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1
Corinthians Chapter Three
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Main Reason for
Divisions in the Church is the Wrong Views on Workers
A. It is the condition of
being carnal that believers boast of workers and there are envy, strife, and
divisions among them (v.1-4);
B. The workers are only God's
fellow workers (v.5-9);
C. The workers do the
building, and every work should be tried through fire (v.10-15).
D. Workers are for the church,
and the church is for God:
1.
The
church is the house of God (v.16-17).
2.
Workers
are of the church, and the church is of God and Christ (v.18-23).
II.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1Cor. 3:1 “And I, brethren, could
not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in
Christ.”
YLT: “And I, brethren, was not able to
speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly -- as to babes in Christ;”
Literal
Meaning: “and
I, brethren, could not speak to you”, the intimate address “brethren” shows
that the words as follows are spoken in love on the status of the children of
God.
“As to spiritual people”, “spiritual”:
those who are mature in spirit (see 1Cor. 2:6) and are governed, controlled,
motivated and guided by the Spirit in walking.
“But as to carnal”, “carnal”, in the
original it is “fleshly”, which is different from the word “carnal” in verse
three. In this verse, the word refers to man who is totally composed of flesh.
It is worse than “carnal” ---- be governed by the flesh ---- in verse three.
Here, the flesh does not refer to the
body in general meaning, but the flesh with the passions and the lusts and sin
(see Rom. 7:14, 18; Gal. 5:24) after the fall of man.
“As to babes in Christ”, “babes” refer
to those who have not grown up in spiritual life and are ignorant and immature
in walking.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
Here,
there is a truth. Paul does not write to men of the world, but to Christians,
namely, those who have been born again and have new life. He says, yes, they
are babes and brothers. Their problem is that they are not spiritual, but
carnal.
2)
Whether
one has been grown up or mature in his spiritual life will influence his
interest, judgment and conception of life and etc.
3)
The
disadvantage of babes is that they are too ignorant to be deceived and can
neither judge nor discern and their moods are capricious. They cannot know
things of grown-ups. They can neither understand the love of their parents nor
share their burdens. Moreover, babes enjoy the love of others but do not give
their love. They always need the help from others but never desire to help
others.
4)
Paul
compares the disadvantages of babes to the spiritual conditions of believers at
5)
The
growth in gifts and the riches in the knowledge of the truth are different from
the maturity of spiritual life. He who has gifts and knowledge may not be
spiritual. He who is mature in spirit and like Christ more is really spiritual.
6)
The
key problem is here. Those who have received the gifts of life should have
experiences and be able to guide others on things concerning walking in the
Lord’s way and obedience unto the Lord and reliance on God. However, they are
still ignorant until now. They are still babes in Christ and are controlled by
life in the lower level. Their thoughts are still be governed by carnal,
physical and secular things.
1Cor. 3:2 “I fed you with milk and
not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even
now you are still not able;”
YLT: “with milk I fed you, and not with
meat, for ye were not yet able, but not even yet are ye now able,”
Literal
Meaning: “I
fed you with milk and not with solid food”, “milk” refers to some simple and
preliminary knowledge, which is mainly for babes in Christ (see v.1; Heb. 5:13;
1Pet. 2:2). “Solid food” relates to the profound knowledge that should be
understood by spiritual mind, and it is prepared for those who are full-grown
in spirit (see Heb. 5:14).
“For until now you were not able to
receive it”, “were not able to receive”, be unable to eat sold food (see Heb.
5:12).
“And even now you are still not able”,
it contains a tone of strong blame in the original. They were supposed to
depart from the stage of babes, but they had no growth in spirit even though
their physical age increased.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
Ministers
of the words of God in the church should provide spiritual food to believers
according to their respective spiritual stature and condition rather than treat
all of them alike.
2)
Some
of the words of God are easily known, just like “milk”, and some are uneasily
known, just like “solid food”. Nevertheless, they are all spiritual food that
makes us grow up after “eating” them. Therefore, we should desire earnestly the
pure mental milk of the word (see 1Pet. 2:2) and learn to eat spiritual solid
food of God.
3)
“Milk”
is digested indirectly, which refers to the secondhand provision. “Solid food”
is digested directly, which refers to the firsthand obtainment. The apostle
says that those who are carnal can only be fed by milk but not eat solid food,
indicating that all those who can only receive the secondhand provisions from
others and can not receive food from the Lord directly are all are immature and
carnal.
4)
He
who is fed by milk receives directly, for milk is given to babes after
digestion by the mother. He who eats solid food receives directly, just like
believes understand the words of God directly.
1Cor. 3:3 “for you are still carnal.
