Love of God-Foundation for the Church of God

What is the foundation of your church?  Is your gathering as Christians truly in the name of Jesus Christ? Every gathering will be tested and where there is no love of God, there is no presence of God. This post emphasizes the love of Christ as the foundation on which the church of God stands.

We are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ – 1 Corinthians 3:9-11 (NKJV).

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another – John 13:34-35 (NKJV).

The scriptures ask in Psalm 11:3 that if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? The righteous can do nothing. A faulty foundation will give rise to a faulty building. Where there is envy and strife, you will find all manner of evil works (James 3:16). But a solid foundation will give rise to a strong building that will stand the test of time (Matthew 7:24-25).

The church which is God’s building, Christian believers and the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9, Colossians 1:24), is built on Jesus Christ, the foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11). It all started with God so loving the world that He gave His only Son Jesus that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Any church standing on any other foundation other than Christ (Who is God’s gift of love to man) is not God’s building.

Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1-18) and God is love (1 John 4:8), so we can say that the foundation of the church is love. It is the evidence that you are a disciple of Christ. I would say that there is no church of Christ where there is no love. The world knows those who are disciples of Christ by the way they love one another (John 13:35). As such, there is a crack in God’s building when believing Christians don’t love one another, their discipleship becomes questionable. You can’t say you love God when you hate your brother (1 John 4:20).

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 tell us what love is and how to measure it in the church. Love suffers long, does not envy nor parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things and lastly, it never fails. Comparing what you see in your church (that part of the whole Christian body that you belong to) with the above description of love, where can you place your church? If she is falling short of this description of love, then the foundation is faulty. No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is already laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9-11), unless it’s not God’s building that is being built.

Some churches are built on men, love of money, lust for power and fame, greed, envy and strife, etc. These connote absence of God and presence of the enemy and every evil work (James 3:16). However, where there is the love of God you will find God, His manifestations and blessings (John 14:21, 23). The level of obedience to God amongst Christians determines the level of God’s love in their midst.

I conclude with this question for you dear reader, “you as a member of your church, what is your contribution to the love level in your church?”

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Ngozi Nwoke
Grace and peace of God be unto you.

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