In this message we shall begin to consider what Christ is in His person in the church.
In the church Christ is the rock as the foundation on which the church is built. After Peter, receiving a revelation from the Father, declared that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:16), the Lord said, “On this rock I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18). Roman Catholicism claims that “the rock” here refers to Peter, whereas most fundamental Christians say that it refers to Christ. Although it is correct to say that the rock denotes Christ, not even this understanding is adequate. The rock here refers not only to Christ but also to the revelation concerning Christ. First, this rock refers to Christ Himself as the Son of the living God. Second, this rock refers to the revelation of Christ which Peter received from the Father. This heavenly revelation is the rock. When we see this revelation concerning Christ, it becomes the rock. Therefore, the church is built both upon Christ and the revelation concerning Christ.
The church that is built upon the rock of Christ and the revelation concerning Christ is the genuine church, and it is not sectarian. However, the problem is that Christians form groups or so-called churches according to their concept and viewpoint. But their concept is not the revelation concerning Christ. The church must be built upon the rock, that is, upon Christ and the revelation of Him. If we see this, we shall be saved from division. Only one thing is built upon Christ as the rock, and this is the church. Any group that is built upon doctrines, practices, or concepts is not the church built upon Christ and the revelation concerning Christ.
As the rock upon which the church is built, Christ is the unique foundation of the church. “Other foundation no one is able to lay besides that which is being laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11). As the Christ and the Son of the living God, the Lord Jesus Christ is the unique foundation laid by God for the building of the church. No one should lay any other foundation.
We know from 1 Corinthians 3:11 that Christ is the unique foundation for the church as God’s building. Nevertheless, certain of the believers at Corinth were taking Paul, Apollos, or Cephas as their foundation. When they were declaring that they were of Paul, Apollos, or Cephas, they were saying that these were their foundation and standing. In 1 Corinthians 1:13 Paul asks them, “Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?” By asking these questions Paul was pointing out that he was not the unique foundation. On the contrary, Paul says in 3:10, “According to the grace of God given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid a foundation.” The unique foundation is not Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or any one or anything other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The problem among the Corinthians was that they were trying to lay many other foundations. We see in chapter fourteen that, for some, speaking in tongues was a foundation. This indicates that it is possible for a particular practice to become a foundation. Therefore, Paul wanted the believers at Corinth to realize that he had already laid the unique foundation, Jesus Christ.
It is common for Christians today to lay foundations other than Christ as the unique foundation. For example, when someone declares that he is for immersion, he is laying immersion as a foundation. The same is true of someone who is for tongue-speaking. Whenever you claim to be for a particular person, doctrine, or practice, you are laying another foundation. To lay a foundation other than Christ ruins the Body life and damages God’s building. Instead of laying another foundation, we must build upon the foundation already laid. According to 1 Corinthians 1:2 and 9, Christ is our common portion, and we have been called into the fellowship of Christ. This Christ, God’s unique center and our unique portion, is the unique foundation. This means that we must build upon the unique Christ. We should understand this not only doctrinally but also practically and experientially.
If we touch the depth of the truth in 1 Corinthians 3:11 and understand this verse according to its context and background, we shall see a vision of Christ as the unique foundation of the church. This vision, this truth, will then govern and control us. “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint” (Prov. 29:18, ASV). Among the vast majority of Christians today, there is no governing, restraining vision of Christ as the unique foundation. On the one hand, many refer to Paul’s word concerning Christ as the foundation; on the other hand, even while speaking of this verse, they are laying another foundation. From this we see that we need to understand 1 Corinthians 3:11 not merely in a doctrinal way but in a way that is very practical. We should never say that we are of a certain person or a certain thing or that we prefer a certain matter. To speak in this way is to lay another foundation in addition to Christ. Instead of laying another foundation, we should build upon the foundation already laid.
The church’s foundation is Christ, revealed and ministered through the apostles and prophets. Ephesians 2:20 speaks of the foundation of the apostles and prophets. This foundation is the Christ whom they ministered to others. The Christ who is the foundation of the church is the unique Christ revealed and ministered by the early apostles, as recorded in the New Testament. We must stay with this Christ.
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