For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal
and behaving like mere men? ”
YLT: “for yet ye are fleshly, for where
among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not fleshly, and in the
manner of men do walk?”
Literal
Meaning: “for
you are still carnal”, “carnal” means one is controlled and dominated by the
flesh and walks under the influence of the evil nature of the flesh.
“For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you”, “envy”
shows that one thinks others are unworthy of owning status and possessions more
excellent than him so that he is jealous of the accomplishments of others.
“Divisions” refer to actions out of an envious heart, including strife,
quarrels and friction and etc. Envy, strife and divisions are marks of being
carnal (see Gal. 5:20-21). Those who are carnal like to exalt them, but depress
others.
“Are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” ---- It shows that they
walk according to the course of this world, doing what the flesh and the
thoughts willed to do (Eph. 2:2-3). They are like men in the world, not men of
God.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
All
things that hinder man from focusing on Christ and Him crucified are all of the
flesh, and they will obstruct the growth of him and spoil the function of the
church. It is because man is subject to the lower part in his nature ---- the
flesh.
2)
Believers
should consider others (see
3)
The
relationship of a man with God can be seen from his relationship with men. The
interpersonal relationship of us in the church is an index of our relationship
with God.
4)
Those
who are fleshly like to behave as men in the world. As a result, they will lose
the separation from men in the world but associate with them, thus lacking
testimonies. However, those who are spiritual are unwilling to be conformed to
the world (see
1Cor. 3:4 “For when one says,
"I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not
carnal?”
YLT: “for when one may say, `I, indeed, am
of Paul;' and another, `I -- of Apollos;' are ye not fleshly?”
Literal
Meaning: “for
when one says, "I am of Paul"”, it shows that he boasts of following
Paul (see 1Cor. 1:12).
“And another, "I am of Apollos"”, in chapter one, those who
cause the divisions fall into four sorts. Here, it mentions two sorts only to
blame their faults of upholding workers.
“Are you not carnal”? ---- Such
condition is exactly the same with that of men in the world who exalt leaders
and compete against one another.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
All
men in the world have the concept of adoring great men. No matter what reason
of we believers, if any of us upholds one above what is written in the
Scriptures (1Cor. 4:6), he has made the same mistake with men in the world.
2)
Believers
can only of God, of the Lord and of the Spirit, but by no means of any man.
Once we are of men, we shall be alienated from God. When we are saved, the Lord
has broken down the middle wall of partition between God and men and among men
(Eph. 2:14). However, many believers have built another wall of partition after
are saved.
1Cor. 3:5 “Who then is Paul, and who
is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each
one?”
YLT: “Who, then, is Paul, and who Apollos,
but ministrants through whom ye did believe, and to each as the Lord gave?”
Meaning of
Words:
“minister”: servant, waiter;
Literal
Meaning: “who
then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers”, “who is…”, it shows that they
are unworthy of being treated like this. “But ministers”, they are merely
servants who fulfill their ministry according the Lord.
“As the Lord gave to each one?” ----
According as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith and gifts (see
“Through whom you believed”,
“believed”, the past tense means that it refers to the process of believers’ at
The workers of the Lord introduce the
Lord to us. And we should not shift our eyes to His workers.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
The
workers of the Lord should always remember: no matter how great gift the Lord
gives you, no matter how great works you have done, you are still of nothing.
2)
The
real work is done by God. Paul and Apollos are merely vessels, through whom God
works. The preachers work according to the gifts “given by God to them”.
3)
If
the preachers have some distinct gifts, they are all given by God. We need not
fall into envy or contentions.
4)
Even
though all the workers are of great talents and have right view of the truth
and their works are important, if they exist alone, their messages are still
imperfect.
5)
In
the church at
1Cor. 3:6 “I planted, Apollos
watered, but God gave the increase.”
YLT: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God
was giving growth;”
Literal
Meaning: “I
planted”, “plant” makes Paul have the sense of mission. Paul’s works focus on
opening the barren land and preaching the gospel where Christ has not been
named (see
“Apollos watered”, “water” is to help
them grow up. Apollos’s works focus on helping those who have believed the Lord
(see Acts 18:27).
“But God gave the increase”, the law
of the growth of life is of God’s creation (see Mark 4:27), and the progress of
the growth is governed by God.
The tense of “planted and watered” and
“was giving” in the original show that the works of workers will pass by but
the works of God that makes believers grow are continual.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
Only
God makes spiritual works effective, so we should pay more attention to God’s
workers. Besides, he that plants and he that waters are one. Otherwise, the
works cannot be accomplished.
2)
Though
the works of planting are important, the law of life is not in the planting of
man, but in the seeds that He sows. It is an important work of planting the
seeds into the land. He who sows cannot give life to seeds. He can only sow the
seed into the land.
