The Status of Paul, and You!

When we are conscripted into the ranks of Christianity, what is our status? How are we to act? What is our "job?" When we are saved, we want to serve God, we want to show Him our appreciation, and we want to show our love for Him.

1 Cor. 4:1  "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God."

Paul, speaks again of the apostles and leaders within Christian circles of the day. In the previous few chapters he warns against following man rather than God. 1 Cor. 1:12-13 "What I mean is that each one of you says, 'I follow Paul,' or 'I follow Apollos,' or 'I follow Cephas,' or 'I follow Christ.'  (13)  Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" So moving on from that discussion, he talks about how we should regard the apostles. He says that we should regard them as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. The word “servant” actually speaks of one who is a subordinate, yet is also above others. An example would be an officer: they are teachers, shepherds (pastors), and they lead the flock under the direction of God. In the Parable of the Talents in Mathew 25, God gives different servants a different number of talents. Through this, He shows that those servants have a responsibility to work with it and do their best to multiply it. Overseers, or elders, are also stewards Titus 1:7 "For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain." It goes on to say in verse nine: “he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine…” God’s roles for His stewards are various, meaning that His stewards and servants are all people who are His children.  We have all been given His mysteries, and it’s our job to protect sound doctrine, and to be able to teach it, not only to believers, but to unbelievers, too. One of the mysteries of God is shown here: Eph. 3:6 "This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel."   This is one of the “mysteries” of God. These mysteries of God are the mysteries of the Gospel. Through that you can conclude that our job it to guard the integrity of the Gospel, and (as the parable of the talents shows) we are to be multiply it. (This does not mean adding to the Gospel, but that it’s our job to use the Gospel and to spread it, and thus, it shall multiply.)

1 Cor. 4:2 "Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful."

Speaking again of the apostles, Paul talks about how their duties should be performed, and really, it explains why it’s not for human praise, but because they are stewards. They have been tasked by somebody above them,to do a job. A steward is an overseer or a manager. The apostles were overseers of the Gospel and of the church. They are to be found faithful, or trustworthy, meaning if one does not perform his duties properly and honestly, he won’t be a steward very long, or his stewardship will be limited. It’s a requirement for stewards that they are found honest and trustworthy and faithful. Joseph, back in Exodus 39, was placed as an overseer of Potiphar’s household. Joseph says: “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, hand he has put everything he has in my charge.” As we can see, this is no menial place. Being an overseer is a great responsibility, for if something goes wrong, or you mess up. It’s going to be your responsibility, not anybody else’s. I can’t emphasis enough how great of a responsibility this is. Luk. 17:2  "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin." The responsibility for the apostles and the teachers is great, in fact, it says that if somebody leads a little one to sin, it would be better for them to die. Moreover, if we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, how much more should we be fearful and careful that we guard doctrine, that we seek truth, and that we teach the truth?

1 Cor. 4:3-4 "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.  (4)  For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me."

Paul is talking here about what he already has been talking about in the previous verses, he says that they should regard them as servants (which I talked about in regard to the notion that one should follow a human being like Paul or Apollos, and how foolish that notion is). We should regard them as servants, and because he believes he is a servant of the living God and nothing else, he takes it as very small when somebody judges him. The word judgement in the original language has an implication that goes with it to mean “investigated” or “scrutinized;” therefore, Paul says that he holds it a very small thing that somebody should investigate him, how well he’s doing, or how close he is to God. The reason being that if he is a servant of God, the only opinion that really matters, is that of God. Moreover, he goes on to say that he doesn’t even judge himself. You might say “Well, he knows how he’s doing, doesn’t he?” Well, the answer is no, he doesn’t. We have a perspective tainted by our self-love, our pride, and our selfishness. As Paul says here: “For I am not aware of anything against myself.” There are sins and there are issues in our walk that we are unaware of, both good and bad. This means that the only one who can truly judge us is God, who is the only one who has a perfect perspective on reality and on our actions.

