Building on the Rock

We have been thinking together in a few editorials about the question, “What are we standing on?” We’re discussing the building blocks of belief, the basic influences which shape what we believe. The technical term is “epistemology,” which is derived from a Greek word which means “to stand upon.” If our beliefs are a building, epistemology is the foundation. As a building’s size, shape, and stability are determined by what is underneath it, so the strength of our beliefs is determined by what they are built on.

Jesus gets at this in Matthew 7.

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.

Jesus contrasts the life built on His words with the life built on anything else. Those who build their lives on Christ will be stable and strong, able to withstand the storms—whether within ourselves or levied by Satan or a God-hating world. Those who reject Him and build on anything else will be decimated in the storms.

Obedience is explicitly mentioned in these verses (those who hear and do Jesus’ sayings), but doctrine is implied. While Jesus specifically speaks of doing His sayings, doing embraces belief as an essential prerequisite for obedience. If we are to build our entire lives on Jesus’ sayings, does that not imply that we must accept His truth along with His commands?

So the specific question we must each consider is, “Are our beliefs built on the rock of Christ’s teachings, or are we building on another foundation?”

We need to think carefully about this, because we can think we are being biblical even when we aren’t. We can know Bible verses and not allow them to shape our thinking. Or we can incorporate parts of the Bible into our thinking yet do no more than use it to support our preconceptions. Are we really Bible people if the Bible isn’t the basis for every belief? I don’t think so.

Not one of us was born with a biblical worldview. And all of us have deficiencies—even those who grew up in Bible-saturated churches. Which means each of us needs to be continuously conformed to God’s word. If we assume we are already thoroughly biblical, we will not expect the Bible to challenge us or change our minds. And it won’t if we don’t expect it to.

So I encourage you to think carefully about your beliefs. When did you last change your mind because of something you read in your Bible? While we shouldn’t be unstable—always shifting and never landing—we do need to be shaped by God’s word. Sometimes that means changing our minds. If the Bible is never changing you, are you really reading it?

Similarly, be sure you are being shaped by all of the Bible and not just the portions which agree with you. Are your convictions strong on non-resistance? Good. How well are you loving your neighbor? Are you diligently obeying God’s commands? You should be. How’s your doctrine? Paul reminded Timothy to watch his life and his doctrine. Both are essential to godliness. Push into every text to find where you need to be convicted and corrected (cf. 2 Tim 3:16). Build your life—beliefs and all—on the sure rock of God’s word.