3)
Planting
is good. Any crop cannot lack it. The mystery of growing lies in the seed
itself. It needs to be planted and watered. However, the life manifests in the
harvest time is not of the one who plants or waters. It is still neither the
soil nor the water, but the seed itself.
4)
This
verse shows the way of the growth of Christians’ spiritual life. One receives
the planting and provision of brothers and sisters outside, and grows up
through the great power of God’s life inside.
1Cor. 3:7 “So then neither he who
plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.”
YLT: “so that neither is he who is planting
anything, nor he who is watering, but He who is giving growth -- God;”
Literal
Meaning: “so
then neither he who plants is anything”, the evangelist himself should not
occupy a great measure in the hearts of believers.
“Nor he who waters”, the ministers who
feeds and edify believers are unworthy of excessive adoration.
“But God who gives the increase”, all
the accomplishment of believers should be due to God.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
The
servant of the Lord himself has not brought the power of life. Why there are
envy and contentions among preachers? They should accomplish what God has asked
them to so and rejoice at the gracious arms of the Lord.
2)
God
uses men as His vessels, through whom He preaches His messages of the truth and
love. Only God can awake man’s heart to receive the life of God. Only God can
create man’s heart and only Him can create man’s heart again.
3)
We
should give all glory unto God, not boast of man’s advantages.
1Cor. 3:8 “Now he who plants and he
who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his
own labor. ”
YLT: “and he who is planting and he who is
watering are one, and each his own reward shall receive, according to his own
labour,”
Meaning of
Words:
“labor”: works, toil; “reward”: wages, pay;
Literal
Meaning: “now
he who plants and he who waters are one”, they have the same contribution to
believers’ spiritual life.
“And each one will receive his own
reward according to his own labor”, when the Lord comes again, He will come to
reckon with His servants (see Matt. 25:19).
“Own” refers to personal
responsibility. The Lord’s workers in their works should have the spirit of
labor and the sense of personal responsibility at the same time.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
We
should try our best to serve in the church. When we have accomplished our
respective duties, we should stand aside and leave the chances to others, for
the chief principle in the body is “he who plants and he who waters are one”.
2)
It
is God, not we, that decides what the reward is and how much one shall receive!
Note that the reward is according to not “one’s accomplishments”, nor “the
comparison with others”, but “his own labor”.
3)
The
reward is personal, not corporate. The reward of a faithful servant of the Lord
should not be affected by the unfaithfulness of others or the worse condition
of the group he is in, for his reward is according to his own labor. This is a
great comfort. No matter where the workers of the Lord are, as long as they
walk according to the Lord’s will, they will surely be rewarded.
4)
Don’t
your works have effect? Do not be discouraged, for “we know that our toil is
not in vain in Lord”.
1Cor. 3:9 “For we are God's fellow
workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.”
YLT: “for of God we are fellow-workmen;
God's tillage, God's building ye are.”
Meaning of
Words:
“land”: farm, field;
Literal
Meaning: “for
we are God's fellow workers”, God works with us in our works (see Phil. 2:13).
In the commentary of Darby, “to be God’s fellow works” means that “God is the
master, and we are fellows doing the chief’s work. Man’s position in the Lord’s
work is different from that of God. The fellows must be governed by the master.
“You are God's field, you are God's
building”, “field” refers more to bearing the fruit of life to satisfy God.
“Building” refers to establishing a suitable habitation to let God rest.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
The
service of Christians is “to be fellow workers of God”. How honorable and
valuable! Someone says, “We can do nothing without God. And God desires to do
nothing without us”.
2)
He
who serves and the one whom is serviced are merely vessels of God. All of them
are out of God and of God.
3)
Here,
it mentions “building” and “field” in the same breath, unveiling that the
building of God is completely a story of the growth of the spiritual life. The
actions of building are “planting” and “watering”. And the condition of being
built is “that God gave the increase” (v.6). Otherwise, it is not building.
4)
If
what is sown in the field is Christ, the fruit in the future is bound to be
Christ. If the root of the house is Christ, the building later must be also
according to Christ. In the works of God, what is of man should not be mixed
in. The best responsibility of man is cooperation without hindrance to God’s
works.
5)
Field
and building point out two different positions of believers. The field
represents one’s inner life and the building the outside living. It is because
the field has life ---- if the seed is sown, it will grow up. The field is the
place where life is yielded, which can represent the growth of believers’ life.
Building stands for the rest of life. All men desire to have their houses,
where they can enjoy both physical and mental rest. God shall do two kinds of
works on us ---- one is life field and the other is like building. Both of them
need to pay costs.
