In chapter 3, Paul seems to be responding to a criticism made against him by the Corinthians. The Corinthians are upset with Paul, because there are Spiritual things that he didn't teach them. Instead, they apparently learned them from Apollos. Let's reread 2:12-14:
(12) Now, we didn't the spirit of the world receive
but the Spirit-- the one from God,
in order that we may know the things by God graciously given to us,
which also we speak not in the taught-by-human words of wisdom,
but in words taught by the Spirit
to spiritual ones, spiritual things explaining.
(14) Now, the unspiritual man doesn't accept the things of the Spirit of God.
For foolishness to him they are,
and he isn't able to know/understand,
because spiritually it is examined/discerned.
Paul teaches Spiritual things, but only to Spiritual people. And the Corinthians, when he taught them, weren't yet Spiritual people. They were baby Christians, not ready for the type of wisdom that Paul does teach. That was 2:6-7:
(6) Now , wisdom we speak among the mature/perfect,
Now, not the wisdom of this age,
nor of the rulers of this age-- the ones perishing--
(7) but we speak [the] wisdom of God having been hidden in a mystery,
which God determined beforehand before the ages for our glory,
which none of the rulers of this age know.
What are these Spiritual things that Paul didn't teach them? What is the Spiritual wisdom? I think it has to be the teaching about the Holy Spirit-- about who He is, and about the gifts/ministries He gives to the church.
So Paul chose not to teach the Corinthians the deeper Spiritual truths. And the Corinthians, having now been taught about these things, are now... frustrated with? angry with? Paul.
So Paul laid the groundwork for his response to this in chapter 2. And now he's going to address it head-on in chapter 3.
Let's start by reading verse 1:
(1) And I, brothers, wasn't able to speak to you as to Spiritual ones
but as to fleshly ones,
as to babies in Christ.
In verse 1, Paul tells the Corinthians that when he taught them, he couldn't teach them how he wanted to, because they weren't Spiritual people. Instead, they were fleshly people-- babies in Christ.
Now, what does this contrast mean between being a Spiritual person, or a fleshly person?
Spiritual people are those who walk in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). They are filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). They rely on the Holy Spirit for His wisdom. They view things from the Holy Spirit's perspective.
Who are fleshly people? Sometimes, you will hear this verse used to describe "carnal Christians." Some teachers will say that Paul is referring to people who are Christians, but who live wickedly, with no evidence of allegiance to Jesus. And then they use this verse to say, that it's not great when Christians live this way, but it's not the absolute end of the world.
This is not at all what Paul means. Fleshly people are those who rely on their own human insight and way of looking at things. They evaluate things based on human standards, using human criteria.
Paul then clarifies what he means by fleshly people, by also calling them "babies/infants in Christ." Infants can't handle steak. It's not what they need. They need milk. And that's what Paul gave them.
Verse 2:
(2) Milk to you I gave, not solid food.
Paul was very intentional in only giving the Corinthians milk. He had Spiritual wisdom in his back pocket, available to them. He had more substantial food. But he very deliberately didn't give it to them.
Why?
Paul then gives us a "for" statement. We are going to see a lot of these this chapter. What "for" statements do is strengthen a point just made.
For you weren't yet able,
but you still aren't now able.
The reason Paul gave them only milk is because they weren't ready for Spiritual wisdom. At the time, this was understandable. New Christians have a lot to learn. And they have a lot to unlearn.
The shocking thing for Paul, though, is that nothing has changed. They still aren't able.
Why is this?
In verse 3, Paul strengthens his point again:
(3) For still fleshly you are.
They are still fleshly, and not Spiritual. Paul knows they will object to this, and so he now strengthens this point:
For [where among you there is jealousy and strife ], fleshly aren't you
and like a human aren't you walking?
And it's here, that Paul forces them to be honest about themselves.
When the Corinthians examine their hearts, and their actions, what they should be able to see, if they are honest, is their own jealousy and strife.
The Corinthians can't simply serve God together, each of them to the best of their ability. They compare themselves, and their ministries, with each other. And if one Christian seems to shine brighter than the others, or seems to have been given a greater ministry or greater ability, they are jealous.
