Today’s Devotion will be slightly different. In today’s in-depth study portion, I will not focus on a specific text but on the concept of a biblical foundation.
Most people would say that the Bible or Christ is their foundation in theological circles. While I agree that Christ the Bible says He is more than a foundation, Jesus is the Cornerstone of our faith. How, then, are we to build upon this Cornerstone? Through the Word Itself. Note the capital letters, John 1:1 says Jesus is the Word. By studying the Word we build upon the Cornerstone that is the Word incarnate.
KEY VERSES
19 Bible Verses about Spiritual Foundations: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Spiritual-Foundations/type/am
Bible verses related to Foundation from the King James Version (KJV) by Book Order
DEFINITIONS
FOUNDATION. The word itself implies what it expresses, the basis and ground-work of a building. But in Scripture language it means Christ, the foundation God hath laid in Zion, and on which JEHOVAH hath built his church; and against which the gates of hell can never prevail. It is very blessed to see the ground and bottom on which this rests. It is founded in the purpose, counsel and will of JEHOVAH. The everlasting love, the everlasting wisdom, the everlasting power of God in which all the Persons of the GODHEAD are in the great design blended, all concur and all unite. And what endears it to the church, and gives a permanency and security to the whole is, that it is unchangeable, eternal, and for ever. And Christ in the united nature of God and man, becomes the sure foundation to give firmness and stability to it. He is the wonderful Person on whom it is built; the Rock of ages. So that he, and he alone, in the purposes of JEHOVAH, gives certainty to all that is included in redemption, for grace here and glory to all eternity. Well might the apostle in the contemplation of it say, “Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 3:11.) And blessed is the corresponding experience and testimony of true believers in the heart, when built upon the foundations of apostles and prophets, “Jesus Christ being the chief corner-stone; they are in all the building fitly framed, and growing together unto an holy temple in the Lord.” (Ephes. 3:20, 21.)
Robert Hawker, The Poor Man’s Concordance and Dictionary to the Sacred Scriptures (London: Ebenezer Palmer, 1828), 284–285.
Foundations, a base for the construction of any superstructure. Translating a variety of biblical terms, the word is used both literally and figuratively. It refers to both natural formations (Deut. 32:32) and humanly prepared anchorages for different kinds of structures (Solomon’s temple, 1 Kings 5:17; the second temple, Ezra 3:10; a house, Luke 6:48; a prison, Acts 16:26; the new Jerusalem, Heb. 11:10; Rev. 21:19). Such foundations could be elaborate and costly (1 Kings 7:10–11). Archaeological evidence shows that bedrock was preferred for major construction, but if such was not available the next best foundation was a solid stone platform constructed of layers of blocks of closely fitted stone. Such a foundation could be leveled by the use of trenches filled with gravel or small rock.
A cornerstone was important to all wall foundations and frequently served as a repository for inscriptions or other commemorative goods. To improve a foundation’s stability, the cornerstone would frequently be a worked stone, even in a wall of unworked stone. For storage buildings, foundations were made rodent tight by use of plaster in the chinks. For more modest housing, stone foundations one course high and one or two courses thick were minimal.
The image of a foundation lent itself to a variety of metaphorical applications. God, as Creator, is often identified as one who laid the foundations of the earth (2 Sam. 22:16; Job 38:4; Pss. 18:15; 82:5); for this reason the phrase “the foundation of the world” refers to the moment of Creation or to the beginning of all things (Matt. 13:35; John 17:24; Eph. 1:4; Heb. 4:3; 9:26; 1 Pet. 1:20; Rev. 13:8; 17:8). The righteousness and justice of God (Ps. 89:14) and God’s redemption (Isa. 28:16) form a stable foundation for life. Similarly, in one of his parables, Jesus likens the person who obeys his teaching to a wise man who builds his house upon a rock (cf. 1 Tim. 6:19), while the person who does not keep his words is like a foolish man who builds a house upon the sand (Matt. 7:24–27; cf. Job 4:19; 22:16). Paul speaks of initial missionary activity as laying a foundation and says that he does not build upon another’s foundation (i.e., work in areas where people have already heard the gospel from other missionaries), but prefers to go where Christ has not yet been named (Rom. 15:20; cf. 1 Cor. 3:10). Sticking with this basic metaphor, he also insists that though the missionary lays the foundation, the foundation itself is Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11
Roger S. Boraas and Mark Allan Powell, “Foundations,” in The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated), ed. Mark Allan Powell (New York: HarperCollins, 2011), 298–299.
