LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
God's Solid Foundation
What is the firm foundation on which God builds his work? There are three episodes in the New Testament, associated with the apostle Peter, that answer these questions.
The confession of Caesarea. In Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks his disciples who men say he is. They tell him that they all associate him with one of the prophets. He then asks them the same question. Peter declares: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God". The Lord replies: "Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 16:16-17). Jesus is the Anointed One of God, in whom the Father has willed to gather all things together. He is also the only begotten Son of God. And the only way he can be known is by revelation from the Father.
The foundation of all God's work is not a biblical knowledge of Christ, but inner revelation, which is the starting point of a vital relationship with the Lord. This revelation is absolutely personal. John says that the gospel was written "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31). This is the raison d'être of all Scripture: that men may believe correctly, that believing they may have life in the name of Jesus.
The interruption on the mountain. The Lord takes Peter, John and James to the mountain, and there he is transfigured before them. And Moses and Elijah appear beside him. Then Peter proposes to make three tabernacles: one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. At that moment, a voice from the cloud says: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Matt. 17:5). The Father intervenes from heaven to silence Peter, and set things right. Moses (the law) and Elijah (the prophets) were in force until John (Luke 16:16), but since then, only one voice is to be heard: the voice of the Son of God.
To believe that Jesus is a prophet is not enough; it is necessary to believe what he is in his precious person: the Christ of God, and the Son of God. These things, which have been hidden from the wise and learned, have been revealed to babes (Mt. 11:25).
The testimony before the council. After the healing of the lame man in the temple, Peter is brought before the council. There, he testifies, saying: "Jesus Christ of Nazareth ... whom God raised from the dead ... is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the head of the corner" (Acts 4:10-11).
Peter testifies to the resurrection of Christ. How could Jesus be the foundation of God's work if he had been overcome by death? Then he testifies about Jesus as the cornerstone, rejected by the builders. Men have rejected him, but God has approved him! The rock is not Peter, but Christ. And it is not only Christ exalted to the right hand of the Father, but Christ made known by the Father on earth. God's work has a solid foundation only in Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God.