Jesus, Our Ever “Faultless” Foundation

 Growing up as a young Christian, one of the teachings I found predominant among Pentecostals in the part of Nigeria we lived was the subject of “Foundation.” Foundation here is always used to refer to a person’s roots. Where he came from.

It was taught with different terminologies like “breaking free from foundational problems,” “how to defeat and destroy your faulty foundation,” “your foundation, your limitation” and much more.

We were taught “foundational problems” are always very difficult to tackle so to break free from them, you are always required to pray VERY hard, sow OUTRAGEOUS seeds (money of course) and embark on LONG hours of fasting.

If those three methods fail to work, then you will need to get “sand” or any other material from your father’s compound in the village and add a very powerful special sacrifice (oh yes, I mean money) to it. By all means, the limitation must be broken!

A popular verse of scripture from where this doctrine of foundation limitation was deduced and wildly propagated among churches is Psalm 11:3.

But what is this verse really about? What is it saying? Let’s see it together from the Bible.

“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalm 11:3 KJV

Was David the author of this verse talking about foundation as in roots of the righteous? What was he trying to say here?

Now if you just read that verse from the King James Translation of the Bible alone, you’d erroneously assume that’s what he’s talking about. But the truth is, what he is talking about in that verse is far from what we have made of it today.

We’ll have to read the previous and succeeding verses using a different translation for clarity to understand the simple message he was trying to pass across there.

“I trust in the LORD for protection. So why do you say to me, “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!

The wicked are stringing their bows and arrows on the bowstrings. They shoot from the shadows at those whose hearts are right.

The foundation of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?”

But the LORD is in his holy Temple; the LORD still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on the earth.

The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence.

He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulphur on the wicked, punishing them with scorching winds.

For the righteous LORD loves justice. The virtuous will see his face.” Psalm 11:1-7 NLT

The Message translation is another translation that breaks this chapter down for easy understanding.

From the entire chapter, you can see clearly that the “foundation” David was talking about in that verse was simply Peace and Order being destroyed in the land at the time he wrote that Psalm.

That is, he was talking about how crime and violence suddenly started reigning in Israel and how the good people in that land lacked the power or ability (physically) to combat it.

He then went ahead to express his trust and confidence in God’s protection over him and the righteous people in the face of the ongoing violence in the country.

It has nothing to do with the false teaching of foundation (roots) that is currently being used to deprive people of their hard-earned resources in Nigeria and Africa today. You’ve got to open your eyes to this.

Talking about the Christian and his true foundation, you’ve got to understand that the Christian is a product of Christ’s resurrection. He has his roots in Jesus and since he originated from Him, He (Jesus) is his foundation.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:11 expressly called Him our foundation although he called Him that in talking about the Christian faith and teachings.

(1Co 3:11)  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

He is the base, the foundation from which we have our beliefs and teachings. But even more, He is where we have our lives, our roots and our origin.

(Act 17:28)  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

The believer, created anew, is the offspring of God in Christ.

(2Co 5:17)  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

And since Christ rose from death completely perfect without any iota of sin, we can trust in Him completely knowing that our foundation as new creations is forever faultless.

This is the truth of the scriptures. Let no man put you again in bondage to fear.

Let no man unsettle you with “false” prophecies of your foundation being faulty as a believer in Christ to which you are required to make one sacrifice or the other. Jesus is our ever-faultless foundation.

When next they come with those terrifying messages to milk you dry or subject you to unnecessary religious exercises, stand your ground, beat up your chest and say “Jesus is my ever faultless foundation. In Him, I have my roots. No shaking!”

I hope this blesses you.

Glory to God!