Let each one take care how he builds upon it (1 Corinthians 3:10). These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. Remaining worldly is not one of the options. (Fee). There is no discipline in this testing. But they that are otherwise will be consumed and vanish away, and so will the workman be frustrated of the hope of his labour, who pleased himself in a thing of nothing. There is no punishment for the Christian at the Judgment Seat of Christ because Christ took all our judgment at the cross (Ro 8:1). Macknight. c. You were not able to receive it: It wasnt that God prevented them from receiving the solid food Paul gave. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
What he has done will be patently clear to God. If they do otherwise, they are worldly and are called upon to desist. The last implication I would draw out of this is that in 2 John 8, we have everything echoed again: Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. I think that suggests that even though the main focus of 1 Corinthians 3 is not generally works of believers, but true and false teaching, it does imply that application. The fire itself shall prove each man's work. b. I have laid the foundation: When Paul founded the church in Corinth (Acts 18), he set the only foundation that can be laid the person and work of Jesus Christ. The building is what God builds in His people with the help of His. calamity, such as the destruction of Jerusalem, whereby many Think of all the denominational differences among us. For we are Gods fellow workers. Each of us will give account for our lifes work. The ancient Greek word used for temple (naos) refers to the actual sanctuary, the place of the deitys dwelling, in contrast to the broader word hieron, which was the temple area in general. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. (7) He testifies, as indeed it truly is, that all are not good builders, not even all of those who stand upon this one and only foundation. For you are still carnal. So what was the use of fighting which of two nothings was the greater? (Maclaren). 
What is Paul? If they are wise according to a human measure of wisdom? Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. b. ii. i.
It isnt just teachers who need to be vigilant over what they teach, but all Christians need to be vigilant over what they do, or what they do with what they are taught whether they themselves build themselves up in their most holy faith with what they hear (Jude 20). All rights reserved. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. is; Every believer will receive an efficiency report at the Judgment Seat of Christ. We value the gifts and honors of men more than the gifts and honors God gives. Gods temple His church is holy, and it matters to God how we treat His holy temple. The fire will clearly distinguish genuine from phony. That is, hes built something with his teaching, and what hes built may just go poof in the judgment. This text people can test this now when I read it is not first or mainly about the general good works of all believers, though I think the implication is going to be there. The fire shall try every mans work of what sort it is: So will what each has done on the building, progressive process of purifying the mind of the church, what is the character of the work of each, St. Pauls First Epistle to the Corinthians, Many things are also revealed sooner, at least to some, but Paul lays down the last and most certain day of fiery trial. Each one will receive his own reward: All work together, but each is rewarded individually. Yet he clearly calls them. Young preachers used to ask G. Campbell Morgan the secret to his preaching success. : All work together, but each is rewarded individually. of it; as in the primitive times, at the reformation from popery, We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. In the same way, human wisdom and fleshly attractions may have a place in life, but not in the building of the church. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. But God doesnt choose exalted people to do His work. 3. ii. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. and truths that are approved are made manifest; or of some great of men, good or bad, but of the doctrines of ministers; rather We cannot work without Him, and He will not work without us (generally speaking). If anyones work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:1315). let each one take heed how he builds on it, . That was one of their problems, their love of worldly wisdom. There is a significant debate as to if there can be such a thing as a, Christian. i. For the day - The Day of Judgment. Let me read it, and you look for that: whether or not some teachings are combustible straw, and some teachings are precious stones. so much heat, as to burn up the wood, hay, and stubble; when the The real problem was the Corinthian attraction to spiritual junk food, based on mans wisdom and eloquence. Each ones 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. b. For all things are yours: To say I am of Paul or I am of Apollos is to have a view that is too narrow, too constricted. This is a review of the performance. And you. And the fire shall try every man's work - It is the property of fire to test the qualities of objects. He who plants and he who waters are one: In combating the Corinthian desire to divide among leaders, Paul reminds them they are all on the same team. ii. . irregularity, and deformity of such a building; at first so well God will test everything we do in the light of His own standards. