“1 Corinthians 3”

Friday, March 03, 2017

The basis for the trouble at Corinth was spiritual immaturity. Rather than growing spiritually, as all disciples should, they were still “babes in Christ.” This lack of spiritual growth led to envy, strife and divisions.

They had begun to divide the church (remember his warning about that in 1 Corinthians 1:10-15?) into various groups based on which preacher they liked the best. He reminds them again that this is proof of their lack of spiritual growth and development.

The preachers they were following, instead of Christ, were just ministers or servants of the Lord. We are all on the same team, all on the Lord’s side. Preachers plant and water the seed of the gospel, but it is God who makes the plant grow. The Lord, of course, uses human agents as “fellow workers,” but we are to worship God alone, not be divisive in following men.

There is only one true foundation for the church. It is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died on the cross to purchase the church, who said He would build the church and who continues to make intercession for the church.  He is the Savior; He is the way, the truth and the life. It is all about Jesus, not about preachers or elders or teachers or scholars. It is all about Him.

“God’s building” (verse 9) or “the temple of God” (verses 16-17) is the church. We are to build the church on the only solid foundation, Jesus Christ, not on human wisdom or the doctrines and commandments of men. That’s where true edification comes from. If we build on anything else, we will fail. As the song says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. All other ground is sinking sand.”

The apostle sums much of this up in verse 19 when he reminds us of the value of true spiritual wisdom. “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.”

If we ever get the idea that we have a better way to do things than what God has revealed in His word, we will always be wrong, every time. We cannot improve on God’s ways, ever. Always remember, the Bible is right.

--Roger Hillis

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