Firm Foundation

Have you ever noticed how construction crews spend so much time laying a deep, solid foundation before any upward building begins? Builders know the importance of a rock-solid foundation. Without it, everything crumbles, and the workers labor in vain.

The Apostle Paul laid a spiritual foundation when he began the church in Corinth, and returns to it to conclude the letter we call 1 Corinthians: “I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand” (1 Cor 15:1). You see, if the Corinthians do not build on their gospel foundation, Paul says they “have believed in vain” (1 Cor 15:2). Wouldn’t you like the constant comfort of knowing you’re standing on a firm foundation? Let’s read on…

Paul reminds them of what is most important — a list of items he received from those closest to Jesus. He goes on to share what scholars believe to be the earliest Christian Creed (1 Cor 15:3-7), dating back to the first few years after Jesus’ crucifixion:

• Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures
• He was buried
• He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures
• He appeared to Cephas [Peter]
• He appeared to the Twelve [disciples]
• He appeared to more than 500 at the same time
  • Most of whom are living
  • Though some have fallen asleep
• Then he appeared to James and all the apostles

These key facts about Jesus lay a rock-solid foundation for Christian faith!

This creed consists of historically corroborated eyewitness testimonies, given at a time when Paul’s readers could go find the witnesses and cross-examine them in person. The foundation of your faith rests on historically verifiable facts. In comparison, the earliest writings about Alexander the Great come from over 400 years after he died in 323 BC.¹ That means even though Jesus died over 350 years later than Alexander, the earliest writings about Jesus came first!

The creed Paul shares boils Christianity down to its most essential element: the work of Jesus. Christ is our firm foundation. The rock on which we stand. We have eternal hope in the One who died and rose again!

As you remember Jesus’ death and resurrection this year…
As the Lord leads you in constructing a life in Christ…

“Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor 15:58).

^{1 Paul Gould, Travis Dickinson, and Keith Loftin, Stand Firm: Apologetics and the Brilliance of the Gospel (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018), 77–78.}