People desire to have a good foundation in life, but what is a good foundation? And what if the foundations be destroyed? These are the questions we will answer in this post, giving you an answer you can trust.

For starters, we will turn to “the word of God” (1 Samuel 9:27), the Bible, because it is true of God that “his understanding is infinite.” Psalm 147:5.

Now, for those who are new to Bible notation, “1 Samuel 9:27” is a reference to the Bible, which itself is a collection of books. In the Bible, each book consists of one or more chapters, and each chapter has numbered sections called verses. The quotation referred to as “1 Samuel 9:27” then is taken from the book of 1 Samuel in the Bible, the 9^th chapter and the 27^th verse.

Who is God?

God is a Family of three divine Persons, namely, the Father, the Son called Christ, and the Holy Spirit. This Family is known as “the Godhead” (Acts 17:29) in the Bible. What is God like? “God is love.” 1 John 4:8.

So, not only can we find infinite wisdom in God, we can know that God’s answer to our questions is “holy, and just, and good” (Romans 7:12) in accordance with His character of love.

Our Bible Quotation of Focus

Now, in God’s word to humanity, the Bible, our question is framed in the following way in our Bible quotation of focus.

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

A True Foundation

All humanity can say in truth of the Godhead, “Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways… for thou only art holy” (Revelation 15:3, 4), you “who…[are] holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners [from evildoers].” Hebrews 7:26.

Now God speaks of Christ who came to the earth in human flesh over 2,000 years ago as a baby boy named “Jesus.” Matthew 1:21. “Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion [all those among humanity whom God has brought into right standing with Himself because they have consented to this] for a foundation a stone, a tried [tested] stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation [who is Christ].” Isaiah 28:16.

For God says, “Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than [God] his maker [his Creator]?” Job 4:17. “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man [and woman be] a liar.” Romans 3:4.

You may be surprised by what God says and exclaim, “I am not a liar!” Hold on and keep reading to the end of this post and I will explain why God is justified in what He says.

“For there is not a just man [or woman] upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not [does not do evil].” Ecclesiastes 7:20. “They [humanity] trust in vanity [in their own ways], and speak lies; they conceive mischief [evil], and bring forth iniquity [wickedness].” Isaiah 59:4.

The Godhead then is the true, sure foundation for all humanity for, as God says, “Every man [or woman is] a liar” (Romans 3:4) and is not trustworthy. So, God says, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” Psalm 118:8.

Now God, “he is the living God,” (Jeremiah 10:10), “who only hath [original, underived, and unborrowed] immortality” (1 Timothy 6:16) in that, God is the Source of all life outside of Himself, “and [He is] an everlasting king.” Jeremiah 10:10. So, God, the true, sure foundation, cannot be destroyed.

But wait! Just because God is a sure foundation for every person’s life, it does not mean that everyone automatically has this foundation. Read on and I will explain.

How You Can Have the True Foundation in Life

For you to have the true foundation in life you must live by “the principles of the doctrine [teachings] of Christ…[and] go on unto perfection…[by first] laying…the foundation of repentance from dead [evil] works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine [teachings] of baptisms [both the baptism by water and the baptism of the Holy Spirit]…and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.” Hebrews 6:1, 2.

Yes, I have just said a lot about your having the true foundation! Let us now break down what God says above in order to come to an understanding of God’s requirements for an individual to have this sure foundation.

Understanding the Context

The human race came into existence when God created a man named Adam and a woman named Eve. This first human pair were created by God “holy and without blame before him in love.” Ephesians 1:4.

However, Adam and Eve fell into sin which is evil and wrongdoing. Their sin was the result of their yielding to the temptation of Satan, who was an angel of high rank in heaven, before he was cast out of heaven by God for his wickedness in his rebellion against God. Satan’s sympathizers in heaven, the “evil angels” (Psalm 78:49) were cast out of heaven with him.

Adam and Eve’s sinful nature, that is to say, their disposition to do evil has been inherited by all their descendants.

Therefore, every human being can say of themselves in truth, “Behold, I was shapen [formed] in iniquity [wickedness]; and in sin [according to the inherited sinful nature] did my mother conceive me.” Psalm 51:5.

This is why God speaks of “the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4) such that “the whole world lieth in wickedness.” 1 John 5:19.

You may be asking, “Is there no hope for a better world?” “What is God going to do about the wickedness of the world?” You are quite right to ask these questions and the answer is that there is good news! God is going to bring about a perfect world and you can be a part of it.