6)
“You
are God … building”, building represents the character of the master. There is
on place that manifests one so much and so clear, except for his house. The
condition of one’s house shows the owner himself. The building of God shows the
nature of God ---- His glory, love and righteousness.
1Cor. 3:10 “According to the grace of
God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation,
and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. ”
YLT: “According to the grace of God that
was given to me, as a wise master-builder, a foundation I have laid, and
another doth build on,”
Meaning of
Words:
“grace”: gift, graciousness; “master”: builder, chief constructor, architect;
Literal
Meaning: “according
to the grace of God which was given to me”, Paul means that though he is
unworthy of this, the grace and power gifted by God makes him equal to this
responsibility and obtain accomplishments.
“As a wise master builder”, “wise”
means keeping the will of the Lord (see Matt. 7:24). “Master builder” refers to
the chief workman. Especially to the churches that Paul built, he was the
master builder who established and guided the building work.
“I have laid the foundation”,
“foundation” refers to Jesus Christ (v.11). Paul laid the foundation at
“And another builds on it”. ----
“Another” refers to all the fellow workers of Paul, including Apollos, but not
Apollos only. “On it”: on the foundation;
“But let each one take heed how he
builds on it”, “let each one take heed”: it is a general encourage and
admonishment to all the fellow workers, not some fellow workers only (e.g. Apollos,
Cephas). The focus here is not to encourage fellow workers to do the building,
but to remind them “to take heed how” to build.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
If
those who serve God can clearly see the works are of God like Paul, and our
guidance and power are also of God, our excessive worries will be removed and
we will also find the honor of the divine works.
2)
The
election of the foundation is not our responsibility, for the foundation has
already been laid, and no other foundation can anyone lay. No matter when one
receives Christ, once Christ has entered into him, the foundation has been
laid. And the children of God will thus stand on the foundation firmly and
continue their building. The problem now is that what we will build on the
foundation.
3)
If
we want to build on this foundation, we should take heed, lest we build nothing
valuable. What we build is house (see v.9), namely, a corporate temple (see
v.16-17) ---- the church, and the respective temples of believers (1Cor. 6:19),
which let God dwell and manifest God.
4)
The
whole life and works of us are a work of building, which will be tried before
God in the future.
5)
Everyone
who works for the Lord should take heed of his building. And he should also
know that it is foolish to cause divisions if he only plays a one-man show and
preach a part of the truth and finally he shall lose the glory of the whole
work.
6)
The
words “another” and “each one” here not only refer to the workers of the Lord
but also common believers. Not only the workers of the Lord should take their
responsibility, but also should every believer work according to the measure of
every part (see Eph. 4:16).
1Cor. 3:11 “For no other foundation
can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
YLT: “for other foundation no one is able
to lay except that which is laid, which is Jesus the Christ;”
Literal
Meaning: “for
…than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ”, Jesus Christ is the Son of
the living God, and the only foundation of the building of the church (see
Matt. 16:16-18). This foundation is also laid by other apostles and prophets
(Eph. 2:20).
“No other foundation can anyone lay”, “other”: other gospel is not
gospel (see Gal. 1:6-7), and other foundation is not foundation. A church that
does not take Jesus Christ as foundation is not the
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
The
only foundation of our Christians is Jesus Christ. No matter our life, or
works, or gathering, or service, we should all take refuge in the Lord and let
the Lord hold us. Otherwise, everything shall be in vain.
2)
“The
church” is a building of life, a living temple (1Pet. 2:5). Only this living
Christ can be her foundation. Therefore, the church should wholly rely on Jesus
Christ rather than physical possessions or power.
3)
The
fact of our faith is built on Jesus Christ.
4)
Since
the foundation is Jesus Christ, what is built on the foundation should also be
Jesus Chris. No one can lay other foundation nor use other materials, but
Christ only.
5)
Please
remember God builds Eve by Adam. And the foundation of God’s building the
church is Christ. The best morality out of men can not be mixed in the building
of God. The works of God should be firstly done by God in us and then God works
through the spirit in us, thus building the church.
6)
We
should not build “Christianity” outside of Christ ---- good works, humanism,
social service, and charity and etc. should never be the foundations of the
building of the church.
1Cor. 3:12 “Now if anyone builds on
this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,”
YLT: “and if any one doth build upon this
foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw --”
Literal
Meaning: “if
anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones”, “gold,
silver, precious stones” refer to the works that have spiritual value,
honorable, and endurable and can endure the judgment and trial of God.
“Wood, hay, straw” refer to the works
that have no spiritual value, low and unendurable and will fail in the trial of
God (see v.13).
Wood, hay, straw refer to what are of
man. Man’s glory like flowers and grass. Man’s disposition is like hay. And the
result of man’s work is like straw.
