For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Who you are? You are one of the living stones in the grand spiritual structure called God's building. As a living stone, you are called to carry out the unique ministry of a co-worker in the Body of Christ, building on the foundation laid by Paul as a wise builder, the revelation of “Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).
But I cannot give you the anointing and necessary spiritual equipment for your personal calling as a living stone in God's building. You will have to turn to God for what no man can give, which is the Holy Spirit and His personal presence within you that gives growth.
It is impossible that while praying in the Holy Spirit, you are not praying in accordance with God's plan and become better equipped to contribute to His building as a living stone.
My service ends with the transfer of knowledge to you. I can plant you in God's Kingdom and water you with instructions, but I can't make you grow. Only God can do this.
That is why Paul told the Corinthians, “I have received grace from God to be the master builder. God revealed the secret to me, and I laid the foundation of the crucified Jesus Christ.
You should also know that in responding to God's call and fulfilling your ministry, you are standing on the foundation I have laid down, because there is no other foundation and cannot be. As your life takes shape, you contribute to the Body and become an increment, the next level in God's building. But you should be careful how you build on the foundation I have preached. Why carry out your ministry in such a way that its results are only wood, hay and stubble (Cor. 3:12)? Why do you need it if you can turn to the Source?
Searching for the Source of Paul's Revelations
Paul would never call anyone carnal unless he then showed the way out of that carnal state.
It would be of no use if Paul simply rebuked Christians for chasing personalities instead of pursuing God, and then showed them how to enter into God's presence in order to be transformed and receive divine growth.
Therefore, in the second chapter of First Corinthians, Paul reveals the source of his revelations and walking in God's power - the way to get rid of carnal thinking, envy and strife.
Don't forget that the message is addressed to infants in the faith with a carnal mindset. Paul wants to teach these Christian infants to tap into the source of revelation he has discovered. He seeks to encourage Christians to transcend the carnal life of feeling and enter into a living relationship with God.
Paul says: “I can reveal to you the source from which I have drawn an understanding of these divine mysteries. If you can understand my teaching, you will not remain carnal.”
What shakes me is that I personally do not want to remain carnal. I want to be humble enough to be able to learn from Paul.
If I can jump into the same spiritual "river" from which he repeatedly drew revelation, then I will certainly do it, because the ministers can only give me a part. They can't give me the anointing. They can't give me a calling. Of course, they can teach me about faith, joy, and peace, but they cannot put these spiritual treasures within me.
Jesus Christ is the One who gave all the gifts through the power of the Holy Spirit, and He is all in all. Therefore, I intend to find the source that Paul used and learn to give God the freedom to transform me in accordance with the Word preached to me. So I go back to 1 Corinthians 2 and dive into the spring!
Paul's Spring Discovered
“I, according to the grace given to me from God, as a wise builder, laid the foundation, and another builds on it; but each see how he builds. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, - Each work will be revealed; for the day will show, because in the fire it is revealed, and the fire tests the work of each, what it is. Whoever's business, which he built, will stand, he will receive a reward; And whoever's business is burned, he will suffer damage; however, he himself will be saved, but so, as if from fire Don't you know that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God lives in you? If anyone destroys the frame of God, God will punish him, for the temple of God is holy, and that temple is you” (3:10-17).
In this passage, Paul continues the conversation he began in 1:10 (and continued until 3:23) about divisions and divisions within the Corinthian church. However, the more immediate prerequisite for writing this passage was the second coming of Christ. Paul shows how worldly and carnal behavior, and the spiritual divisions it creates, affects the reward that the Lord will give when He returns. Going forward, Paul mentions the paradox about rewards: we can be sure of them even though we don't deserve them, and they are unique because each of us will be rewarded personally. Paul affirms both truths and at the same time expects a glory to come that will bring resolution to these paradoxes.
The fact that the Lord will come to reward those who are His was one of the main incentives for Paul. In a sense, everything the apostle did was motivated by this truth. His purpose, within the framework of the main purpose - the glorification of his God and Savior - was to prepare to stand before the Lord and have the right to hear the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matt. 25:21,23), Paul wrote to the Philippians: “Brethren, I do not consider myself accomplished; but only, forgetting what is behind and stretching forward, I strive for the goal, for the honor of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus ”(Phil. 3:13-14), And the point is not that he wanted glory or honor for himself, or wanted to prove that he is better than other Christians, standing out from their background in Christian ministry. He desired the highest reward from the Lord because this would be the most pleasing to the Lord Himself and would most clearly reveal his grateful love for God.