Paul says he isn’t acquitted of sins just because he doesn’t know they exist, because God still sees them. Although we can often see our mistakes, there are always mistakes and sins in our lives that we are unable to see. David calls them hidden faults. Psa. 19:12-13  "Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.  (13)  Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression." David is clear that there are two kinds of sins: hidden sins and presumptuous sins (willful or arrogant sins). Both are sins, and David asks to be forgiven for them because he knows he can’t discern all of his own sins, but God can.

1 Cor. 4:5  "Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God."

People are quick to say “that guy is in it for himself” (I am also quick to do this). However, we can’t know the internal purposes of the heart, and really, that matters just as much or more than the external actions. The fact of the matter is, until God sheds light on the intentions, we should not pronounce judgment on somebody. Some interesting wording here indicates that right now our deepest intentions are in the dark, but when Christ comes into our hearts it brings light to us. Then, when we are all in judgment  before God, Christ, being light, will expose us completely and there will be no part of us that can’t be examined by men and by God. In that time, we will receive our commendation from God, or our reward. We seek to hear this which is told in Matt. 25:23 “His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'”  We gain a reward for being faithful, however, we also must be careful as is the warning here: 2 John 1:8  "Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward." We need to be careful; we need to be faithful. Moreover, this doesn’t mean that we should not be careful of our actions just because we can’t rightfully judge them. The Holy Spirit resides within us and identifies our sins, and identifies our faults. When identified, we have no excuse not to act on our knowledge of them, because if we truly believe in what Christ has done, we will seek to serve Him with all of our might and all of our worth. If we don’t, we are showing we don’t truly believe in Him and His works. This is clearly seen in Romans: Rom. 6:15-18  "What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!  (16)  Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?  (17)  But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,  (18)  and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." When we are saved, we are submitting to be servants, friends, and stewards of God. We are supposed to act like it, we are to spread His word, and we are to obey Him, Acts 10:42  "And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead." This, in context, was in regard to the apostles who ate and drank with Christ. But the commission has been given to us as well as to them. 1 John 5:2-3  "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments.  (3)  For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." God is clear on what truly shows that we love Him and shows us how to truly live for Him.


In conclusion, do you regard those in authority in your church as servants of Christ? And do you see yourself as a steward with a dire warning if you do nothing with that responsibility? If you are like the timid, slothful servant, what kind of reception do you expect when you are before God, answering for your actions here on earth? We are called to produce, we are called to serve Him, and we are to proclaim His name to all the nations and to all people. Are you?

Of the Temple, and of Wisdom

It has been quite a long time since my last blog post. I had some personal things I have needed to work through, but I'm back again. :) 

1 Cor. 3:16-23  "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?  (17)  If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.  (18)  Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.  (19)  For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their craftiness,'  (20)  and again, 'The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.'  (21)  So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,  (22)  whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours,  (23)  and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's."

To continue on the series that I was working on going through 1 Corinthians, I will go through my thoughts about 1 Corinthians 3:16-23.

It somewhat seems like a bunch of random thoughts thrown together, however, all Scripture is God-breathed and I did my best to connect the different concepts. However, some of them I struggled to find the connection, therefore I suggest you read the passage and study it on your own (and really the rest of the chapter) to find any context I didn't provide.

1 Cor 3:16 "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?"

It used to be that God resided above the Ark of the Covenant and His presence was always there:

Exod. 25:21-22 "And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you.  (22)  There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel."

However, now that we have entered into a new covenant and the Holy Spirit resides in us and Christ is our mediator and we have constant access to the Father.

Heb. 9:24  "For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf."  

Christ’s death has given us the Holy Spirit, and wherever God dwells is holy and is a temple of God. The word “dwell” refers to living someplace with permanence. Therefore, the Holy Spirit lives in us and we are his habitation. The fact that He dwells in a place makes it His temple. Now, knowing that we are the temple of God, how are we to live? We are supposed to live pure and holy lives that are representative of the person who lives inside us. We are supposed to let the light of God shine through our lives. For he is a pure and holy God, and if we don’t live that way, it is evidence that the Holy Spirit doesn't live in us.

