Upon This Rock
Building upon your Faith
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matthew 16:18 NIV.
Jesus just gave Peter a large responsibility; a platform to build his ministry and the church on.
Although Peter is often what we refer to as “the rock” on which the church is built, the actual rock is Jesus.
1 Corinthians 3:11 NLT says: “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.”
Jesus is the rock and the foundation on which all ministry, preaching, and our lives should be built on.
The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 is emphasizing here that he laid the ground work in the church of Corinth now which others will build on.
Paul warns the church in preceding verse “But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.”
Man has a habit of perverting God’s intentions.
We see many examples of this across countless religions and even in Christian denominations.
The warning Paul gives though is two fold. Paul continues:
12Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.”
Understand this is not just about what we build a church or ministry on. It is also about what we build our lives on.
How do I know this? Because in the next verse Paul says:
“Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?(you emphasized in bold)
A church for example can start on the foundation of Jesus, but build a weak or worldly ministry.
In the same way, a Christian can have faith in Jesus but lead a a lukewarm or even sinful life.
The scripture above tells all of this will be tested and revealed by fire. And although one will be saved by believing in Christ, their rewards may not be the same.
Interestingly enough Paul says “The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.”
So you could have salvation in your faith, but Paul says we don’t want to just make it across the finish line (or out of the flames)…but to win the race.
“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!” 1 Corinthians 9:24 NLT.
So when the Lord opens the book of life and sees your name in, what will be in the notes next to it?
But I thought the Gospel wasn’t works based? Well…Salvation isn’t works based.
Yes Paul says “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” Ephesians 2:9 NLT.
The key word here is Salvation. Salvation is simple, it is belief in Christ as Lord and savior.
The Gospel however is how to live in the likeness of Jesus.
“whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” 1 John 2:9
Because though we may “barely escape” the flames with our Salvation, scripture says we as Christians will still be judged:
“For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 NLT.
But you may remember scripture also says our sins will be forgiven and remembered no more (Hebrews 8:12, 1 John 1:9).
Is this a contradiction? No.
Hebrews 8:12 and 1 John 1:9 are about Salvation.
The “Bema seat of Christ” often referenced in scripture, is for believers only. The bema seat is about accountability and “rewards” not salvation or punishment.
What rewards these are? I don’t know, but likely not what we think of on earth.
The Bema seat is not to be confused with the Great White Throne room Judgement in scripture. This is at the end of the world for non-believers for rejecting Christ and you don’t want be there.
Ultimately, the takeaway here is: What will you do with your life of faith?
What are you going to build upon your foundation of Jesus?
Will you be closet Christian with a tent, or bold apostle with a fortress?
“…and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”Matthew 16:18 NIV