ITS FOUNDATION by John Norton Loughborough

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Michigan · Oct 2, 1900

ITS FOUNDATION.

By John Norton Loughborough

“Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matt. 16: 18.

The church of Christ is called a building. As it is essential to the security and permanence of a building that it have a firm foundation, so of this spiritual temple the Lord says: “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” Isa. 28: 16. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, said, “Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 3: 11.

Of true character building in his church our Saviour said, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: he is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the floods arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.” Luke 6: 46–48. In the Ephesian letter, Paul writes: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” Eph. 2: 19, 20.

In many scriptures the Lord himself is spoken of as the rock. Of these we will notice a few: “I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” Deut. 32: 3, 4. “Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.” Verse 18. “For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.” Verse 31. The inspired words of Hannah, after the birth of Samuel, are of the same import: “There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.” 1 Sam. 2: 2. So are the words of David, when delivered “out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: ‘And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer.’ ‘For who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God?’ 2 Sam. 22: 2, 32. Again, ‘The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.’ 2 Sam. 23: 3. Still further, ‘He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.’ Ps. 62: 2. Those who are ‘mindful of the rock of thy strength’ (Isa. 17: 10) will find him, indeed, as ‘the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.’ Isa. 32: 2.

Christ is not only called the rock, but he is also the “tried stone.” We read: “I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. The stone which the builders refused is become the headstone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” Ps. 118: 21–23. In the New Testament we have inspired comments on this text. In our Saviour’s parable of the vineyard and husbandmen we read: “Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” Luke 20: 13–18.

If there remains doubt in any mind that this stone refers to Christ, assurance is made doubly sure by the words of Peter, before the rulers, elders, and priests in Jerusalem: “If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4: 9–12.

Of Christ as the foundation we read: “The church is built upon Christ as its foundation; it is to obey Christ as its head. It is not to depend upon men, nor be controlled by men. Many claim that a position of trust in the church gives them authority to dictate what other men shall believe and what they shall do. This claim God does not sanction. The Saviour declares, ‘All ye are brethren.’ All are exposed to temptation, and are liable to err. Upon no finite being can we depend for guidance. The Rock of faith is the living presence of Christ in the church. Upon this the weakest may depend, and those who think themselves the strongest will prove to be the weakest unless they make Christ their efficiency. ‘Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm.’ The Lord ‘is the Rock, his work is perfect.’ ‘Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.’” —“The Desire of Ages,” page 491.

Of the foundation stone and the building upon it, we read in Peter’s epistle: “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone

of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.” 1 Peter 2: 1–8.

Of the proper mode of building upon this foundation, we read, in Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians: “For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” 1 Cor. 3: 9–15.

In Vol. III, page 165, of the “Testimonies for the Church,” we have the following reference to this text: “But God is all pitiful, gracious, and tender, and when light comes to those who have injured their health by sinful indulgences, and they are convinced of sin, and repent and seek pardon, he accepts the poor offering rendered to him, and receives them. Oh, what tender mercy that he does not refuse the remnant of the abused life of the suffering, repenting sinner! In his gracious mercy, he saves these souls as by fire. But what an inferior, pitiful sacrifice at best, to offer to a pure and holy God! Noble faculties have been paralyzed by wrong habits of sinful indulgence. The aspirations are perverted, and the soul and body defaced.”

Of the work accomplished for the upbuilding of the Israelitish church in the wilderness, Paul said: “All our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them; and that Rock was Christ.” 1 Cor. 10: 1–4.

Those who accept Christ as the Rock, and feast upon his word as the true meat and drink,—these are building upon a firm foundation, and can indeed sing,—

“On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.” J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.