Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

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. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?
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. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
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. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 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. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
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. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

• 1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

1 Corinthians 3:1-9 ‘Of Paul or Apollos? Patronage at Corinth’: “Modern western societies teach their citizens that all persons should have equal access to the goods and services provided by the society. Despite all evidence to the contrary, it is supposedly not ‘who you know’ but ‘what you know’ that obtains for a person what is desired in life. We are taught that ‘equal rights’ means ‘equal opportunity,’ and equal rights are equally possessed by all.
“The Greco-Roman world, however, did not operate under such an illusion, but according to a different principle: it was who you knew that really mattered. Access to the society’s goods and services arose from knowing the right person in the right place. Such a social system is called ‘patronage,’ a system built on the presupposition of social inequality. The more powerful person in the relationship (the patron) had access to goods and services that the person of lower status (the client) needed or wanted.
“In return for a favor, a client granted the patron loyalty and honor that increased the patron’s status and influence. Possibly the Christians at Corinth reflected the patronage system when they expressed their loyalty to particular Christian leaders. Perhaps the Gentile Christians claimed to be ‘of Paul’ (1 Cor. 3:4), considering themselves his disciples. The intellectuals of the Corinthian church may have supported the Alexandrian leader Apollos, who had ministered in Corinth (Acts 19:1). Rather, Paul preferred for himself and Apollos to be viewed only as ministers who served the church according to the gifts and abilities they had received from God (3:5).”

• Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible

1 Corinthians 3:1-5 ‘Corinth’s trouble: Carnality, Pride, Desire to be Exalted’: ”The cause of the divisions in the Corinthian church was not due to differences of human points of view. No, you can have many points of view on many issues in a church and still have unity and fellowship. As Paul makes clear in 1 Corinthians 3, the cause of these divisions was carnality, pride, and the fleshly desire to have preeminence and to be praised. Paul tells them that as long as carnality is at work in their lives, they will remain spiritual infants. They will never grow.“

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

1 Corinthians 3:2 ‘milk’: “Not a reference to certain doctrines, but to the more easily digestible truths of doctrine that were given to new believers. solid food. The deeper features of the doctrines of Scripture. The difference is not in kind of truth, but degree of depth. Spiritual immaturity makes one unable to receive the richest truths.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Corinthians 3:3 ‘envy … strife’: “Carnality produces the attitude of envy, a severe form of selfishness, which produces the action of strife and the subsequent divisions. Mere men. Apart from the will of the Spirit, hence carnal, not spiritual.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 ‘The Bema Judgment’: “This passage is tied together with Romans 14:10-11 and 2 Corinthians 5:10-13, which describe the bema judgment for the works of believers done during their life on earth. While the Greek word bema was used to describe a criminal court hearing in the ancient world, it was also used to refer to the podium or dais where rewards were given out for meritorious achievement. Every believer will someday stand before the ‘judgment seat of God’ (Romans 14:10) and ‘give account of himself to God’ (verse 12). Because ‘there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (8:1) in the positional sense, this bema judgment does not determine one’s spiritual destiny. That has already been settled at the cross and by the believer’s trust in that sacrifice of Christ for his sins. Instead, the bema judgment is about rewards and about what the believer has done for the Lord in this life.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

1 Corinthians 3:10 ‘master builder … foundation’: “The Gr. word is the root for architect, but contained the idea of builder as well as designer. Paul’s specialty was designing and building spiritual foundations (cf. Rom. 15:20). He was used by God to establish the groundwork for churches in Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece. Others (e.g., Timothy, Apollos) built the churches up from his foundations. That God used him in that way was all of grace (cf. v. 7, 15:20; Rom. 15:18; Eph. 3:7, 8, Col. 1:29). each one. This primarily refers to evangelists and pastor-teachers.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 ‘our best work is worthless, or worse than worthless’: ”All we do in the flesh is wood, hay, and stubble; fit only to be burned (see 1 Cor. 3:11-15). All the praise we crave and seek from others is worthless-no, it’s worse than worthless, for when we crave and seek it, we bring division and destruction to God’s work. His judgment is true and it is relentless; He is not the least bit impressed by the works we do in the flesh. Only what is done in the Spirit will last. The message of the cross must come in and cut off the flesh before we can experience growth and maturity. Until that happens, division and conflict will reign in the church and in our lives.“