In his second letter to Corinth, Paul mentioned three special incentives that compelled him to do his best for Christ. First, he wanted to please his Lord: "We strive earnestly," he wrote, "whether in settling in or going out, to be pleasing to Him" (2 Corinthians 5:9). Secondly, everything he did was controlled by great love Christ's (v. 14); Paul's entire ministry was guided by this love. And thirdly, he knew that the work of Christ had already been done, that "Christ died for all" (v. 15), and therefore the gospel ministry would always be effective; it cannot fail. Jesus Christ has already completed all the work that had to be done in order to save people.
Paul was not one of those who do half the work. When he raced or wrestled, he did it to win—to win the incorruptible crown of reward from the Lord (1 Cor. 9:24-27). He was not competing with other believers, but he was wrestling with himself—with his own weakness, weariness, and sin. Although these specific words had not yet been written, Paul always had before him the knowledge that Jesus was saying, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to render to every one according to his deeds” (Rev. 22:12).
Speaking of retribution for believers, Paul did not mean our actions for which we should be judged, and not God who judges sin. Since all of us believers will “appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ” and “each one of us will give an account of himself to God,” we have no right to judge the works of other believers (Rom. 14:10-12). We do not even know what reward we ourselves will receive, how can we know what another will receive. Both favorable and unfavorable judgment is not allowed. We don't even have the foresight needed to judge unbelievers in the church—those who are tares among the wheat (cf. Matt. 13:24-30). It is obvious that we must rebuke for sin and rebuke sinful brothers (Matt. 18:15-19; 1 Cor. 5:1-13), but this is because we can see such sin. To judge the motives of a person and which of us is how worthy of a reward is the business of God, who alone knows the human heart.
It is true that appreciating a person highly is the same as appreciating him low. Paul has already warned twice in this epistle against such a worldly evaluation of Christian leaders, including himself (1 Cor. 1:12-13; 3:4-9). We don't know enough about the heart, motives, and loyalty of another person—in fact, we don't know enough about ourselves to predict what rewards we deserve or don't deserve. We must “judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both illuminate the hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the heart, and then there will be praise from God to everyone” (1 Cor. 4:5).
This is not about God's condemnation of sin. The Judgment Seat of Christ (or the Judgment Seat of Christ), before which all believers will one day appear (Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10), is a translation of the Greek word "bema" - tribunal. But both passages mentioned clearly indicate that the judgment in this place and at this time will not consist in condemnation for sins, but in the distribution of rewards for good works, and that it will be only for believers. Christ condemned sin on the cross, and because we stand in Him, we will never be condemned for our sins; He was condemned for us (1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:4; 1 Pet. 2:24; etc.). He took upon Himself the penalty for all our sins (Col. 2:13; 1 John 2:12). God has no more accusations against those who trust in His Son, against His chosen ones, and He will not allow anyone else to make accusations against them (Rom. 8:31-34). “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1). As we shall see below, “to each will be praise from God” (1 Corinthians 4:5).
In 1 Cor. 3:10-17 Paul gives a new comparison. In the previous passage, he spoke of what he himself planted, Apollos watered, and God made it grow (vv. 6-8). Toward the end of the ninth verse, he makes a transition within the simile: "But you are God's beer, God's building." Using a comparison with building work, Paul brings up the five elements associated with labor. God's people on earth: about the task of the builder, about laying the foundation, about building materials, about testing what has been built, and about workers.
Builder Pavel
“According to the grace given to me from God, as a wise builder, I laid the foundation, and another builds on it; but each one see how he builds” (3:10).
Paul himself was the builder of the Corinthian project. Builder is Greek for "architect", from which our word "architect" is derived. But in Paul's day, the word combined two meanings: it meant both the person who supervised the construction and the one who drew the plan of the future building. The builder was both an architect and a general contractor rolled into one.
For many years after “converting to Christianity, Paul was used by the Lord to establish and establish many churches in Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece. But lest anyone should think that he was boasting, Paul began by making it clear that his calling and his work were possible only by grace from God and were given to him. That he was a good, wise builder is God's merit, not his own. He has already stated above that "both the one who plants and the one who waters is nothing, but God who makes everything grow" (3:7). The same truth applies to those who lay the foundation and build on it. A few years later, Paul writes to the Roman believers, “I dare not say anything that Christ has not done through me” (Rom. 15:18). His great success in the dispensation of the church was wholly attributable to God. “By the grace of God, I am what I am; and his grace in me was not in vain, but I labored more than all of them: not I, however, but the grace of God which is with me” (1 Cor. 15:10). He labored and labored by the power of God(Col. 1:29) and declared that he had no reason to boast except in the Lord (1 Cor. 1:31). He did not choose himself as a builder, much less did he make himself a builder. He "became a minister ... according to the gift of the grace of God" and considered himself "the least of all saints" (Eph. 3:7-8). He asked those around him not to exalt him (1 Cor. 9:15-16), but rather to pray for him (Eph. 6:19).
