Breakdown by verse of 1 Corinthians 3. The chapter highlights the importance of spiritual growth and the proper foundation for believers.
**Spiritual Growth and Foundation**
**Verse 1:** “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.”
Paul begins by addressing the Corinthians as believers, yet he notes their spiritual immaturity. Instead of being mature and spiritually discerning, they were still governed by worldly desires, behaving as spiritual infants rather than mature Christians.
**Verse 2:** “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.”
Paul uses the metaphor of milk and solid food to explain spiritual nourishment. The Corinthians were not ready for deeper teachings; they needed basic, foundational spiritual truths, akin to milk, as they were not mature enough to handle more profound teachings, symbolized as solid food.
**Verse 3:** “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?”
Paul highlights their carnal behavior marked by envy, strife, and divisions. He questions if they are not behaving as mere humans driven by worldly desires rather than as transformed individuals through Christ.
**Verse 4:** “For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?”
The Corinthians were creating factions based on human leaders rather than focusing on their unity in Christ. This behavior was indicative of their spiritual immaturity.
**Verse 5:** “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?”
Paul reminds them that he and Apollos are merely instruments through which they came to faith in Christ. Their allegiance should not be to individuals but to the Lord.
**Verse 6:** “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.”
Using an agricultural metaphor, Paul explains that different individuals have contributed to their spiritual growth, but ultimately, it’s God who brings about spiritual maturity and growth.
**Verse 7:** “So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.”
Here, Paul emphasizes the insignificance of human ministers in comparison to God, who is the one responsible for spiritual growth. Human efforts, represented by planting and watering, are secondary to God’s role in bringing about spiritual growth.
**Verse 8:** “Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.”
Paul stresses the unity of purpose among those who minister, highlighting that their efforts are harmonious in leading people to God. Furthermore, each person will be rewarded based on their labor in serving the Lord.
**Verse 9:** “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.”
Paul concludes by emphasizing the collaborative role of ministers with God. Believers are likened to God’s field and building, illustrating His work in their lives.
**Verse 10:** “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.”
Paul, appointed by God’s grace, laid the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ among the Corinthians. Others were building upon this foundation. He advises caution in how they continue to build upon this spiritual foundation.
**Verse 11:** “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Paul underscores the exclusive foundation of Christianity: Jesus Christ Himself. He emphasizes that no other foundation can be laid for a believer’s faith other than Christ.
**Verse 12:** “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;”
Paul uses metaphors to describe the quality of work done on this spiritual foundation. Gold, silver, and precious stones represent enduring, valuable work, while wood, hay, and stubble represent inferior, perishable work.
**Verse 13:** “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.”
Paul explains that eventually, the quality of each person’s work in building upon the foundation of Christ will be revealed. The “day” refers to a time of judgment when the quality of their spiritual efforts will be tested by fire.
**Verse 14:** “If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.”
Those whose work withstands this testing will be rewarded. This reward is based on the quality and endurance of their contributions to building upon the foundation of faith in Christ.
**Verse 15:** “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
If someone’s work does not endure the test and is consumed by fire, they will suffer loss of reward, yet their salvation remains secure. This highlights the distinction between salvation and the rewards earned through faithful service.
**Verse 16:** “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
Paul reminds the Corinthians that collectively, as believers, they form the dwelling place of God. Through the Holy Spirit, God resides within each individual believer.
**Verse 17:** “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
Paul warns against defiling the temple of God, which refers to both the individual believer and the collective body of believers. He emphasizes the holiness of God’s dwelling place and the consequences for those who defile it.
**Verse 18:** “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.”
Paul urges believers not to deceive themselves by relying on worldly wisdom. Instead, he encourages them to embrace humility before God, as true wisdom often contradicts the wisdom of the world.
**Verse 19:** “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.”
Paul reinforces the contrast between worldly wisdom and God’s wisdom, quoting from Job 5:13 to emphasize God’s ability to overturn the wisdom of the world with His divine understanding.
**Verse 20:** “And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”
Quoting Psalm 94:11, Paul emphasizes that God perceives the futility of the thoughts and wisdom of the worldly wise.
**Verse 21:** “Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;”
Paul instructs believers not to boast in human leaders or wisdom. Instead, he reminds them that as believers, they belong to Christ, and all things are available to them through Him.
**Verse 22:** “Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;”
Paul reiterates that everything, including various leaders and elements of life and death, belongs to the believers as part of their inheritance in Christ.
**Verse 23:** “And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.”
Paul concludes by reaffirming the believers’ identity as belonging to Christ, who, in turn, belongs to God. This signifies their interconnectedness and relationship within the divine order.
**Summary**
1 Corinthians 3 underscores the importance of spiritual maturity and the foundational role of Jesus Christ in the lives of believers. Paul addresses the Corinthians’ spiritual immaturity, highlighting their worldly behavior and divisions based on human leaders. He emphasizes that spiritual growth requires a proper foundation, likening it to a building constructed upon Christ. Different individuals contribute to this foundation, but God is the ultimate source of growth and judgment. Paul urges caution in one’s contributions to this foundation, emphasizing the eventual testing of each person’s work. The chapter stresses the need for humility, contrasting worldly wisdom with God’s wisdom, and redirects focus toward the believers’ unity in Christ and their inheritance in Him. Ultimately, it emphasizes that all things belong to Christ, and believers find their identity and unity in Him.