THE FOUNDATION

This is the heart of our faith for without such faith wouldn't come into existence.

The foundation is very essential. In every building the foundation is crucial the firmness and stability of a infrastructure depends on it. The higher the building, the deeper the foundation so that when calamities strikes, it will not be easily shaken. This is also true in Christianity. Our foundation is God, in who He is and what kind of God God is. For His Church, God wants to raise His people up that is His intention to lift us up but in order for it to be possible our foundation in Him must go deeper.

In my 27 years of existence my foundation in God must go beyond in order for it to be firmly rooted and not be easily shaken. The calamities of life are inevitable, Jesus even said that in the Gospel of John that "...in this world you will have tribulation..." but you can choose to fix yourself to be better by knowing God even deeper or do nothing at all.

Do you know why people are easily brought low in times of trouble? Or why even the Church today fall down and easily be discouraged? Is it because of our foundation. Check your foundation!

Our foundation is rooted in God and in Him alone, in who He is. In our own capabilities we can never know God but the good news is that God has revealed Himself to us. In Theology there are two kinds of revelation: General and Special. The general isn't sufficient for salvation while the special leads to salvation. In our topic, Living Faith, we are going into the special revelation: the Living and Written Word. It is in this special revelation that God made Himself clearer to man through Jesus Christ.

"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

1 Corinthians 3:11

Jesus is the very foundation of a faith that testifies and the heart of our faith without Him faith is dead because Jesus is the life your faith needs in order for the possibility of it being alive.

The foundation of a faith that testify is Jesus- the life He lived was without a spot, the stripes, beatings, shame He endured though undeserving of it all, the cross He carried and where He was crucified in, His blood shed on the cross, and His death and resurrection that has brought us victory. The Bible is all about His story, His introduction, His revelation, His resurrection, His ascension and His glorification.

Why is He the foundation? Because our very existence was because of Him. We have read in the Gospel according to John, "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made... In Him was life... and the world was made by Him." (1:3,4,10) and just to add on a very important verse regarding why we exist, "...all things were created by Him, and for Him."(Colossians 1:16) to support that claim we have another verse in Revelation, "for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." (4:11)

"For in Him we live, and move, and have our being..." –Acts 17:28

The core of this foundation is to establish relationship. Jesus came and willing died on the cross with the intention of making us part of God's family through adoption, that is our salvation through adoption. We are no longer slaves rather we are sons and daughters of God.

"The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God."

– C.S. Lewis

J.I. Packer said that the greatest of all grace is adoption. Indeed it is, because how could it be possible for a sinner to become a son (or daughter). I mean how?!

"What is a Christian? ...I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father." -J.I. Packer

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name..." John 1:12

"But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." Galatians 4:4-7 (Also read Romans 8:15-16)

The force behind this established relationship is love, God's love. God gave His only Son (John 3:16) as an expression of love- that while we were sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). And this love of God is rooted in His very character for God is love (1 John 4:8).

We are only able to love God because He first loved us. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His only begotten Son into the world to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:10)

May we take everything about the foundation of our faith to heart not just in our mind, not just our reason but our affection as well (and this is very important), because everything revolves around the foundation, who gave Himself for our salvation.

Now, I'll say it again, Check your Faith! Do you feel weak? You don't like to pray or go to the service? Not consistent with your Bible reading or daily devotion? Been busy with a lot of things these days? Be careful. Satan is slowly killing your faith and you just didn't notice it. Know that a dead faith can't please God, if that would be the case how can we fulfil our God given purpose in this life.

Church, check your foundation, is it still Jesus? Or is it your studies, career, money, lover or even your family? Is it still Jesus?! Is your relationship with Him firmly established? Or has it been shaky lately? And is it grounded on love, on God's love? Did your love for Him dried up already? Or did you ever love Him?