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

1 Corinthians 3:11 ‘Build upon a firm foundation’: “A building’s superstructure is important, but the first question must always concern the foundation. However quickly, however cleverly a person may build, if the foundation is unsound, that person is a foolish builder. This is emphatically true in spiritual things, for there the foundation is of the utmost importance. Four important truths stand out about the foundation in this verse. To begin with, a foundation is the first portion of a building, and so is the Lord Jesus first and foremost with his church. God in his purpose has chosen a people, but he has no such people apart from Christ. Next, a foundation is the support of all, and there is no church except that which derives all its support from Christ Jesus. If any company of people calling themselves a church depend for salvation and eternal life on anything besides or beyond the merit of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, they are not a church. Furthermore, the shape of a building is determined by its foundation. If any portion of a church is not based on Christ, it is a mere deforming addition to the plan of the great architect. Finally, a foundation is indispensable to a building, and so Christ is indispensable toa true church. In a house we might close in a door, and we might remove parts of the roof, and still it might be a house. But we cannot have a house at all if we take away the foundation. We cannot have a church of Christ if Jesus Christ is not there as the foundation.“

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

1 Corinthians 3:12 ‘A descending scale of our works’: “The Greek poet Hesiod lists the four ages of man as gold, silver, bronze, and iron. A similar list of materials in decreasing order of value is found in Dan. 2:32, and with some variation in Is. 60:17. The metals are listed in order of their prestige and rarity. In the New Testament, Paul uses a similar figure in 1 Cor. 3:12.”

• Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible

1 Corinthians 3:14 ‘endures’: ”All that which has been accomplished in His power and for His glory will survive (cf. Matt. 25:21, 23; 2 Cor. 5:9; Phil. 3:13, 14; 1 Thess. 2:19, 20; 2 Tim. 4:7, 8; James 1:12; 1 Pet. 5:4; Rev. 22:12). reward. Cf. Rev. 22:12. This is not a judgment for sin. Christ has paid that price (Rom. 8:1), so that no believer will ever be judged for sin. This is only to determine eternal reward (cf. 4:5, ‘each one’s praise’).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Corinthians 3:15 ‘saved through fire’: ”Paul’s discussion of the church as a building helps us understand his perspective on God’s judgment of and reward for people based on their work in building the church. He warns that all workers should take heed as to how they are building on the foundation of Christ and adds that one day God will test that work with fire. Those whose work endures-work that serve to bring people to Christ and help them develop spiritually-will receive a reward.
“Those whose work does not endure will ‘suffer loss,’ though Paul is clear in stating these individuals ‘will be saved, yet so as through fire’ (1 Corinthians 3:15). Paul is not talking about salvation here-that comes through faith alone in Christ-but rather the rewards that will be given for a job well done in advancing God’s kingdom. Paul’s words here echo Jesus’ parable of the talents, in which each servant was rewarded according to how well he had received a return on the investment the master had given him (see Matthew 25:14-30).
“The structure of our lives is going to be brought before God in its finished form. God will apply the fire of his holiness to that structure to see how it endures. Everything we have done for ourselves and our own glory, everything that we have done out of human ambition, and everything we have done in spite and bitterness will go up in flames. What will remain is the true and humble acts of service that we have done to love and serve others.”

