Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
1 CORINTHIANS 3
The Church and Its Leaders
1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” 21 So then, no more boasting about human leaders! 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 of Christ, and Christ is of God.
Application Notes
3:1-3 Paul called the Corinthians infants in Christ because they were not yet spiritually healthy and mature. The proof was that they were quarrelling like children, allowing divisions to distract them. Immature Christians are often worldly and controlled by their own desires; mature believers are in tune with God's desires. How much influence do your desires have on your life? Your goal should be to let God's desires be yours. Being controlled by your own desires will stunt your growth.
3:6 Paul planted the seed of the gospel in people's hearts. He was a missionary pioneer--he brought the message of salvation. Apollos watered the seed, helping the believers grow stronger in the faith. Paul founded the church in Corinth, and Apollos built on that foundation. Tragically, the believers in Corinth had split into factions, pledging loyalty to different teachers (see 1:11-13). But while preachers and teachers proclaim the gospel and faithfully impart biblical knowledge, God is the one who makes Christians grow. Our leaders should certainly be respected, but we should never place them on pedestals that create barriers between people or set them up as substitutes for Christ.
3:7-9 God's work involves many different individuals with a variety of gifts and abilities. There are no superstars in this task, only team members performing their own special roles. We can become useful members of God's team by setting aside our desire to receive glory for what we do. Don't seek the comparatively worthless praise that comes from people. Instead, seek approval from God.
3:10-17 Some have applied these verses about building well on a solid foundation to personal spiritual growth, but Paul's teaching has to do primarily with leaders and how they minister to others. This applies to all leaders in the church, including volunteers in any leadership capacity. What are we doing to teach and lead others? And as we do so, are we building on Christ, the true foundation? Are we building with perishable material? Tile orinthians could construct their church either with lasting, eternal teaching or with the changing, temporary wisdom of the day.
Paul's words challenge our methods of discipleship. Do we attach others to ourselves as the foundation or to Christ? Do we use our abilities and spiritual gifts to build up others in the church or to keep them tied to us? Do we use Bible-based teaching or merely adaptations of worldly wisdom?
3:10-11 Jesus Christ forms the foundation of the church--of all believers. Nothing and no one else will do, writes Paul. A building with no foundation, or one poorly constructed, will not last. A home constructed with the finest materials will quickly crumble if it is resting on unstable ground. Any building is only as solid as its foundation. Our foundation is Jesus Christ; he is our base, our reason for being. Everything we are and do must rest on the foundation of his life and His Word. Are you building your life on the only real and lasting foundation, or are you building on a faulty foundation, such as wealth, security, success, or a human relationship? Be careful what you build on.
3:13-15 Two sure ways to destroy a building are to tamper with its foundation and to build with inferior materials. The church must be built on Christ, not on any other person or principle. He will evaluate each person's contribution to the life of the church, and the Day of Judgment will reveal the sincerity of each person's work. God will determine whether each individual has been faithful to Jesus' instructions. Good work will be rewarded; unfaithful or inferior work will be discounted. The fire and flames referred to here are not the fires of hell but the refining, purging fire that will assess the quality of the work we do. "The builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved--even though only as one escaping through the flames" means that faithful believers, especially leaders, who are ineffective in their work for Christ will still be saved, but like people escaping from a burning building. There will be few if any eternal rewards awaiting them on Judgment Day.
3:16-17 Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand that they were a unified assembly ("you yourselves are God's temple and ... God's Spirit dwells in your midst"). They were not to see themselves as a collection of competing interests or independent individuals. Paul was emphasising the intent of Jesus' prayer in John 17:21-23 that believers be unified in God. What actions could you take this week to strengthen your ties to fellow Christians?
3:18-21 Paul was not telling the Corinthian believers to neglect the pursuit of knowledge. He was warning them that if worldly wisdom holds them back from God, it is not wisdom at all. God's way of thinking is far above ours; he knows all the futile thoughts of those who appear wise. The Corinthians were boasting about the wisdom of their leaders and teachers. Their pride made them value the presentation of the message more than the message. We are not to put our trust in anyone but God.
3:22 Paul says that both life and death are ours. While nonbelievers are victims of life, swept along by its current and wondering if it has any meaning, believers can use life well because they understand its true purpose. Nonbelievers can only fear death. For believers, however, death holds no terrors because Christ has conquered all fear (see 1 John 4:18). Death is only the beginning of eternal life with God.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)