During the eighteen months he was among the Corinthians (Acts 18:11), he faithfully preached the gospel to them, taught them the gospel, and nothing more (1 Cor 2.2). Thus he showed himself to be a wise builder. The word wise (sophos) in this context refers not only to spiritual wisdom, but also to practical wisdom, to the ability to sensibly conduct business. Paul knew why he was sent to Corinth. He was sent to lay the foundation of the church, and this was a work which he did carefully and skillfully. He had the right motive, preached the right message, and had true power.
In addition, he had the right approach to business; he was a master strategist. Although he was primarily an apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15), when he came to Corinth, he first went to preach in the synagogue, because the gospel was “in the first place” meant for the Jews (Rom. 1:16). He also knew that the Jews would listen to him as one of their own, and that those he could convert would help him establish contact with the Gentiles. For him, the Jews were the best of open doors and the passion of his heart (cf. Rom. 9 1-3; 10.1). After he managed to convert some of the synagogue (from where he was often thrown out), he began to preach and minister among the Gentiles in the community (Acts 17:1-4, 18:4-7). He planned carefully and diligently and laid a solid foundation. The support was deep and had to support the future building.
Laying the foundation is only the first part of the building process. Paul's task was to lay the right foundation, the gospel, to establish the doctrines, principles of faith, and practical life revealed to him by God (1 Cor. 2:12-3). This was the task of establishing the principles of the New Testament (cf. Eph. 3:1-9). After he left Corinth, another one began to build on this foundation. In Ephesus it was Timothy (1 Tim. 1:3), in Corinth it was Apollos. Paul did not envy those who assumed ministry in the churches he founded. He knew that anyone laying the foundation must be followed by other builders. For example, in Corinth most of the believers were baptized by the pastor who served after him. Paul was glad about this, because it gave less ground for earthly commitment to him among the Corinthians (1:14-15).
However, he was very concerned that those who would come after him build on the foundation he had laid as faithfully and wisely as he himself. But everyone see how he builds. IN Greek the verb "builds" is in the present tense, in the active voice of the indicative mood, which indicates an action that is constantly ongoing. All believers continue to build on the same foundation—Jesus Christ. The word each refers primarily to evangelists, pastors and teachers who continued to build on the foundation laid by the apostles. They were given a special duty to teach Christian doctrine. Paul later taught Timothy that he who builds must be faithful and able (2 Tim. 2:2),
But it is clear from the context that Paul also meant a more comprehensive application of these words. Numerous references to "everyone" and "anyone" (vv. 10-18) indicate that this principle applies to every believer. All of us, just by what we say and do, to some extent teach others the gospel. No Christian has the right to be careless about how he presents the Lord and His Word to others. Every believer should be a careful builder. We all have the same responsibility.
Foundation: Jesus Christ
"For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (3:11).
Paul was a builder: his main task was to lay the foundation for the Christian gospel. But Paul was not the author who conceived and created this foundation, he only laid it. The only foundation of Biblical Christianity is Jesus Christ. The foundation is not the moralistic teachings of the New Testament, many of which can be found in other faiths. It is not in history, not in traditions, not in decisions made by churches and church leaders over the centuries. That foundation is Jesus Christ and He alone. In a sense, the foundation is all of Scripture, because all Scripture is from Jesus Christ and about Jesus Christ. The Old Testament preached about His incarnation and prepared for it. The Gospels tell the story of His earthly ministry, while Acts tells the story of His church in its early years. The epistles explain His good news and His work, and the book of Revelation is the final testimony of His imminent royal return. What Jesus said about the Old Testament, "Search the Scriptures...they testify of Me" (John 5:39), is more true about the New Testament.
Some builders tried to make the foundation of Christianity church tradition, others are the moral teachings of the man Jesus, still others are ethical humanism, and still others are some form of pseudo-science or just sentimental love and good deeds. But the only foundation of the church and Christian life is Jesus Christ. Without Him, no spiritual building will be from God and will not stand.
After the lame man was healed at the temple doors and the people gathered there marveled at this miracle, Peter proclaimed a sermon. He explained to them in a few words that Jesus was the one who stood in the center Old Testament and was the only one through whom they could be saved and receive eternal life. After that, the priests and Sadducees arrested Peter and John and threw them into prison. In the morning the two were brought before the high priest and a large group of other priest-leaders who ordered them to explain their preaching and healing. Peter continued the sermon proclaimed the day before, telling them that God had healed the cripple by the power of Jesus of Nazareth, the One whom they crucified, and that this same Jesus, the Stone which they rejected, was the cornerstone of God's Kingdom (Acts 3:1- 4:12). He told these Jewish leaders that they were unable to accept the good news of the kingdom because they rejected the most important thing in the kingdom, its foundation, the Lord Jesus Christ.