So that's "jealousy." What's "strife?" Christians are going to disagree at times over the best way to do things. It's inevitable. When this happens, it's good to talk about it openly. But how should we talk about it? We talk about it as Spirit people-- not as fleshly people. We talk about it as people who love each other, and not as opposing factions or rivals. Not with hostility and anger. We walk as Spirit people, and not as humans.
Paul then continues by strengthening his point with another "for" statement:
For whenever someone says,
"On the hand, I am of Paul,
now on the other hand, another , I am of Apollos,"
human aren't you?
The way the Corinthians talk about their leaders reveals that they are still humans, and not Spirit people. Spirit people would never talk about leaders this way. They'd never talk about churches, or themselves, as though they belonged to a teacher in the church. They'd never say that Victory Lutheran is [name's] church. They'd never say that First Assembly is [name's] church. They'd never say, we used to be Randy's church, and for a while we were Larry's, but now we are Steve's church.
And they'd never say, "I'm a Baptist", while someone else says, "I'm of Luther," while another says, "I'm a Catholic."
Spirit people understand that they are "of Christ."
Verse 5:
(5) Therefore, who is Apollos?
Now, who is Paul?
Servants, through whom you gave allegiance,
and to each one as the Lord gave.
(6) I planted.
Apollos watered,
but God was causing it to grow,
so that then neither the one planting is anything,
nor the one watering,
but The One Causing it to Grow-- God.
How should you think about the people who led you to Jesus, or who teach you? As servants, through whom you gave allegiance.
Paul uses gardening imagery here to help make his point. Paul and Apollos had two different roles in God's garden. Paul planted the seed. He is the one who shared the gospel. Apollos came later, and he watered. But God was the one, through all of that, who caused the growth.
Notice Paul's total humility in all of this. Paul says, "I'm nothing." And Apollos is nothing. God is the big deal here. God is the one causing it to grow.
The Corinthians make such a big deal about their teachers, and evangelists. They divide themselves on the basis of who they prefer. They view teachers as being in competition. They make the church into a collection of rivalries. And when they do all of this, they show they just don't get it.
We who teach or evangelize are nothing. We are doing the job Jesus gave us to do, in the measure Jesus gave it. But what we are, is servants. We don't get to baptize this, by calling ourselves servant leaders. We don't get to try to maintain control and power. We are nothing. We are simply God's servants, and your servants.
Verse 8:
(8) Now, the one planting and the one watering, one they are.
Everyone serving you, is working together for you. All of us serving you are united. We are focused only on you. Our concern is only for you. When you try to divide us, or pit us against each other, you don't understand who we are, or how we live. You are trying to separate out what can't be divided. We all have different ministries, absolutely. We have different roles, as we were given. But we are one. And we are one for you.
Paul continues:
Now, each one his own wages will receive according to his own toil.
For for/of God we are fellow workers.
God's field, God's building, you are.
(10) According to the grace/ministry of God given to me as a wise/skilled master builder, a foundation I set.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Verse 10 is a good example of how focus works in the Greek. "According to the grace of God given to me as a wise builder" is in Position 1, topicalization. "A foundation" is focused, in position 2. See Steven Runge, Discourse Analysis.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
All of us who serve you are one. But that doesn't mean that all of us receive the same wages for our toil. God is not a socialist. We are not rewarded as one.
Paul then strengthens his point with a "for" statement:
" For for/of God we are fellow workers."
God's field, God's building, you are.
How does Paul strengthen his point here? When Paul talks about wages, I don't think he's talking about drawing a financial salary. He isn't talking about human wages. Paul and Apollos both deserve to be paid for what they do.
Pastors should be able to provide for themselves, and their families, through their service to you. We shouldn't expect them to serve without compensation. We shouldn't try to squeeze them, and not give them any more than we absolutely need to, in order to keep the pulpit filled.
