1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 3:8-21,
“Building Upon The Foundation Of Christ”
By
1.
INTRO
1.1.
In our last study we saw that the apostle Paul now has gotten deep into
his corrective for this church in Corinth, the purpose for which he wrote the
book
1.1.1. We saw that he begins in
this section to really get to the root of all of the problems that were occurring
in the church in Corinth
1.1.2. We saw that there are two
different places spiritually speaking where a Christian is going to be in his
walk
1.1.2.1.He is spiritual (or
spirit-filled, or controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit)
1.1.2.1.1.Thus, he can digest solid
food, the meat of the Word of God
1.1.2.2.He is a babe (or spiritually
immature)
1.1.2.2.1.He cannot be benefited by
the meat of the Word of God but instead must be pampered and taught the milk of
the Word
1.2.
In our study today we are going to look at the how we as Christians are
to build upon the foundation of faith in Christ that we have. We will see how that the way that we build
upon our foundation will determine our rewards on the day of judgment of
believers
1.2.1. Judgment for the
non-believer will be before the ‘Great White Throne’ described in Revelation
chapter 20, and that judgment will be a judgment of condemnation for all who
appear there
1.2.1.1.This judgment will occur at
the end of the Millenial Reign of Christ when those who were not God’s people
have their souls released from Hades and their bodies resurrected so that they
can appear before the throne of God
1.2.2. The judgment for believers
is described in the New Testament as being before the Bema Seat Judgment, and
it will be a judgment of rewards
1.2.2.1.Our sins were already judged
by Christ’s atoning sacrifice, so we Christians will never have to stand before
God and account for or be judged because of our sins
1.2.2.2.This judgment will probably
occur soon after the rapture of the Church, and it will be accompanied by the
‘Marriage Feast of the Lamb’ (to be attended by believers)
1.2.3. Judgment for the believer
will be based upon our works that we have done. Paul describes two types of works or labor for Christ that
believers will have committed in this life:
1.2.3.1.Wood, hay, and stubble
1.2.3.1.1.These works will be burned
up during that judgment and they will receive no reward by the Lord
1.2.3.2.Gold, silver, and precious
metals
1.2.3.2.1.These works will receive a
reward from the Lord based upon the quality (or purity) of the works themselves
1.2.4. In our study today then we
are going to look at principles of construction and building upon the
foundation that we have in our faith in Christ
2.
VS 3:8 - “3:8
Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.” - Paul
tells the Corinthians that each of us who labors for Christ will receive a reward commensurate for our work we’ve done
for Christ
2.1.
In
this verse, Paul begins to speak to the theme of the importance for us
Christians to be careful of how we in our lives build upon the foundation which
we have in our faith in Christ.
2.2.
Paul
says that each of us will receive a reward that is based upon our labor.
3.
VS 3:9 - “3:9
For we are God’s fellow workers;
you are God’s field, God’s building.”
- Paul tells the Corinthians that he,
Apollos, and Peter are just God’s fellow worker’s
3.1.
There
can be no divisiveness or competition amongst those who are fellow workers for
a common cause. We in the church must
never allow strife or competition to separate us.
3.2.
In the New Testament, Paul
often compared the church to a building being fashioned and built up by and for
God, as he writes here.
3.3.
Paul
also compares the church here to a field being planted and growing up for God.
4.
VS 3:10 - “3:10
According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master
builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon
it.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that he laid the foundation for the
church and someone else is building upon that foundation now
4.1.
Paul
and each of the apostles were given by Christ the ministry of building the
foundations of the churches which they planted. This is the special gift that was given to those apostles trained
by Jesus Himself.
4.2.
Paul
said that by the measure of God’s ‘grace’ that was given to him, he laid a
foundation for the church in Corinth.
4.3.
Paul
speaks truthfully of the skill that he possessed in laying the foundation for
churches by saying that he was a ‘wise master builder’.
4.4.
