Article - If the Foundations be Destroyed

If the Foundations be Destroyed

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

The wise words of Jesus are recorded in Matthew chapter 7. He compares those who do not hearken unto his words to a foolish man who builds his house upon the sand (v. 26). When the floods and wind come upon this man’s house, the foundation is destroyed and the fall of the house is great. Do we as Christians fall under the description of the foolish man or the wise man that builds upon the rock (v. 24)? It is imperative that we understand what foundation we are to build upon as Christians.
In Psalms 11:3 the Psalmist David writes, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” This question is of utmost importance in this ‘anything goes’ age that we are currently living in. If our spiritual foundation is manufactured from anything other than Jesus Christ and the word of God then we are setting ourselves up for a fall. In Ephesians 2:20, Paul explains that the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus calls himself (not Peter) the rock that under-girds the church. If we are not seeking the will of the Lord and searching his word for the true foundations, then what can we do that will be profitable?
Sometimes we like to build our spiritual foundation upon our feelings. If it feels good then we ought to do it. I am thankful that God gave us emotions, but they should not govern the decisions that we make in life. Many well meaning people have disregarded the clear commands of scripture and substituted what ‘feels’ right for truth. Our worship of God is not to be directed by emotion. In an effort to attract people into their congregations, many churches have orchestrated their services to appeal to our emotions. Jesus says that our primary purpose for gathering together as God’s people is to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), not to be entertained.
Oftentimes in the midst of worship we become emotional as we hear the truth proclaimed (and rightfully so), but our feelings do not govern our worship of God. Our feelings can lead us astray. The Bible speaks of sin being pleasurable (Hebrews 11:25). Should we sin because it feels good? No, we obey the commandments of the Lord because the pleasures of sin are but for a season. This principle applies to all of our emotions
If we try to build our spiritual foundation upon popular opinion we are also setting ourselves up for failure. We observe the effects of this philosophy in the area of creation. Many people have rejected the idea that God created the heavens and the earth in six literal days. They say that we are a result of an evolutionary process and are in existence because of chance. Although the theory of evolution has been discredited numerous times, many people hold to its tenets. Sadly, many Christians have integrated it into their belief system. Thus they have built upon the sands of error.
It does not matter how many esteemed and educated people continue to advertise evolution as the answer to our existence, we are directed by the word of God to stand upon His truth. In Romans 3:4, Paul commands us to let God be true, but every man a liar. There is much more evidence in our world that points to a divine creator than this world coming into existence accidentally.
We see the effects of the rejection of creation in our society. It seems that our nation is increasingly turning away from the moral teachings of the Bible. Millions of unborn babies continue to be slaughtered in the name of choice. Our children are increasingly exposed to sexual perversion and wickedness. I believe that this is directly related to God’s people building their spiritual foundations upon worldly opinions. This results in a downward spiral of families, churches and our nation. We should be emboldened by the promises of Jesus and the word of God. If our foundation is not built upon the ROCK, Jesus Christ we are good for nothing in this world.


Michael Green, Jr. is pastor of Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church (www.palmchapel.org) in Crestview, FL. Palm Chapel meets every Sunday at 10:30am and Wednesday at 6:00pm. Pastor Green can be contacted at (850) 689-3383 or by email at pastor@palmchapel.org. Pastor Green warmly invites you to come and worship at Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church.