The Foundation of Faith

January 15

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. — John 1:1–3

Scripture reading: Luke 6:27–49

If we are ever going to make any progress in the divine life, we will have to have a real foundation. There is no foundation except the foundation of faith for us. All our actions and all that ever will come to us that is of any importance will be because we have a Rock. If you are on the Rock, no power can move you. In any area or principle of your faith, you must have something established in you to bring it forth. There is no establishment outside God‘s Word. Everything else is sand. Everything else will break apart. If you build on anything else but the Word of God—on imaginations, sentimentality, or feelings—it will mean nothing without the foundation, and the foundation will have to be in the Word of God.

I was once going on a train to Blackpool. It is a fashionable resort, and many people go there because of the high tides and the wonderful sights they see as the ocean surges up in large, massive mountains of sea. As I traveled, I looked over and said to a builder, “Those men are building houses upon sand.”

“Oh,” he said, “you don‘t know. You are not a builder. Don‘t you know that we can pound that sand until it becomes like rock?”

I said, “Nonsense!” I saw the argument was not going to profit, so I dropped it. By and by, we reached Blackpool, where the mountainous waves come over. I saw a row of houses that had fallen flat, and drawing the attention of this man, I said, “Oh, look at those houses. See how flat they are.” He forgot our previous conversation and said, “You know here we have very large tides, and these houses, being on the sand when the floods came, fell.”

Our foundation must be something better than sand, and everything is sand except the Word. There isn‘t anything that will remain. We are told that heaven and earth will be melted with fervent heat (2 Peter 3:10). But we are told that the Word of God will be forever, and not one jot or tittle of the Word of God will fail (Matthew 5:18). If there is anything that satisfies me, it is in knowing that “Your word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). Another passage in Psalm 138 says, “You have magnified Your word above all Your name” (v. 2). The very establishment for me is the Word of God.

Here we have the foundation of all things, which is the Word. It is a substance; it is a power. It is more than relationship; it is personality. To every soul that enters into this privilege, it is a divine injunction to be born of this Word. What it means to us will be very important. For remember, it is “substance”; it is an “evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). It brings about what you cannot see and brings forth what is not there.

God took the Word and made the world. We live in the world that was made by the Word of God, and it is inhabited by millions of people. You say it is a substance. Jesus, the Word of God, made it with the things that did not appear. And nothing has been made that has not been made by the Word (John 1:3). When we come to the truth of what that Word means, we will be able not only to build, but also to know; not only to know, but also to have. Live and operate in the fact of the Word; rest in the knowledge of the principles of the Most High.

Thought for today: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). Feast on the Word of God; discover its richness.

信仰的基础

1月15日

太初有道，道与神同在，道就是神。道太初与神同在。万物是借着他造的；凡被造的，没有一样不是借着他造的。——约翰福音 1:1–3

圣经朗读：路加福音 6:27–49

如果我们要在属灵生命中取得任何进展，我们必须有一个真正的基础。对我们来说，除了信心的基础别无他物。我们所有的行动以及将来对我们任何重要的事情，都是因为我们有一块磐石。如果你立在磐石上，没有任何力量能动摇你。在你信心的任何领域或原则上，你必须在自己内心建立某种东西来实现它。在神的话语之外，没有任何确立的基础。其他一切都是沙土，其他一切都会崩裂。如果你建造在除神的话语之外的任何东西——无论是想象、感性，还是情绪——没有基础，它将毫无意义，而基础必须建立在神的话语上。

我曾经乘火车去布莱克浦。那里是一个时尚的度假胜地，许多人去那里是因为高潮时海浪涌起时，他们能看到壮观的景象，如同巨大的海山一样。当我旅行时，我望过去，对一个建筑工人说：“那些人在沙地上盖房子。”

“哦，”他说，“你不知道。你不是一个建造者。你难道不知道我们可以把那沙子捣到像石头一样吗？”

我说：“胡说！”我看到争论没有意义，于是就打住了。过了一会儿，我们到达了布莱克浦，那里的巨浪翻滚而来。我看到一排房屋已经倒塌，我引起这个人的注意，说：“哦，看看那些房子。看看它们倒得多平。”他忘记了我们先前的谈话，说：“你知道，这里的潮水非常大，这些房子建在沙地上，当洪水来的时候就倒了。”

我们的根基必须比沙子更坚固，而除道之外，一切都是沙子。没有什么会永远存在。我们被告知，天地要被炽烈的火融化（彼得后书 3:10）。但我们也被告知，神的话语是永远长存的，神的话语没有一画一点会落空（马太福音 5:18）。如果有什么能让我满足，那就是知道“你的话安定在天”（诗篇 119:89）。诗篇 138 另一处经文说，“你已高举你的话，胜过你一切的名”（第 2 节）。对我来说，真正的根基就是神的话语。

这里我们有万物的基础，那就是道。它是一种实体；它是一种力量。它不仅仅是关系；它是一种个性。对于每一个进入这种特权的灵魂而言，这是一个神圣的命令，要由这道而生。它对我们的意义将非常重要。因为请记住，它是“实体”；它是“所望之事的确据，未见之事的凭据”（希伯来书 11:1）。它能够带来你看不见的东西，并带出尚不存在的事物。

上帝取了道并创造了世界。我们生活在由上帝之道创造的世界中，这里居住着数百万人。你说它是一种物质。上帝之道耶稣，用那些未显现的事物创造了它。凡被造的，没有一样不是藉着道造的（约翰福音 1:3）。当我们理解那道的真正意义时，我们不仅能够建造，也能够认知；不仅能够认知，也能够拥有。在道的事实中生活和运作；在至高者原则的知识中安息。

今日的思考：“人活着，不单靠食物，而是靠神口里的每句话”（路加福音 4:4）。以神的话语为筵席；发掘其丰富内涵。