The Church’s One Foundation

BIBLE REFERENCE:

And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I
say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:16-18

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints,
and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together
groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation
of God through the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 2 Timothy 2:19

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25-27

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. Revelation 19:7-9

Samuel John Stone - Lyrics
1839-1900

Born: April 25, 1839, Whitmore, Staffordshire, England.
Died: November 19, 1900, Charterhouse, Somerset, England.

Samuel Sebastian Wesley - Composer
1810-1876

Born: August 14, 1810, London, England.
Died: April 19, 1876, Gloucester, England.
Buried: Exeter, England.

HYMN HISTORY:

Samuel John Stone was born in Whitmore, Staffordshire, England, in 1839. Following his graduation from Oxford, he spent most of his remaining ministry in just two parishes in London, where he was affectionately known as the poor man’s pastor. Here his time was spent in ministering to the poor and underprivileged populace in the East End of London, where it was said “he created a beautiful place of worship for the humble folk, and made it a center of light in the dark places.” Stone was known as a man of spotless character; he was compassionate toward the weak and needy, yet he was a violent fighter for the fundamentals of the faith that was being so sternly attacked in his day. He refused to compromise one iota before Higher Criticism and the secular philosophies that were becoming increasingly popular. A personal faith in the inspired Scriptures was enough for him. All of his writings have been described as “strongly outspoken utterances of a firm faith, where dogma, prayer and praise are interwoven with much skill.”

Stone’s text originally contained seven stanzas. However, most hymnals today use just his first, second and fifth verses; the last stanza is actually a combination of the first four lines of both his sixth and seventh verses. We have included a ll seven verses including the third stanza that is omitted in today’s hymnal:

The church shall never perish! Her dear Lord to defend,
To guide, sustain and cherish is with her to the end;
Though there be those that hate her, and false sons in her pale,
Against or foe or traitor she ever shall prevail.

The composer of this music, Samuel S. Wesley, was born in London, England, on August 14, 1810. He was the grandson of Charles Wesley and was recognized as one of the leading church musicians of his day. He received his Doctorate in Music from Oxford University when only twenty-nine years of age. He composed a great deal of church service music as well as a number of original hymn tunes. This tune, known as “Aurelia,” taken from the word “Aureus,” the Latin word for “golden,” was originally compose for the hymn text “Jerusalem the Golden.” It was first matched with Stone’s text in 1868 for use at the Bishops’ Lambeth Conference.

101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. Colossians 1:18

The church is more than a religious organization, it is an organism, with Christ as the living head. It is alive with the life of Christ made living in each member (1 Corinthians 12:1-31).

Let us examine briefly the church, and observe its role as the body of Christ

We are given spiritual gifts according to the will of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1-11).
The unity of the body is seen by our different duties in the church (1 Corinthians 12:12).
We are all baptized by one Spirit into one body (1 Corinthians 12:13).
We differ one from another, yet we function as one. (1 Corinthians 12:14-18).
The least member is necessary for the proper function of the whole body. (1 Corinthians 12:22-25).
If one member suffers the whole body suffers, if one is honored, all are honored. (1 Corinthians 12:26).
We are to covet the best spiritual gifts and minister in love (1 Corinthians 12:31).

The Lord Jesus Christ has never delegated His authority to any one. “He is head over all things to the church”

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Ephesians 1:22)

Jesus Christ is the only absolute and final authority.

And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Colossians 1:18-23

Jesus Christ as Mediator is the Head of the body, the church; all grace and strength are from him; and the church is his body. The whole nature and attributes of God are in Christ.

For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Colossians 2:9

There is one Mediator, and that Mediator is Jesus Christ who gave himself a ransom for all. Sin had made us enemies with God; Jesus Christ is the Mediator who makes peace. He paid the ransom for our sins. Those who are saved must repent of their sin and accept Jesus Christ as personal Savior, for that is God's appointed way to save sinners: if we do not know the truth, we cannot be ruled by it.

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 1 Timothy 2:5

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and you want to learn more please click on our God's Plan of Salvation page.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

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