“Builds on this foundation”, it shows
that the foundation (Christ) of the building is right and is the same. What are
different are the materials of building.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
Gold
represents what is of God ---- the works of God. Silver refers to redemption
---- the works of the Lord on the cross. Precious stones relate to the works of
the Spirit ---- it is the Spirit that constitutes the life of God in us by
revelation and makes God and man one. This is the subjective experience of us
today.
2)
Gold
refers to the disposition and glory of God. Silver relates to the works of the
redemption of Christ. These are materials that God counts. It is not only what
we preach, but should be what we are. It is not knowledge, but works of God in
us that let us have part in the nature of Christ by the commandments and trials
of God and the patient works of the Spirit in us. All the works of God have
been through the cross.
3)
Precious
stone is a kind of chemical compound. In the process of chemical combination,
it should be burnt by high heat and then be carved by craftsman and thus become
shining precious stone, so should be the works of God in believers. On one
hand, God uses various environments, like burning with raging fire. On the
other hand, we should also be dealt with by the hands of God ---- remove what
is not needed by the revelation of the Spirit and retain what is needed ----
then we shall shine light and have part in glory.
4)
The
precious stone is often formed in worries and tribulations. God lets us “pass
through water and fire” and brings us into a wealthy place (Ps. 66:12).
5)
A
valuable and eternal building is to develop and apply all things that are
included in Jesus Christ.
6)
Gold
and silver and precious stones are not grown on the face of the earth, but
shall be obtained by digging deeply. Wood, hay and straw are grown on the earth
and are easy to obtain. Therefore, all that is yielded from the depth of one’s
inner part has the works of God therein. All that is done according to the
flesh is of man and has no value.
7)
For
example, concerning the preachment of a sermon or the preachment of the gospel,
someone has to wait for and rely on God before Him and then works according to
the burden he has got, just like what is born from the one who conceives a
baby. These are works of gold, silver and precious stones. Someone can preach
without any preparation because of his agile mind, good eloquence and much
knowledge in his memory, so he is busy working. However, his works are wood,
hay, straw and of no spiritual value.
8)
The
six materials can be divided into two sorts representing the life of two kinds
of believers and preachers: one is rich and substantial and the other is vain
and apparent. They can also represent two kinds of service: one is eternal and
can endure the trial, and the other is temporal and cannot endure the trial.
9)
Wood,
hay, straw also refer to what is of man and of the flesh, including what are
common, quick, low-priced and also easily to be destroyed. Hey, it exists
today, but where is it tomorrow? Man’s wisdom may make us understand the
knowledge of the Scriptures. Natural eloquence may be attractive. Affections
seem to be able to affect us. Apparently, they can guide us, but they are of
little avail to our spiritual life.
10)
In
our works, many of them are not according to His will and purpose, but our
mutable feelings. Even sometimes our works are like chaff and straws blown away
by the wind. When we are in good mood, we may be very jealous for God. However,
if we are slightly frustrated, we will surrender utterly. We should know that
one day fire will prove that it is of no avail to work for God through emotions
or zeal. Once God gives His commandment, no matter whether we have feelings or
not, we should study to do according to His words.
11)
What’s
the building of little avail? It is things that restrict and resist against the
eternal truth concerning Jesus Christ. Any doctrine that makes Christians doubt
the power of the gospel or the will of the Lord or the love of the Lord or
lowers His position in us is the building of little value. That is the building
of wood, hey and straw.
12)
What
Paul considers here is not wrong materials, but insufficient materials. Some
preaches the Christianity weakened by dullness. Some lacks balance ----
stresses on one side but ignores the other side. Some distorts the truth ----
even the greatest truth is twisted.
1Cor. 3:13 “each one's work will
become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire;
and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.”
YLT: “of each the work shall become
manifest, for the day shall declare , because in fire it is revealed, and the
work of each, what kind it is, the fire shall prove;”
Literal
Meaning: “for
the Day will declare it”, “the Day” refers to the Day when Christ comes again,
namely, the Day of judgment (see 1Thess. 5:4; Heb. 10:25). “It” refers to the
works of everyone, and can also refer to the Day. “Declare”, everything is
clear, and nothing is hidden.
“Because it will be revealed by fire”,
it is the judgment of God.
“And the fire will test each one's
work, of what sort it is”, it shows that man’s work should be tried and judged
like fire (1Pet. 1:7).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
The
work of building is not judged by the effect today, but by the result that
whether it can exist until the Lord’s second coming.
2)
There
is one point worthy of being noticed that fire is sometimes compared as the
word of God in the Scriptures (see Is. 5:24; Jer. 23:29). The word of God in
the future will try our works before the judgment seat of Christ, but can be
known and held by us today. If we build according to the teaching of the
Scriptures, our works shall be remained until that Day.
