Foundations

The most important part of any structure is the foundation. The strength and endurance of whatever is built is contingent upon the foundation. This is the main point of a parable of two builders that Jesus spoke in Matthew 7:24-27. Jesus said whoever hears and obeys His sayings would be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The person who does not hear and obey is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. Both buildings were subjected to the elements of nature such as rain and wind. The house built upon the solid foundation of a rock stood. The house built upon the unreliable sand fell.

No one disputes the importance of the foundation in the construction of any structure, but what about the maintenance of the foundation once the structure is built? The Bible speaks to this question in Psalm 11:3, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" This important verse has serious implications for us today. Are the foundations that support the structures and institutions of our lives being destroyed?

When we think of foundations we automatically think of buildings, but foundations apply to institutions, not just buildings. The home and family, the church and the government, the major institutions of our society, all have foundations. If they be destroyed, what will the righteous do?

We find the foundation of the home and family early on in the Bible. Genesis 2:24 says, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." Families are the building blocks of a society, and no nation will be stronger than the families of which the nation is comprised. The break-up of the family unit, alternate lifestyles or individual pursuits that elevate the selfish desires of the individual above the welfare of the family as a whole are all things that can destroy the foundation of the family.

Certainly, the foundation of the church is clearly established in the Bible. As the great hymn The Church's One Foundation says,

"The church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.

She is His new creation by water and the word:

From heav'n He came and sought her to be His holy bride.

With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died."

Writing in 1 Corinthians 3:11 Paul wrote, "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." In the following verses Paul wrote about how believers build on that foundation. We can build enduring things such as gold, silver and precious stones which will stand the test of God's judgment. It is also possible for us to build perishable things such as wood, hay and straw which will be consumed when tested by fire.

Just as a foundation has been established for the home and family and the church, a foundation has been established for our nation. Our nation was founded by imperfect people on a foundation of faith. The nation was intended to be a Christian nation from the start. The Constitution was a foundational document forged to govern the life and practice of our nation. No political party, governmental entity or special interest group has the right to usurp the Constitution to advance its own agenda or selfish goals.

The question posed in Psalm 11:3, "If the foundations be destroyed, what will the righteous do," is more than serious. It is a warning to everyone that foundations can be destroyed and must be protected at all costs.

It is possible to becomes so engrossed in the superstructure that we neglect the foundation, assuming that it is impenetrable. Not only do we make the mistake of ignoring the dangers to the foundation, but we also create division, confusion. and chaos in the superstructure built upon the foundation.

In the homes and families of our nation, have we given due diligence to protecting the foundation of the family? In the churches of our nation, have we allowed infighting, disunity, self-promotion and personal achievement to cause us to dishonor Christ the foundation and Lord of the church?

What's happening in our great nation? America has never been more partisan, divided and seemingly powerless to deal with the complex issues of our day. Are we a divided house fighting and feuding over who's going to occupy the rooms in the superstructure of our nation, who's going to have the biggest rooms and who will have the power in the nation? While the ideology and rhetoric of the day rises to a deafening roar, are the devil's minions eating away at the foundation of our nation?

What will the righteous do? We need to understand who the righteous are. The righteous are a remnant, not the majority. Consider the example of the nation of Israel in the Bible. God birthed the nation of Israel when He called Abraham to leave everything that was familiar to him and go to a promised land which God would give to him and his descendants. Abraham demonstrated faith and obedience to God. From the New Testament, we know that this faith and obedience was accounted unto Abraham as righteousness. The nation that God birthed did not always follow in faith and obedience as Abraham did. Eventually, they went into Babylonian captivity. When God fulfilled His promises and brought them out of captivity, it was only a remnant that returned.

It is still true today, the way of the righteous is the narrow way of a remnant that leads to life rather than the broad way of the majority that leads to destruction.

The righteous are those who have rejected the manufactured self-righteousness of merit and works and received the righteousness of Christ. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

In all the institutions of our society, it is the righteous remnant that must step forward to seek to protect and preserve the foundations. Will the righteous remnant step forward to preserve and protect the foundations? May God raise up a righteous remnant in our day that will cherish and protect the foundations!