These presumptuous builders of Israel—God's chosen people—tried to build a religious system on tradition and deed, but they had no foundation. They built their house of religion on the sand (Matthew 7:24-27). Although the foundation had been given to them by revelation in their Scripture for centuries - by Isaiah and other prophets - yet they rejected it, as Peter again reminds us (1 Pet. 2:6-8). Any human philosophy or religious system, or moral code doomed to failure and ruin because they have no foundation. There is only one foundation, and no one can lay another foundation than the one laid, which is Jesus Christ, no matter how hard he tries. The kingdom of God is built on Jesus Christ, and every single life (“everyone”—v. 10) that wants to please God must carefully build on that foundation.
Building Materials: The Works of the Believers
“Does anyone build on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw” (3:12).
In ancient times, buildings were often built from expensive materials and decorated with precious stones. No Christian needs to worry about the foundation of his faith. The foundation is the marble and granite of the work of Christ, reliable, solid and perfect. Our job is to see to it that the best building materials are used in building on this foundation. There is only one foundation, but there are many different materials from which a spiritual building can be built. As long as believers are alive, they are in the process of building. Whatever they do, they build: some kind of life, some kind of church, some kind of Christian fellowship and service. It may be a beautiful building, or it may be a shack, it may be a structure erected on purpose, or something created by carelessness - but it will necessarily be something, it cannot be nothing.
From the early history of the church recorded in Acts and Epistles, from the accounts of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, and from history to the present day, it is clear that Christians themselves and the communities they form are very different from each other. From the beginning there have been Christians who have built with gold, Christians with wood, churches with silver, and churches with hay, aspirations of precious stones, and straw, in every degree and combination.
The building materials mentioned in verse 12 fall into two categories, and within each of them the listing occurs in descending order of value. The first category is gold, silver, gems, - clearly symbolizes the materials are complete. Gold signifies the highest devotion, the most skillful and meticulous work done for the Lord. Straw means the opposite - hack work.
Materials do not symbolize wealth, talents, or opportunities given to a person. They do not symbolize spiritual gifts either, because all gifts are good, moreover, gifts are given to each of the believers in the way that pleases the Lord (1 Cor. 12:11). Building materials are a symbol of believers' response to what they have received from the Lord—how well they serve God with what He has given them. In other words, building materials are our business. We cannot be saved by good works or remain saved by good works. But every Christian is “created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Eph. 2:10) and should bear “fruit in every good work” (Col. 1:10). Works are not the source of the Christian life, but the hallmarks of that life.
Every Christian is a builder and everyone builds with some materials, God wants us to build only with the best materials, because the best materials are worthy of Him. It is important to note that the first three materials are equal in value. There is no difference in quality here, because in ancient times some precious stones (such as pearls) were considered more valuable than gold, and silver can be used for things that gold cannot be used for. What has different functions can be equally precious (cf. 12:23).
Only the Lord can determine which works are of high quality and which are of low quality. It is not the business of the believer to put labels on Christians and their works, assigning who is superior and who is inferior. Paul believed that we should make it our goal to always serve the Lord, making the best use of what He has given us and relying completely on Him. He alone determines the ultimate value of each person's deeds.
If Christ Himself is the foundation of our life, then He must also be the center of the work that we build on this foundation. That is, the work that we do must be entirely His work, and not just external activity or religious fuss. It is not difficult to get carried away with all sorts of church programs or projects that are really just hay. Not that these are bad programs or projects, but they are trivial. Wood, hay and straw are not obviously sinful things, they are things that turn out to be sinful in fact. Each of them can be useful in the construction of something; sometimes even hay or grass may be needed to make, for example, a roof. But when they are tested by fire, all three materials from the second group burn out.
Perhaps Paul had a similar thought in mind when he wrote to Timothy: and some in honorable, and others in low use. Therefore, whoever is clean from this will be a vessel of honor, sanctified and useful to the Master, fit for every good work” (2 Tim. 2:20-21).
We build for the Lord using various materials; we build by our motives, our conduct, and our service.
First, we build with our motives. Why, if we do something, it matters how we do it. Visiting neighbors out of compulsion is wood, but visiting the same people out of love to win them to the Lord is gold. Singing solo in church, worrying about how the parishioners will like our voice, is "hay"; but to sing to praise the Lord is "silver." Giving generously of one's wealth under pressure from outside or out of a sense of duty is "straw," but giving generously with joy to thereby help spread the gospel and serve others in the name of the Lord is "precious stones." What looks like gold to us on the outside may turn out to be hay in the eyes of the Lord. He knows "the intentions of the heart" (1 Cor. 4:5).
Secondly, we build by our behavior. “For we must all appear at the Judgment Seat of Christ, so that each one may receive according to what he did while living in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). The word translated "bad" (faulos) is better understood here as "useless," that which is of no use. So, our behavior can be "good" (agathos - inherently good in quality), evil, or simply useless, like wood, hay or straw when they are tested by fire. So what we do can also be gold or wood, silver or hay, precious stones or straw.
