1 Corinthians 3
3
1#The Corinthians desire a sort of wisdom dialogue or colloquy with Paul; they are looking for solid, adult food, and he appears to disappoint their expectations. Paul counters: if such a dialogue has not yet taken place, the reason is that they are still at an immature stage of development (cf. 1 Cor 2:6). Brothers, I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but as fleshly people,#Spiritual people…fleshly people: Paul employs two clusters of concepts and terms to distinguish what later theology will call the “natural” and the “supernatural.” (1) The natural person (1 Cor 2:14) is one whose existence, perceptions, and behavior are determined by purely natural principles, the psychē (1 Cor 2:14) and the sarx (flesh, a biblical term that connotes creatureliness, 1 Cor 3:1, 3). Such persons are only infants (1 Cor 3:1); they remain on a purely human level (anthrōpoi, 1 Cor 3:4). (2) On the other hand, they are called to be animated by a higher principle, the pneuma, God’s spirit. They are to become spiritual (pneumatikoi, 1 Cor 3:1) and mature (1 Cor 2:6) in their perceptions and behavior (cf. Gal 5:16–26). The culmination of existence in the Spirit is described in 1 Cor 15:44–49. as infants in Christ. 2I fed you milk, not solid food, because you were unable to take it. Indeed, you are still not able, even now,#Heb 5:12–14. 3for you are still of the flesh. While there is jealousy and rivalry among you,#Jealousy, rivalry, and divisions in the community are symptoms of their arrested development; they reveal the immaturity both of their self-understanding (1 Cor 3:4) and of the judgments about their apostles (1 Cor 3:21). are you not of the flesh and behaving in an ordinary human way?#Jas 3:13–16. 4Whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely human?#1:12.
The Role of God’s Ministers.#3:5–4:5] The Corinthians tend to evaluate their leaders by the criteria of human wisdom and to exaggerate their importance. Paul views the role of the apostles in the light of his theology of spiritual gifts (cf. 1 Cor 12–14, where the charism of the apostle heads the lists). The essential aspects of all spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12:4–6 presents them as gifts of grace, as services, and as modes of activity) are exemplified by the apostolate, which is a gift of grace (1 Cor 3:10) through which God works (1 Cor 3:9) and a form of service (1 Cor 3:5) for the common good (elsewhere expressed by the verb “build up,” suggested here by the image of the building, 1 Cor 3:9). The apostles serve the church, but their accountability is to God and to Christ (1 Cor 4:1–5). 5What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers#Ministers: for other expressions of Paul’s understanding of himself as minister or steward to the church, cf. 1 Cor 4:1; 9:17, 19–27; 2 Cor 3:6–9; 4:1; 5:18; 6:3–4; and 2 Cor 11:23 (the climax of Paul’s defense). through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.#Acts 18:1–11, 24–28. 7Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. 8The one who plants and the one who waters are equal, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor. 9For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.#Eph 2:20–22; 1 Pt 2:5.
10#There are diverse functions in the service of the community, but each individual’s task is serious, and each will stand accountable for the quality of his contribution. According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, 11for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. 12If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13the work of each will come to light, for the Day#The Day: the great day of Yahweh, the day of judgment, which can be a time of either gloom or joy. Fire both destroys and purifies. will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire [itself] will test the quality of each one’s work.#Mt 3:11–12; 2 Thes 1:7–10. 14If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage. 15But if someone’s work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved,#Will be saved: although Paul can envision very harsh divine punishment (cf. 1 Cor 3:17), he appears optimistic about the success of divine corrective means both here and elsewhere (cf. 1 Cor 5:5; 11:32 [discipline]). The text of 1 Cor 3:15 has sometimes been used to support the notion of purgatory, though it does not envisage this. but only as through fire. 16Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?#6:19; 2 Cor 6:16; Eph 2:20–22. 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.#Holy: i.e., “belonging to God.” The cultic sanctity of the community is a fundamental theological reality to which Paul frequently alludes (cf. 1 Cor 1:2, 30; 6:11; 7:14).
18Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise.#8:2; Is 5:21; Gal 6:3. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written:#1:20 / Jb 5:13.
“He catches the wise in their own ruses,”
20and again:
“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”#Ps 94:11.
21#These verses pick up the line of thought of 1 Cor 1:10–13. If the Corinthians were genuinely wise (1 Cor 3:18–20), their perceptions would be reversed, and they would see everything in the world and all those with whom they exist in the church in their true relations with one another. Paul assigns all the persons involved in the theological universe a position on a scale: God, Christ, church members, church leaders. Read from top to bottom, the scale expresses ownership; read from bottom to top, the obligation to serve. This picture should be complemented by similar statements such as those in 1 Cor 8:6 and 1 Cor 15:20–28. So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,#4:6 / Rom 8:32. 22Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all belong to you, 23and you to Christ, and Christ to God.
Currently Selected:
1 Corinthians 3: NABRE
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
1 Corinthians 3
3
Divisions in the Church
1But I, brothers,#3:1 Or brothers and sisters could not address you as #ch. 2:15; Rom. 7:14 spiritual people, but as #[ch. 2:14] people of the flesh, as #Heb. 5:13; [ch. 2:6]infants in Christ. 2#Heb. 5:12, 13; 1 Pet. 2:2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for #John 16:12you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3for you are still of the flesh. For while there is #Gal. 5:19, 20; [ch. 1:11; 11:18; Rom. 13:13]jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4For #See ch. 1:12 when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” #[ver. 3]are you not being merely human?
5What then is Apollos? What is Paul? #2 Cor. 6:4; Eph. 3:7; Col. 1:25; [2 Cor. 3:3] Servants through whom you believed, #See Rom. 12:6as the Lord assigned to each. 6#ch. 4:15; 9:1; 15:1; Acts 18:4-11; 2 Cor. 10:14, 15 I planted, #Acts 18:27 Apollos watered, #[ch. 15:10; Col. 1:18]but God gave the growth. 7So #2 Cor. 12:11; Gal. 6:3; [Gal. 2:6]neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8He who plants and he who waters are one, and each #ver. 14; ch. 15:58; 2 John 8; [ch. 4:5; Gal. 6:4, 5]; See Matt. 16:27; Rom. 2:6will receive his wages according to his labor. 9For we are #Mark 16:20; 2 Cor. 6:1 God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, #Eph. 2:20-22; Col. 2:7; [ver. 16; Ps. 127:1]God’s building.
10 # [2 Pet. 3:15]; See Rom. 12:3 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled#3:10 Or wise master builder I laid a #ver. 11, 12; Rom. 15:20; [Rev. 21:14] foundation, and #[ch. 4:15]someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11For no one can lay a #Isa. 28:16 foundation other #[2 Cor. 11:4; Gal. 1:6, 7] than that which is laid, #[Eph. 2:20]which is Jesus Christ. 12Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13#ch. 4:5 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed #ver. 15; 2 Thess. 1:8 by fire, and #1 Pet. 1:7the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, #See ver. 8he will receive a reward. 15If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, #[Ps. 66:12; Isa. 43:2; Jude 23]but only as through fire.
16 # ch. 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:21 Do you not know that you#3:16 The Greek for you is plural in verses 16 and 17 are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For #[2 Cor. 7:1]God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
18 # [Isa. 5:21; Gal. 6:3] Let no one deceive himself. #[ch. 8:2; Jer. 8:8, 9]If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19For #See ch. 1:20 the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, #Cited from Job 5:13“He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20and again, #Cited from Ps. 94:11“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21So #ver. 4-6; ch. 1:12; 4:6 let no one boast in men. For #Rom. 8:28all things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23and #2 Cor. 10:7; Gal. 3:29 you are Christ’s, and #[ch. 11:3]Christ is God’s.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Sign up to receive news and updates about the ESV: