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| Chapter 3 |
| Bible Text | Notes and Thoughts |
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1 ¶ And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 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, 3 for ye are yet carnal. For if there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are ye not carnal and walk as men? 4 For while one saith, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are ye not carnal? 5 ¶ Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye came to believe, even as the Lord gave to every man? 6 I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then, neither is he that planteth anything, nor he that watereth, but God who giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are laborers together with God; ye are God’s husbandry; ye are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 ¶ For no man can lay another foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, 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 test every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as fire. 16 ¶ Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, and ye are that temple. 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. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written: "He taketh the wise in their own craftiness"; 20 and again, "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain." 21 ¶ Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come--all are yours, 23 and ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. |
Paul has already explained that there are two kinds of people in the world, the ‘natural’ (not saved, carnal) and the ‘spiritual’ (the saved). Not all spiritual are mature, some, because they have only just found the Lord, but there are others who chose not to grow in Christ. It is these who have not grown that Paul now speaks to. Children need different food to an adult, a baby can only digest milk, an adult can eat anything. Paul calls the easy things of the spiritual life "Milk" Heb 5:10b-14; Heb 6:1-4. The Word of God is our spiritual food, "milk" 1 Peter 2:2; "bread" Matt 4:4; "meat" Heb 5:11-14. We need a balanced diet (eat a mixture of food in right proportions) to live, therefore, we need God’s Word in a balanced diet, not too much of one subject or using God’s Word just for entertainment. Church leaders who do not have or supply a balanced diet can destroy the church’s work to reach the unsaved. Eph 4:1-16. v5-9 Harvesting God’s field. Paul describes how God uses people to cultivate His field of souls, one plants, one waters, but God does the harvesting. We are all working as a team for God, no one is any better than another, there is a need for humility, for "God gave the increase." The reward is according to your labour, not what you do, but how much of it is for God. What men think of your ministry is not the point, it is what God thinks. God wants His church to increase His "field," to produce the "fruit of the Spirit." Gal 5:22-23; praise for God Heb 13:15. v9-23 Judgement of works. Paul starts by reminding us we are "God’s building" v9 but then he goes on to talk about the church, with God’s grace he planted the church of Corinth, another will build up. How this person builds the church is the question. It is God’s church, we are just the builders v9. The foundation is Jesus, it cannot be replaced v11. What is built upon this foundation will one day be tested by the "Testing Fire of God" v13. Salvation cannot be lost, v15b but his/her reward from God may be lost if the fire burns up the work. v13,14. Some people feel these verses actually refer to the building of a Christian life, the material you use to build decides the reward but Paul is talking about the local church in v9,10. Warnings to worldly Believers 3:16-23. v16,17 We are the temple of God, it is a serious matter if you harm this temple. v18-20 Make sure we build according to God’s wisdom not man. v21-23 We must build with the right reasons, not for self or man, it must be for God. Everything we need has been supplied. We belong to Christ and He is God. 2 Cor 3:5. |
Easy English Translation
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