Third, we build by our ministry. How we use the spiritual gifts that God has given us, how we serve in His name, is the most important thing in our building for Him. In Christ's ministry, we must strive to be those vessels that are "honoured, sanctified, and acceptable to the Master."
A few years ago, a young man told me why he left a particular ministry. The reason he gave was: “I didn't do what I can do best. I used only my abilities in this ministry, not my spiritual gifts.” There was nothing wrong with the work he did; in fact, if someone else performed it, then for him it could be gold. But for this young man, this work was wood, hay or straw. After all, he did what others thought he had to do, and not what the Lord called him to, giving him special gifts for this.
trial by fire
“Each case will be revealed; for the day will show, because it is revealed in the fire, and the fire tests the work of everyone, what it is” (3:13).
A new building is usually thoroughly inspected before it is occupied or used. Various cities, countries and states have codes that prescribe the standards that new buildings must comply with. And God has strict standards, which must comply with what we build for Him in our lives and our lives. When Christ returns, every man's work will be tested for what it is. Fire is a symbol of testing. Just as it purifies metals, the fire of God's discernment will burn away the filth and leave only that which is pure and valuable (cf. Job 23-10; Zech. 13:9; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 3:18) .
As the following verses make clear, this judgment will not be a time of punishment, but a time of reward (14-15). Even the one who built with wood, hay or straw will not be condemned; but his reward will be according to the quality of the building material with which he built. When wood, hay, or straw come into contact with a flame, they catch fire; as a result, nothing remains but ash. These materials cannot stand the test. But gold, silver and precious stones do not burn. They will stand the test, and they will bring great reward to those who build from them.
Workers: all believers
“Whoever the business that he built stands, he will receive a reward; And whoever's business is burned, he will suffer damage; however, he himself will be saved, but so, as if from fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will punish him, for the temple of God is holy; and this temple is you" (3:14- 17).
Two categories of building materials correspond to two types of workers: there are valuable workers, and there are useless ones, there are creative, creative workers, and there are unworthy ones. But there is another type of workers: such workers do not build anything at all, they destroy.
Creative Workers
Believers who have right motives, conduct themselves rightly, and minister effectively, build with gold, silver, and precious stones. They do creative work for the Lord and will be rewarded accordingly. He will receive a reward. This is a simple and sure promise, a message of eternal joy and glory. Whenever our service is to God's glory, He will reward.
When a pastor teaches sound, reliable doctrine, he builds constructively. When a teacher teaches the Word fully and consistently, he builds with good materials. When a person who has the gift of helping others spends his energy serving others in the name of the Lord, he builds with materials that will stand the test and bring him great reward. When the believer's life is holy, when he is submissive and reveres God, he lives a life built of precious stones.
The rewards of the Lord to all His faithful followers are various and wonderful, and they are all incorruptible (1 Cor. 9:24). New Testament calls them crowns. “I have fought a good fight, I have completed my course, I have kept the faith. And now a crown of righteousness is being prepared for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day; and not only to me, but to all who love his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7-8). “For who is our hope, or joy, or crown of praise? Are you not ... our glory and joy” (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20). “When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive an unfading crown of glory” (1 Pet. 5:4). All who love the Lord will receive the “crown of life” (James 1:12). Each of these words is best understood as the genitive of the application), that is, the crown of truth is the crown that is the truth; crown, which is praise; the crown which is glory, and the crown which is life. All this refers to the fullness of the reward promised to the believer.
Useless workers
Many things that make a great impression on people, things that seem beautiful and worthy of praise, done by Christians in the name of the Lord, will not stand the test in "that day." "Every work will be revealed" (v. 13), and it will become clear that the materials used were wood, hay, and stubble. These workers will not lose their salvation, but they will lose what share of the reward they might expect. They "will be saved, but as it were from fire." In this verse we get the idea of a man who runs out of the flame, although not burned, but with the smell of smoke in his hair - miraculously escaped; On the day of reward, useless and evil deeds will be burned out, but salvation will not be taken from us.
It is easy to fool ourselves into thinking that everything we do in the name of the Lord is His service, as long as we are sincere, hardworking, and have good intentions. But what looks like gold to us can turn into chaff because we haven't judged our "building materials" by the standards of God's Word with pure motives, holy conduct, and selfless service.
We must be careful not to waste the opportunities given to us by building with useless materials, because if we build with useless materials, we ourselves will become useless workers. Paul warned against useless materials, lest those who build with them become useless workers. Colossian, he warned: “Let no one deceive you with self-willed humility and the ministry of angels, intruding into what he has not seen, recklessly puffed up with his carnal mind” (Col. 2:18). When we rely on human wisdom, or even supernatural phenomena, rather than God's Word we are carnal, we follow the "carnal mind". We can be sure that any doctrine, principle, or practice based on such carnal pursuits will be useless at best.