• David Jeremiah, 1 Corinthians (Jeremiah Bible Study Series)

1 Corinthians 3:15 ‘be saved’: “No matter how much is worthless, no believer will forfeit salvation.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Corinthians 3:16 ‘How can the Spirit have more of me?’: “All believers have God in their heart. But not all believers have given their whole heart to God. Remember, the question is not, how can I have more of the Spirit? But rather, how can the Spirit have more of me? Take inventory. As you look around your life, do you see any resistant pockets? … Go down the list …
“Your tongue. Do you tend to stretch the truth? Puff up the facts? Your language? Is your language a sewer of profanities and foul talk? And grudges? Do you keep resentments parked in your ‘garudge’? Are you unproductive and lazy? Do you live off the system, assuming that the church or the country should take care of you? …
“Do your actions interrupt the flow of the Spirit in your life? “

• Max Lucado, Come Thirsty

1 Corinthians 3:18-20 ‘More Valuable than a Picasso’: “Sometimes we simply don’t have a choice. There are some things we seem compelled to do no matter how ridiculous, unwise, or insane they may seem to be. That must be how Pablo Picasso felt as he began burning some of his own paintings-simply to keep warm. Even though he had by that time painted thousands of canvases over the span of his career, I think most anyone would agree that for him to get to this point­ where his paintings became nothing but his firewood-was quite a loss.
“Pablo Picasso decided his own survival was worth more than his paintings. Before you hastily agree that you’d make the same choice, think of what you value in your life. If it wasn’t a matter of your survival, would you be willing to sell or walk away from those things? If you listed family as one of them, of course your answer would be no. Many of us simply place value on the wrong things. And oftentimes we do it unwittingly and unintentionally by simply not spending the time with family and other important people and things that we should. The value society places on things becomes a pretty steady drumbeat in our heads and hearts and is very often at odds with the value that God places on those same things. …
“It won’t be easy because people are often assessed in the world by the things they acquire. And so our calendars are often empty of time with our families. But whom will you call to your bedside in your last hours of life-your banker or your stock­ broker? Or your loved ones? Will you ask to see your bank statements, trophies, and diplomas one more time-or will you look at photos of loved ones who aren’t there at that moment?”

• Tony Dungy and Nathan Whitaker, Uncommon Life – Daily Challenge (excerpt from devotion for 9 October)

1 Corinthians 3:22 ‘the world’: “Although the universe is now in Satan’s grip, it is still the God-given and God-made possession of Christians (2 Cor. 4:15; 1 John 5:19). In the millennial kingdom and throughout eternity, however, believers will possess both the recreated and eternal earth in an infinitely more complete and rich way (Matt. 5:5; Rev. 21). life. Spiritual, eternal life (cf. John 14:23; cf. 2 Pet. 1:3, 4). death. Spiritual and eternal death (15:54–57; Phil. 1:21–24). things present. Everything the believer has or experiences in this life (cf. Rom. 8:37–39). things to come. All the blessings of heaven. Cf. 1 Pet. 1:3, 4. all are yours. In Christ, all good and holy things are for believers’ blessing and for God’s glory. Cf. Eph. 1:3; 2 Pet. 1:3.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Corinthians 3 ‘Reflections’: “The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of life and light and love. In His uncreated nature He is a boundless sea of fire, flowing, moving ever,-performing as He moves the eternal purposes of God. Toward nature He performs one sort of work, toward the world another, and toward the Church still another. And every act of His accords with the will -of the Triune God. Never does He act on impulse nor move after a quick or arbitrary decision. Since He is the Spirit of the Father He feels toward His people exactly as the Father feels, so there need be on our part no sense of strangeness in His presence. He will always act like Jesus, toward sinners in compassion, toward saints in warm affection, toward human suffering in tenderest pity and love.
“It is time for us to repent, for our transgressions against the blessed Third Person have been many and much aggravated. We have bitterly mistreated ‘Him in the house of His friends. We have crucified Him in His own temple as they crucified the Eternal Son on the hill above Jerusalem. And the nails we used were not of iron, but of finer and more precious stuff of which human life is made. Out of our hearts we took the refined metals of will and feeling and thought, and from them we fashioned the nails of suspicion and rebellion and neglect. By unworthy thoughts about Him and unfriendly attitudes toward Him we grieved and quenched Him days without end.
“The truest and most acceptable repentance is to reverse the acts and attitudes of which we repent. A thousand years of remorse over a wrong act would not please God as much as a change of conduct and a reformed life. ‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon’ (Isaiah 55:7).
“We can best repent our neglect by neglecting Him no more. Let us begin to think of Him as One to be worshiped and obeyed. Let us throw open every door and invite Him in. Let us surrender to Him every room in the temple of our hearts and insist that He enter and occupy as Lord and Master within His own dwelling. And let us remember that He is drawn to the sweet name of Jesus as bees are drawn to the fragrance of clover. Where Christ is honored the Spirit is sure to feel welcome; where Christ is glorified, He will move about freely, pleased, and at home.”

