“But castles in the air—they are so easy to take refuge in. And so easy to build, too.” – Hilde, The Master Builder
In Henrik Ibsen’s play, The Master Builder, he tells the story of a legendary architect, Halvard Solness. Solness is terrified of getting older and being forgotten, so in a desperate attempt to preserve his legacy, he manipulates those around him and begins to delude himself about who he is and what he can become. Although he is inspired by the young, talented architects around him, he both encourages and undermines their progress at every turn. Solness becomes delusional, asserting, “I believe that if I will something with all my might, if I am willing to stake my whole soul for the sake of it—then I can succeed.” In a final bid for immortality, Solness climbs to the top of his tower to crown it with a wreath, only to plummet to his death.
We all want to be the hero of our own story. Worse, we are often blind to the driving ambition of our hearts that inclines us to do virtually anything to crown ourselves. There is a dominant narrative in our culture that we should fully embrace this impulse and forge the self we want. But Paul tells us in Corinthians, “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care of how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
There is only one foundation upon which to build: Jesus Christ. When we do this, Paul tells us we:
- willingly and joyfully use our gifts in service to God and others
- foster unity in the body by acknowledging the value and diversity of the gifts God uses to build His church
- deploy our gifts without relying on them apart from their effectual source
- humbly recognize we are part of God’s building project as a co-laborer, not the other way around
- don’t inordinately exalt leaders because of their particular abilities, eloquence, or style
- are anchored in the truth that if Christ is building the church, equipping each saint for mutual edification and maturity, then all gifts are already ours.
As Paul says, “Let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future – all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.”
Our union with Christ is the source of our purpose, unity, calling, and edification. His exaltation is our edification. Let us “take care how we build” because anything else is merely castles in the air.
Society for Classical Learning
At Society for Classical Learning, we equip educators to build lasting foundations rooted in Christ’s truth. Become a member today and join a community committed to fostering godly wisdom in education.
