By Tom Shanklin

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalms 11:3, KJV).

Back in my hippie days before I knew the Lord, I built a house on poles.

It was an amazing project in some ways. Built without power tools at the cost of $500, the 16 by 24 foot structure was constructed from recycled timbers and inexpensive rough sawn lumber. It was unique, because it’s design was inspired by the components from a log building we had torn down.

Along with some friends, I built this house in a wooded area on 10 acres of land Susan and I had purchased in southeastern Minnesota near Spring Grove. By the time we made the down payment and moved unto the property, $500 was all we had left to construct a home. There was no electricity on the property and I owned no power tools. So, it was constructed using hand tools and hand labor.

Yes, it was an interesting project, but just one problem. It did not have an adequate foundation.

We completed the basic structure in late fall, and as you know it gets quite cold in Minnesota. Once we had enclosed the structure, I had to take a job to put food on the table. The house had no insulation and since the lumber we used for siding was green and shrinking, the only thing that stood between us and the -35 degree temperatures was a thin sheet of plastic. Fortunately, I had taken a job at a local saw mill which made railroad ties, and I had free access to a by-product (tie ends) which I loaded into my pickup and brought home nearly every night. We threw the green tie ends into a small tin stove which we kept stoked to the max to try and keep from freezing to death. Susan and I and our first child, Heidi, slept each night in two down sleeping bags zipped together into a cocoon.

Most of the locals thought we wouldn’t make it, but somehow we survived the winter. My parents later sent me some money for insulation, which we put on the ceiling. We also added some tar paper to help keep the wind from blowing through our domicile. Yes, slowly we began to make some improvements on our little cabin in the woods, but still we had no foundation.

The house was built on a hillside and after a while the poles began to shift and lean toward the downward side of the hill. Besides that, the poles were not treated, so we knew eventually they would rot. The leaning poles of Tom’s house began to make me nervous, especially since the house had much more weight on the downward side of the hill due to the unique design which I had incorporated into the construction.

In the meantime, Susan and I received Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and fortunately, a Christian brother came to the rescue. He helped me to come up with a plan to put a concrete foundation under the house. We dug under the house by hand to form and pour the footings and then we rented forms and poured concrete walls under the house. It was not a full basement, but at least after the labor-intensive project, we had a solid foundation under our house. Then we were able to continue to improve the house. We added running water, a septic tank, indoor plumbing, electricity, sheet rock, a 16 by 16 foot two-story addition, and stucco siding. Our little tar-paper shack eventually became a pretty nice little house. In fact, it’s still standing today!

Just as our tar-paper shack in the woods was in danger of falling down without a proper foundation, so without a strong foundation of faith, both churches and individual Christians are bound to fail. The winds of doctrine are blowing hard against the Chruch today. We must maintain a strong foundation in order to stand. Notice the biblical foundation of Hebrews 6:

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again [Greek: casting down] the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. (Hebrews 6:1-3, KJV).

The Greek word translated “laying again” in Hebrews 6 is “kataballo,” meaning casting down. In other words, don’t let this foundation be destroyed but rather build upon it and go forward. When we teach these first principles and build upon them, the church and its individual members will become strong and we will have a powerful influence upon society. When these things are neglected, we become a weak religious club with no power to deliver the Gospel and set the captives free. Let’s take a brief look at the foundational principles of the doctrine (teaching) of Christ:

1. Repentance from Dead Works. In order for a person to come to God they must repent (turn) away from sin and turn toward God. Dead works refer to sinful deeds or empty deeds. Some religious activities can be “dead works” because they are lifeless and involve no change of heart. In order to have this foundation in your life, you must make Jesus the Lord of your life. Many people attend church week after week and never hear about the need to repent (turn from sin). Some are even taught that repentance is self-effort, and since we are saved by grace through faith, all self-effort is futile. Therefore, they say, we do not need to repent, rather we just need to “believe the Gospel.” Jesus, however, called people to repent AND believe the Gospel. (Mark 1:15)

2. Faith Toward God. The scriptures declare, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6, KJV). Without faith there is no salvation. We must believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins (personally) and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.

3. The Doctrine of Baptisms. Some of the modern translations render this “washings,” but the original Greek is “baptizmo” which is from another Greek word meaning “to dip or immerse.” The Lord speaks here of the teaching of baptisms (plural) meaning that there is more than one. The Scripture speaks of three foundational baptisms:

a. Baptism into the Body of Christ. When we are born again, the Holy Spirit immerses us into the Body of Christ. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:13, KJV.
b. Baptism into water. After we believe, we are to immersed in water identifying with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4, KJV.
c. Baptism into the Holy Spirit. We then are to receive power when we are immersed in the Holy Spirit. “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” Acts 1:5, KJV.

4. Laying on of Hands. If you talk to many in the Church about the laying on of hands, they will look at you like you were born on Mars, but this is a first principle of the doctrine of Christ. The laying on of hands brings a release of the Kingdom of God and an importation of the anointing for healing (Mark 16:18), the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:19), and commissioning of ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 5:22). It is much neglected and much needed.

5. Resurrection of the Dead. The scripture clearly teaches that Jesus Christ will return to this earth and raise the dead and gather them unto Himself. This day is coming. Those believers who are alive when he comes will be changed into another state of being and will have immortality. “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52, KJV.

6. Eternal Judgement. This is the truth that those who fail to receive and follow Christ will suffer eternal damnation and punishment in the lake of fire. Without an understanding of judgment, the Gospel lacks a vital part of its meaning and power. As the Scripture says, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15, KJV.

Just as a strong foundation was essential to keep the house I built from falling down the hill, so it is that these basic foundational truths are essential to build a strong local church and to develop strong Christians. Once the foundation is laid, we can “go on to perfection,” maturing and developing in the things of God. So I encourage you, build your house on the rock and it will stand!

Comments on This Article

Great testimony and very clear & excellent teaching on the foundational doctrines of Christ! God bless you. (Oklahoma)

Great tale of you house on stilts. The doctrine of Baptisms is a widely misunderstood teaching that has left much of the USA  church powerless. (Northern Minnesota)

Note: This post was originally published on Mat 29, 2015.