Now God says, “What do ye imagine against the LORD [God]? he [God] will make an utter end: affliction [sin] shall not rise up the second time.” Nahum 1:9. Thus, God guarantees that sin will never rise up again in the universe.

God’s Solution to Sin: Christ, the Sure Foundation—Repentance

How will God bring about a perfect world? Well, “the wages of sin is [eternal] death [annihilation]; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

Now, “the carnal [worldly] mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God [God’s law of love], neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:7. Thus, God says that it is impossible for any human being, in their natural state, to live in accordance with God’s law of love.

Is there no hope then for any person? Yes, there is hope. God says to humanity, “I have set before you [eternal] life and [eternal] death [which is annihilation], blessing and cursing: therefore choose [eternal] life, that…thou…may live [eternally].” Deuteronomy 30:19.

Yes, eternal life is as simple as making a choice! For God will not force anyone to live in love and so be saved from eternal death (annihilation).

But when we choose eternal life, we have taken only the first step to having the true foundation and, hence, to be saved from annihilation.

We must then yield to the Holy Spirit so that we submit our will to God’s will, that is, to God’s law of love. Thus, we receive “the baptism of repentance” (Acts 13:24) by the Holy Spirit in that the Spirit causes us to have a sincere, deep sorrow for our sins.

A halfway submission where we agree with God in some things and disagree with God in other things will not suffice to cause us to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is all or nothing.

God’s Solution to Sin: Christ, the Sure Foundation–Faith

The second thing we must do to come into a right standing with God is to have faith in, that is, believe in, God’s promises.

Now “Jesus [Christ is] the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2) in God’s promises. In other words, no human being in their carnal, natural state can have faith in God.

When we come to repentance, we are enabled by Christ through the workings of the Holy Spirit to have genuine faith in God’s promises. That is, everyone receives the gift of faith from God but without repentance people have a superficial faith and not saving (correct) faith that takes proper hold of God’s truth by the working of the Holy Spirit.

Genuine repentance and faith instantaneously bring us into a right standing with God in that our past sins are forgiven by God and we receive the “the gift of righteousness” (Romans 5:17), that is to say, the gift of love from God which enables us to cease from sinning. This is known as “justification by faith.”

Faith in God involves our believing “that Christ died for our [humanity’s] sins…and that he was buried, and that he rose again [from the dead to life, that is, he was resurrected] the third day [after His death].” 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4.

Faith in God also involves believing that God’s judgment day is coming when all the righteous who have ever lived go to heaven, and all the wicked living at that time will die.

Note that there are three phases to God’s judgment which ends with the annihilation of the wicked and, thereafter, all the righteous live happily forever with God in a universe cleansed from all sin.

God’s Solution to Sin: Christ, the Sure Foundation–Baptism

Everyone who desires to have Christ, the sure foundation, in their life must be baptized by water.

This involves being immersed in water and being brought up again out of the water as a public declaration that you have died to your sinful nature and have been born again by the Holy Spirit as a Christian, that is, a true follower of Christ.

That is, if the baptismal ceremony is preceded by baptism of the Holy Spirit, it is a true sign that you have been “delivered…from the power of darkness, and hath [been] translated [transferred]…into the kingdom of his [God’s] dear Son [Christ].” Colossians 1:13.

Otherwise, baptism by water means nothing because the individual has not consented for God to change their character from sinfulness to love.

Also, baptism by water is the way that you typically become a member of a Christian church. Which church should you join? I recommend the Seventh-day Adventist Church which can be found in over 215 countries across the world.

But don’t just follow my recommendation blindly. Pray to God and ask Him to reveal His will for you and I am confident that God will lead you to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Why the Seventh-day Adventist Church? I will give one reason later in this post, but a careful and prayerful study of the Bible will reveal that God Himself speaks of the Seventh-day Church as His true church.

This Bible study about God’s true church is beyond the scope of this post as it is too lengthy and detailed to be included here.

I will in the future be releasing a book with such a Bible study as part of a series of books, of which my first book is available on this website as a free Ebook to read online or download as a PDF document. The book is also available for sale at Amazon marketplaces worldwide.

In the meantime, you could ask your nearest Seventh-day Adventist church to give you Bible studies. You can find Seventh-day Adventist churches by visiting the church’s website.

