8. MINISTERS OF THE LORD - 1 Corinthians 3:12-23

 

The Corinthian believers are considered as less than mature by the apostle Paul. Indeed he views them as babes in Christ who have made little progress since their conversion. The behaviour of the Corinthians even gives them an appearance of still belonging to the world. Such worldly wisdom as displayed in the factional in-fighting of Corinth was foolishness to the Lord, for God’s servants work together to achieve the same goal, a goal that is only realised because of the work of God in the hearts and lives of men.

In this passage Paul moves on to explain the consequences of building with the world’s wisdom upon the foundation of Jesus Christ and the consequences of building the church with the Lord’s wisdom. Paul then concludes his argument regarding this issue by explaining that all things are ours in Christ.

 

Please read 1 Corinthians 3:12-23

NOTE: INDIVIDUAL DISCOVERY QUESTION HERE: What is Paul’s idea in speaking of the different building materials in verse 12?

 

Verses 12,13: The thoughts of Paul in these verses need not be restricted to elders and preachers, but include all that work within the church in the construction of it. In other words, all Christians are in view here, for all have their role to play in the building up of the church, though Paul is thinking in the first place of the situation in Corinth and of elders.

The different materials that Paul mentions refer to the lasting quality of the work being done by those that seek to assist in the building and spiritual construction of the church. Though the work may appear sound, the true value of the work carried out will be made known only in the Day of the Lord through the scrutiny of the Lord Himself. The picture of each person’s work being tested by fire refers to the testing process of metals, etc, and obviously refers to the correct testing of a person’s work by the Lord in the judgment. The true value of an individual believer’s work in the Kingdom will be correctly measured on that final day (2 Thess 1:1-12; Rev 20:11-15). In the light of spiritual reality what is the quality of the work performed for the Lord? This question will be answered when that final day of the Lord arrives. Good quality work can be accomplished or poor quality work can be accomplished.

The precious metals and stones referred to are those works carried out in faithfulness to the Lord. These works would include faithfulness to the truth, faithfulness in service, faithfulness in motives, etc. The poorer quality materials refer to lesser quality work in the construction of the Lord’s spiritual temple. These would include poor motives, poor adherence to truth, etc. The quality of each one’s work will not be measured by current day effectiveness or popularity, but by the Lord’s standards of quality.

QUESTION: Drawing on the Corinthian experience give examples of poor quality workmanship that would fail under the scrutiny of the Lord in the last day?

 

Verse 14: If the quality of the work performed for the Lord endures or is found acceptable, then the doer of that work shall be rewarded by the Lord (Ps 19:11; Mt 5:12; 10:41,42; Mk 9:41; Lk 6:23,35; Col 3:24; 2 Jn 1:8; Rev 11:18). Faithfulness is highly valued by the Lord. The worker in the service of the Lord must work to please his Master and not simply to please those round about him. To simply do enough to please his fellow man is not enough, there must be real diligence and faithfulness toward the Lord for the service to be acceptable. The work must meet the Lord’s quality test.

Verse 15: Some believers will find that the work they have done in the construction of the church will be destroyed on the last day. This doesn’t mean that they will be lost to Hell, but that their work was of poor quality and that they only escape judgment themselves narrowly. This cannot refer to the false teacher, etc, for these will perish in Hell. But this is the work that was done with improper motives, poor attitudes, etc. For the Christian, not even these poor quality works will separate him from Christ (Jn 5:24; Rom 8:31-39).

QUESTIONS: How does this line of argument apply to the Corinthian church? How would a believer’s work in the church be in actual fact, poor quality? Explain.

 

Verse 16: In this verse Paul openly rebukes the Corinthians for their behaviour. Believers are the temple of God (2 Cor 6:16; Eph 2:21) and this is something that the Corinthians actually already know, yet they are behaving as though they didn’t know this. But Paul is specifically thinking of believers as the church here. The Holy Spirit actually lives within the church of God (Mt 18:20), that is, the people of God. How is it then that the Corinthians behave the way they do? The behaviour of the Corinthians was inconsistent with who they were.

The believer (especially the elders) needs to be careful and serious about the building process of the temple of God. It is no ordinary building, but one that belongs to God and one that is actually indwelt by the Spirit of God. Care needs to be taken.

Verse 17: In this verse Paul gives what is the most pointed warning yet to the Corinthians about their current behaviour. The way they are now living is a way that is consistent with those that will be destroyed for ruining the church of God. Such worldly behaviour is out of place for those that are the temple of God.

The reason given by Paul for such a strict punishment is that the church is separated unto God for Himself (2 Cor 6:14-16). The church belongs to God and is precious to Him (Zech 2:8). God will not allow His church to be so corrupted by His enemies (Eph 5:27).

QUESTIONS: Who is Paul identifying as the temple of God in this passage? How does this identity help the situation in Corinth? Explain.

 

Verse 18: Paul now warns against the danger of self-deception, which he seems to acknowledge may be happening in the Corinthian church already. By embracing worldly wisdom such deception seems to have been already at work. In this verse Paul is not singling out any particular person, but is issuing a general warning to all in the church to take heed lest they be deceived by worldly wisdom to their eternal loss.

But what is this self-deception about? According to Paul it finds its roots in the wisdom of the current age. It appears to magnify the wisdom of the world over that of the Lord, rather than submit to the Lord’s superior wisdom.

The solution to the problem of self-deception is to reject the world’s wisdom and embrace the Lord’s.

QUESTION: How is it wise in this situation to become a fool?

 

Verses 19,20: What place has the world’s wisdom in the mind of God? The Lord considers it to be foolishness and rejects it. Paul quotes Job 5:13 and Psalm 94:11 to prove from Scripture the Lord’s assessment of this age’s wisdom. No one should doubt the Lord’s assessment of the world’s wisdom.

Verses 21,22: Paul now summarises, by way of conclusion, his thoughts on worldly wisdom and that specifically pursued by the Corinthians. The Corinthians ought not to boast in the wisdom of men, for in doing so they boasted not in God but men. The factional leadership that the Corinthians had created was in fact doing this, resulting in the pursuit of vanity and was therefore foolishness.

Indeed, in Christ all things are ours. Paul is thinking specifically of the Corinthian situation, yet this principle applies to all situations. Each believer in Corinth ought to recognize that every God-given preacher belongs to them and not just one factional leader. Each individual believer can say that Apollos is their’s, each that Paul is their’s and so on. Each servant of God ministers to each of God’s people, perhaps meeting different needs in each individual believer, thereby complimenting one another. The Lord has given all for the benefit of the church and each ought to be received as such.

QUESTION: Explain what things are ours in Christ Jesus?

 

Verse 23: Each believer belongs to Jesus Christ (Rom 14:8; Gal 3:29) and therefore they live for Him. With this correct understanding much of the Corinthian problem of factional in-fighting can be put aside and a right priority maintained.

The final part of the verse identifies Jesus Christ as belonging to the Father. This comment is a reminder that even Jesus submitted to authority. Within the Trinity the Son willingly submits Himself to the Father, as is seen in the Father-Son relationship. This in no way places the Son on an unequal footing with the Father, but points to an eternal relationship that exists within the Godhead.

 

Individual Discovery

Consider 1 Corinthians 4:1. How is a man a steward of the mysteries of God?

 

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17/10/2006

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