3)
Here,
time is an element. In the light of God, something shall be destroyed
spontaneously even though the fire has not come. What have endured the trial of
God in time is indeed of true value.
1Cor. 3:14 “If anyone's work which he
has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.”
YLT: “if of any one the work doth remain
that he built on , a wage he shall receive;”
Meaning of
Words:
“reward”: wages, pay;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
all that is of the natural life should be burnt up by fire. Only those of the
risen life of Christ shall remain forever.
1Cor. 3:15 “If anyone's work is
burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through
fire.”
YLT: “if of any the work is burned up, he
shall suffer loss; and himself shall be saved, but so as through fire.”
Meaning of
Words:
“suffer loss”: be cast away, lose;
Literal
Meaning: “If
anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss”, “suffer loss”, it is not only
losing the reward (v.14) but also being disciplined by the Lord (see Matt.
24:51; 25:29-30).
“But he himself will be saved”, once
believers are saved, they will be saved forever, for the life we have obtained
is the eternal life of God. Therefore, we shall never perish (John 10:28). The
works that believers have done and the life that believers have obtained are
two matters and cannot be mixed.
“Yet so as through fire”, “as” shows
that believers will not be really burned in fire, but will feel as afflicted as
being burned in fire.
1Cor. 3:16 “Do you not know that you
are the
YLT: “have ye not known that ye are a
sanctuary of God, and the Spirit of God doth dwell in you?”
Literal
Meaning: “do
you not know that you are the
“
“And that the Spirit of God dwells in
you?” ---- “In you”: in the church;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
Have
we let the Spirit dwell in the church freely? Have we hindered the liberty of
the Spirit because we often mind carnal interest and prejudice or worldly
ideals and boastings?
2)
The
church is the temple of the Spirit and the dwelling place of the Spirit of God.
We should not cause divisions because of walking according to the lusts, but
should walk by the Spirit and let Him work in us.
3)
We
are the
1Cor. 3:17 “If anyone defiles the
YLT: “if any one the sanctuary of God doth
waste, him shall God waste; for the sanctuary of God is holy, the which ye
are.”
Meaning of
Words:
“defile”: destroy, ruin;
Literal
Meaning: “if
anyone defiles the
“God will destroy him”. ----
“Destroy”, it is not perish. He will be severely punished.
“For the
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
The
mark of the church is love. He who hurts that love hurts the church and defiles
the
2)
The
church is the temple. If a temple is divided into several unconnected brackets
and walls, the temple cannot be stood firmly or straightly. The worst enemy of
the church is division. Divisions in the church defile the church, namely,
destroy the spiritual testimony of the church or destroy the oneness of the
church in Christ.
3)
The
1Cor. 3:18 “Let no one deceive
himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a
fool that he may become wise. ”
YLT: “Let no one deceive himself; if any
one doth seem to be wise among you in this age -- let him become a fool, that
he may become wise,”
Literal
Meaning: “let
no one deceive himself”, the commanding tone showed that there were indeed men
among them who were deceiving themselves, so Paul commanded them to stop this
condition. Their “deceiving themselves” was “seeming them to be wise”.
“If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age”, many believers at
In the original, “among you” is closely connected with the phrase “in
this age”. It is quite interesting. Many believers at
“Let him become a fool”, it means that he is shaken up out of the wisdom
of man and is no longer “think he is wise in this age”. “Let”: it gives a clear
suggestion.
“That he may become wise”, it is the
true wisdom (see 2Cor. 2:6).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
The
wisdom of the world often makes men deceive themselves. Once a man obtains the
wisdom of the world, he may despise the spiritual wisdom. The knowledge of the
world sometimes may hinder man from receiving spiritual wisdom.
2)
As
ancient saying goes, “if an ignorant man does not know his ignorance, he is a
fool ---- we should keep away from him. And if an ignorant man knows his
ignorance, he is a wise man ---- we should instruct him”. The only way of
becoming wise is to know our foolishness. The only way of obtaining learning is
to confess our ignorance.
3)
One
who is complacent cannot be taught. Plato says, “The wisest man knows that he
is poor in many things, so he seeks wisdom earnestly”.
4)
He
who desires to obtain real spiritual revelation must think counter to the
values of the wisdom of the world. In other words, if one really desires to
have true spiritual mind, he should become “foolish” in the eyes of the world
and forsake “the wisdom of the world”, thus receiving true wisdom.
