DM#24: I have laid the foundation

Doctrine of the Mysteries #24

I have laid the foundation

1Co 3:10  According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

In our key verse above, Paul tells us that he is a master builder who has laid the foundation for the new dispensation of grace that God started through his ministry. This foundation is based upon the mystery doctrine that God revealed to Paul and which he wrote about in his epistles. However, before we discuss this foundation, we must take note that there is another foundation which God had previously laid. Furthermore, it is of great importance that we are aware of both, what the significance of each is, and that we know which foundation is the one we should build upon.

God’s previously laid foundation

The writer of Hebrews informs us of this previously laid foundation. It is a foundation that belongs to Israel. It consists of their doctrine and is the base upon which their faith and services to God ought to be built. Let’s have a look at the passage,

Heb 6:1-2  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,  (2)  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

It is clear that the foundation consists of the doctrines that are listed there. Repentance, faith toward God, baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment, were topics that were laid by the prophets, and by Christ. These were to prepare Israel for the New Covenant and for their Kingdom.

It is interesting to note, however, that the writer tells them not to regress in knowledge and go back to those basic foundational principles of the Old Covenant, but that they build upon it, by pressing on to perfection; gaining spiritual wisdom of the New Covenant and placing their faith in the resurrected Christ, their Messiah, their Perfect Sacrifice, their High Priest, and their Mediator.

God’s current foundation

So, if the above is the foundation of Israel, what foundation did Paul lay for us? The simplest answer is that our foundation consists of the mystery doctrine presented in Paul’s epistles. Our foundation cannot be found in the prophetic scriptures or the four Gospels. Paul tells us in Eph 3:8 that what he preached among the Gentiles was the unsearchable riches of Christ, hid in God, and hidden throughout all the past generations, but now revealed to Paul for the foundation building up of the Body of Christ.

At the end of this article is a short extract of the many mysteries revealed by Paul, each of which is unique to Paul’s doctrine and cannot be found prophesied in the rest of the Bible. Although our primary foundation consists of the principles recorded in the epistle of Romans, we are to become intimately familiar with all the mysteries since they make up the body of doctrine to which our entire existence will be based upon, from our walk of faith here on earth, to our judgement at the Bema Seat of Christ, to our purpose and vocations in the ages to come. As the writer of Hebrews encourages his Jewish readers to press onto perfection, learning and building upon their foundation, when their time comes at the tribulation, so Paul encourages us to build upon our foundation, right now, while we still have the opportunity in this time of grace.

Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. (See also Eph 4:12-13; Php 3:12.

An extract of mysteries only found in Paul’s epistles

A sure way to know if something that Paul writes is a ‘mystery’, one simply needs to determine if that statement can be found in prophecy. The list of statements below can either not be found anywhere in the prophetic texts, or they are the complete opposite of what is prophesied. If this is the case, one can chalk it up as part of the mysteries of our doctrine, and which defines our faith, the principles that we abide by, and our future purpose in Christ.

• Blinding of Israel / Gentiles grafted in (Rom 9-11)
• Christs death a blessing (Acts 2-3 vs Galatians 6:14)
• The church is the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
• Jews and Gentiles equal (Romans 10:12)
• Salvation by grace, not works (Gal 2:20; 5:2-4)
• Salvation to Gentiles without Israel / through the fall of Israel (Romans 11:11-15 vs. Isaiah 60:1-3)
• We are identified with and positioned in Christ (a new creature with a heavenly citizenship Phil 3:20)
• Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col 1:27)
• No longer under the law (Rom 6:14 - Justification apart from the law)
• Liberty in the Spirit (Rom 14)
• The catching away (rapture)
• The mystery of: the faith / godliness / lawlessness

There are two foundations in scripture. One for Israel, as determined by the prophetic scriptures, and one for the Body of Christ, as determined by the mysteries. These are the basis for the two programs that form part of the greater redemption plan of God for heaven and earth. It is absolutely critical that we understand both these foundations and ensure that we build upon the foundation of the mysteries. If a person stands upon the foundation of the prophets (of Israel), then they are standing upon a doctrine that is not in operation today. They are placing their faith in principles that are suspended, inactive, and dysfunctional.

This is yet another perfect example of the critical need of right division, 2Tim.2;15. Paul, who is the apostle to the Gentiles was provided with a grace doctrine that does not build upon Israel’s old foundation, but that lays a brand-new foundation. This is why Paul says,

2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

We as grace believers should be stablished upon the principles that Paul lays out in Romans, and we build upon this new foundation with the doctrine provided to us in Romans to Philemon.

For more details of both these foundations, as well as additional material on this topic, please see the following articles,

• https://thebigpicturelink.blogspot.com/2023/10/are-you-building-on-correct-foundation.html
  
  
• https://thebigpicturelink.blogspot.com/2023/03/pauls-curriculum-for-maturing-in-spirit.html
  
  
• https://thebigpicturelink.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-9-epistles-of-israel-in-tribulation.html