Why True Disciples Are an Everlasting Foundation

There are over 1,000 names and titles for God’s people in His Word. One of the most awe-inspiring is found only one time in the Bible, in Proverbs 10:25 (NKJV):

“As the whirlwind passes, so the wicked is no more; but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.”

The primary proof of the temporary existence of “whirlwinds” (tornadoes) is the destruction they leave behind—broken buildings, uprooted trees and people and animals, injured or killed. So it is with those who live wicked lives.

They pass through this world, leaving destruction everywhere they go—broken hearts, damaged lives and a death-dealing effect on others, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Not so with the righteous. Their lives—full of godly principles, spiritual fruit and purposeful goals—provide something quite the opposite: a strong foundation on which others can build.

Children can build on the foundation of godly parents who provide a positive example of the way to serve God in this world. Friends, co-workers and family members, seeking spiritual answers, can build on the foundation of sincere Christians who uphold God’s standards before their eyes. Even God Himself is able to build His infinite plans and purposes on the lives of those who are faithfully committed to His cause. Yes, “the righteous is an everlasting foundation.”

We Are Because We Have

The Modern English Version translates this passage differently, offering instead that, “the righteous has an everlasting foundation.” Both renderings are relevant and complementary. Because if we have an everlasting foundation, automatically, we are an everlasting foundation to those we influence. When we enter a covenant relationship with God, He offers immoveable, unshakeable, foundational things on which we can build our hopes and dreams for the future that include the following:

1. The church—Beneath every individual Christian is the support structure of the entire church of God worldwide. The true church, made up of all who have been born again out of every denomination, is described as the “foundation of the truth”—a bulwark against deception from generation to generation, for all who love the truth and proclaim it (1 Tim. 3:15).

2. The apostles and the prophets—In Ephesians 2:19-20, the epistle writer shared how “the household of God” is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” True prophetic and apostolic ministries undergird the church with divine revelation and anointed purposes so that the “gates of hell” do not and will not “prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). No wonder the names of the original twelve apostles will be engraved on the twelve foundations of the eternal city, New Jerusalem. For the populace of that eternal city will be able to trace the advance of the kingdom of God and the transformation of all who have been saved in this New Covenant era back to their initial efforts (see Revelation 21:14).

3. The Word of God—Hebrews 6:1-2 (NKJV) talks about “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.” But these six primary doctrines in Scripture are not the only “foundational” truths on which God’s people place their trust. The entire Word of God is our strong foundation that will keep us safe during the storms of life (see Matthew 7:24-25). It is unconquerable, unchangeable and irreversible—forever “settled in heaven” (Ps. 119:89).

4. God’s holy mountains—Psalms 87:1 (ISV) says, “God’s foundation is in the holy mountains.” The most significant spiritual events that have ever taken place in this world happened on eight mountains: Ararat, Moriah, Sinai, Nebo, Gerizim, Olivet, Golgotha (Calvary) and Zion. God laid the foundation of all that He is doing in the realm of time on these mountains, and they provide the unchanging, immoveable base and support of every true believer.

5. God’s foundational plan—All that has transpired to redeem humanity was part of a “foundational plan” in the very beginning; nothing has happened by chance. Jesus was “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8). God’s “works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Heb. 4:3). One day we will enter a kingdom “prepared” for us “from the foundation of the world,” and all because we were “chosen in Him before the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34, Eph. 1:4). Nothing can alter or hinder what God has purposed from the beginning and we are a part of that “eternal purpose” (Eph. 3:11).

6. Jesus—The foundation of ALL foundations mentioned thus far is the Lord Himself. “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11, NKJV). He is a “sure foundation” for all who love Him and call upon His name (Isa. 28:16).

Considering that you have such an everlastingly stable, six-layered foundation, it is fully believable that you can be “an everlasting foundation” to those who need your example of spiritual stability in this unstable world. Start looking at yourself this way and discover, with worshipful awe in your heart, how God can build on your life things of eternal value.

To dig deeper into this wonderful revelation, listen to the episode on our calling to be “An Everlasting Foundation” in the podcast series by Mike Shreve called “Discover Your Spiritual Identity.” {eoa}

Mike Shreve has taught on the theme of our spiritual identity for over 35 years, giving sons and daughters of God the comfort and empowerment of knowing who they are “in Christ.” This powerful insight is featured on a weekly podcast on cpnshows.com, a weekly TV program on It’s Supernatural Network (ISN) both titled “Discover Your Spiritual Identity,” and a Charisma House book titled WHO AM I? Dynamic Declarations of Who You Are in Christ. A product of the Jesus Movement Era, Mike Shreve has traveled evangelistically in the United States and overseas since 1970 with an emphasis on healing and the prophetic. You may also want to subscribe to his second podcast on comparative religion titled “Revealing the True Light” and visit his website and YouTube channel.

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