Does Your House Come Up To Code?

Does Your Building Come Up To Code?

If you have ever been involved with building a home or an addition to one, you know that there are many building codes that must be followed. At various phases of construction inspectors arrive to insure that everything is up to code. Some buildings have had serious trouble because builders try to just meet code or fool the inspectors. Because of this buildings have had expensive repair work done after they were inspected and supposedly passed code. Some had to be razed to the foundation and rebuilt. Some folks lost all they owned in a fire caused by construction that was not up to code. Their only comfort was that their lives were saved.

The old spiritual song says, "I’m workin on a building. It’s a new foundation. … When I get tired, tired, tired, tired, tired of workin’ on my buildin’ I’m goin’ up to Heaven to get my reward, get my reward!" Yes, we are all workin’ on a buildin’ whether we cannot pound a nail in straight or do not know the difference between a level and a square. We have many inspectors that come by in our life to check our work, but they will not stop us from building out of code. One day, the Chief Inspector will check out our building and we may also be glad we laid a right foundation and find that our life is spared.

1 Cor 3:10-15

10 According to the grace of God, which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Paul was given great grace! He was used of Christ to literally build the Gentile portion of the Church and was called upon from time to time to be the inspector of the Jewish portion. With all the knowledge he had of the law and grace what made him a master builder was that he knew how to lay an eternal foundation.

Paul could have used his wisdom to train people in history, law, theology, morality, and a host of other topics, but he knew that none of that would stand if he did not lay the foundation poured by the blood of the Son of God! So many people try to build a life and an eternal home upon heritage, denomination, emotion, experience, ritual and personages. All these foundations are made of sand and their house will fall one day. They may already see cracks in the wall, but they refuse to check their foundation. No other foundation can be laid that will stand the test of time and eternity except Jesus Christ.

Jesus is a priceless foundation. He was poured out freely for us, but there can be no worthy assessment made of the value of that foundation. The value is beyond our wildest imagination. If we could magnify the wealth of this world a billion times and offer it to God as a payment for that foundation it would be an insult greater than offering Bill Gates five dollars to buy his corporation. All we can do is be grateful and lift our hands in praise to the One whom provided it!

Paul also knew that others would be building upon that foundation in regards to both the Church and the individual. We can take his warning as twofold. We need to be careful of our work as ministers in building the Church. As individual Christians, we also need to be careful on how we build our building.

12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

If you lay a good foundation, you must also build wisely. Imagine someone spending $40,000 to ensure that they had a good foundation then used cardboard, scrap wood and tin to build the rest of the house. We would think him mad and rightly so. The same goes for our spiritual building.

If we build in the power of the Spirit, we will use precious metals and stones to build our house. You see anything built in the flesh through man’s wisdom or strength is scrap wood, mildewed hay, and pitiful bits of stubble! You can get a clue if you are building with the right materials by checking your life and see if you have the fruits of the Spirit or are manifesting the works of the flesh in Galatians 5. You see a good builder will be using good materials. If the builder is fleshly so will his materials be fleshly. If the builder is spiritual so will his materials be spiritual.

13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.