Paul
labored very intensely the year and a half that he was in Corinth, and then
Apollos was the one who came along behind Paul and began building upon the foundation
that Paul had built.
4.5.
Paul
gave the church an incredibly strong foundation, through his preaching of the
saving gospel of Jesus Christ and the in depth teaching of the Word of God, and
as a result the church should be at this point very farther along the road to
spiritual maturity than it was.
4.6.
Paul
tells the Corinthians that each one of them should be very careful what he does
with his life and the teachings which Paul and others had delivered to him, he
should be careful how he builds upon the foundation which Paul had laid.
4.7.
Each
of us in Christ is responsible to build carefully upon the foundation of Jesus
Christ in our lives, and in doing this we must and we will be wise to:
4.7.1. Be responsible to search out
the truth in God’s word.
4.7.1.1.Paul told Timothy in 2
Tim. 2:15 of the importance of the studying and rightly dividing the Word
of God, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”.
4.7.1.2.A person once said, “A
Bible that is not carefully studied will not be carefully followed...”
4.7.2. Be responsible for living
the truth or walking in the light which God has given us.
4.7.2.1.In Luke 6:46-49, Jesus taught His disciples
about the importance of hearing the Word of God and then doing it, and in that
teaching He said that the person who heard and then acted upon it was like a
man who built his house upon the rock and the storms of life could not bring it
down, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you
to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and
laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat
vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a
rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a
foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat
vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”
4.7.2.2.Spurgeon once
preached about how some of those who confess Christ for salvation do not
continue on to walk in obedience to His Word, “All hearers are builders
of houses for their souls: they are each one doing something to set up a
spiritual habitation. Some of these go a considerable distance in this
house-building, and even crown the structure by publicly confessing Christ.
They say unto him, “Lord, Lord”: they meet with his followers, and join with
them in reverence to the Master’s name; but they do not obey the Lord; they
hear him, but they fail to do the things which he says. Hence they are mistaken
builders, who fail in the foundation, and make nothing sure except that their
house will come down about their ears. Others there are, and we trust they will
be found to be many among us, who are building rightly, building for eternity;
constructing a dwelling-place with basis of rock, and walls of well-built
stone, of which the Lord Christ is both foundation and corner-stone.”
4.7.3. Be careful that we get a
proper foundation in our Christian life.
4.7.3.1.There are some builders in
construction who neglect setting up a good foundation for their buildings, and
those buildings don’t end up standing long.
4.7.3.1.1.Some buildings stand until a
relatively small earthquake hits, and then the building comes tumbling
down. We saw this in the Kobe, Japan
quake of several years ago when shoddy construction that should never have been
approved and passed code caused a large part of the city to fall down and crush
hundreds of people.
4.7.3.2.If a building is built well
at the beginning then there is a much greater chance that it will be built well
at every stage. Conversely, a house
that is not built well at the beginning gives very little incentive to the
builders to build well throughout.
4.7.3.3.We Christians must be
careful that we study God’s Word diligently so that we get a proper foundation
for our Christian walk. New believer’s
studies or discipleship studies are so key, as is Bible College for new believers
to attend if possible.
4.7.3.4.Many Christians however
never seem to get a good foundation in their Christian walk.
4.7.3.4.1.Many Christians are even
content to not go to church or they go to a church where they will not get good
in depth or sound teaching which is necessary for them to be able to really
have healthy growth in their relationship with Christ.
4.7.3.5.Not getting a good
foundation in our Christian life leaves us open to being deceived also, and
thus there are many Christians who didn’t get a good foundation in their
Christian walk who do not have the discernment to know that doctrine they are
receiving at their churches is tainted and is going to lead them astray.
4.7.4. Build with thoroughness and
tenaciousness
4.7.4.1.Some builders may make an
acceptable foundation for their buildings but then they just sort of throw up
the rest of the building.
