It was my first appointment. My husband was sitting on the chair next to the wall and the doctor was getting ready to look at my uterus. Then the doctor said, “there is a pregnancy. And there is a pregnancy.”
Twins.
Two babies. At the same time. When we weren’t even planning on having one for some time. It was overwhelming and exciting and crazy! Now those twins are almost 3 years old. A girl and boy who love each other and fight over elephant vs. fish videos on YouTube. They are kind and loving and sweet. While simultaneously being my real-life example of the effects of original sin.
My son likes to climb on things. He climbs up on the sofa then tries to walk off. He’s not very tall. His little legs do not allow him to step down easily. He is not a bird and cannot fly. Yet, he attempts to do things that could hurt his little body. When standing (now is not the time to lecture me about allowing my children to stand on the sofa) on a foundation that is solid and holding him well, he often attempts to step into the air.
We do this with the Bible. The Word of God does not change. It is strong and firm and keeps us safe. It is our foundation. I once heard someone say that the problem with Christians is that they take the Bible “too seriously.” But my question for that person is, “what is too serious?”
If all the things the Bible says about itself are true – and they are – then what exactly is the reason we have to step off that foundation? We are kept on all sides by the truth of the scripture. When we compromise our foundation, we are like my son stepping off of the sofa with tiny legs not expecting to be broken by the crash landing. Only our crash will be much more painful and life-threatening. When we step off, we don’t break our legs, we sin against our perfect, Holy God by compromising the fact of His existence and Lordship.
Because there is no neutrality.
One game we play is that we can start in the middle, in neutral, and work our way to God. But that’s not how it works. We start with God. “In the beginning, God…” (Genesis 1:1). The first thing that happens in the Bible is the assumption of God. We can assume Him as our foundation. We do not prove Him as our foundation. We do not give up that foundation when speaking with someone who disagrees. We do not reason our way to God because without God there is no reasoning. When we feel ourselves wavering, we must return to the foundation. Let’s stand firmly on the unmovable God who created the whole world and has always existed.
This is not a matter of opinion. I like to share my opinions on many topics: politics, education, food, etc. But this foundation transcends opinion. When confronted with an idea, God uses His Word to remind us and teach us what is true. When our thoughts or ideas disagree with the foundation, we submit to the truth of scripture, because otherwise we believe the lie that we know better than God (Romans 9).
Jesus valued scripture. When He was tempted by the evil one, He quoted scripture as his defense (Luke 4). He didn’t discount the scriptures and give all the reasons for why He wouldn’t fall for temptations that were outside of the Father. He leaned into truth and trusted the Father. We want to have the same uncompromising approach to the Bible, not stepping off of our foundation.
Thursday we will share resources to help bring these thoughts together. The infallible, inerrant word of God needs to be the solid ground beneath our feet. We need to stand firmly on it, unwavering and uncompromising. When we make decisions, they stem from what we believe foundationally.
-JaQuinn
What does your foundation look like? Is it easily swayed by your emotions or do you work to ensure that you begin with God?
Rooted and Redeemed 