1 Cor. 3:17 "If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple."

Paul just finished discussing and posing the notion that we are God’s temple, and here he goes on to say what we need to do with that information. It says that if anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. The word “destroyed” means to defile, to ruin, or to spoil. It doesn't necessarily mean the word “destruction” in the sense of a building being completely destroyed, so much as it could mean graffiti, or bringing something unholy into the temple, or vandalism.  God destroyed any who did those things to his temple in the Old Testament. An example is when the Philistines captured the ark and attempted to keep it in their pagan temple. First God destroyed their idol, and then He gave the people of Ashdod tumors, killing some. Therefore, how much more should we be careful of our own bodies, and of the temple of God? I believe this warning is spoken mostly to apply to ourselves, but also others. For we need to respect our bodies, we need to take care of them, we need to try to keep them pure and holy, free from sin, free from all bondage. We also need to keep others who are the temple of God, holy and pure, and we need to respect their bodies and respect them because of the holiness that God gave them through His presence within them.

1 Cor. 3:18-19 "Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.  (19)  For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their craftiness.'"

Back in chapter one, Paul described those that are chosen by God, and God chooses those that are humble. 1 Cor. 1:26-29 "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.  (27)  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; (28) God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, (29) so that no human being might boast in the presence of God." God chooses the foolish, the weak, the low, and the despised to be His servants. In order for us to become His perfect servants, we must become humble, we must acknowledge our own foolishness, and in so doing, we become wise. It is a paradox, yet it’s what God has instituted for us as His perfect plan. We need to realize that although worldly wisdom or knowledge can be useful for surviving here on earth, it doesn't save us, and it can lead us into a prideful state that is very dangerous. As it says in verse 19, the wisdom of the world is folly with God, and it warns in Col. 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” It’s very easy to be taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit which are based in human tradition. An example of this is evolution, those that believe in macro-evolution and try to mix it with the Bible have been taken captive by empty deceit, and they have chosen to believe worldly wisdom over the “foolishness” of the Bible. The Bible is clear about what is true, and yet people try to twist it and say “well that’s just poetry” or they say “that’s not what it really means.” They are trusting scientists that are not believers to interpret the evidence for them without the lens of the Bible and then they take their word for it even if it contradicts what the Bible says. To the world, the Bible is foolish, and if we don’t renounce our worldly wisdom, we will never gain true wisdom for we will be taken captive by empty deceit and philosophy.

1 Cor. 3:20  "and again, 'The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.'"

The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; He knows what they are thinking (He also knows what we are thinking). It says here that their thoughts are futile. The word means it’s vain - they are pointless thoughts. Why are they pointless? Because they are worldly wisdom, and though “wisdom,” they are worldly which makes them corrupt and also fruitless. An interesting note of this word is that it can be used to indicate idolatry (empty worship) and vanity (somewhat relating to pride in one’s accomplishments, or character). Therefore it leads me to believe that this is also referring to people who take pride in their wisdom (therefore they are an idol to themselves). Although they are “wise,” their wisdom is in vain due to their pride in themselves, and their wisdom will avail nothing. God, as it says in verse 19, will catch the wise in their craftiness.

1 Cor. 3:21-23  "So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,  (22)  whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours,  (23)  and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's."

Men are flawed and nothing they do on their own will be fruitful or pure or godly. Anything that is good will be from God, not men. Rom. 7:18 "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out." As Paul is clear to tell us, there is nothing good within us, and anything that is “good” is from God, not ourselves. Therefore, they shouldn't put themselves under the banner of “I follow Paul” or “I follow Apollos” or “I follow Cephas” because although they have been made great by God, they are still only His creations, and it’s only to God’s credit that they are to be lifted up.

