Underneath The Pavement

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nderneath the large esplanade in front of Notre Dame in Paris lies a large collection of ruins, memories of days gone by, witnesses to what used to be.  In order to visit these ruins, it is necessary to descend a small set of stairs and enter into the past.  Here, in this well-lighted museum, far below the bustling streets above, the foundations of buildings, houses, and streets lie uncovered in plain view.

There is a walking tour that guides you through this maze and all along the walls are written explanations about the ruins in front of you.  Models and maps at the entrance to the gallery provide a vivid representation of Paris as it grew and changed from one century to the next.  Yet, here below the streets, the past speaks to the present, reminding us of what once was and causing us to consider what will be.

As I mused through this gallery, one area in particular caught my attention.  In the back of the museum, not far from where the cathedral is standing were the ruins of a home built in the first century A.D.  The ruins clearly showed an arched doorway, a staircase, and several foundations for walls that divided the dwelling into rooms.  Although the actual walls and roofs were no longer visible, the foundations of that structure were as clear as the day they were cut from the stone before me.

I began to play a type of game during the remaining portion of my visit.  At each exhibit, I located the foundation of the structure, be it a house, a building, a cellar, or a street.  Each foundation was the same as the one I had seen earlier in the back portion of the crypt.  The stones, perfectly cut and expertly laid, were fashioned to bear the burden of the structures placed upon them.  What better picture could there be of Jesus Christ, the foundation upon which we must build our lives, than these stones?

In 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, the Apostle Paul writes these words, “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 

As we can see from this passage, Paul understood the importance of the foundation.  He knew that in any construction project the foundation plays the pivotal role.  If the foundation is poorly fashioned and laid, then the structure, no matter how elegant or sound, is doomed to destruction.  Without a firm foundation, no building will be able to withstand the wear and tear that comes from being exposed on a daily basis to the weather and other forces of nature.

If this is true for a building, how much more true is it for a life?  Paul also understood that in order for our lives to have meaning and purpose they must have a solid foundation and that foundation is Jesus Christ.  Look at Paul’s admonition that one must be careful how he builds.  The only foundation upon which we must build is Jesus Christ, and only on him must we anchor and build our lives.

This is nowhere more true than in the church.  We must understand that the church is the church of Jesus Christ.  It belongs to him, not to us.  The foundation of every church must be Jesus Christ.  Neither the pastor, nor the Sunday school teacher, nor the deacons, nor a doctrinal statement, nor a building, nor traditions, nor particular families, nor the members of a church can be considered as the church’s foundation.  We sing the hymn, “The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord…”  How true this is.  Jesus is the only foundation the church has, any other foundation, no matter how appealing or convenient, is unacceptable to God.

 

What are you building your life on today?  Is it the sure foundation found in Jesus Christ?  If your life were excavated and laid bare, what type of foundation would be found?  Would it be like those found underneath the Paris streets, still solid, still visible, still as robust and strong as the day it was laid?  Would it show evidence of having endured the hardships and challenges of life while still maintaining its steadfastness and strength?  This is exactly what your life would resemble if Christ were the foundation.  What is under the pavement of your life today?