4.7.4.1.1.In Montana, my wife and I
looked at having this one builder build a house for us, and we heard his speal
about buying a house he built, however when we began to inspect some of the
houses he was building we discovered that he was using very questionable
materials and in many cases cutting costs by not using high grade insulation or
even no insulation at all. Had we
bought one of those houses, we would have bought a cheap house that would have
cost a fortune to heat in the winter.
In the same way many times Christians may get a foundation in their walk
but then they are not diligent to continue to build upon that foundation
carefully.
4.7.4.1.2.One guy I knew about built a
mansion for himself, however since he built furniture for a living and had lots
of saw dust and wood shavings laying around all of the time, instead of using
proper insulation in the walls of his mansion as he built them he just poured
in the saw dust. The result was a
beautiful mansion which he had built, however the smallest spark in the house
and it would go up like a match box and burn everyone alive. Eventually, the next owner of the house had
to tear out all of the walls in the house and rebuild it using proper
materials.
4.7.4.1.3.Many Christians are content
to allow themselves to not be involved in a church where they can get proper
teaching and doctrine so that they can grow up and be healthy in their
Christian walk. As a result their lives
never bear the fruit that it should.
4.7.4.1.3.1.Plus, many times Christians
will perhaps read books or hear tapes of preaching messages by teachers who are
teaching things that do not measure up against what God’s Word clearly teaches.
4.7.4.2.Foundations vary in their
depth. The deeper the foundation the
stronger it will be. We Christians
should apply ourselves to do what we do for Christ with all of our hearts.
4.7.4.2.1.The deeper a foundation is
laid into the earth the less likely the floods will be able to come and erode
away that foundation and thus ruin the structure.
4.7.4.2.2.The oak tree has such a
foundation because of the huge roots that it sends deep into the earth and in
every direction that it takes only a direct hit by a tornado or a lightening
strike to move it out of it’s place.
Even semi-trucks have been known to have been stopped by these trees.
4.7.4.2.3.If we repent of our sins, we
should repent to such an extent that we have a deep inward turning from “ALL”
sin.
4.7.4.2.4.If we believe in God, we
should not allow any skepticism in our belief.
4.7.4.2.5.If we study God’s Word, we
should study it diligently.
4.7.4.2.6.We should be people who love
God so thoroughly that we hate every sinful way.
4.7.5. Be responsible to let our
walk match our talk.
4.7.5.1.Many Christians often talk
about spiritual things, being used of God, praying, and studying God’s Word,
but they don’t do much or any of it.
4.7.5.2.In his book ‘Pilgrim’s
Progress’, Bunyan has a character called ‘Talkative.’ ‘Talkative’ is one who thinks that hearing
and saying are sufficient to make one spiritual, however one of the characters in
the book says this of ‘Talkative’, “The soul of religion is the practical part. "Pure religion and
undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows
in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." James 1:27;
see also verses 22-26. This, Talkative is not aware of; he thinks that hearing
and saying will make a good Christian; and thus he deceiveth his own soul.
Hearing is but as the sowing of the seed; talking is not sufficient to prove
that fruit is indeed in the heart and life. And let us assure ourselves, that
at the day of doom men shall be judged according to their fruits. Matt. 13:23.
It will not be said then, Did you believe? but, Were you doers, or talkers
only? and accordingly shall they be judged. The end of the world is compared to
our harvest, Matt. 13:30, and you know men at harvest regard nothing but fruit.
Not that any thing can be accepted that is not of faith; but I speak this to
show you how insignificant the profession of Talkative will be at that day.”
4.7.6. We must ‘be careful’ to do
all things just “the way” the Lord wants us to do them. Many people try follow the scripture and do
God’s will, however they want to do it their own way.
4.7.6.1.W. Ian Thomas one wrote a very appropriate
principle concerning this, “He who does God’s will God’s way will never
lack God’s blessing.”
4.7.6.1.1.In order to be rewarded by
God, we must do God’s will His way, not our own.