Destructive Workers
The third group of workers obviously consists of unbelievers, because ‘God will never punish those who have accepted His redemption and gift eternal life. This group is made up of evil, unsaved people who attack God's people and God's work. This group of destroyers can work both inside the church and outside it, destroying what God has built.
Every believer is God's temple the Spirit of God dwells in everyone. Therefore, the church itself is God's temple, the collective temple, made up of all God's elect. Like every individual Christian, she is holy, and God jealously guards that which is holy. In the days of the Old Testament, any person, except the high priest on the day of atonement, who dared to enter the holy of holies, would have fallen on the threshold of the dead. He would not have to be executed by people - God would have punished him with death. Even less lenient is God with those who threaten or tarnish His people (Matt. 18:6-10).
The day of reward is approaching. He will come then, Christ will return, as He will bring rewards with Himself (Rev. 22:12). If we are still living on earth by then, we will not have time to prepare for that day. And if we are already with the Lord by that time, we will not have the opportunity to prepare after death. The only time to do God's rewarding works is now.
I, according to the grace given to me by God, as a wise builder, laid the foundation, and another builds on it; but each one see how he builds” (1 Corinthians 3:10).
The Apostle Paul writes that everyone should watch how he builds, therefore, each person participates in construction in one way or another.
In this case, the apostle laid the foundation in the Corinthian church, which is Jesus Christ. Paul says that he did it according to the grace given to him, he did his part of the work, but further construction is already dependent on those who build on the foundation laid.
The same can be said about the Embassy of God church. Today, there are many affiliated churches in our church, and as a senior pastor I can say that I was honored by God to be their founder. I did my part: I obeyed God and laid the foundation of the daughter churches. It is their pastors who will build upon this foundation. Now they will be responsible for these churches before me and God. I have to say in the words of the apostle Paul: “I…as a wise builder have laid the foundation, and another is building on it…” (1 Corinthians 3:10). I believe I have handed the church over to good hands.
The apostle Paul was able to lay the foundation because God gave him grace to do so. Dear friend, you too have been given a certain grace. God gives grace to some to lay a foundation, and to others to build on it.
Perhaps at this time God has given you the responsibility to serve in a group of order and do your best to build that ministry. Or maybe you clean the church or work with street children. GOD'S GRACE IS GIVEN TO DO A CERTAIN WORK IN THE BODY OF CHRIST. This grace is given to every believer (Ephesians 4:7).
But depending on the responsibility that God gives to a person, grace has a measure. So, if God gave you the grace to be a pastor, no matter how hard you try to be an apostle, you will not succeed - there will not be enough grace. If God has given you the grace to be a teacher and you want to be an evangelist, the grace that is in your life will not be enough to serve as an evangelist. Of course, sometimes God allows a person to be both a pastor and an apostle at the same time. But even in such cases, He gives appropriate grace.
That is why we should not envy and compete with other people. God has a certain measure of grace for everyone, which determines the place of a person in the Body of Christ. No one can take from you what God has given you, what is yours, and do what only you can do. GRACE CAN KEEP WHAT IS YOURS.
Trust God, for His grace is sufficient to accomplish all that He has called you to do. The only thing that is required of you is to find your calling and fulfill it. DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN, DO YOUR MAXIMUM FOR GOD, AND HE WILL DO EVERYTHING ELSE.
What are we building from?
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Does anyone build on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw…” (1 Corinthians 3:11-12).
The apostle Paul says that the quality of our ministry depends on the material with which we build. So, a person can be a pastor or a leader, but at the same time build with hay or straw. At the same time, the cleaner in the church can build with gold.
As an example, I want to give a story that happened in South America. An elderly woman had died, and the pastor was to preach at her funeral. He prayed for a long time, but, having never received a word from God for a sermon, he fell asleep. He had a dream that changed his whole life. In a dream, the pastor went to heaven and met Jesus, Who showed the preacher the reward of that woman (During her lifetime, she was one of the many, often inconspicuous, prayer books in the church). Her reward was great - a huge palace of pure gold. The most surprising thing for the man was what he heard from Jesus in his address. He, the pastor of a church of five thousand, was waiting for a very small reward. While serving God, he admired himself and sought recognition from people rather than from the Lord. Jesus rebuked him, saying that he owed his success in ministry to the secret prayers of a dead woman.
I do not know how true this story is, but I believe that this can happen. This dream clearly shows that even a great ministry can be built from straw. IT IS EASY TO GET VISIBLE RESULTS, BUT IT WILL BE A STRAW BUILDING. Another thing is to build your ministry out of gold. Here painstaking jewelry work is needed, plus the fact that gold is not lying on the road, it needs to be found. If you are the kind of person who diligently searches for gold to build a building for the glory of the Lord, know that God will appreciate your work.
Have you met in your life people who are responsible, scrupulous and tactful in their work? I think yes.
And vice versa: with the irresponsible, incompetent and sloppy?
Guess which ones are easier and more fun to work with? Definitely with the first group of people. I wonder if they are born like this? Or are they still making an effort? How to be there?
Let's figure it out and, of course, start with the Bible: (1 Cor. 3:10-15) “I, according to the grace given to me from God, as a wise builder, laid the foundation, and another builds on it; but each see how he builds. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Whether anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—everyone’s business will be revealed; for the day will show, therefore it will be revealed in the fire, and the fire will test the work of each, what it is. Whoever's business, which he built, will stand, he will receive a reward. And whoever's business is burned, he will suffer damage; however, he himself will be saved, but so, as if from fire.
So, I immediately want to say that here we are not talking about the people of this world at all, we are talking about you and me - about saved people, about the church, the foundation of which is Jesus Christ. And about some business, the quality of which will later be revealed, and about six types of building material for this business, and about some kind of reward.
Unfortunately, within the size of this article, we will not be able to parse everything, because. this verse is very deep and touches on many areas. But we can touch some of them. And we will start with the so-called "work" about which the apostle Paul writes: what kind of work is this? This is about purpose every Christian or about his works, which he must do.
Moreover, it is obliged, that is, we are called not to sit back, but to do something concrete. What exactly is the responsibility of each member of the body of Christ, that he, as we see above, must build something, and on due ground- Jesus Christ, i.e. engage in a specific task that Christ entrusted to him.
And these cases are very different, up to everyday ones; because not everyone is called to be shepherds, teachers, apostles, etc. But all people have a certain vocation in life and it is very different.
Very often people separate their personal life, their profession, their work from life in the church, or rather with Sunday two or three hours in church. These hours (they think) are for God, and from Monday to Saturday, this is my life. But this is not true; we do not see this in the Bible, on the contrary, our whole life, with all its spheres, must be in Christ.
All the more so, some work that, as a person knows, Christ entrusted to him, i.e. God's work. Moreover, we see from this passage of Scripture that this work of God can be built from six types of building material: three of which are precious (gold, silver, precious stones), and the other three are not heat-resistant (wood, hay, straw) - which means they can burn out.
Look at the features of these materials: the first three, as a rule, are not on the surface, but in the bowels of the earth or reservoir; the other three you can find quickly, with little to no effort, often even under your feet. The first three in their original state are not attractive - especially considering that they are extracted from the earth - often with a dirty, irregular, unsightly shape, with various impurities. Gold and silver need to be refined, melted down, and precious stones need to be cut. And this is work, that is, it does not happen by itself, it needs to be done.
The other three require practically no work, no special effort. Straw - it is straw. Do you understand the difference in all this? Do you notice the connection between the quality of the building material and the business you are directly involved in?
Often, when reading this passage of Scripture, I personally ask myself this question and invite you to ask it: is the work (of God) that I am doing - (first!) Is it precious in my eyes or not? Do you treat this case like a jewel or is it under your feet, do you often step on it, step over it, etc.?
Have you ever seen such a picture: a man is walking along the road, and ingots of gold, silver, various precious stones are scattered on it, and this man simply walks along them, stepping and mixing them with dust. I think this picture is very unrealistic; on the contrary, they look for jewelry, and if they find it, they rejoice, deal with it: they clean it, cut it, give it a beautiful shape.
Let me ask you other questions: what are you doing with your precious work of God? Are you working on it? Are you making an effort? (And not your own, but God's - after all, this is His work and He entrusted it to you, and He will give you advice and direction on how to purify and cut it.)
By the way, we will give him an account of what and how we did in our lives. Please note one more important and fundamental detail - all our deeds will be directly related to our character, to our nature. If a person is not punctual, sloppy, irresponsible by nature, then where does punctuality, accuracy, responsibility in God's work suddenly come from? He will do the work of God dishonestly and carelessly (not carefully).
See what the prophet Jeremiah (48:10) says about this: “Cursed be he who does the work of the Lord negligently…” And why so categorically? Yes, because very often behind this there are destinies, the lives of people whom the Lord wants to save, liberate, restore, etc. through us.
Let's be conscientious and scrupulous! Just look at the meaning of the word "scrupulous" – careful, punctual, accurate, filigree, precise, jeweler, attentive. After all, this is our God! Do you imagine Him to be unpunctual, inaccurate, sloppy, inattentive? I said - I will answer, and then changed my mind, appointed a time - and did not appear! Do you imagine this? What would be the chaos everywhere? What about His works? P
Imagine, for example, there would be an inaccuracy in the day: either twenty-four hours, or twenty-five? Is it evening or day? I don't imagine that! He is clear! This is how it should be with us.
See how attentively and carefully He treats us people, and all because We - great jewel in His eyes (Ps. 8:4-9): “When I look to Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, to the moon and the stars that You have set, what is man, that You remember him, and the son of man, that You visit him? Not much did You belittle him before the Angels: You crowned him with glory and honor; made him dominion over the works of your hands; He put everything under his feet: all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, everything that passes through the paths of the sea.” Think about it. Bless you!
Tatiana Fedchik
Paul himself was the builder of the Corinthian project. Builder is Greek for "architect", from which our word "architect" comes. But in Paul's day, the word combined two meanings: it meant both the person who supervised the construction and the one who drew the plan of the future building. The builder was both an architect and a general contractor rolled into one.
For many years after "converting to Christianity, Paul was used by the Lord to establish and establish many churches in Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece. But lest anyone think that he was boasting, Paul began by clearly establishing: his calling and his activities were possible only by the grace of God and were given to him. That he was a good, wise builder is God's merit, and not his own. He has already stated above that "both the one who plants and the one who waters is nothing, but everything God who grows” (3:7). The same truth applies to those who lay the foundation and build on it. A few years later, Paul writes to the Roman believers: “I dare not say anything that Christ did not do through me" (Rom. 15:18). His great success in the dispensation of the church was wholly attributable to God. "By the grace of God, I am what I am; and His grace in me was not in vain, but I labored more than all of them: not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me "(1 Cor. 15:10). He labored and labored in God's power (Col. 1:29) and declared that he had no reason to boast but in the Lord (1 Cor. 1:31) He did not choose himself a builder, much less did he make himself a builder. considered himself "the least of all saints" (Eph. 3:7-8) He asked those around him not to exalt him (1 Cor. 9:15-16), but rather to pray for him (Eph. 6:19).
During those eighteen months that he was among the Corinthians (Acts 18:11), he faithfully preached the gospel to them, taught them the gospel - and nothing more (1 Cor 2.2). Thus he showed himself to be a wise builder. The word wise (sophos) in this context refers not only to spiritual wisdom, but also to practical wisdom, to the ability to sensibly conduct business. Paul knew why he was sent to Corinth. He was sent to lay the foundation of the church, and this was a work which he did carefully and skillfully. He had the right motive, preached the right message, and had true power.
In addition, he had the right approach to business; he was a master strategist. Although he was primarily an apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15), when he came to Corinth, he first went to preach in the synagogue, because the gospel "in the first place" was intended for the Jews (Rom. 1:16). He also knew that the Jews would listen to him as one of their own, and that those he could convert would help him establish contact with the Gentiles. For him, the Jews were the best of open doors and the passion of his heart (cf. Rom. 9 1-3; 10.1). After he managed to convert some of the synagogue (from where he was often thrown out), he began to preach and minister among the Gentiles in the community (Acts 17:1-4, 18:4-7). He planned carefully and diligently and laid a solid foundation. The support was deep and had to support the future building.
Laying the foundation is only the first part of the building process. Paul's task was to lay the right foundation - the gospel, to establish the doctrines, principles of faith and practical life, revealed to him by God (1 Cor. 2:12-3). This was the task of establishing the principles of the New Testament (cf. Eph. 3:1-9). After he left Corinth, another one began to build on this foundation. In Ephesus it was Timothy (1 Tim. 1:3), in Corinth it was Apollos. Paul did not envy those who assumed ministry in the churches he founded. He knew that anyone laying the foundation must be followed by other builders. For example, in Corinth most of the believers were baptized by the pastor who served after him. Paul was glad about this, because it gave less ground for earthly commitment to him among the Corinthians (1:14-15).
However, he was very concerned that those who would come after him build on the foundation he had laid as faithfully and wisely as he himself. But everyone see how he builds. In Greek, the verb "builds" is in the present tense, in the active voice of the indicative mood, which indicates an action that is constantly ongoing. All believers continue to build on the same foundation, Jesus Christ. The word each refers primarily to evangelists, pastors and teachers who continued to build on the foundation laid by the apostles. They were given a special duty to teach Christian doctrine. Paul later taught Timothy that he who builds must be faithful and able (2 Tim. 2:2),
But it is clear from the context that Paul also meant a more comprehensive application of these words. Numerous references to "everyone" and "anyone" (vv. 10-18) indicate that this principle applies to every believer. All of us, just by what we say and do, to some extent teach others the gospel. No Christian has the right to be careless about how he presents the Lord and His Word to others. Every believer should be a careful builder. We all have the same responsibility.
Foundation: Jesus Christ