1Cor. 3:19 “For the wisdom of this
world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in
their own craftiness";”
YLT: “for the wisdom of this world is
foolishness with God, for it hath been written, `Who is taking the wise in
their craftiness;'”
Literal
Meaning: “for
the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God”. ---- The wisdom of the world
is utterly restricted in the physical realm and cannot surpass the realm to see
further or deeper things. Such wisdom is foolishness in the eyes of God (see
1Cor. 20).
“For it is written”, it is quoted from
the Book of Job (5:13).
“He catches the wise in their own
craftiness", he who is wise is even stumbled by his wisdom. Man thinks the
wisdom of the world is powerful, so he wants to learn spiritual things by the
wisdom of the world. However, he has finally misunderstood spiritual things as
a result of his own wisdom.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
All
those who think they are wise are deceiving themselves. If man does not receive
Christ as his wisdom, there will be full of traps in the way of his life. And
all his life and works shall fall into the traps of Satan.
2)
The
craftiness of man can only deceive man, not God.
1Cor. 3:20 “and again, "The LORD
knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." ”
YLT: “and again, `The Lord doth know the
reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.'”
Meaning of
Words:
“futile”: vain, useless, fruitless;
Literal
Meaning: “and
again”, the following scriptures are quoted from the Book of Psalms (94:11).
“The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile”, “the
wise” refers to those who have the wisdom of the world. “Futile”, it indicates
that the wisdom of man is transient and has no eternal value (see Ps. 94:11),
but they still boasts of it and are arrogant.
Here, it shows that God knows the thoughts of man and nothing can be
hidden before God. And God knows that the thoughts of man are of no value.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
the wisdom of the world is only restricted in the limited physical sphere and
the limited life or talent, and cannot enter eternity. Therefore, the ideals of
many people are only vain dreams that cannot be realized. They shall also
perish eventually.
1Cor. 3:21 “Therefore let no one
boast in men. For all things are yours:”
YLT: “So then, let no one glory in men, for
all things are yours,”
Literal
Meaning: “therefore
let no one boast in men”, “boast in men”, to boast of following a certain
leader; the mind of adoring leaders is the main element of the divisions of the
church.
“For all things are yours”, “all
things” include all the workers of the Lord, or the world or life or death, or
things present or things to come (v.22). What the church inherits in Christ is
really measurelessly rich (see
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
The
carnal one boasts of man who is created, but the spiritual one boasts of the
Lord who creates all things.
2)
Christians
should know that all things in Christ surpass all things in the world. If we
Christians boast of the wisdom of the world and the insignificant men, we have
just cheapened ourselves, for in the grace of Christ “all things are ours” and
we are of Christ (see v.23). Therefore, we should boast of Christ so as not to
be partial to others.
3)
The
church shall inherit all things with Jesus Christ (see Eph. 1:10-11).
Therefore, the church should boast of Christ who is above all things instead of
having divisions or boasting of men.
4)
To
uphold any worker of the Lord will bring us loss, not profit. The measurelessly
precious treasure does belong to believers, but they are willing to give up the
treasure for the sake of a certain worker.
5)
If
one identifies himself with the party groupings, he just puts himself on the
position of bondman. However, believers in fact should be masters of all
things, not belong to any individual or group.
1Cor. 3:22 “whether Paul or Apollos
or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to
come--all are yours.”
YLT: “whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas,
or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things about to be --
all are yours,”
Literal
Meaning: “whether
Paul or Apollos or Cephas”, they refer to the workers of the Lord. The workers
of the Lord belong to those whom they serve ---- believers and the church.
“Or the world or life or death”, to
believers who live for the Lord, “the world” exists for us. And if it is really
to live is Christ to us, to die will gain (see Phil. 1:21).
“Or things present or things to
come--all are yours”, what the church inherits in Christ is not limited by this
age.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
Believers
who are carnal at
2)
No
matter how effective the works of the Lord’s workers are, they can still not be
compared with Paul. No matter how eloquent the Lord’s workers are, they can
still not be as powerful as Apollos (Acts 18:28). No matter how great the
workers of the Lord’s are, they cannot be greater than Peter. However, all of
them belong to the church. How do the workers of the Lord become the masters of
the church today?
3)
Someone
claims that this verse is “the list of the possessions of the children of God”.
The servants of God are ours, so it is foolish if we say we belong to any of
them. Besides, the world is ours. Since we are joint-heirs with Christ, we will
possess the world one day.
4)
“Life”
is ours. It refers to not only the existence on the earth today, but also the
realest and richest life. The life in Christ is the only true life. Since
Christ has overcome the death, believers’ “death” is not evil news but “profit”
(see 1Cor. 15:55-57), though those who have not believed the Lord regard death
as adversity.
5)
All
the experiences in life, including the death itself are of believers, and they
will finally profit believers.
