1co01

4. Misunderstanding the gospel III: Ministry (1Co 3:1-23)

Explanation

Context: In 1:18-2:16, Paul clarifies the first misunderstanding of the gospel: it is God's wisdom not human wisdom. In chapter 3, Paul corrects the second misunderstanding by the Corinthians-- about the ministry of the gospel in terms of the nature of the church and the role of leadership:

3:1-4 "Being spiritual" and "divided" are mutually exclusive.
3:5-9 Leaders, just like farm labourers, are merely servants.
3:10-15 Just like in architecture, the church must be built with care on the foundation of Christ.
3:16-17 Those who destroys the church (God's temple) by division will be punished.
3:18-23 Paul addresses two problems that lead to division: (1) relying on human wisdom and (2) boasting in the name of their leaders. He then redirects their focus to Christ.

3:1
"worldly" (literally "fleshly") and "unspiritual" Christian: one cannot be a Christian and be lack of the Holy Spirit but they can think and behave just like the people without the Spirit.

3:2
Paul describes the Corinthians as mere infants in a pejorative sense. The argument of 2:6-16 implies that for Paul the gospel of the crucified Christ is both "milk" and "solid food". The Corinthians do not need a change in diet but a change in attitude and perspective.

3:5
The fact that leaders are servants only stands as the divine contradiction to a merely human understanding of the role of leaders. Even Jesus was among men as one who served (Lk 22:27).

3:6
"it" = the church as a whole, not individuals; similarly "you" [plural] in v.9,16,17 referring to the church as a whole (contrasting the use of "temple" in 6:19). Apollos and Paul are servants only; God is at once both responsible for growth (v.6-7) and the owner of the field (v.9).

3:7
Both Paul and Apollos are nothing ("neither...is anything"). They have essential tasks to perform. Yet, from the perspective of ultimate responsibility for the Corinthians' existence as the people of God, Paul and Apollos count for nothing. God alone saves and sanctifies.

3:8
Unity and diversity of the farm labourers -- their aim is one, a rich harvest; but they have different tasks of planting and watering. So are the church leader-servants.

3:12
The list of 6 materials is indeed a scale of descending value. "Gold, silver, and costly stones" represent what is compatible with the foundation (Christ). They recur in the OT to describe the building materials of the Temple (1Ch 22:14,16, 29:2, 2Ch 3:6), thus leading to the imagery of v.16-17. The choice is between building with imperishable materials (gold, silver and precious stones) of the gospel or perishable materials (wood, hay or straw) of human wisdom.

3:15
Those who are building with "wood, hay, or straw" will suffer loss of their work, not loss of their salvation. The precise nature of the reward or the loss is not known. It is the work that is consumed, not the labourer himself/herself. It is a warning--and encouragement--to those responsible for "building" the church and those with teaching/leadership responsibilities.

3:16
Paul's combative style is again illustrated by "Don't you know that..." which is used 10 times in this letter, but only one time in his other letters (Ro 6:16); compared to the more gentle way he reminds the Thessalonians: "For even as you yourselves know..."

3:18
Paradox in the gospel contrary to human understanding: wisdom is folly; folly is wisdom; weakness is power; leaders are servants; God's people are nobodies, yet possess all things (v.22- 23, 2Co 6:9-10). God's people must abandon confidence in the securities of the present age; they must trust in God's folly--"he should become a fool"--and thereby become truly wise.

3:21
They may not say "I belong to Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas" because the reality is the precise opposite, that is, they all belong to you. The untranslated "for" connects the two phrases.

3:22
List of ‘all things': world, life, death, the present, and the future. These are the ultimate tyrannies of human existence, to which people are in lifelong bondage as slaves are: (1) the physical world, (2) the corruptible life, and (3) the unstoppable flow of time. Now, in Christ, they are free lords of all things and no longer under its bondage.

Discussion

When we say "our church", does it imply a sense of possession? Does the whole congregation possess the church? Do the leaders possess the church?

The whole church (including structures, ministries) belongs to its Lord, and to him alone. All too often those "in charge" tend to think of the church as "theirs". This is wrong. They (both pastors and lay leaders) must function in his church in the posture of servants. The term "our church" should only be used in the context of our belonging to the church, never the church belonging to us.

Does this passage teach individualistic piety of using imperishable materials to build our spiritual lives on the foundation of Christ?

This passage is not a challenge to the individual believer to build his or her spiritual life well on the foundation of Christ. It is about people building the church. It is true that the Holy Spirit can enlighten us through this passage to be mature, spiritually sensitive, and doctrinally sound. Even though this is used out of the original context, it can still be a good lesson. However, beware of over-spiritualized interpretation of the Scriptures which may lead to wrong doctrines.

Can we use this passage to 3:10-15 to establish the doctrine of purgatory? [Purgatory is taught by the Roman Catholic church as a place after death for those who are not perfect and must undergo penal and purifying suffering before being translated to heaven.]

No, it cannot because (1) this passage describes the loss of one's work, not about the person (3:15), and (2) the passage is a metaphor, reflecting something like Amos's "burning sticks snatched from the fire" (Am 4:11), not about real punishment by fire. The idea of purgatory draws its support mainly from the Apocrypha whose authority is not accepted by Protestants.

Application

Church leaders should not be selected from those who have (or think they have) the ability to lead but from those with a servanthood mentality. To be a servant does not mean the abdication of leadership but does mean proper attitude and perspective.

The local church is very important to God himself. Those who through divisions causes dismantling of the church may expect judgment in kind (3:17), not annihilation yet more serious and long lasting than just physical punishment (such as those in 11:30). We must avoid causing division in church.