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each ones work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each ones work, of what sort it is. Following the flow of the thought, I take gold and silver and precious stones to be faithful, biblical, apostolic, edifying truth that youre building on gospel foundations with, while wood, hay, and straw refer to teachings that are either false or distorted or out of proportion or self-serving or contrary to the gospel in some way or contaminated with sinful thoughts or ways. There is only one foundation for the church. b. some fiery dispensation of God's vengeance, as on Jerusalem: And as that stuff is tried by the fire, whether it is good or not, so will God in his time, by the touch of his Spirit and word, try all buildings, and so will it come to pass, that those which are found pure and sound, will still continue so, to the praise of the workmen. They are to become a fool that he may become wise. For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to comeall are yours. Roman Catholics use this passage to teach purgatory, the idea that when we die, we go to a place where we are purified by fire before we go to heaven. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. Its probably important that we read this. a. You can check these in your browser security settings. They are through whom you believed, not on whom you believed. it becomes much more precious than of gold that perisheth; or of We might think Paul would be more kind to his own fan club. Instead of letting their praise stroke his flesh, Paul denounced even his own partisans. Let him become a fool that he may become wise, ? Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. not that day, but the man's work, or doctrine: and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it If anyones work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. Those teachers will be saved, according to 1 Corinthians 3:15, though their work will be burned up, or at least part of it will be burned up. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder so, hes fully into the new metaphor now I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Real fruitfulness in ministry happens when we are peacefully content with what God has called us to do. When you try to think through what it really means that the works are burned up, it seems likely to me that this refers not just to a false teaching being exposed and excluded from heaven, but it says in 1 Corinthians 3:14 that the teachers work will be burned up. We'll send you an email with steps on how to reset your password. God will bring up the rejection of Christ at the Great White Throne judgment for the unbeliever because the non-Christian rejected the finished work of Christ for his sin. kept in store, reserved unto fire, against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. Here his emphasis is on the church as a whole (though it has application to individuals). Others are frustrated because they want to make the increase happen, when only God can do that. It is the nature of our work that counts, not the volume of our work. Death may be to us as the angel who touched Peter in Acts 12, causing his chains to fall off, and leading him through a gate that opens by itself, into real freedom. : In combating the Corinthian desire to divide among leaders, Paul reminds them they are all on the same team. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? How silly to say, Planting is what is really important. Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. As they are not burned but purified; as they pass unhurt through the intense heat of the furnace, so shall all that is genuine pass through the trials of the last great Day, of which trials the burning world shall be the antecedent and the emblem. On earth, many ministers either receive too much or too little reward. We might think Paul would be more kind to his own fan club. Instead of letting their praise stroke his flesh, Paul denounced even his own partisans. it shall be revealed by fireit, that is, "every man's work." All the farmer can do is provide the right environment for growth, and trust in the miracle of life. We cannot work without Him, and He will not work without us (generally speaking). Some will be saved, but with a life that was wasted, and receive no crown to give to Jesus, for His glory (as in Revelation 4:10-11). This world needs more people willing to look foolish in the eyes of the world so that more in the world might be saved. That great Day shall show what is genuine and what is not. Are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? Reward is not given according to gifts, talents, or even success, but according to their, : God gives us the amazing opportunity to work with Him. The word sort indicates quality, not quantity. among Christians are not the only signs of fleshiness, but they are the ones most evident among the Corinthians. (8-9) Christian workers work together, but are rewarded according to their own labor. Therefore let no one boast in men. Will we agree with Gods evaluation or not? Let no one deceive himself. These Christians, to some extent, are thinking and acting according to the flesh, not the Spirit. How we need to hear, let no one glory in men! tribulation; as of persecution, which tries men's principles, The whole ministry he may have built on his clouded view just goes poof in the fires of judgment. Here his emphasis is on the church as a whole (though it has application to individuals). ou are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? Death may be to us as the angel who touched Peter in Acts 12, causing his chains to fall off, and leading him through a gate that opens by itself, into real freedom.