The phrase “for all things are yours” indicates that the previous statements are important to the following statement. The previous statement shows that men aren't worthy to boast in because their wisdom is folly in God’s eyes. This means that one shouldn't boast in men, because all of God’s creation was given to man. Moreover, we should realize that all of these things are given to us by God. Furthermore, we were given to Christ and Christ was given to God. So all of those things were given to us by God, yet they belong still to God. But we shouldn't boast in them because they are God’s not ours. We should be united because they are given to all of us by God for our benefit. 

The Foundation and The Fire

1 Cor. 3:10  "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 how he builds upon it. 
1 Cor. 3:11  "For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 
1 Cor. 3:12  "Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw
1 Cor. 3:13  "each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 
1 Cor. 3:14  "If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 
1 Cor. 3:15  "If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."

The foundation, the fire, and the reward - these are the three things this passage talks about. It talks about the foundation of Christ, it talks about the testing of our works, and then it talks about what happens after we are tested.

1 Cor. 3:10  "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 how he builds upon it."

Paul was a skilled master builder because of God's grace which was given to him. What he means is that he was an Apostle, as he says in almost all the books he wrote: Rom 1:1  "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God."  The word "apostle" means "delegate," "ambassador," "officially a commissioner of Christ with Miraculous power." Paul is an apostle, which means he has miraculous power, he is there to represent Christ, directly, here on earth. Think about that; a man whose sole purpose in life was to destroy the church of Christ (before his conversion) - this man's purpose on earth is now to represent, directly, the Person whom he had persecuted with so much zeal. Paul gets his authority from Christ because he is an Apostle. We are to follow his direction because he is a direct representative for God. Moreover, he is one who has the authority from God, directed by the Holy Spirit, to lay the foundation of salvation for people.

Paul didn't lay this foundation with eloquence or with worldly wisdom: 1 Cor. 2:1  "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 1 Cor. 2:2  "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." The foundation of Christianity is sinners saved by Christ's death. The end. That is the foundation of our faith. Without it, there is NO salvation. On top of that you build other things, such as these:
His resurrection is power over death and therefore sin: Rom. 5:17-18  "For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men." 
Christ is the Son of God: Matt. 26:63-64  "But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to Him, 'I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.'  Jesus said to him, 'You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.'"
This God is the only God: 1 Tim. 1:17  "To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." 
Another that I'll mention is the Trinity - three Beings who are all one, yet still three. All three were seen in this passage. Matt. 3:16-17  "And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him;  and behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"
These basics are built upon the foundation of Christ's death. On top of these more things are built. This is what Paul is talking about in 1 Cor. 2:6-7  "Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory." and what he talks about here, in  1 Cor. 3:1-2  "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready."
The wisdom all stems from the foundation of Christ.

1 Cor. 3:11  "For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

There is only one foundation; anything else is not a foundation at all.
Matt. 7:24-26  "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand."
Sand is what you build on if you're not building on the rock of Christ. Christ is our foundation and our cornerstone. Isa. 28:16  "therefore thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste.''"
The cornerstone is the stone that the rest of the building is built around. In fact, the rest of the bricks are all placed in the correct position in relation to this cornerstone. Therefore, if Christ is our cornerstone, everything we do should done because of Him, and should be done in relation to Him. If you go to the gas station today, how are you going to treat the cashier? How do you interact with the cashier in relation to Christ? Are you going to be grumpy and thereby misaligned from where Christ would have you? Or will you show some joy because you know where you're going and you know what Christ has done for you?

1 Cor. 3:12-13  "Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done."

This fire is an interesting concept. Fire is used other places by God: with Moses and the burning bush, (Exod. 3:2  "And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.") in burnt sacrifices, (Lev. 1:9  "but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.") burning idols, (Deut. 7:25  "The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God.") in baptism in Christ (Matt. 3:11  "'I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.'") His angels are seen as a flame, (Heb. 1:7  "Of the angels he says, "He makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire.") a pillar of fire was used to lead the Israelites, (Exod. 13:21  "And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. Exod. 13:22  "The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.")  fire was used to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24  "Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven.") it is figuratively used in 1 Peter to represent trials to test our faith, (1 Pet. 1:6  "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 1 Pet. 1:7  "so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.") in Revelation, Christ's eyes are said to be like a flame of fire, (Rev. 2:18  "'And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: 'The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.''") God is said to be a consuming fire, (Heb. 12:28  "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, Heb. 12:29  "for our God is a consuming fire.")

