7. MINISTERS OF THE LORD - 1 Corinthians 3:1-11

 

Is there such a thing as a Carnal Christian? In recent years we have heard of those who are considered to be Carnal Christians, but does the Bible recognize such a classification of believers? If we say no, there is no such thing as a Carnal Christian and that all such talk is heresy, then why does Paul call the believers in Corinth ‘carnal?’ One thing is sure, Paul delivers a stinging rebuke to the church at Corinth as he continues to address the problem of factional in-fighting within the church at Corinth.

 

Please read 1 Corinthians 3:1-11

 

NOTE: INDIVIDUAL DISCOVERY QUESTION HERE: What does Paul mean by calling the Corinthians carnal in 1 Corinthians 3?

 

Verse 1: Though delivering a stinging rebuke to those in Corinth, Paul is careful to address the believers there as brothers. Though greatly in error and sin, it must be noted that these people were still Christians. By calling the believers brothers, Paul is also placing himself alongside the Corinthian Christians in order to let them know that this is not a rebuke of hatred, but one of a concerned and loving brother.

When Paul first arrived in Corinth he did not address the people of Corinth as believers or spiritual people, but as carnal people - those that were not saved (2:1). It was necessary to declare to these sinners the gospel, yet now there seems to be very little progress in the lives of these believers, for their conduct is still carnal. In other words the Corinthians had barely made any advancement in the Kingdom of God, being still as spiritual babies in the Kingdom.

Because there was so little growth in the Christians at Corinth, Paul could not yet regard them as mature or men in Christ, but as they were, babies in spiritual things. The behaviour of the Corinthian believers was that of those without the Spirit of God. It was not that they didn’t have the Spirit (1:2; 2:13, etc), but that they lived as though they didn’t.

QUESTION: Why do you think Paul addressed the Corinthians in such a way?

 

Verse 2: Because of the poor growth observed in the Corinthian believers, it was necessary for Paul to feed them with the basics of the Christian life. In other words he was feeding them spiritual milk rather than spiritual meat (Heb 5:12-14). The Corinthians could not yet be fed the more advanced teachings of the Christian faith and life, for they had not yet got beyond the basics of the faith.

Verse 3: When Paul calls the Corinthians carnal in this verse, he is not referring to them as unsaved, but as those that behave as though they were unsaved. In fact there was little difference in appearance between the believers in Corinth and the unbelievers of Corinth.

The behaviour observed in the Corinthians through there factional in-fighting was that which is to be observed in the world. The existence of envy, strife and divisions in the church are evidence of a worldly pattern of life. Instead of living according to the Spirit and rule of Scripture, the Corinthians were living after the pattern of the world and of the flesh.

Verse 4: Paul now finally returns to the problems brought to his attention by the household of Chloe (1:11ff). Paul has given a complete treatment of the Corinthian experience of factional in-fighting, arriving at the clear conclusion that such behaviour is of the world and has no part in the life of the church. Such behaviour is that which is expected of the world, not that of the church.

QUESTION: What does this passage suggest about the way we tend to judge professing Christians? Please explain your answer.

 

Verse 5: Paul now turns directly to the problem at hand. He has been attacking the problem by laying down important principles that impact on it, but now he turns to the problem directly as it were. Paul brings to the fore both himself and Apollos as examples of the ‘factional leadership’ in order to deal with them all. What are Paul and Apollos? They are but ministers of the Lord. They are not leaders of individual groups within Christendom, but co-servants under Christ, seeking that which they have been appointed to.

Both men, and indeed all servants of God are instruments in the hand of the sovereign Lord (Rom 10:14), through whom He brings salvation to men. All salvation is wrought by the Lord and not by men, who are yet His instruments in the salvation of sinners.

QUESTION: What place has your own pastor alongside such men as Charles Spurgeon and the Apostle Paul? Please give reasons for your answer.

 

Verse 6: Paul now uses an illustration to further demonstrate his point. One person plants the seed, another waters the seed after it has been planted, yet it is God who makes it grow. The same is true of the gospel seed, and specifically so in the case of the Corinthians. Paul preached the gospel initially, then Apollos came and watered that seed with further declaration of the truth, but it was God who made the difference, giving life to the spiritually dead that they might embrace the gospel and live.

The underlying thought of course is that it didn’t matter who preached, whether that person be eloquent or not, for none can be saved until the Lord is pleased to give life to the hearer.

QUESTION: Is there then any place for good solid preparation in preaching the gospel? Please explain your answer.

 

Verse 7: In this verse Paul simply brings to a conclusion the question he raised in verse 6, thereby re-emphasising the truth that it is indeed God who brings life to dead sinners.

Verse 8: Paul now adds to his earlier farming illustration to further rebuke the Corinthian behaviour. Though one farmer may plant the seed and another waters the planted seed, both farmers have one purpose in mind. They are united in their effort. The same is true of God’s servants. Though they may have different roles to play, they both have the same purpose in the Lord. Both Paul and Apollos serve the same Lord for the same reason and are united in their goal.

Though each servant of God serves in a united manner with the rest of God’s servants for the glory of God, the Lord will reward each servant in an individual manner.

Verses 9,10: Though each servant of God will be rewarded individually, the reward is not the goal of God’s faithful servants. All of God’s faithful servants are not working in order to receive a reward, rather they serve in order to serve the Lord.

As the servants of God belong to God, so the field in which they work belongs to God. Therefore the field is to yield to the workers that God places within it.

Paul also changes the analogy of the church to that of a building in which the servants of God work (Eph 2:19-22; 1 Pet 2:5). In Paul’s position as an apostle by the grace of God, he was appointed by the owner of the building to become the wise master-builder of the Corinthian church. By God’s appointment Paul was the current overseer of the work in Corinth. All the other workers at Corinth answered to Paul as God’s supervisor.

Paul had laid the foundation of the Corinthian church, while others built upon it. Those that so built, including Apollos, all built with the same purpose as Paul. In fact, these builders were under the supervision of Paul in order to achieve the same goal. As the supervisor of works, Paul issues a warning to those that seek to build upon Paul’s foundational work, for they must be careful in what they seek to do.

Verse 11: Paul had already laid the solid foundation for the church in Corinth. That foundation was the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (Is 28:16; Acts 4:11; Eph 2:11; 1 Pet 2:6). No other foundational work will be accepted. Each one’s work will be assessed. This is a warning to those that work on the ‘Corinthian Building,’ for all who seek to lay another foundation of falsehood will be judged.

 

Individual Discovery

What is Paul’s idea in speaking of the different building materials in verse 12?

 

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17/10/2006

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