(NOTE: My second book is now available to read free online or download as free PDF document at this website. So, the relevant chapters are the ones on the books of Daniel and Revelation in the Bible. It too is available for sale at Amazon marketplaces worldwide.)

God’s Solution to Sin: Christ, the Sure Foundation–Sanctification

After our justification by faith, you must learn to overcome the sinful nature which is in constant conflict with “the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4) received from God on our justification by His giving you the gift of love.

This second and final phase of God’s solution to sin and is a process known as “sanctification.” 1 Corinthians 1:30.

During this phase we must learn to obey Christ’s words, “If any man [or woman] will come after [follow] me, let him [or her] deny himself [or herself, by denying their sinful nature], and take up his [or her] cross daily [by going against their natural inclinations], and follow me [Christ in my ways of love].” Luke 9:23.

“For through him [Christ] we…have access by one [Holy] Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:18), and thus the Godhead gives us the moral strength to overcome our sinful nature.

So, “now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners [from God’s people], but fellowcitizens with the saints [the justified], and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles [specially chosen disciples of Christ] and prophets [of God], Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone [essential in making the building stand].” Ephesians 2:19, 20.

For “ye [are]…as lively [living] stones, [and] are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5.

Thus, “in [Christ]…all the building [is] fitly framed [compactly joined] together [and it] groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord [Jesus Christ].” Ephesians 2:21.

This then is how you can have the true foundation in life whereby you will have eternal life because you will be saved from eternal death (annihilation) through Jesus Christ.

Laying Up a Good Foundation

Now sanctification is a lifelong process which should end in complete victory over all temptations to sin. This requires that every moment of your life you must live in accordance with God’s law of love, which is to say, in accordance with the Bible.

For example, God says, “Charge [urge] them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute [their wealth], willing to communicate [give freely].” 1 Timothy 6:17, 18.

Thereby, “laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come [which is God’s judgment day], that they may lay hold on eternal life.” 1 Timothy 6:19.

For “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” Luke 6:46.

“Whosoever cometh to me [God], and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew [show] you to whom he [or she] is like: He [or she] is like a man [or woman] which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.” Luke 6:47, 48.

“But he [or she] that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man [or woman] that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:49.

God’s meaning is that those who build their lives on Christ, the true foundation, by living in accordance with God’s law of love, will have eternal life.

The Wicked Deviate from the True Foundation

“Unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes [commandments], or that thou shouldest take my covenant [my promise to save humanity from eternal death through Christ] in thy mouth?” Psalm 50:16.

“Seeing [that] thou hatest instruction [from God], and castest my words behind thee.” Psalm 50:17.

“When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth [contrives] deceit. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother’s son.” Psalm 50:18-20.

“These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set…[things] in order before thine eyes.” Psalm 50:21.

“Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces [annihilate you], and there be none to deliver. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me [gives me glory]: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright [correctly] will I shew the salvation of God [the saving by God from eternal death, from annihilation].” Psalm 50:22, 23.

We see then that the wicked among humanity, which is every person who is not justified by God, all deviate from the principles of Christ, the true foundation. Figuratively, they build their houses upon sand.

Trusting in the True Foundation

“In the LORD [God] put I my trust: how say ye [the wicked] to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?” Psalm 11:1.

“For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily [secretly] shoot at the upright [righteous] in heart.” Psalm 11:2.

“If the foundations [of all righteousness] be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalm 11:3.

Here then is the question to which we seek an answer in this post. God’s answer is, “The LORD [God] is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold [see], his eyelids try [examines], the children of men [all humanity].” Psalm 11:4.

“The LORD trieth [tests] the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion [allotment] of their cup [reward].” Psalm 11:5, 6.

“For the righteous LORD [God] loveth righteousness; his countenance [face] doth behold [look with pleasure at] the upright [righteous].” Psalm 11:7.

It is clear then that humanity can wholeheartedly agree with “the…words of [king] David [of ancient Israel who]…said” (2 Samuel 23:1), “The LORD [God] is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer [from sin]; my God, my [moral] strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler [shield], and the horn [power] of my salvation [my saving by God from eternal death (annihilation)], and my high tower.” Psalm 18:2.

There is no need for the righteous to fear the wicked, for God is their defence and, even if they meet with death from the wicked, they can be assured that they will be resurrected to eternal life with God. On the other hand, the wicked will reap the reward of eternal death (annihilation).