Here in 1 Corinthians, it says "for THE Day will disclose it" ("it" being each one's work) and "it will be revealed by fire." It says in Revelation that Christ (whose eyes are like a flame of fire) will sit on the Great White Throne and judge the living and the dead: Rev 20:12  "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done." He will use His discernment to judge our works and judge our motives; He will test our works and what survives His test will show what we have done here on earth for Him. If we have done all the right things, but had the wrong heart, our works will be consumed. 1Co 4:5a Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. If we have done the right things with the right heart, they shall not be consumed. The only way we can do this is through faith, humility, and through following the Spirit to allow Christ to live through us. 

1 Cor. 3:14  "If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward."

During our judgment we will get a reward for what we have done. 1 Cor. 4:5b "Then each one will receive his commendation from God." This commendation is this Matt. 25:23  "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'" We are all servants of God, Titus 1:1  "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness." This means that if we are servants of Christ we have a couple possibilities, either this where it says "well done good and faithful servant" or as it says in verse 26, "you wicked and slothful servant." It's up to you to choose how you serve and what you build on. 

1 Cor. 3:15  "If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."

Basically, they will not receive the reward obtained by those whose works survived the fire. On top of that, they shall forever know they didn't do as much as they could/should have for Christ. Only as through fire shall they be saved. This means that after our actions have been tested by Christ's discernment, if there is nothing left but you still have the foundation of Christ, you have nothing besides the foundation of Christ; it's as if you came through a fire.

The Planter, The Gardener, and The Grower...

1 Cor. 3:1  "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 
1 Cor. 3:2 "I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 
1 Cor. 3:3  "for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 
1 Cor. 3:4  "For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not being merely human? 
1 Cor. 3:5  "What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 
1 Cor. 3:6  "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 
1 Cor. 3:7  "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 
1 Cor. 3:8  "He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 
1 Cor. 3:9  "For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building."

This passage addresses division within the church once again. However, it comes from a different angle and has a really different purpose than the previous passage which talked about the same subject. This passage starts out by saying that the church is immature, then points out that they are full of jealousy and strife because they follow people instead of Christ, Paul then goes on to explain both his and Apollos's role within the church.

1 Cor. 3:1  "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ."

Paul couldn't treat the Corinthians as if they were spiritual or, as Strong's dictionary says "religious," but he had to treat them as carnal or of the flesh because they were still babes in Christ.

1 Cor. 3:2  "I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,"

This is a continuation of the previous verse, in that it's saying that Paul can't talk to them as those who are spiritually mature; he has to talk to them as those who are spiritually young. This a good analogy with the type of food. Milk is for those who are really young - babies, those who can't fend for themselves and need defense and teaching. This is also a good point for us. We shouldn't be guiding people to salvation and then dropping them. We need to help to nurture them, protect them, guide them, not just show them the path and say good luck. This is because those who are young in the faith need milk to grow, they need protection so they are not overcome by the world, and they need somebody to show them the path so they don't wander off into the woods of the world.

1 Cor. 3:3-4 "for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?  For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not being merely human?"

The Corinthians were acting like spiritual children - spiritual infants. They, therefore, were acting like people of the flesh. me people see a leader in the church and like their teaching or like their style, and say "Ah, this guy is for me, I'm going to follow his Christianity." Saying there is more than one Christianity is showing that you are not more than a child in your knowledge and maturity in spiritual things.

1 Cor. 3:5  "What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each."

Neither Paul nor Apollos were anything more than people given an assignment by God, called just as you have and I have been called. They were nothing more than messengers (although willing messengers). They were the servants of Christ, just doing what the Lord had called and asked them too do.

