1 Corinthians 3


1 Corinthians 3 addresses the Corinthian church’s immaturity and divisions, particularly their factionalism over leaders like Paul and Apollos. Written around AD 55 from Ephesus, Paul rebukes their worldly mindset, emphasizing that leaders are mere servants of God, who alone gives growth. He uses metaphors of planting, building, and a temple to stress unity, God’s judgment, and the church’s sacredness.
Key Sections
Carnality and Division (3:1–4): Paul calls the Corinthians spiritual infants, unable to handle solid teaching due to their jealousy and strife. Their allegiance to Paul or Apollos as rival leaders reveals their carnal, worldly behavior.
God’s Servants and Growth (3:5–9): Paul and Apollos are servants with distinct roles—Paul planted, Apollos watered—but God gives the growth. Leaders are co-workers in God’s field, and only God deserves glory for the church’s progress.
Building on the Foundation (3:10–15): Paul, as a master builder, laid the foundation of Christ. Others build on it with materials (gold, silver, wood, hay) tested by fire on judgment day. Quality work endures, earning reward; poor work burns, though the builder is saved.
The Church as God’s Temple (3:16–17): The Corinthian church is God’s temple, indwelt by His Spirit. Destroying it through division or sin invites God’s judgment, as it is holy.
Worldly Wisdom vs. God’s Wisdom (3:18–23): Paul urges them to reject worldly wisdom, which is foolishness to God. Boasting in human leaders is futile; all things—Paul, Apollos, life, death—belong to believers, who belong to Christ, who belongs to God.
Cross-References
  • Carnality and Division:
    • Galatians 5:20: Strife as a work of the flesh.
    • James 3:16: Jealousy leads to disorder.
    • Hebrews 5:12–14: Need for maturity.
  • God’s Servants:
    • Acts 18:4–11: Paul’s work in Corinth.
    • Acts 18:24–28: Apollos’s ministry.
    • Romans 15:20: Planting where Christ is unknown.
  • Building and Judgment:
    • Matthew 7:24–27: Building on a firm foundation.
    • Romans 14:10–12: Judgment seat of Christ.
    • 2 Corinthians 5:10: Works judged.
  • Church as Temple:
    • Ephesians 2:21–22: Church as a holy temple.
    • 1 Peter 2:5: Living stones in God’s house.
    • 2 Corinthians 6:16: God dwells among His people.
  • God’s Wisdom:
    • Isaiah 29:14: God frustrates human wisdom.
    • Job 5:13: God catches the wise in their craftiness.
    • Romans 11:33–34: God’s unsearchable wisdom.
Theological Meaning
  • Spiritual Maturity: Divisions reveal immaturity; believers must grow beyond worldly rivalries to unity in Christ (3:1–3; Ephesians 4:14–15).
  • God’s Sovereignty: Only God causes spiritual growth; human leaders are mere instruments (3:7; John 15:5).
  • Christ as Foundation: The gospel of Christ is the sole foundation for the church; all work builds on it (3:11; Ephesians 2:20).
  • Accountability in Ministry: Believers’ works will be tested by God’s judgment, affecting rewards, not salvation (3:13–15; 1 Peter 1:7).
  • Church’s Holiness: As God’s temple, the church is sacred; harming it through division incurs judgment (3:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19).
  • God’s Ownership: All things belong to believers in Christ, eliminating boasting in human leaders (3:21–22; Romans 8:32).
Questions and Answers
  1. Why are the Corinthians “carnal” (3:1–3)?
    Their jealousy and factionalism show worldly, immature behavior, not spiritual maturity (3:3; Galatians 5:15).
  2. What roles do Paul and Apollos have (3:5–6)?
    Paul planted the church, Apollos nurtured it, but God caused growth (3:6; Acts 18:27).
  3. What is the foundation Paul laid (3:10–11)?
    Jesus Christ, the gospel’s core, on which all ministry builds (3:11; Colossians 1:18).
  4. What does the fire test (3:13)?
    The quality of each believer’s work, revealing what endures for reward (3:13; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
  5. How is the church God’s temple (3:16)?
    The Spirit indwells the community, making it holy and sacred (3:16; Ephesians 2:22).
  6. Why reject worldly wisdom (3:18–20)?
    It’s foolishness to God, who values faith, not human boasting (3:19; Isaiah 55:8–9).
  7. How does this apply today?
    Avoid divisions, build on Christ’s gospel, work faithfully for God’s glory, and honor the church’s unity (3:9; Philippians 2:2).
Additional Notes for Readers
  • Historical Context: Written during Paul’s third missionary journey (Acts 19:10), this chapter addresses Corinth’s factions, with members pledging loyalty to Paul, Apollos, or others (1 Corinthians 1:12). Corinth’s culture valued rhetorical skill and status (Acts 18:1), fueling their pride in leaders (3:4). Paul founded the church (Acts 18:8), and Apollos taught there (Acts 18:24–28). The temple imagery (3:16) resonated in a city with prominent pagan temples (Acts 19:27).
  • Cultural Questions: “Carnal” (3:1) reflects their behaving like unbelievers, not Spirit-led (Romans 8:6). The planting metaphor (3:6) suited Corinth’s agrarian context (Mark 4:26–29). “Gold, silver, straw” (3:12) evoke building materials, familiar in Corinth’s reconstruction (Acts 18:1). “Temple” (3:16) countered Corinth’s idolatry, emphasizing God’s presence (1 Corinthians 6:19). Worldly wisdom (3:18) reflects Greco-Roman philosophy, prized in Corinth (Acts 17:18).
  • Application: 1 Corinthians 3 calls believers to reject division, embrace humility, and build faithfully on Christ’s foundation. It challenges pride in human leaders or wisdom, urging unity and reverence for the church as God’s temple in a fragmented world (Ephesians 4:3–4; 1 Peter 2:5).
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