Those That Raise up the Foundations

God says, “And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul [with the word of God, the Bible]; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday.” Isaiah 58:10.

“And the LORD [God] shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” Isaiah 58:11. In other words, God will bless you abundantly.

“And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.” Isaiah 58:12.

Which breach is God speaking of? God’s response to humanity is, “If thou turn away thy foot from the [seventh-day] sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the [seventh-day] sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD [God], honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD [God]; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD [God] hath spoken it.” Isaiah 58:13, 14.

The place of the biblical, holy seventh-day Sabbath, from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday, has been usurped in the world by the false, substitute Sabbath which is Sunday, with only a few on earth observing the true seventh-day Sabbath. This the breach which God says is to be repaired.

For the fourth of God’s “ten commandments” (Exodus 34:28) says, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11.

What is the heritage of Jacob? It is the promises God made to a man named Jacob, a spiritual father of “the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16) who are God’s invisible church made up of the justified on earth. God promised Jacob eternal life and many spiritual descendants.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church, God’s visible church on earth, is in a special sense “The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.” Isaiah 58:12. Ultimately, though, God is the only Repairer and the Restorer.

Reaping the Reward of Having a Good Foundation

A man named Paul who was an apostle of Christ and who won many people to Christ, wrote: “According to the grace [the unmerited favour] of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation [of the Christian church], and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” 1 Corinthians 3:10.

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:11.

“Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest [apparent]: for the [judgment] day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try [test] every man’s work of what sort it is.” 1 Corinthians 3:12, 13.

“If any man’s work abide [remain] which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward [from God of eternal life]. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved [to eternal life]; yet so as by fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:14, 15.

What is God saying to humanity through Paul? “He [or she] that winneth souls [that is an instrument in God’s hand to convert persons to Christ] is wise.” Proverbs 11:30.

Now Christ says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit [in good works]: for without me ye can do nothing [good].” John 15:5.

That is, unless we have Christ as our sure foundation, we cannot be instrumental in winning persons to Christ. If we fulfil this “holy calling” (2 Timothy 1:9) of God, we will reap the sure reward of eternal life.

The Foundation to be Hoped For

Now “the God of hope [has caused us to be] fill[ed] you with all joy and peace in believing, that…[we] may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost [Holy Spirit].” Romans 15:13.

Therefore, the righteous may say in truth, “We, according to his [God’s] promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:13.

We have “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10) which is “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven [to the new earth].” Revelation 21:2.

This then is the foundation to be hoped for by all humanity.

The Holy City and Its Foundations

God gave a vision, which is supernatural mental imagery, to a man named John, who was an apostle of Christ, and John wrote what He saw in the book of Revelation in the Bible.

John wrote: “And he carried me away in the spirit [Holy Spirit] to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” Revelation 21:10, 11.

“And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve [holy] angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel [Jacob].” Revelation 21:12.

“On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb [who is Christ].” Revelation 21:13, 14.

This is the image of the holy city to come that God desires all humanity to hold dear in their minds with the expectation of living there forever with God.

Note that the names of the twelve apostles are immortalised as the foundations of the city. For God says, “The memory of the just [righteous] is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.” Proverbs 10:7. So likewise shall the names of all the righteous, those who have Christ as their sure foundation, be immortalised.

Conclusion

We have sought to answer from the Bible, the two questions posed at the beginning of this post.

So, What is a good foundation? The answer: God is the only good foundation for our lives.

What if the foundations be destroyed? The answer: God, the true, sure foundation cannot be destroyed.

Also, we saw that every person who has God as their foundation will receive eternal life from God, while those who lack this foundation will be annihilated by God.

It is right therefore that we comply with God’s requirements so that we may live in accordance with God’s law of love. For “his [God’s] commandments are not grievous.” 1 John 5:3.

Let us all purpose in our heart to be among those persons who live happily forever with God.

How This Blog Teaches Bible Study

My blog posts take one or more Bible verses and unpack what is often the hidden meaning in them, to help you to gain in your understanding of the Bible, and to receive insights into how to study it. For God says, “Study [the Bible] to shew [show] thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [interpreting] the word of truth [the Bible].” 2 Timothy 2:15. There are new blog posts every two weeks on a Monday at 12:01 a.m. in timezone UTC-5 (GMT-5).

Further Reading

Image: The JD Darshan Solanki at unsplash.com.