1 Cor. 3:6  "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth."

This verse speaks against full-fledged Arminianism because Arminian adherents would say it's up to you to choose and to grow. This passage says differently. Paul spread the seeds of the Gospel, Apollos takes care of it, waters it, and nurtures the people. However, it is God who actually provides the growth; it isn't Paul, it isn't Apollos,  it isn't you, and it isn't me. We are just servants of Christ - His tools - but He is the cause that makes changes happen.

1 Cor. 3:7  "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth."

The best we have is nothing but dirty rags before God:  Isa. 64:6  "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment." What we have to offer is nothing, all things of value come from God and His mercy and guidance on our lives. The planting and watering can be done by anybody and is nothing more than following the commands of God. He is the one who gives growth, and therefore He is the one who gets credit. One can water a dead plant all they want, but it won't ever grow; God HAS to open hearts and minds in order for there to be any growth.

1 Cor. 3:8  "He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor."

"He who waters and he who plants are one" seems to mean that they have the same goal, or teach the same doctrine. This can be deduced when reading the verse in context; the people are saying they follow Paul or Apollos instead of saying they are following Christ. In other words, they keep saying they are following the servants of Christ instead of Christ Himself, but His servants are just that... servants. It is not our job to decide whether or not Paul or Apollos is better, that is up to God because God is the one who judges; we won't know our wages until after death.

1 Cor. 3:9  "For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building."

Paul, Apollos, you, me, your pastor, my pastor - we are all fellow workers for God. We all are called to do the same thing - speak God's love for the whole world, maybe this means our neighbors, and maybe this means people across the globe. God will and does lead us in the right direction if we are willing to listen. The people, in general, are where God works, so we are His field because He makes and allows us to grow. We are God's building because our bodies are His temple where He dwells. Moreover, we are His Kingdom, which shows we are being built by Him.


Paul and Apollos were workers for Christ. How they performed on earth is a matter of God's point of view, not ours. They were also just servants of Christ; we can't allow ourselves to lose sight of Who we are following and to Whom we are accountable. We must also continue to grow in Christ and we must help those who are still new in the faith as well as those who are experienced in the faith as they maneuver around pitfalls and attempt to live a God-honoring life. The Corinthians quit growing and were acting like toddlers in the faith - just the little ones. They were full of jealousy, strife, and therefore sin all over which teacher they would "claim." What silliness; yet we need to also be careful not to fall into this danger because it's ever present for us as long as we have leaders. So, child of God, be careful, guard your heart, and continue to grow in Christ.

Lowly, foolish, and weak, the best traits for a Christian?

1 Cor. 1:25  "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 
1 Cor. 1:26  For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 
1 Cor. 1:27  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 
1 Cor. 1:28  God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 
1 Cor. 1:29  so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 
1 Cor. 1:30  And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 
1 Cor. 1:31  so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"
(ESV)
This next set of verses is one of my favorite passages. The reason being that it shows that God chooses to show His power and majesty through sinners, through the weak, the foolish, and the lowly.

1 Cor. 1:25  "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

To get a better understanding of this verse, let's look at the ISV translation: 1 Cor. 1:25  "For God's nonsense is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength." (ISV)
The reason I like this translation of this verse is the word "nonsense" which basically means it doesn't make sense. Paul is saying: "What God does, even if it doesn't make sense to us, is still wiser than we are. If what God does looks weak, it's still stronger than we are. Whatever God does, He does for a purpose. His purpose, even though it may not seem reasonable, smart, or anything but foolishness, it will be the wisest thing possible." For example: when Christ was on the cross, He could have called legions of angels to His side, yet He didn't. He died without a fight. Was Christ weak? No, He was strong for NOT calling the angels. He could have forsaken us all to our sins so He didn't have to die; but He suffered and died and took all of our sins so we could have salvation.

