Darin-isms (1 Corinthians 3)
Picking up where our text on Sunday left off…
1 Corinthians 3:10-23
Having established that it is God who is at work in the lives of the Corinthians, and that he (Paul) and Apollos are not the cause of what’s happened there, but rather the means through which God has been at work, Paul continues to discuss the ministry process.
v. 10 Paul acknowledges that is a matter of God’s grace that he has been allowed to minister there at all, and at that, given the privilege of ‘laying foundation’. So, the foundation laid was the ‘message of the cross’ (1:18); the matter of Christ, and Christ crucified (2:2).
As Paul wrote, ‘someone else’ was ministering among the believers at Corinth. Whether Paul has Apollos or Cephas (Peter) in view, or someone else, is unknown. But, he speaks what follows as a warning, ‘each one should be careful’.
v. 11 Jesus Christ is THE foundation, the basis for salvation. Paul’s words here are reminiscent of his ‘no other gospel’ rebuke of the Galatians (see Gal. 1:6-9).
v. 12-15 Paul goes on to describe the building work and distinguish between wise and foolish builders and enduring and temporal building materials in illustration. This section and its evaluations should be considered in the overall context alongside Paul’s earlier contrasts between God’s wisdom and mankind’s wisdom (revisit 1:18-2:16 and then see ahead to verse 18).
Some materials are of high cost, others cheap. Some prove durable while others easily succumb to the elements. The point is that the work itself will show forth its strength and the workman’s diligence (or neglect) will be revealed at that point.
Paul speaks of ‘the Day’, a time when Jesus will return, and when all will be revealed and known. Associated with that time Paul speaks warning that our labor will not have been squandered. This should be considered in light of the earlier part of chapter three where Paul contrasts believers who are maturing and those who are still infants in Christ – all believers and therefore ‘saved’ even if only ‘escaping through flames’ of God’s revealing. How much better to have cherished Christ in this life and have grown (and labored) in His wisdom, so that we and our work reflect eternal, not only temporal investment?
v. 16 This verse speaks of the church at Corinth, collectively, as being the dwelling place of the Spirit. Later, in chapter 6f Paul will speak more specifically of God’s indwelling individual believers. Just as in Old Testament times God inhabited the temple by filling it with His glory, so now also He inhabits the church, filling them with His Spirit.
v. 17 A very stern warning for any who would seek to destroy the body, the bride of Christ.
v. 18 The argument comes full circle: this is about God’s wisdom in contrast to human wisdom: looking at these things (unity in the body, building and growing the body, etc) from God’s perspective as opposed to viewing it through the world’s eyes.
v. 19-22 Again, revisit 1:18-2:16 and my earlier notes on those passages. Paul returns to this point here to support his admonition that boasting about human teachers – whether Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or any other, is foolish.
v. 23 How little we appreciate the truth: all of these are given to us, because we are Christ’s.
1 Corinthians 3:10-23
Having established that it is God who is at work in the lives of the Corinthians, and that he (Paul) and Apollos are not the cause of what’s happened there, but rather the means through which God has been at work, Paul continues to discuss the ministry process.
v. 10 Paul acknowledges that is a matter of God’s grace that he has been allowed to minister there at all, and at that, given the privilege of ‘laying foundation’. So, the foundation laid was the ‘message of the cross’ (1:18); the matter of Christ, and Christ crucified (2:2).
As Paul wrote, ‘someone else’ was ministering among the believers at Corinth. Whether Paul has Apollos or Cephas (Peter) in view, or someone else, is unknown. But, he speaks what follows as a warning, ‘each one should be careful’.
v. 11 Jesus Christ is THE foundation, the basis for salvation. Paul’s words here are reminiscent of his ‘no other gospel’ rebuke of the Galatians (see Gal. 1:6-9).
v. 12-15 Paul goes on to describe the building work and distinguish between wise and foolish builders and enduring and temporal building materials in illustration. This section and its evaluations should be considered in the overall context alongside Paul’s earlier contrasts between God’s wisdom and mankind’s wisdom (revisit 1:18-2:16 and then see ahead to verse 18).
Some materials are of high cost, others cheap. Some prove durable while others easily succumb to the elements. The point is that the work itself will show forth its strength and the workman’s diligence (or neglect) will be revealed at that point.
Paul speaks of ‘the Day’, a time when Jesus will return, and when all will be revealed and known. Associated with that time Paul speaks warning that our labor will not have been squandered. This should be considered in light of the earlier part of chapter three where Paul contrasts believers who are maturing and those who are still infants in Christ – all believers and therefore ‘saved’ even if only ‘escaping through flames’ of God’s revealing. How much better to have cherished Christ in this life and have grown (and labored) in His wisdom, so that we and our work reflect eternal, not only temporal investment?
v. 16 This verse speaks of the church at Corinth, collectively, as being the dwelling place of the Spirit. Later, in chapter 6f Paul will speak more specifically of God’s indwelling individual believers. Just as in Old Testament times God inhabited the temple by filling it with His glory, so now also He inhabits the church, filling them with His Spirit.
v. 17 A very stern warning for any who would seek to destroy the body, the bride of Christ.
v. 18 The argument comes full circle: this is about God’s wisdom in contrast to human wisdom: looking at these things (unity in the body, building and growing the body, etc) from God’s perspective as opposed to viewing it through the world’s eyes.
v. 19-22 Again, revisit 1:18-2:16 and my earlier notes on those passages. Paul returns to this point here to support his admonition that boasting about human teachers – whether Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or any other, is foolish.
v. 23 How little we appreciate the truth: all of these are given to us, because we are Christ’s.
1 Comments:
Thanks Darin, it is a personal trial, as well a corporate one we share. V18-Too often I find myself leaning on my own understanding as I believe He has equipped me to see well and understand more sensitively the spiritual battles that I face. And quite literally no matter what wisdom I bring to bear there is never a good result without a surrender to Him. For all intensive purposes it is like why even bother to try without Him. I liked something that a pastor I heard recently said. When all things seem to be bearing down on you and all you do seems overwhelming, look to eternity. That was not so astounding until you wrap yourself into the completion of His thought. Eternity is like this: think of all the beaches of all the coasts of the world and all the sand on all the beaches of the world and this life you live as mortal man/woman is represented as just one grain of that sand. He went on further to state. "how many of us are just grinding that tiny pebble for all it is worth?" I take that perspective and add to it this to the equation of dealing with the daily ups and downs. Each challenge we face is like one pebble, or even smaller to God. Do we over complicate do we try to build a wall around ourselves using the grains of sand represented by our battles or do we lay a bed for a road leading to a higher dependency and reverence for God?
By Anonymous, at 4/17/2006 9:42 AM
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