But the most natural interpretation is that which refers it to the Day of Judgment. c. When one says, I am of Paul, are you not carnal? i. Copyright - Enduring Word | . But let each one take heed how he builds on it. shining lustre of the gold, silver, and precious stones; and with The faithful, laborious minister or missionary who labours in obscurity and without apparent fruit, will meet a reward far beyond that of those who, with less self-denial and effort, are made the instruments of great results. (Hodge), iii. That might be a sign that we really are not standing on the foundation of Christ and are not Christian teachers at all. i. Straw may be fine, it may have a place (in the barn), but it is an inadequate building material. Ephesians 5:13 ) . Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. Paul's fire causes "loss" to the sufferers; Rome's purgatory, great gain, namely, heaven at last to those purged by it, if only it were true. There is no doubt that day will come. a. It is possible to be a true Christian and for various reasons have a distorted view of some truth in the Bible, and actually mislead the church with those teachings that are not fully biblical, and be saved go to heaven. The fire of Paul is to try the works, the fire of purgatory the persons, of men. If anyones work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (18-20) Glorify Him by pursuing real wisdom. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. . For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. c. We are Gods fellow workers: God gives us the amazing opportunity to work with Him. Every believer will give an account of himself to the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ. i. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. c. The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise: God has evaluated the wisdom of this world, and He considers it foolishness, craftiness, and futile. c. I planted, Apollos watered: Planted and watered are in the ancient Greek aorist tense, marking definite acts in the past. by the fire is meant, not the general conflagration of the world, They were his field (using the picture of a farmer planting and watering), and they were his building (using the picture of a builder). Which one are you? We suffer loss when our teaching works get burned up. And it proves that they werent Christians at all, because they didnt understand the gospel, because it was so clouded by what he taught, though he himself was a Christian. best of all to understand this day of the Gospel day, and of the The real problem was the Corinthian attraction to spiritual junk food, based on mans wisdom and eloquence.
He 4:13, And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. 1. God knows how to reward properly. 2018 David Guzik No distribution beyond personal use without permission. day, or that day, and will be attended with fire, and in it all How could these terms be used of someone who is not a Christian? Quality of workmanship in our service glorifies our Lord, so God will reward everything we have done in the fullness of the Spirit. the fire of purgatory, the "papists" dream of, for the punishment are in the ancient Greek aorist tense, marking definite acts in the past. Article Images Copyright 2022 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth (1 Corinthians 3:56). For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. : It wasnt that God prevented them from receiving the, Paul gave. Yet he knew that others would come after him and build on the foundation he set. Just as fire will destroy, ; so the work of some will be revealed as, of work, it will be as if he did nothing. Purgatory is strictly a human invention, and denies the finished work of Jesus for the believer. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. We get a regular flow of email questions about eternal rewards. Paul did not say that they weremere men (that is, not saved), only that they were behaving like mere men. b. I planted, Apollos watered: Christian workers have different jobs and see different results, but God is the one who gets the work done. It is a sobering thought: many, many people who believe they are serving God, but are doing it in an unworthy manner or with unworthy materials will come to find in eternity that they have, in reality, done, He himself will be saved, yet so as through the fire. Paul and Apollos are not the ones you believed on for salvation; they only brought Jesus to you. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal: The Corinthian Christians thought of themselves as spiritual, but their divisions show that they are in fact fleshly. i. That should not make us careless about the Scriptures, because this is real loss. John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. Copyright 2022, Bible Study Tools. The idea of purgatory has nothing to do with this passage, and nothing to do with any other passage in the Bible. i. though the word of God, which is as fire, seems to be intended; Will we agree with Gods evaluation or not?
