Digging Deep to the Foundation of Christ

47. Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
48. He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

(Luke 6:47–49 – emphasis added)

I like this version of Christ’s parable of the wise man and the foolish man for a few reasons. First, I like that it specifically describes the image of a stream beating “vehemently” against the two houses. Often when I hear this parable I tend to focus merely on rains and wind. To me, a stream physically beating against the walls of a home seems more tumultuous, pressing, persistent, and violent than a wind or rain storm and more closely describes the efforts of Satan and his hosts. Second, I love Luke’s version of the parable in that it uniquely describes the wise man as “digg[ing] deep” to get to the foundation of rock. I’ve noticed that, when this parable is retold, often it is described or implied that the wise man simply found an outcropping of rock and built on that while the foolish man merely chose to build something of a beach house. And third, from this perspective, the wise man and foolish man could very well be neighbors building on the same tract of land. The difference is how the homes were constructed. The metaphor of the wise man working to remove dirt, rocks, and other material that separated him from the sure foundation of rock provides a rich message in this part of the parable.

The process of digging down to bedrock is a metaphor for choosing to remove things in our lives that separate us from the Rock of Salvation (2 Sam. 22: 47; Ps. 95: 1; 2 Ne. 4: 30; 2 Ne. 9: 45). This takes hard work and a determination to root out debris, loose foundations, and see past superficial deposits that can be confused with the True Bedrock.

In the diagram above, I list some vices that can come between us and our true Foundation, Christ. These include (but are not limited to):

• Hopelessness
• Pride
• Disobedience
• Contention

Each removes us from our Saviour and prevents us from receiving the strength and reinforcing power of the Atonement. These vices can also be seen as a false foundations. Some people see pessimism, pride, staunch independence, or derision as worthy to build a world view on or to guide their relationships with others. These all eventually collapse and provide no real strength in the end.

Also in the diagram, under the wise man, is shown a new foundation built on virtues and principles and supported by covenants which act as piles driven into the bedrock of Christ, the "sure foundation" (Helamen 5:12). These virtues include:

• Faith
• Repentance
• Baptism
• Holy Ghost

Each of these are meant to counteract the corresponding vices shown under the foolish man’s house. Hopelessness gives way to faith (Moroni 7:40–42; Ether 12:4; Col. 1:23). Pride suffocates under humble repentance (Prov. 29: 23; Alma 5:28; Alma 6:3; Alma 15:17; Moroni 8: 27). Disobedience turns into obedience to God’s commandments (2 Ne. 9:23; 2 Ne. 31:4–7; 3 Ne. 27: 20; Moroni 11:25). And contention is replaced by the inner peace through the Holy Ghost (Rom. 14:17; Rom. 15:13; Gal. 5:19–22; Mosiah 4:3; D&C 19: 23; John 14: 26; Moroni 8: 26; D&C 39: 6).

Note that each of these healing virtues and principles are all centered on Christ. Who do we have faith in? Christ (Galatians 3:26). Under what power is our repentance of any effect? The atonement of Christ (2 Ne. 25:26). Whose name do we take upon ourselves when we are baptized and partake of the sacrament? Christ (Matthew 28:19). And of whom does the Holy Ghost testify? Christ (3 Ne. 11:32; D&C 20:21–26). Each of these principles and ordinances (see A of F 1: 4) anchor us to Christ.

Helaman taught this to his sons:

9. O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world.
10. And remember also the words which Amulek spake unto Zeezrom, ain the city of Ammonihah; for he said unto him that the Lord surely should come to redeem his people, but that he should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins.
11. And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls.
12. And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

(Helaman 5:9–12 – emphasis added)

And finally, Christ powerfully taught this to the Nephites when he ministered to them:

29. For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.
30. Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.
31. Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine.
32. And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.
33. And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.
34. And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned.
35. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost.
36. And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.
37. And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.
38. And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.
39. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.
40. And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them.
41. Therefore, go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth.

(3 Ne. 11:29–41 – emphasis added)

We should regularly ask ourselves whether we are firmly grounded on the bedrock of Christ’s gospel or whether we need to repair our foundation to make sure it is secure and reaches all of the way to the Rock of Salvation (2 Sam. 22: 47; Ps. 95: 1; 2 Ne. 4: 30; 2 Ne. 9: 45). Are we placing our faith in Christ and His teachings? Are we humbly seeking forgiveness and trying to overcome our sins through the atonement of Christ? Do we earnestly seek the renewal of our baptismal covenants each Sunday living worthy to take the sacrament? Are we living a life that can be influenced and guided by the Holy Ghost and do we follow its promptings to lead us to Christ?

These questions will take a lifetime to answer. But by keeping them in front of our minds and striving to live so that we can answer "Yes!", we will be built on The Sure Foundation (Helamen 5:12).