In chapter 2, Paul drew the distinction between worldly wisdom and godly wisdom. Now he applies this to the foolish problem of the divisions in the church last mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1: 10-22. Paul uses two analogies to help us properly view the work of various godly teachers.

Following Christ in 21st Century Corinth – Week 4

presented 26 September 2018

1 Corinthians 3: 1-23

AUDIO

Lecture Handout

Handout Week 4

Lesson Notes

Divisions in the Church (1 Corinthians 3: 1-4)

• Remember 1 Corinthians 2: 14-16 on natural vs. spiritual people
• Verse 1 – Back when Paul was with them, they weren’t spiritual – new believers, babies in Christ
  • They had the Holy Spirit, were gifted by the Spirit, but weren’t controlled by the Spirit
  • Another way to say it was they were believers, but still had a worldly/cultural worldview rather than a biblical worldview
  • Essentially they still thought and behaved similarly to unbelievers (“people of the flesh”)
  • This, of course, is a common problem in churches today
  • So he had to talk to them from that perspective
  • Emphasizes that a biblical worldview doesn’t come automatically with your baptism!
• Verse 2 – Fed with milk, not solid food -> because they couldn’t handle the deeper truths of Scripture
  • “And even now, you are not yet ready”
  • Clear implication is that there should have been growth to maturity, but it hasn’t happened
  • Growth to maturity is so critical for Christians to really enjoy the life in Christ to which they’ve been called, and to really serve God as He intends
  • We must be growing and changing or we’re missing what it means to be a disciple of  Christ
    • From our 2020 Vision, “We are a Community of Faith in which each person is continuously growing in Christ. Personal mentoring, Biblical teaching and individual study fuel our growth. We are all being transformed by the Holy Spirit into the hands and feet of Christ to make Him visible to our neighbors.
      1. Provide a phased discipleship process to deliberately move every believer in the Community of Faith from spiritual infancy to maturity – from milk to meat.
      2. Continually equip and encourage every member of the  Community of Faith to apply classic spiritual practices to their contemporary lives.
      3. Purposefully prepare and equip members of the Community of Faith to share the Good News while being the hands and feet of Christ to our neighbors.”
    • That’s the purpose of Summit Discipleship for Life that starts Sunday.
    • Much of navigating a difficult culture like ours (or ancient Corinth) in a God-honoring fashion is maturing in Christ
    • So we leave the culture’s power over our souls behind, while still engaging with people in that culture
• Verse 3 – They’re still “of the flesh” – if there is jealousy and strife within the church, it’s a clear indication of immaturity
  • Mature Christians can disagree and make mistakes without breaking down into jealousy and internal warfare.
  • If you can’t, examine yourself!
• Verse 4 – Spiritual beings follow God; fleshly beings follow people
  • Must be careful of your allegiance to any particular preacher, teacher, pastor, or theologian unless they are God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit

Team Jesus – An Agriculture Analogy (1 Corinthians 2: 5-9)

• Verse 5 – What is any truly godly teacher?
  • A servant of Christ
  • Who helped you believe – they are breaking down based on who led them to Christ or baptized them
  • That’s an arrangement set up by God, so don’t put too much attachment on the person who led you to Christ
• Verses 6-7 – Love this part about our respective roles as evangelists and teachers
  • God gives the growth!
  • Something to reflect on in light of our efforts in the community -> we aren’t responsible for the growth, we just need to do our part
  • A little planting, a little watering, and a lot of praying because we’re dependent on God
  • This perspective should leave us with little stress and no undue pride in our accomplishments
• Verse 8 – Unity of the workers -> he who plants and he who waters
  • Just like Jesus prayed in John 17
  • It’s how teachers/preacher should look at each other
  • Churches too in my opinion
  • Each will receive wages according to labor, not fruit
  • God will honor and reward us based on our faithful service, not our visible results
  • Work for God’s glory and let that be your motivation
• Verse 9 – Paul, Apollos, and Peter, etc. are fellow workers in the field God prepared
  • There’s no status difference between workers – though there are certainly different skills
  • Introduces the building analogy to describe the lives of individuals and the church as a whole

Team Jesus – A Construction Analogy (1 Corinthians 3: 10-15)

• Verse 10 – Paul meticulously laid a foundation, which is Jesus Christ (verse 11)
  • Someone else built on it -> Paul is very comfortable with handing ministry over
  • He focused on pioneering missions, developing leaders, then turning them loose
  • This empowered the church to multiply – a model I’d like to see us move toward
  • Every builder (teacher) must be careful how they build
• Verse 11 – There’s only 1 real foundation – Jesus Christ
• Verses 12-13 – What you build will become obvious when Christ judges the earth
  • We don’t have to fear for losing our salvation, but the quality of our works for Christ will become obvious
  • Gold, silver, jewels = what you use to build the temple
  • Wood, straw, hay = what you use to build a regular house
  • Build with high quality ingredients – give your best for Christ
  • The testing of our work – God knows if we’re phoning it in
• Verses 14-15 – Rewards in heaven for good works, “well done good and faithful servant”
  • Responsibility in heaven (Matthew 25: 14-30)
  • “Loss” – though still saved and without sorrow in the presence of God, there may perhaps be a sense of having disappointed God, when your work turns up worthless
  • This isn’t salvation by works, but accountability for how we live our life in Christ
  • Clearly points to perseverance of the saints
  • What are you building with? What are you building on?
  • How you spend your life, how you serve, the manner in which you serve, the advice you give, all matters

God’s Temple (1 Corinthians 3: 16-23)

• Verses 16-17 – You are God’s temple – God’s Spirit is within us
  • The truth of that as individuals will be emphasized in chapter 6
  • Here the “you” is plural, so Paul’s speaking of individuals and how we form the church, the body of Christ
  • Huge implications for how we live our lives and treat our bodies, but in this case particularly focused on how we treat the body of Christ (the church)
  • Consequences to destroying or defiling the temple – dividing the church
• Verses 18-19 – If you think you have worldly wisdom, stop fooling yourself!
  • Let that go, trade it in for God’s wisdom, which appears to be foolishness
  • That worldly wisdom doesn’t impress God
  • Doesn’t mean we should be ignorant, but simply should prioritize and invest in your spiritual growth, so that you wisely use the knowledge of the world
  • He’s quoting Job 5:13, then Psalm 94: 8-11 -> both condemn those who think they can be wise without God
• Verses 21-23 – Don’t boast in men – they aren’t all that
  • We certainly see that as prominent leaders fall – our faith needs to be grounded in Christ rather than some super-pastor, so that our faith withstands the fall of our heroes in the faith
  • All things are yours – good teachers, gifts of wisdom, etc. are given by God as a benefit and blessing to us so we can serve  Christ
  • And you are Christ’s and Christ is God’s – we belong to God and Jesus, not the great, inspiring teachers who brought us to faith, baptized us, or blessed us with godly teaching

Discussion Questions

1. What characterizes teachers who are indeed servants of Christ?
2. How do we identify teachers who aren’t really acting as servants of Christ?

Next Week

1 Corinthians 4