I. In the Old Testament
The Heb. yāsaḏ and compounds mean ‘to fix firmly, found’ and is thus used both literally and metaphorically of all types of foundations whether of buildings (Jb. 4:19) and objects such as altars (Ex. 29:12) or of the earth (Ps. 24:2; Is. 24:18), the inhabited world (Ps. 18:15) and the vault of heaven (Am. 9:6). In this way the future Israel (Is. 54:11), Zion (Is. 14:32) and the righteous (Pr. 10:25) are described.
The ‘laying down’ of foundations (Is. 28:16), especially of a temple (1 Ki. 6:37; Ezr. 5:16) was a matter of religious ritual. There is, however, no sure archaeological evidence that human sacrifice (or ‘threshold covenant’) was involved. The loss of Hiel’s sons (1 Ki. 16:34) at the rebuilding of Jericho is interpreted as a punishment (Jos. 6:26) rather than as an offering. The choice and preparation were important and sometimes the foundations were laid on bed-rock or pure sand. Usually the site was levelled by filling within a retaining wall of stones either to support the whole structure or the corners. The foundations of Solomon’s Temple consisted of large and expensively trimmed blocks of stone (1 Ki. 5:17; 6:37; 7:10; cf. 1 Ch. 22:2). It has been suggested that different parts of the foundation of the second Temple are referred to; that a retaining wall (Aram. ’ušša; Akkad. ’uššu, Ezr. 5:16) was first built to retain the foundation platform (temenos; Akkad. timēnu), then later the returnees filled this in with earth and relaid foundations upon it (Ezr. 3:10; Zc. 4:9), but there is no archaeological or linguistic support for this theory. The foundations are often the only feature of ancient *ARCHITECTURE remaining today.
The ‘gate of the foundation’ in Jerusalem (2 Ch. 23:5, AV) may be the Horse-gate or ‘Gate of Sur’, while the ‘rod of foundation’ (mûsāḏâ, Is. 30:32, AV ‘grounded staff’) is probably for ‘staff of punishment’ (RSV; reading mūsar).
BIBLIOGRAPHY. R. S. Ellis, 2, 1968; G. Turner, Iraq 32, 1970, pp. 69–71.
D. J. WISEMAN.
II. In the New Testament
Two Gk. words are thus translated.
- katabolē, ‘a casting or laying down’. All ten occurrences of this word are bound up with the phrase ‘the foundation of the world’ (e.g. Mt. 13:35; Lk. 11:50).
- themelios, ‘anything laid’, appears sixteen times. Generally this word is found in a figurative sense, but it is used literally in speaking of the wise man who builds his foundation upon a rock (Lk. 6:48). Christ is spoken of as the foundation of the church, i.e., the true and only basis of our salvation (1 Cor. 3:11). He is the chief *CORNERSTONE, and the apostles, who are the trustees and publishers of his gospel, are referred to as the foundation on which Christians are built (Eph. 2:20; cf. Rev. 21:14, 19). ‘Foundation’ is used also of one’s ministry (Rom. 15:20; 1 Cor. 3:10), and in referring to the security of God’s seal (2 Tim. 2:19). The first principles of divine truth are a foundation on which the rest depend (Heb. 6:1–2).
- In a slightly different use of the word Timothy is instructed to urge those who are ‘rich in this world’ to lay up a good foundation (1 Tim. 6:19; cf. Heb. 11:10; Mt. 6:19–20) by trusting all to God—perhaps in contrast to the Ephesian merchants who deposited their earthly treasures in the temple of ‘the great goddess Artemis’.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. K. L. Schmidt, TDNT 3, pp. 63f.; H. H. Esser, NIDNTT 1, pp. 376–378; J. Blunck, idem, pp. 660–662.
J. D. DOUGLAS.
J. B. TAYLOR.
Biblical Senses
to establish — verb. to institute, enact, or establish.
foundation — noun. the foundational support for a structure; usually made of stone.
base — noun. a support or foundation.
basis ⇔ foundation — noun. a relation that provides the foundation for something.
The Foundation of the Christian Religion gathered into Six Principles
And it is to be learned of ignorant people, that they may be fit to hear sermons with profit, and to receive the Lord’s Supper with comfort.
by William Perkins
Same title but an E-Book for modern readers: https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/perkins/The%20Foundation%20of%20Christian%20-%20William%20Perkins.pdf
DEVOTION
He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge. Isaiah 33:6
Discover more from Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach 
One thought on “Devotional Thought – “Foundations” – 01/28/2025”