4.7.7. Be responsible to be very
careful what we teach and exhort others to do.
4.7.7.1.We must be sure that what we
tell others lines up with what God’s word teaches. Each of us is laying foundations in peoples lives that we come
into contact with.
4.7.7.2.I remember when my wife and
I were living in Seattle and had begun to lead our first home fellowship
through the church. People were asking
us questions regarding how to handle situations or about decisions they needed
to make, and it suddenly occurred to my wife and I that we had better be very
careful and prayerful about the things that we told people because they might
actually act upon them.
5.
VS 3:11 - “3:11
For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which
is Jesus Christ.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that the foundation that must be laid
in the church is ‘Jesus Christ’
5.1.
A
house is only as strong as its foundation, and it will only last a long time if
it has a strong and lasting foundation.
Jesus Christ and He alone is the foundation which can and should only be
laid for the Christ’s church.
5.1.1. If we just stay with reading
and studying the Bible itself we will not get off-track of the foundation we
should have in Christ. It is the
reading of the books of men that can get us confused and off-track.
5.2.
We
in the church must never lay a foundation in anything than Jesus Christ.
5.2.1. We should not lay a
foundation of traditions of men passed down which dictate what we believe and
the way we do things.
5.2.2. We should likewise never lay
a foundation based upon men’s worldly wisdom and psychology.
5.2.3. We should not lay a
foundation based upon what we think our experiences have taught us, i.e. upon
experiential or mystical knowledge.
5.2.4. Instead, we must have our
foundation be only upon Christ and what His word says. We are to evaluate our experiences based
upon what God’s word says, not visa versa.
6.
VS 3:12 - “3:12
Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of
each man’s work.” - Paul compares two different types of building materials by which
a Christian might build upon his foundation in Christ
6.1.
Christians
build upon the foundation of Christ in their life by what they do with what
they know from God’s word. It involves what they do with the resources and
opportunities that God places in their lives.
6.2.
There
are two types of works mentioned by Paul in these verses.
6.2.1. Gold, silver, and precious
stones
6.2.1.1.These works are good and
will receive a reward from the Lord on the judgment day for believers.
6.2.2. Wood, hay, and straw
6.2.2.1.These works are not good and
will be burned up leaving no reward for the believer on the judgment day of
believers.
6.3.
The
fire of judgment on the day of the judgment of believers will show the real
value of each man’s work and thus what his respective rewards, or lack of them
shall be. Some works will be rewarded,
others will be burned up.
6.4.
Some
have interpreted this verse as saying that the day mentioned and the associated
fire is going to occur through the trials and tribulations of this life. Though I disagree with this interpretation,
none the less there is truth in the fact that trials purify Christians and reveal
the true nature of their works and motives.
6.4.1. The apostle James said in James
1:2, “Consider it all joy, my brethren when you encounter various trials,
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking
in nothing”.
6.4.2. We Christians need to allow
God to use the trials that come our way to purify our motives and thereby grow
in maturity.
6.4.3. We shouldn’t harden our
hearts or try to deal with the conflicts in the strength of our own flesh.
6.4.4. If trials reveal our
weaknesses and rebellious heart, then we should ask God to change our hearts
and heal us so that we can serve Him with all of our heart, mind, and strength,
and thus be pleasing to Him.
7.
VS 3:15 - “3:15
If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as
through fire.” - Paul tells us what will happen to the Christian whose works are
all burned up on the Judgment Day for believers
7.1.
A
Christian is saved, and thus has the foundation of Christ in his life, however
if he does not build with good materials in his life, as a result on the day of
the judgment of believers he will lose all of his rewards.
7.2.
Paul
says that this brother or sister in Christ will be saved, however he or she
will be saved as if they had passed through the fire of God’s wrath. As one pastor once said, “They will be
saved, but singed!”
7.2.1. This is further proof that
Christians are saved by grace apart from the works of the law as Paul said in
Romans.