But when Paul talks about wages here, he is talking about the compensation he will receive from God. God is a good boss. He is fair. And He understands that a worker is worth his wages (1 Timothy 5:18). And so God, as a Good Boss, will repay his servants according to their toil. What exactly this looks like, Paul will unpack very quickly. So I'll just leave it at that, for now.
Let me reread the last sentence:
God's field, God's building, you are.
Paul has squeezed the agricultural imagery for he can, and here, he signals he's going to use a different metaphor to help you understand him. You are God's field, and He is the One who causes you to grow.
But another way you can think of yourself, is as God's building.
Paul then continues:
God's field, God's building, you are.
Now, another is building on it.
Now, each one must watch how he is building on it.
For another foundation no one is able to lay besides the one is laid,
which is Jesus Christ.
Think of everyone working as God's servant like a builder, working on God's building. We who teach need to be careful with how we build. The most basic thing that we need to make sure of, is that we are actually building on the Foundation, which is Jesus Christ.
If we misunderstand who Jesus is, and what Jesus did, and what he wants, everything else we do is going to be a waste of time. You have to add the bricks, to what's already there. We can build God's building into a great social club, or an effective social organization, or a powerful political group. We can build God's building all kinds of ways, and it may look like it's something really special. But if a church isn't built up based on Jesus-- our Savior, and Lord, and King-- everything else will be a waste of time. Our allegiance belongs to King Jesus. He is our foundation.
Verse 12:
(12) Now, [if anyone is building upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, straw] , the work of each one, visible/evident it will become.
For the day will make it known,
because with/by fire it will be revealed,
and [each one's work, of what sort it is] , the fire itself will test.
(14) If anyone's work remains that he built on it , wages he will receive.
(15) If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss.
Sometimes, it's obvious what materials God's servants are building his church with. A church that promotes homosexuality and love and tolerance is being built with trash. The same is true for a church that promotes all religions as being equally valid paths to God.
But usually, it's not so clear what materials God's servants are working with. There are powerful, Spirit-led churches today that most Christians look at, and they view them with skepticism. They think God isn't really at work there-- that He couldn't/wouldn't use those people, that teacher/pastor.
Other churches, to look at them, appear to be made of high quality materials. These churches appear to have all the signs of health-- they seem dynamic, they are growing numerically, and they say the right things. But the day of judgment is going to reveal that church-- the one that you thought was healthy-- to be a three little pigs church.
That church was built with hay, or straw. And everything that was built is going to get torched. The work won't survive the day of judgment.
So how do the wages fit into this? Let me reread verse 14-15:
(14) If anyone's work remains that he built on it , wages he will receive.
(15) If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss.
If we who are teachers/evangelists/pastors build carefully on the foundation that is Jesus Christ, and we used high quality materials, we will receive wages for our toil. God is a Good Boss; He will repay/reward us for our faithful service, in accordance with our toil.
What if we build poorly? What if our work doesn't survive the day of judgment? We get nothing. We suffer loss. Everything we toiled over-- our sweat, our tears, our struggle-- is for nothing.
Paul then continues:
Now, he will be saved.
Now, in the same manner, as through fire.
This shocks us, right? We can't believe that Paul would even feel the need to say this. But God is very serious about all of this. He's very particular about how people build his church. Teachers are judged more strictly/harshly for a reason.
So if we who teach, build poorly, and everything we do ends up getting torched, that's going to stink. That would be miserable. We can take some comfort in God's mercy, in not burning us up as well. But not too much-- because this will be painful. We will be saved, but in the same manner-- as through fire.
With this, we come to verse 16. It's important in this verse, and what follows, to understand that Paul is not talking about something unrelated. He's not transitioning to a new topic :
(16) Do you not know, that a temple of God you (plural) are,
and the Spirit of God lives in you (plural)?
So how does verse 16 relate to what Paul's been talking about? It answers this question:
Why does God deal with his servants so strictly?
Y'all, collectively, are God's temple. God's Spirit lives in y'all, collectively. When God treats teachers this strictly, He does so because he is protecting his temple. He is making sure that the church is a place where His Spirit can live.
Verse 17:
(17) If anyone the temple of God is destroying, God will destroy this one.
