Ephesians 2:19-20
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
(My emphasis)
Ephesians 2:19-20
A Solid Sure Reliable Rock and Foundation
It is understood that if a structure or building is to stand straight and strong and pass the test of time, it must be built on the right soil and upon a solid foundation; otherwise, it could sink, or begin leaning to the left or to the right and eventually fall down. So, this brings us to a very important point about one’s faith in the real Jesus Christ. What is your faith built upon, and is it reliable and solid enough to remain until He comes?
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1
I find that when I mention Jesus, many will confess they believe in Jesus, but their character and lifestyle speaks otherwise. They know about Him, but have not entered into a personal relationship by being born again into His Kingdom:
“Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!” Matthew 7:23
The True Foundation and Message about the Messiah – Jesus Christ Identified:
The only One who was sent by God as the Christ-Messiah-Savior-the Son of the living God, has been identified throughout scripture – the Word of God.
“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He ( Jesus) explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (added emphasis)
Luke 24:27
Christ’s Identity Found in the Word of God (Bible):
So if you truly want to know Jesus Christ Whom God has sent, He is identified by the Prophets and Apostles in the scriptures (Bible) from Genesis through Revelation. Jesus told those in His day, who studied the scriptures, but did not believe in Him, the following:
“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (added emphasis) John 5:39-40
Jesus was identified first of all in the Old Testament by the Prophets. God revealed to the Old Testament prophets, His character and image, where He would be born, and what He would accomplish as His Anointed, and our Savior. Isaiah 53:1-12
“For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.: John 1:14
Note: A testament is a written testimony or witness as evidence that something or someone exists.
The Prophets in the old testament testified who the Messiah would be and the Apostles in the new testament who saw Him, Heard Him and knew Him, agreed.
(Luke 24: 25-26, Matthew 22:43-45, Psalm 110:1)
The Old Testament: Prophets’ Testimony Concerning Christ:
( Genesis – Revelation), Examples: Isaiah 53, Micah 5:2, Psalm 22)
Old Testament References to Jesus Christ
The New Testament: Apostles’ Testimony Concerning Christ:
(Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Epistles, Revelation)
The Apostles’ Testimony:
“We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy”. (emphasis added) 1 John 1:1-4
So there are the two testaments of Jesus which agree, and then there is the Holy Spirit and God the Father. God gave testimony of His Son, through a sign and His Holy Spirit, so that John the Baptist could positively identify Jesus as the Christ, whom God had sent:
God’s Testimony Concerning Christ:
“As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
Matthew 3: 16-17
Even though John the Baptist heard with his ears and saw with his eyes God’s testimony concerning His Son, he had doubts as he sat in Herod’s prison. So he told some of his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the “One” or were they to wait for another. Jesus referred John back to the scriptures which testified what He would do while on earth:
“Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.”
Luke 7:22 (Luke 4: 16-20, Isaiah 61:1-3) (emphasis added)
There was also another time, God the Father, affirmed and identified Jesus as His Son. During the transfiguration near the end of Christ’s ministry on earth, some of Jesus’ disciples heard God’s voice from heaven:
“While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
Matthew 17:5 (emphasis added)
Who is the Jesus Christ Whom You Believe:
So, who do you say He is? When Peter was asked this question by Jesus, He replied:
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16
Jesus affirmed what Peter said, telling Him, he could not identify Him as Messiah, by his own reasoning or by someone’s persuasion, but His identity could only be revealed by His Father in Heaven. Just as God had proclaimed Him from Heaven, He proclaimed Him to Peter through His Holy Spirit. (John 6:44)
“Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”
Matthew 16:17
The Believer’s Personal Testimony Concerning Jesus Christ:
So first of all it is important to know Whom you have faith, and the One you have confidence to take you all the way to heaven’s gates. Secondly, you must have faith in what He has done for the sake of your salvation. What did Jesus do to secure your salvation and guarantee you eternal life? He died on the cross, shedding His blood, taking on your punishment for all your sins, and then was resurrected from the grave on the third day guaranteeing all who believe, eternal life.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
Therefore, the scriptures say this concerning how to be saved and there is no other way: (John 14:6, Proverbs 14:12)
“Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.”
1 Corinthians 15: 1-4 (emphasis added)
The Holy Spirit’s Testimony Assures Our Faith:
Lastly, and very importantly, when you believe in the testimony concerning Jesus Christ spoken and written in scripture by both the Prophets and the Apostles, you will hear in your own spirit and within your own heart, the testimony from God the Father, and you will know that what is revealed about Jesus, the Son of God, and our Savior, is absolutely true, and His Spirit will remain in your heart as evidence of your faith. (Ephesians 1: 13-14)
So what do you need to do in order to have eternal life:
“And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”
Romans 10: 8-13 (emphasis added)
Jesus said we are not to be just hearers of the Word but doers as well.
Would you consider, a person who goes to college, earns a degree in engineering, but puts that knowledge aside, and never practices engineering, an engineer? Neither is one who professes to know Christ, reads His Word, but never practices or puts what He knows and believes into action, a Christian. When our foundation is in Jesus Christ, we will not remain the same, our minds and our hearts will be changed, and our actions will manifest His presence in our life:
“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so— not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer— he will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:22-25
“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
How Do We Identify the true Christ, the Son of God, who gives Eternal Life?
- He is identified by the prophets and apostles in the old and new testaments of the Word of God – The Bible
- God identified Him with His Voice from Heaven.
- God identifies Him to every believer through His Holy Spirit.
How then Can I Receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior?
- By believing in the true gospel (message and testimony) of Jesus Christ based on God’s Word ( 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, John 3:16,)
- By personally responding to the gospel in asking God to forgive you for your sins, and confessing Jesus Christ (identified in the Bible) as Lord and Savior. This becomes your personal testimony and proclamation concerning Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Romans 10: 8-13)
- By believing in the gospel message, you will receive God’s Holy Spirit who gives testimony to your Spirit that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.
- When you receive the Holy Spirit into your heart, through faith, you are saved, born again, a new creature in Christ Jesus and enter God’s eternal Kingdom.
(Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 2:8-9)
My Testimony of Coming to Faith
Scriptural References:
Foundation of Christ
Old Testament References
How Can you Know Your Salvation in Christ Jesus is a “Sealed” Deal. NEXT – God’s Seal of Grace