7.2.2. Though it will be better to
just be a doorman in heaven than to end up in hell, it will be a shame to a
person if on the judgment day of believers that he will have no rewards that
will last for eternity.
7.2.3. Many Christians will have
great regret when they see all or many of their works done for Christ burned
up. They will wish that they could have
honored Christ so much more with their life on that day.
7.3.
The
judgment of believers will be a judgment of rewards since Christians are not
under condemnation any more. The
rewards Christians will receive in heaven are sometimes called crowns in the
New Testament. These promised crowns
each reflect the fullness of the believer’s promised rewards in heaven. The crowns mentioned in the New Testament
that the believer might receive are:
7.3.1. “crown of righteousness”, 2
Tim. 4:7,8.
7.3.2. “crown exultation”, 1 Thess.
2:19-20.
7.3.3. “crown of glory”, 1 Peter
5:4.
7.3.4. “crown of life”, James 1:12.
7.4.
We
Christians ought to desire to be greatly rewarded on the judgment day of
believers. We ought to live our lives in
such a way that when we meet Jesus that He will say to us, “Well done thou good
and faithful servant”.
7.5.
Our
rewards on the day of judgment as believers will actually bring glory to God,
and this alone ought to motive us to good deeds.
8.
VS 3:16 - “3:16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in
you? If any man destroys the temple of
God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you
are.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that being Christians they are the
‘temple of God’
8.1.
As
we read through the Old Testament, we see the terrible holiness of God revealed
throughout.
8.2.
In
1 Chron. 13, there is a story told about king David. He had desired to take the Ark of the Covenant from
Kiriath-jearim to the Tabernacle in Jerusalem where it properly belonged. Under God’s direction, the Ark of the
Covenant was to be placed in the Holy of Holies when the temple was eventually
built. It had golden angelic figures on
the sides and in the center it contained the mercy seat where the blood of the
lamb was to be poured once a year for the sins of the nation. David and his men didn’t place the Ark on
poles to carry it, as the Lord had commanded, but rather put it on a cart
pulled by oxen. As they were hauling
the Ark, the oxen nearly upset the Ark and when it looked like to everyone’s
horror that the ark might fall off of the cart onto the ground, Uzza put out
his hand to keep the Ark from falling off.
However, the Lord had commanded that men were never to touch the ark,
and thus when Uzza touched the Ark in disobedience to God, God’s anger burned
against him and He struck him dead.
David was very depressed and angry with the Lord about this happening
for quite awhile. However, David had
made the mistake in the first place of not obeying the Lord by carrying the ark
with poles, plus Uzza had also not realized the importance of obeying the Lord
by not touching the ark.
8.2.1. This story reveals that only
God is holy, and that God’s people need to have a holy reverence for God and
His holiness, and thus they must be obedient to all of His commands.
8.2.2. The mistake that Uzza made
in reaching out to keep the Ark from touching the ground was that he thought
that his hands were holier than the earth itself and thus he sought to keep the
ark from falling on the ground.
8.2.3. Finally, God’s commands must
never be looked at as being optional for the Christian to follow.
8.3.
God
is terrible in His holiness, and if we Christians make a mockery of Him and His
holiness by our rebellion and stubbornness of heart, He will eventually deal
with us in strong discipline to remove from us that which offends Him. If we defile His temple, which temple we
are, then He will deal with us in strict discipline to remove the sin from our
hearts.
8.4.
Discipline
by God, just like discipline by your parents, is a painful process therefore I
recommend just listening to and obeying the Lord before He has to resort to
strong discipline in your life.Each Christian is a temple of God, and God will
defile, corrupt, or destroy the one who defiles, corrupts, or destroys the temple
of his body.
8.5.
In
this verse we learn that the building that God is building us into is actually
a temple for Him to dwell in. We are
the temple of God created by God to be a place where He is worshipped and the
beauty of His holiness is on display.