For the temple of God holy/dedicated it is
which you (plural) are.
It's one thing for teachers to build poorly, using cheap materials, or not making sure you're building on the foundation that is Jesus Christ. Those teachers will be saved on the day of judgment-- even if they come out singed.
But if teachers are destroying God's temple, God will destroy them. There's a huge difference between building poorly, and actively destroying God's temple. Your fates will not be the same.
And the reason God will destroy anyone destroying his church is because God's temple is dedicated to Him. It belongs to him. And you are God's temple.
The question you should be asking yourself, is this:
Can you destroy the church, without being a teacher? Is this something you need to worry about, even if you're not a pastor, or a Paul, or an Apollos?
With this, we find ourselves in verse 18. And it's important to not read these verses as addressing a different topic. There's still no little word (like "de") letting us know Paul is switching topics:
(18) No one must deceive himself: if anyone thinks wise to be among you this age, a fool he must become,
in order he may become wise.
(19) For the wisdom of this world, foolishness with God it is.
For it is written,
"The One catching the wise in their trickery,"
(20) and again,
"the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,
that they are futile,"
(21) with the result that no one must boast in humans.
For all things yours they are,
whether Paul or Apollos or Peter or the world or life or death or the things present or the things
coming.
Everything [is] yours.
I think what Paul is saying here, is that the Corinthians are destroying the church by the way they are aligning themselves with Paul, Apollos, or Peter. They are focused on human wisdom, and eloquence, and sophistication. And when they do this, they are tearing the church apart.
What's the solution to this? The Corinthians misunderstand who Paul, Apollos, and Peter are. He says, "We are nothing." You can't boast in us. God is determined to make it so no one boasts in humans.
Let me reread the "for" statement in verse 21:
For all things yours they are,
whether Paul or Apollos or Peter or the world or life or death or the things present or the things coming.
Everything [is] yours.
Take this seriously. We who serve you as teachers, or pastors, or elders, or deacons, or evangelists, or on the worship team, or whatever, are your servants. We belong to you. We are here for you, to serve you. We are nothing. Everything is yours.
So when you call your servants "leaders," and align yourselves with your favorite ones, or compare them with each other, or pit them against each other, you misunderstand who these people are. You are flipping around the spiritual order God established for his church.
We are not above you, as someone you put yourself under. We are servants are under you. We have emptied themselves for you. We live self-sacrificially for you. You are a big deal; we who teach are nothing.
Paul then continues, in verse 23:
Now, you are Christ's.
Now, Christ is God's.
When you think about yourself, think about yourself in connection to Jesus. Who do you belong to? Who are you "of"? You belong to Christ.
And who does Christ belong to? Who is Christ "of"? Christ is God's. Everything Jesus does, he does in obedience to his Father, for his Father's glory.
Let me try to summarize this chapter:
Paul has a lot of deep Spiritual wisdom he'd like to teach us Corinthians. He has only scratched the surface of what he'd like to teach us. Why doesn't he? Why can't he?
He can't teach us Spiritual things, because we don't view him, or Apollos, or Peter, rightly. We still act like humans: We build pedestals for our teachers. We view them as rivals. We view them as being in competition with each other. We put ourselves under them. We are jealous; we engage in hostile arguments with each other.
Who are your teachers, and evangelists, and elders?
If you want to understand us correctly, you have to do as Spiritual people:
We are your servants. We have emptied themselves for you. We are nothing. We don't want your allegiance. We don't want groupies. We don't want you to pit us against each other. It won't work. We are working together as one, for you.
Who are you?
You are the big deal. You, collectively, are the temple of the Holy Spirit. You, collectively, are God's field. God's building. You are Christ's. And we will do our very best to build you up, using high quality materials. We are doing the best we can, in accordance with what Jesus gave us.
All we ask, is that you not tear down God's building, by misunderstanding who we are, and what we are doing. Don't undo our work-- don't destroy God's building-- by misunderstanding us, and yourselves.
You aren't ours. You are Christ's. We are nothing. You have everything. You are the big deal.
