5. Who is the foundation of the Christian congregation, and how was this foretold?

⁵ Paul wrote: “No man can lay any other foundation than what is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:11) This was not the first time Jesus had been likened to a foundation. In fact, Isaiah 28:16 foretold: “This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: ‘Here I am laying as a foundation in Zion a stone, a tried stone, the precious corner of a sure foundation.’” Jehovah had long purposed that his Son become the foundation of the Christian congregation.—Psalm 118:22; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-6.

6. How did Paul lay the proper foundation in Corinthian Christians?

⁶ What is the foundation for individual Christians? As Paul said, there is no foundation for a true Christian but the one laid down in God’s Word—Jesus Christ. Paul certainly laid such a foundation. In Corinth, where philosophy was so highly regarded, he did not seek to impress people with worldly wisdom. Rather, Paul preached “Christ impaled,” which the nations dismissed as so much “foolishness.” (1 Corinthians 1:23) Paul taught that Jesus is the central figure in Jehovah’s purposes.—2 Corinthians 1:20; Colossians 2:2, 3.

8. How do we lay Christ as a foundation in prospective disciples?

⁸ When we lay Christ as a foundation, we do not present him as a helpless babe in a manger, nor as Jehovah’s equal in a Trinity. No, such unscriptural notions form a foundation for counterfeit Christians. Rather, we teach that he was the greatest man who ever lived, that he laid down his perfect life in our behalf, and that he is today Jehovah’s appointed King reigning in heaven. (Romans 5:8; Revelation 11:15) We also seek to motivate our students to walk in Jesus’ footsteps and imitate his qualities. (1 Peter 2:21) We want them to be deeply moved by Jesus’ zeal for the ministry, his compassion for the lowly and downtrodden, his mercy toward sinners crushed by their own guilt, his unswerving courage in the face of trials. Truly, Jesus is a magnificent foundation. But what comes next?