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How Firm a Foundation?

No man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11).

The firm foundation of God stands. (2 Timothy 2:19)

Jesus is the foundation of Christianity. The Christian faith is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone" (Ephesians 2:20). Just as the foundation of a house supports and shapes the structure built upon it, Jesus holds up Christianity and shapes it after Himself.

Jesus was Jewish. He is Jewish. And He will still be Jewish when He returns. That means that the Church has a Jewish foundation.

HaYesod is the Hebrew word for "The Foundation." The HaYesod Bible study program is about the Jewish foundation of Christianity. In HaYesod, Christians learn about their connection with Land, the People and the Scriptures of Israel. Learning about the Jewishness of Jesus and the Jewish origin of Christianity can be a life-changing experience.

The Big Surprise

Suppose you learned that your parents were not your biological parents. You discovered that you had been adopted as a child, but your biological parents were actually royalty from a foreign country. Not only that, but they had left you a rich inheritance. Would you be surprised?

You would probably want to find out as much as you could about your biological parents and the land from which you came. You would want to learn about your people. Your newfound identity would influence the way you thought about yourself. The inheritance that your biological parents left for you would dramatically change your life. Everything would be different.

A similar thing happens when Christians learn about the Jewish foundation of their faith. We discover that we have a spiritual father: Avraham Avinu, Abraham our father. We learn that we come from a faraway place and an ancient civilization. We realize that we have a rich, biblical inheritance--a deep connection with the Land, the People, and the Scriptures of Israel.

We have a "home away from home," the land of Israel. We have an extended family of faith, the people of Israel. We have the deed to an amazing inheritance, the Scriptures of Israel. Exploring those relationships changes the way we understand the Bible, the way we understand Jesus, and the way we understand ourselves.

Christianity Then and Now

Originally, Christianity was Jewish. Jesus, the disciples, and all His first followers were Jewish. Even the Gentile believers in those days stood upon a Jewish foundation. The geographic center of their world was the land of Israel. Their brothers in faith were the people of Israel. Their Bible consisted of the Scriptures of Israel.

Today, Christianity takes many shapes and forms. It has encompassed the globe and incorporated people from every race and ethnicity. The God of Israel is worshipped in virtually every language. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached in every land.

But Christianity's Jewish foundation has been buried. The Jewish Jesus has been lost. The Jewish origin of the faith has been forgotten. Not long after the death of the last apostles, we lost our connection with the Land, the People, and the Scriptures of Israel. For almost two thousand years, we have been slipping off of our foundation.

Off the Foundation

Any builder can tell you that when a house is off its foundation, it is in danger of collapse. Walls teeter; the roof sags; the timbers twist. Jesus taught us that a house without a firm foundation cannot stand against the wind, floods, and rain.

Sometimes churches forget their first love; they forget Jesus. The church that forgets Jesus cannot stand. The church building might still be standing, and the congregation might still be attending, but spiritually they are collapsing.

In a similar way, Christianity has forgotten the historical Jesus. We still know Him as the savior and redeemer, the Son of God who died for sin and rose from the dead, but the Jewish Jesus is a complete unknown to us. The land of Israel seems remote and only scarcely relevant. The people of Israel seem like strangers in a foreign religion. The Scriptures of Israel seem incomprehensible.

We need to get back on the foundation.

Christianity in the Future

What goes up must come down. What has been will be again. Christianity first began in the land of Israel, among the people of Israel, with the Scriptures of Israel, and now it is beginning to return. In the future, the Church will again be set squarely on her proper foundation.

The Bible tells us that when Jesus comes again, the Jewish foundation will be restored. In that day, "all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:26). The prophets teach that, in the end times, the people of Israel will return to the land of Israel, and even the non-Jewish people of the world will travel to the land of Israel to learn the Scriptures of Israel. In that day, Christ, the King of the Jews, will be king over the whole world.

But will we be ready to greet the Jewish Jesus when He returns, or will He be like a stranger to us? He is coming soon. Time is short.

Please consider joining us to share this message with the people of God. Become a light, share some light...become a HaYesod group leader. Click here for more information.

About the Author: Boaz Michael is the President and Founder of First Fruits of Zion.