In the seventh chapter of John's gospel, Jesus teaches the "Parable of Building on the Rock." Emphasizing the importance of a strong biblical foundation, Jesus contrasts the foolish man who built his house on sand with the wise man who built his house on rock. When the storms came, the foolish man's house fell, while the wise man's house stood firm.

The preceding verses describe the wise as those who call Him Lord and follow His teachings, while the foolish say "Lord, Lord" but do not do what He commands. Jesus tells the foolish ones that He never knew them. Let us ensure that we are building a firm foundation, like the wise man who built his house on the Rock, so that we never hear the words, "I never knew you."

The Book of Hebrews challenges us not to remain babes in the Lord, partaking only of the milk of God's Word, but to be mature by partaking of the meat of His Word as well. The Book of Hebrews then explains how we must first be partakers of the elementary principles of Christ before we can begin to build the house God wants us to build.  The writer explains this very well. After listing the elementary principles, he says in verse three, "And this we will do if God permits." In other words, we must be issued a spiritual building permit before we can go on to maturity.

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