The foundation’s already been laid. What you may not have noticed is that Monday’s post had no conclusion. This was actually unintentional. However, the fact that I did not myself realize it speaks to a bigger problem. Where do we fix this foundation if it’s cracked?

“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw — each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.” — I Corinthians 3:11–13

Yes, that was a trick question. Problem is, it certainly doesn’t feel like one. I know it didn’t for me as I wrote the last post. That’s dangerous. Honestly, that is a problem just as big as the issue of a shoddy foundation. That problem is self-deception.

Christ laid the foundation on the cross. That’s right, it’s all there in His death and resurrection. There are plenty of examples in His life, but everything crucial for faith is wrapped up neatly in those three fateful days. We have all the elements of our faith sitting at the foot of the cross. That is our foundation and nothing more. Can man crack that?

“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” — Matthew 16:24

“Follow me.” This was Jesus’ message to all His disciples as well as people who could not forsake the world to follow Him. There were no other instructions. He only told His disciples to follow Him. Let that sink in. There is no ‘x’-step process. It isn’t even a process. It’s an action. Either you’re responding “yes” or “no,” but “maybe” is not a choice. “Kinda, sorta” doesn’t fly with this directive. This isn’t a matter of the gray. It’s so uncomplicated. Yet, what else is this simple? That’s what makes it so complicated.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” — II Timothy 3:16–17

We have it all. That’s right. The road map is the book that has most likely been accumulating dust in a corner (if you’re me) or on the shelf for normal people. We’ve bought the lie that we don’t have enough to decipher the mysteries of the Bible. This is precisely why the Gospel According to Thomas is not in the protestant canon. There is no gnosis as we know it. The “secret” truth is revealed by the Spirit (I Corinthians 2:12). It is spoken to our hearts in an ancient language that only our souls understand. We are more than capable, but we are capable because God is capable. The missing link in this case is God’s grace that we only choose to recognize at times. Yes, we have been given everything we could possibly ever need.

The crack in our foundation is only our understanding. We don’t realize that our foundation was never cracked in the first place. That serves as the chink in our armor. We’ve spent so much time trying to build upon the foundation of Christ’s “follow me” that we can no longer see the sturdiness underneath. Instead, we are overwhelmed with the shoddy straw and dirt that will surely be consumed in the crucible of life. This doesn’t have to be, because we have all the tools we need to build a sturdy structure in the Word. It’s so simple, it’s overwhelming. But, I’m telling you, that’s all we absolutely need. Now, today I challenge you to orthodoxy which has become radical in our day. Get together with a friend, parent, spouse, etc. and hold one another accountable to the reality. The foundation’s already been laid.