Jesus Christ Himself is the sole Builder of the church, as He promised: "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18b). Christ did not say, "You will build My church." Neither did He say, "I will build your church." Instead, Jesus claimed, "I will build My church." Christ Himself is constructing His church, and like a wise master builder, He is establishing it on a solid bedrock-that of sound doctrine (Eph. 2:20)....The church that is built upon the doctrines of grace is built upon the impregnable rock of divine revelation. How firm a foundation has such a church! But sad to say, the church today seems intent upon withholding the doctrines of grace from her foundation. Instead, she prefers to build with wood, hay, and stubble upon shifting sand. Such a church may have an impressive outward appearance, and therefore attract many. But inwardly, she is unspiritual, unstable, and, worse, even largely unconverted. Such a church, built on such a flimsy foundation, has no hope of standing in days of trial. But church history records that when the church builds with the gold, silver, and precious stones of a God-centered message, she is internally fortified and can withstand the most difficult storms. Even the swirling winds of apostasy, persecutions, and the fiery flames of martyrdom cannot cause her to topple. In fact, whenever the church builds upon the sturdy rock of the sovereign grace of God, she stands immovable even amid the darkest hours of history. (pp. 307-308)