8.6.
As
each of us as Christians are a temple of God, then whatever we do in our body
we join Christ to it. In effect we make
His temple a place where that is center-piece.
Later on in 1 Cor., Paul talks more about what this means. He says in 1 Cor. 6:15-17, “Do you not
know that your bodies are members of Christ?
Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a
harlot? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins
himself to a harlot is one body with her? For He says, ‘The two will become one
flesh’. But the one who joins himself
to the Lord is one spirit with Him”.
8.6.1. We Christians need to
realize that whatever we allow into our life we actually join Christ to since
we are the temple of God, and it is He who dwells within us.
8.6.2. Do we really want to join
the holy One of Israel to that which is defiled in sinful?
8.7.
We
Christians ought to recognize also that all God’s people are a temple of
God. We can defile other people’s
temple by the way we treat them. Jesus
that whatever we do even unto the least of these, we have done it unto Him.
8.8.
By
the way, I do not believe that this verse is speaking about suicide as many
have speculated, and that the Lord is saying in this verse that if you commit
suicide that you will go to hell.
8.8.1. The destroying of the temple
of our bodies covers a wide range of areas.
In fact, each sin that we sin is a defiling of the temple of God of our
bodies.
8.8.2. Those who have interpreted
this verse to say that if you commit suicide you will go to hell haven’t
understood the earlier part of this chapter which talks about some people being
saved however all of their works get burned up on the judgment day of believers.
8.8.3. The only sin that will send
a person to hell is to reject Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
9.
VS 3:18 - “3:18
Let no man deceive himself. If
any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become foolish
that he may become wise.” - Paul mentions to the Corinthians the foolishness of thinking
ourselves to be wise
9.1.
Paul
points out what actually is necessary in order for a man to become wise with
the wisdom that is from God. He must
admit that he doesn’t know anything unless God should teach him.
9.2.
What
stands in the way of a Christian from learning the things that God wants to
teach them is usually ‘pride’. When
people can’t be told anything, then they will stumble until such time as they
become teachable.
9.3.
There
is an old Arab proverb that is as follows: “He that knows not and knows not that he knows not, is a
fool. But, he that knows not and knows
that he knows not, is simple. Teach him”.
10.
VS 3:19 - “3:19
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, ‘He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness’; and again, ‘The Lord knows the reasonings of
the wise, that they are useless’.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that the wisdom of this world is
foolishness before God
10.1.
Paul
again repeats what he said in chapter about the worldly wisdom of those of this
world who deny God. Their wisdom is
foolishness in God’s sight. Also, He
eventually catches and deals in justice with those who are crafty in their
wicked scheming.
10.2.
The
reasonings of those who are wise in their own eyes with the fleshly human
wisdom is useless, says Paul.
11.
VS 3:21 - “3:21
So then let no one boast in men.
For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the
world or life or death or things
present or things to come; all things
belong to you, and you belong to Christ;
and Christ belongs to God.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that they should never boast in men
11.1.
Paul
again repeats what he had said in the beginning of this chapter two about not
thinking too highly of those who teach and lead them in the church.
11.2.
Paul
tells them not to boast in men, especially in the factious way in which they
had been doing. After all, all of those
who had ministered at Corinth should be enjoyed by all. All of God’s teachers belong to them and
have been called into their life for their edification.
11.3.
Paul
tells the Corinthians that they ought to consider their inheritance as
Christians, for after all everything in this world and the world to come has
been given unto them.
11.3.1. God the Father gave it to Christ
and then Christ has given it to them.
11.3.2. Paul tells them that they
belong to Christ as they are His servants in this life.
11.4.
Each
of us as Christians can benefit from the ministry of many whom God has called
to teach and preach His word. We
shouldn’t limit ourselves to listening only to our own pastor in the church, or
to only one teacher.
11.5.
We
must test by scripture all that any teacher teaches, however we can be
benefited by the ministry of many men.