6)
Things
present and things to come are ours, it shows that all things work for those
who love God (see
7)
Paul
here has not mentioned things in the past. May be it is because what has passed
away is not our responsibility and we can do nothing to change things in the
past. However, things present and things to come are different, for they belong
to those who believe the Lord ---- they can cooperate with God in His counsel.
8)
Those
who cause divisions in the church have given up their rights of enjoying all
things, but have thrown all their power and hearts into some insignificant
things and restricted his life within a small circle. How foolish!
9)
As
long as a worker of God has the gift of God, no matter whom he is, he should be
commonly received. However, if one feels in his spirit or manifests in his
actions that he is of a certain worker for he has received many provisions from
that worker. It is conversed!
1Cor. 3:23 “And you are Christ's, and
Christ is God's.”
YLT: “and ye Christ's, and Christ God's.”
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
We
can see clearly an order from verse 23 and 24: the first is God, and the second
is Christ, and the third is the church (believers) and the fourth is the
workers.
2)
If
the church belongs to a certain worker of God, she has not been directly
belonged to the Head Christ ---- “you are Christ's, and Christ is God's”, nor
been governed by Christ solely.
3)
We
believers should have the testimonies of life worthy of being called that “we
are Christ’s”. Our life shall bear witness of our position.
III. Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The
Features of Babes in Christ
A.
Who
are not spiritual, but carnal (v.1);
B.
Who
can only drink milk, but not eat solid food (v.2);
C.
There
are envy, strife, and divisions among them in the church (v.3).
D.
Who
uphold spiritual leaders (v.4);
The
Carnal Christians
A.
Their
life is young ---- babes (v.1);
B.
Their
mind is poor ---- cannot eat solid food (v.2);
C.
Their
bowels are small ---- envy and strife and divisions (v.3);
D.
Their
visions are narrow ---- I am of one certain worker (v.4);
The
Workers of God
A.
Who
are ministers (v.5);
B.
Those
who plant and water (v.6);
C.
Who
are fellow-workmen (v.9);
D.
Who
belong to believers (v.22);
Why
Should Believers not Uphold the Workers of God?
A.
The
workers of God are nothing but ministers who serve believers only (v.5).
B.
The
workers of God plant and water the field only and yet cannot give them increase
(v.6-7).
C.
The
workers of God should be responsible to God. We have no right to judge them
(v.8).
D.
The
workers of God are for believers and are ours (v.21-22).
The
Reasons Why the Workers of God Should not Scheme for Power
A.
Concerning
the hearts of the workers:
1.
They
should be fellow workers and be one-minded, not have contentions (v.5-15).
2.
They
should only desire to work and serve instead of distributing the possessions of
the Lord (v.16-23).
B.
Concerning
the positions of the workers:
1.
The
workers of the Lord are equal. Believers should not show partiality to the
workers (v.5-15).
2.
The
workers of the Lord are all servants of the Lord. They are not higher than
believers (v.16-23).
What
Christians Are and What Christians Need
A.
Who
are God's field (v.9):
1.
Who
need to be planted (v.6-8) ---- namely, preaching the gospel;
2.
Who
need to be watered (v.6-8) ---- namely, providing spiritual food;
3.
Who
need to be grown up (v.6-7) ---- namely, spiritual growth;
B.
Who
are God's building (v.9):
1.
Who
need to lay good foundation ---- namely, Jesus Christ (v.10-11);
2.
Who
need to build on the foundation ---- namely, the works of God’s workers (v.10);
3.
Who
need to build with gold, silver and precious stone ---- the work should pass
the trial of fire (v.12-15);
C.
Who
are the
1.
Who
should honor the Spirit of God that dwells in them (v.16);
2.
Who
should not defile temple (v.17);
3.
Who
should keep the holy nature (v.17);
See
the Nature of the Workers From the Three Parables
A.
The
parable of the field ---- though the works of the workers are different, they have
still not given the increase (v.5-7);
B.
The
parable of the building ---- the worker should take heed how he builds on it
and should be responsible to the Lord (v.13-15);
C.
The
parable of the temple ---- the workers of the Lord should not be masters, for
God is the Lord of the temple (v.16-17);
See
Our Duties From the Three Parables
A.
The
parable of the field ---- we should do our own work (v.8);
B.
The
parable of the building ---- one should take heed of our work (v.13-15);
C.
The
parable of the temple ---- one should keep our holiness (v.16-17)
One
Should Take Heed How He Builds His Work
A.
Are
we really “fellow workers of God” in the works of building? (v.9)
B.
Is
the foundation of building “Jesus Christ” only? (v.11)
C.
Are
the materials of building “gold, silver and precious stones” only? (v.12)
D.
Can
the work of building endure the “trial of fire”? (v.13)
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou