Topics covered in this chapter are: Christian carnality, limitations on ministers, how confident we can be in our salvation, the one true church and the fruitlessness of trying to build anything outside of Christ.
Verses 1-4 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat; for before now you were not able to bear it, neither yet now are you able. For you are yet carnal; for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men? For while one says, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are you not carnal?
Today the divisions are, “I’m a Catholic.” “I’m a Lutheran.” “I’m a charismatic.” “I’m a pentecostal.” “I’m a member of such-and-such a church.” Those who identify themselves as such are carnal, and walk by the flesh. They can only handle the milk of the Word of God and not the meat of the Word of God. They think the Word of God is filled with principles and nice platitudes. They don’t recognize the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
I‘m a member of the church God called me into, and that is the church of the fellowship of Jesus Christ our Lord. (I Corinthians 1:9). The word “church” is ekklesia, meaning literally, the called out. You and I, we are the church. And there is only one single true church. It is the body, or group, made up of those born of the spirit of God.
Verses 5-9 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believed, even as the lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that plants any thing, neither he that waters; but God that gives the increase. Now he that plants and he that waters are one; and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are laborers together with God; you are God’s husbandry (cropfield), you are God’s building.
Verse 5 defines the role of a minister. Can you see very specific limitations there? I can. Ministers don’t tell me how to live my life, they don’t interpret the will of God for my life, they don’t build my faith, they don’t solve my problems, they are not better than me (just because they’re ministers). Rather, ministers plant and water with the Word of God, and they do so by the spirit of the loving God. They leave the growth up to God. They don’t try to force change…..ever!
When I understood that I cannot win anyone to faith in Christ, my spiritual life grew by leaps and bounds. I do my part, and I let God do His. And I know who does what, and so my life is a lot more peacefully productive. I don’t argue scripture, I just preach the true gospel. I don’t try to convince anyone to believe, I just look for those who have a hungry heart for the truth. And because I don’t dwell in strife and argument, my life is bearing the wonderful fruit of peace, of joy, of love.
I am looking for the reward of my labor…..from Christ himself. You may pat me on the back for my work of service on your behalf….you may become irate with me. You may disregard my efforts, you may fall on your knees and thank God for my efforts. In every case, I am rewarded by Christ, for it is him I serve. The more and more I do exactly this, the more at peace I am……for Jesus Christ knows how to reward those who seek and who serve him.
Verses 10-15 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds thereupon. But let every man take heed how he builds thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
So the foundation of Jesus Christ becomes laid in your life. You believe and in a moment of time you receive the foundation of the spirit of Christ within you, the hope of glory. And then you spend the next 50 years in absolute ignorance and rejection of all that Christ desires for you and what he could be in you. At the day of reckoning, the foundation will still be there…..it cannot corrode away. It was not built with anyone’s works but Jesus Christ’s, and neither can any man’s works corrupt or destroy that foundation. This is clearly clearly clear in these verses. You may want to argue with me and show me other verses…..but I believe what these verses tell me. That carnal man who has rejected Christ all his life, but who had the foundation of Christ laid in his life one time, will be saved for all eternity. This is the gift of God.
Those that want to argue that salvation can be lost due to bad works are those who desire to earn salvation by works. It simply cannot be done. You can’t gain it by works, neither can you lose it by works.
But what these verses say to me is that God is concerned…..not with what does not get built on the foundation of Christ, but what does get built. Don’t worry about your sins, about what you’re not doing right (there will always be plenty of that)…. rather, start thinking about building gold, silver and precious stones of works on your foundation of Christ. Come and learn how, if you don’t know. The Word of God will teach you, and I will teach you the Word of God. Jesus Christ himself will reveal to your innermost heart how to walk in his ways. I will make Jesus Christ known to you. For that is all I am concerned with….making Christ known.
And if you do 15 things wrong, and 1 single thing right. Praise the Lord….you’ve just built one everlasting thing unto your foundation. Now go for a second……no matter how long it takes. Then go for a third, then fourth. Pretty soon you’re in the thousands, and they’re coming on a daily basis. But no one starts that way. It always starts slow. Think how long it took you to talk for the first time. How to walk. How to compute numbers. How to read, to write, how to type. And now you are spectacular in all those areas (no doubt).
So instead of focusing on all your sins, focus on your growth in Christ. Thank God, you’ll have eternity to do this. And rewards will follow you all along the way.
Verses 16, 17 Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwells in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
The word “defile” means to corrupt, to bring into a worse state. The word “destroy’ means to render inactive, make useless, void, abolish, make without effect. God is an ever expanding force of life and light. Anyone who wields a corrupting influence toward the body of Christ will be rendered as having no effect, because they have placed themselves outside of the energizing of God.
Verses 18-23 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He takes the wise in their own craftiness. And again, the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas (Peter), or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and you are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.
This doesn’t mean you should act stupid. It means you should not seek wisdom to exalt yourself and your perceived place in this world, to seek to exalt yourself above those around you. In refusing to seek that kind of self-seeking (vain) wisdom, you “become a fool.” Surely the thought will then rage through your mind, “Hey, you’re going to lose out!“, but, being free from that self-seeking, you become free to seek that which really works, that which rewards you with true riches, and enriches all those around you as well.
You see, this world has limited resources. The world’s wisdom seeks to gather as many of these limited resources as possible unto itself. But God is limitless, and as we walk in His ways, we are rewarded beyond where the wisdom of this world could ever take us.
Christ is God’s, and look what the Father did for Christ. Made him Lord of heaven, Lord of earth. We are Christ’s. What will he do for us and in us, as we give ourselves to the tasks he sets before us? Reward beyond imagination. For all eternity.
Build the good works of the spirit unto the foundation of Christ, and build a rewarding life that will not fade away into uselessness, but will grow and intensify into abounding fruitfulness, more and more as you grow in Christ.
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See studies:
What is Fellowship?
The True Purpose of Christ’s Ministers ….. Ephesians 4:11-24
Our Inheritance
Fruitfulness in Christ – Colossians 1:1-15
How to be Saved ….. X 3
Half a Gospel