• A. W. Tozer, God’s Pursuit of Man

1 Corinthians 3 ‘Challenge’: “God may allow His servant to succeed when He has disciplined him to a point where he does not need to succeed to be happy. The man who is elated by success and cast down by failure is still a carnal man. At best his fruit will have a worm in it.”

• A. W. Tozer, Born after Midnight

My Thoughts

He starts the third chapter of 1 Corinthians by returning to his first argument.  Paul, who planted the church in Corinth admits that he only gave them spiritual milk.  They were not ready then to get solid food, and they have proven that they are still not ready.  It boils down to their arrogance and pride, arguing over who had the better start at being a Christian – which shows no understanding of being a Christian at all.  Paul even wonders if they are human.

But as for those who follow Apollos and those who follow Paul, who are Apollos and Paul?  They are human.  Paul planted the seeds.  Apollos watered the seeds.  But it is God that makes the plants grow.  Planting seeds and watering make no difference if the plants do not grow.  And that is the Lord’s job.

Paul built the Corinthian church on a good foundation, a belief in Jesus Christ.  Regardless of what “structure” your life is built upon, we will all undergo a judgment in front of the judgment seat of Christ, the Bema judgment as Rev. LaHaye points out.  We will all be tested with fire and judged accordingly.  Anything that was a waste of our time or sinful will be burned away.  What will be left will be a purified body that will be awarded according to the good done for God’s glory.

I like what the Chronological Bible says about the construction materials, from the finest to the simplest.  Paul was using part of the Greek culture to explain what he meant.  And it makes no difference what materials are used, what portions of our lives that are not to God’s glory will be burned away.  And when I talked to the Sunday school class about this, this is when we have been identified as being in the Book of Life.  There is no pain there for those who are born-again.

But Paul’s point in this illustration is that we need to grow in the faith.  We need to focus on doing good works, works to God’s glory.  We do not want to be left with only a shadow once the fire has consumed the unwanted parts.  Those people that say that they will be satisfied by just sneaking in the gate of Heaven will find themselves a hollow shadow of what they could have been.

Paul will return, in a way, to our bodies being the temple.  But the context here is that the burning away of what in our lives was sinful or a waste of time (sinful in its own right), we need to retain that temple by dedicating ourselves to good works and growing to become more like Jesus.

The chapter ends with an exhortation to be wise by fearing God.  Those who are wise in worldly things will be made the fool.  We should make ourselves the fool in a worldly sense by dedicating ourselves to the Lord.  There should be no more talk about earthly human leaders.  We should all seek to be more like Jesus.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5 Christ the Wisdom and Power of God 1. What is the difference between respecting a Christian leader, and the problem Paul deals with here?
“2. How is Paul’s use of the term ‘worldly’ different than its common use today?
“3. Given the clues about what makes for good ‘building materials,’ what is one ‘concrete’ way you could help build God’s temple in your community?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Frist Corinthians 3 has one set of questions.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.