Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Corinthians 3:11

"For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." — 1 Corinthians 3:11 (ASV)

For other foundation. It is implied, by the course of the argument here, that this was the foundation which had been laid at Corinth, and on which the church there had been established. And it is affirmed that no other foundation can be laid. A foundation is that on which a building is built: the foundation of a church is the doctrine on which it is established; that is, the doctrines which its members hold—those truths which form the basis of their hopes, and by embracing which they have been converted to God.

Can no man lay. That is, there is no other true foundation.

Which is Jesus Christ. Christ is often called the foundation, the stone, and the cornerstone on which the church is built (Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; 2 Timothy 2:19; 1 Peter 2:6).

The meaning is that no true church can be established which does not embrace and hold the true doctrines concerning him—those which pertain to his incarnation, his Divine nature, his instructions, his example, his atonement, his resurrection, and his ascension. The reason why no true church can be established without embracing the truth as it is in Christ is that men can be saved only by him, and where this doctrine is lacking, everything essential to the idea of a church is also lacking.

The fundamental doctrines of the Christian religion must be embraced, or a church cannot exist; and where those doctrines are denied, no association of men can be recognized as a church of God.

Nor can the foundation be modified or shaped to suit the wishes of men. It must be laid as it is in the Scriptures, and the superstructure must be built on that alone.