upon Christ as the great prophet of the church, and take him for their guide and infallible teacher, but receive and spread the doctrines he taught, in their purity, without any corrupt mixtures, without adding our diminishing.

“(2) Others build wood, hay, and stubble on this foundation; that is though they adhere to the foundation, they depart from the mind of Christ in many particulars, substitute their own fancies and inventions in the room of his doctrines and institutions, and build upon the foundation what will not abide the test when the day of trial shall come, and the fire must make it manifest, as wood, hay, and stubble, will not bear the trial by fire, but must be consumed in it.”

-Matthew Henry  Expositor, Commentator, Minister  1662-1714

From, A Closer Walk with God; Daily Readings from Matthew Henry; compiled by Martin Manser; (Daybreak Books—Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids; 1987), Page 140.