1 Cor. 1:26  "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth."

When you look at Jesus's disciples and what they were before they met him, they weren't rich, nor were they of a higher class. Peter, Andrew, John, and James were all fishermen -definitely not the pinnacle of society at the time. Levi was a tax collector. Tax collectors were hated due to their dishonest practice of exacting money from people. (Who wants their money taken away?) Christ also says this in Mark 10:25:  "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." Paul was one of the few Apostles who was "wise" according to worldly standards before he was saved. He was a zealot for Judaism; he was a Pharisee; he was the "Hebrew of Hebrews." "As to righteousness under the law, blameless" (Philippians 3:5-6). Yet, the true church, (not just those who call themselves Christians, but those actually following Christ) is mainly made up of the weak, the odd, and the foolish (according to the world).

1 Cor. 1:27  "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;"

The foolish in the world, made wise. The weak in the world, made strong. Sounds to me like the world's best transformation program. What do you think? I'd say it is. When we get the Holy Spirit, and He works in and through us, we can do things that we thought were impossible. The reason that God does this goes back to verse 21: "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe." The foolish are more easily saved than the wise, the poor and the weak are more easily saved than the rich and the strong. Why? Because of these words in Proverbs 29:23:  "One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor." Those who are rich, wise, and strong have a lot to be prideful about. They can rely on their human status or abilities to get what they want in life (or so they think), and the only way for them to be saved is when they realize that they aren't enough. The most common way this happens is for them to have their money taken away, or have somebody prove they are dumb, or something take away their strength. It takes a low spot in anybody's life for them to realize that the only way for them to have true peace and joy is through Christ. People who are poor, people who aren't "wise" (by worldly standards), and those who are weak have an easier time realizing that they need work than do those who have power, those who are strong, those who are rich, or those who are wise (again, according to worldly standards).

1 Cor. 1:28  "God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,"

The best example of this is David and Goliath. David, a little short guy, with a staff and a rock, defeated the best fighter of the time. He was laughed at by the troops, laughed at by the Giant, and he was spoken down to by his brother: 1 Sam. 17:28  "Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, 'Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.'" Yet, he destroyed the Giant, became king even though he was the youngest brother, and God showed that he can use anybody who trusts Him. If you trust Him, He can make you strong and He can make you wise. He will use you to show His power to those who have power. He will use you to show His wisdom to those who are wise. He will use you to show His strength to those who are strong. So the point of this is that it doesn't matter what or who  you are, you can be saved and God will use you. If you are the poorest poor, or the richest rich, God can and will use you, should you believe.

1 Cor. 1:29  "so that no human being might boast in the presence of God."

The reason God uses the lowly, weak, and foolish is so that they can't boast before Him. They can't say they did the things they did by their own power, but can ONLY point toward God. So, if you're being prideful, God won't be able to use you at full potential.

1 Cor. 1:30  "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,"

Because of God, we are in Christ. He gave us Christ; He outlined the salvation plan, etc. Christ IS wisdom given to us from God, and Christ is our righteousness, sanctification and redemption. It sounds pretty simple, but really think about what this is saying. We are not righteous nor are we wise. So, in order for us to become righteous, in order to be sanctified and redeemed, we must have something that is righteous for us. Christ is the one Who is righteous for us, the one Whom God sees when He looks at us. He is also our wisdom, because we are foolish; He is our strength because we are weak; He is what we aren't, so that we may become what we need to become in Christ.

1 Cor. 1:31  "so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"

When you do anything that is good, you need to point to God and not yourself. If you get a good grade on a test, that wasn't you, that was God. He gave you the brain-power and the drive to do well. If you make a smart choice, it was God who gave you the wisdom. If you are able to bench 500 lbs., it was God who gave you that ability. If you speak the salvation message and somebody believes because of it, it wasn't you that saved them. God worked in their heart, and God gave you the words to say.

The point of this whole passage is that God is wise, He is strong, and we are not. Plain and simple. The concept that piggybacks on this one is that those who are weak, foolish, and lowly are the people who are most open to the truth; they are the ones who are most useful to God in most circumstances because He can then show His power. However, if you are humble and realize how much of what you've done is because of God, you will be useful for him regardless of your status in life.