I find it interesting that in revelation 20 we see two books thats at the great white throne judgment the book of works and the other the book of life. i. Notice that the amount of the work isnt going to be evaluated (though it does have some relevance). If one did a lot of the wrong sort of work, it will be as if he did nothing. d. The fire will test each ones work: When God tests our work, it will be revealed what kind of work it was. of Things he thought he had constructed with teachings will be found to be worthless. Oh my goodness. The physical temple was the picture; Gods dwelling in us is the reality. Were on a mission to change that. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Designed by Elegant Themes Those planters better get their priorities straight. The fact is planters and waterers are both necessary, both need each other, and both are working towards the same goal.
Because it shall be revealed by fire - The work, the edifice which shall be built on the true foundation shall be made known amidst the fire of the great Day. d. You are Gods field, you are Gods building: The work Paul did with God was to work on Gods people. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. God is merciful, and willing to forgive. In the same way, human wisdom and fleshly attractions may have a place in life, but not in the building of the church. For it is written, He catches the wise in their own craftiness; and again, The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.. a. I fed you with milk: Paul kept his teaching on the basics, even though they had an inflated view of their spirituality. Moody wisely said that converts ought to be. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. When you consider all the ways God could have done His work, it is even more amazing to know He wants our participation. by Grant Richison | Jul 24, 2002 | 1 Corinthians | 2 comments, each ones work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each ones work, of what sort it is.. and the more remarkable Gospel daylight, which will be in the b. Whats the difference between what this burning leaves unburned and what is consumed?.
a. (5-7) The foolishness of exalting church leaders. ii. i. It is an exalted thing to be a fellow worker with God. Are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? And I, brethren: These people are part of the family of God (he calls them brethren), and that is the problem. of evil actions; for the apostle is not speaking of the actions are put upon a re-examination of their doctrines, whereby persons to himself, and to his hearers; who shall see the inconsistency, If they are wise according to a human measure of wisdom? Think of inside our denominations how many ways we interpret Scripture sometimes and how many different things we view. It is not to be supposed here that the material fire of the last Day shall have any tendency to purify the soul, or to remove that which is unsound; but that the investigations and trials of the Judgment shall remove all that is evil, as fire acts with reference to gold and silver. is one of degrees, not kind. Fleshly, when used of a person means, characterized by the flesh. It speaks of the one who can and should do differently but does not. This fire is not till the last day, the supposed fire of purgatory begins at death. That was the kind of thing Jesus had to say about the Pharisees. So, let each one take heed how he builds on it. For we are Gods fellow workers; you are Gods field. You Can Share a Gift & a Bible With a Fatherless Boy, Inspirational Bible Verses and Scripture Quotes, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information.
ii. 4. difference between these things will be most easily discerned. There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid, that shall not be known. So, everybody needs to be vigilant with how we build: how we build others and how we build ourselves with what others teach us. | Powered by WordPress. God will bring up no sin at the Judgment Seat. 1. c. If anyone defiles the temple of God: If you defile the church, God will destroy you. secrets shall be made manifest; but the apostle intends a Now if anyone builds on this foundation, : In describing Pauls work among the Corinthians, he begins with a declaration of, . For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For we are Gods fellow workers; you are Gods field, you are Gods building. the dayof the Lord (1Co 1:8; Heb 10:25; 1Th 5:4). And you are Christs: This is Christian responsibility. If they do otherwise, they are worldly and are called upon to desist. doesnt mean jewels, but fine stone materials like marble and granite. Therefore let no one boast in men. There is the. Comment: Hes starting with the analogy of farming, but hes going to shift to the analogy of architecture and building in just a minute, so be alert to that change when it comes. God wants, You are Gods field, you are Gods building. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor (1 Corinthians 3:78). Every man's work shall be made manifest The article is emphatic, "The day," that is, the great day of days, the long expected day. especially in the latter day, that by the light of it, both There are real rewards that we will not have if we teach error, and even more serious than the loss of rewards, if were cavalier about our teaching, as if it doesnt matter. Mixing the wisdom of men with the wisdom of God in the work of building the church is like using alternate layers of straw and marble in building. 