The Building of Faith

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27

I posed the question last week, “Why do you believe in God?” And to sum up, often tangible reasons do not exist. But we believe and we try to grow in our faiths through a variety of methods. But as I considered “spiritual growth” I came up with the following thought – what is the foundation? Upon what do we grow/build our faiths? 1 Corinthians 3:11 states, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” If Christ is the foundation, what exactly is it about Christ that established that base? Is it proper doctrine and statements of faith? Is the proper foundation orthodoxy about God? I wonder, especially when you consider many if not most Christians come to faith without a proper understanding of Christ.

So, let me throw something out there and see where it lands. Tell me if you disagree.

Let me use building imagery to portray my thoughts. Imagine a life of faith as house. Houses have foundations, infrastructure, walls, decorations, etc. Now if each aspect of the house represents an element of faith then where do doctrine, theology, experience, revelation, service, sacrifice, etc., line up?

I found this question difficult to answer. Perhaps the question is not so easily given voice, or perhaps the frustration is caused by a clashing of the modern and post-modern mindset. Either way, I came to the following conclusion:

Doctrine is not the foundation of faith. Theology bolsters the framework of faith and provides support as the building of faith reaches up to God. But the foundation of faith resides not in logic but in experience. One cannot begin a building of faith unless one lays the groundwork through an encounter with God. When it comes down to it, faith cannot really be shared because experience establishes faith.

Let me extend the building metaphor. When a house is completed in all its splendor, what do the owners show off? Do they take you downstairs to the unfinished basement so you can see the concrete slab upon which the house is built? No. Instead the owner will display the rooms, beautifully painted, decorated, and arranged. And just as no one when showing a house shows the foundation, we cannot show people our experience. We can describe it. We can cling to it and put our hope in it. But we can not show it and we definitely cannot give it to someone else. The foundation is integral to our building and cannot be separated from the structure.

And just as a poured foundation is of little value if not built upon, if we remain at the foundation of experience without building upon it our faith is of little value as well. This is where doctrine and theology come in. Ideally we have put time into finishing the building and making it pleasing to look at. Then we can share the walls of the building of faith – beautifully adorned with the paint of theology and the molding of doctrine. No doubt some will not agree with our colors and choices. In the same way everyone will not always agree with our doctrine and practice. But that is the beauty of not living in carbon copy houses. Each house displays its own unique personality and experience with the builder (whom we would call God).

May we build upon the foundation of our experience with our God and Savior.