Why should Christians be careful about how they build on the foundation?
Christians should be careful because their building on the foundation will be examined someday by the fiery eyes of the Lord Jesus. The foundation is the finished work of Christ, and believers are adding to it. Each person's section will be inspected, so they must build meticulously with the materials God provides.
Les explains that Paul is the master builder who started the foundation, and now ordinary believers have been building on that foundation for nearly two thousand years. The foundation itself is the finished work of the cross—that Christ died for the world's sins and rose victorious, so that by His life and death we are justified. Les likens this building to a wall of cement blocks or bricks, where we mix mortar and lay each brick. We must be meticulous in how we build because our section of the wall will someday be examined by the fiery eyes of the Lord Jesus. God gives us six materials to build with, so our care matters.
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
More Questions
How long have believers been building on the foundation?
General, ordinary believers have been building on that foundation from about AD 29 or 30 to the present, nearly 2,000 years but not quite a full 2,000 years yet.
What does building on the foundation mean in 1 Corinthians 3:12?
When verse 12 says 'if anyone builds,' it means building in your daily experiences on the foundation.
Who is considered to be building on the foundation in 1 Corinthians 3:12?
The person who builds on this foundation is a believer—any man, woman, or child who has trusted Christ for salvation and is in the body.