Bible Commentaries
1 Corinthians 3

Verse 1

Verse 1, 2. Carnal is from SARKIKOS, and its literal and primary definition is, "fleshly, carnal." Without any qualifying context, therefore, it refers to the material part of man and not his mental or spiritual part. But when it is used in a bad sense, Thayer says it means to be "under the control of the animal appetites; governed by mere human nature, not by the Spirit of God." Paul accuses the Corinthians of being carnal because they were showing a desire for that which was prompted by mere human nature. He also compares them to babes, which is logical because an infant knows only such pleasures as its fleshly body demands and can appreciate.

Verse 3

Verse 3. Envying, strife, and divi sions are prompted by their personal desires, hence the apostle charges them with being carnal. Walk as men denotes a conduct that is prompted by the human or fleshly appetites.

Verse 4

Verse 4-5. See the comments at chapter 1:12.

Verse 6

Verse 6-7. The argument in this verse is that the Lord's servants do not all have the same talents or work, even as the production of a crop involves the services of more than one man. Yet all the work of men would avail nothing if God did not give to nature the power of growth.

Verse 8

Verse 8. These men are one in the eyes of the Lord. If each will do what he can, he will receive his due reward from God and not from any man.

Verse 9

Verse 9. We means Paul and Apollos as laborers in God's vineyard, according to the figure In verse 6-8. God's building is another figure, that of a structure in which various men labor to erect it.

Verse 10

Verse 10. Cooperation or Joint labor under God is still the subject of Paul, and he is continuing the figure of a building for his illustration. He gives the grace of God the credit for being able to work as a wise masterbuilder. The first thing such an architect will do is to lay the foundation. Paul did this when he introduced the Gospel of Christ to the people of Corinth (Act 18:1-11). After he had done this, others came into the community and gave further teaching to the brethren, and that constituted building upon the foundation of truth that he had laid. Take heed means that any man offering further teaching should be careful that what he teaches will be in harmony with the original foundation of truth the apostle had laid.

Verse 11

Verse 11. There is but one foundation and that is Christ, which God laid in Zion which is the church, and it was done once for all when He died in Jerusalem and rose from the grave. When Christ was preached to the Corinthians or to any others, that is what is meant by laying the foundation there.

Verse 12

Verse 12. Building upon this foundation means to induce men to accept the Christ as the foundation of their hope. The three degrees of comparison, whether favorable or unfavorable, refers to the different kinds of persons who profess to accept Christ.

Verse 13

Verse 13. No preacher is a mind reader, consequently be may be misled by some who are not acting with sincerity. However, he should heed the admonition given at the end of verse 10, and not use any unscriptural teaching to persuade his hearers to act. The final test of a man's work will come when Jesus is revealed at the last day. But it may be that some of his "converts" will prove unfaithful even while in the life of the preacher, so that he will behold them falling under the fiery trials that are to come before the professed servants of Christ (1Pe 4:12).

Verse 15

Verse 15. If a man's "converts" fail to stand the test of persecutions or the self-denials required, he will lose this reward described in the preceding verse. But if he has not shunned to declare all the counsel of God, he will be saved from the fire of God's wrath that is to come upon the unfaithful. In other words, a preacher's salvation does not depend upon the steadfastness of those whom he brings to Christ, but on his own faithfulness in preaching and living the truth.

Verse 16

Verse 16. Ye are the temple of God means them as a congregation, which was built upon the foundation laid for them by Paul when he preached Christ to them. The church is the spiritual building in which the Holy Spirit dwells (Eph 2:22).

Verse 17

Verse 17. The temple is the church, and such divisions and contentions as were being conducted in Corinth were defiling the temple. Paul is warning the brethren of the wrath of God which they were liable to receive if they continued their variances.

Verse 18

Verse 18. This verse refers to those who were placing undue emphasis on the personal wisdom and special qualifications of certain men in the congregation. Such men were vain and self-deceived, and as long as they maintained such an attitude they would shut themselves off from real wisdom. Let him become a fool is an accommodative expression, meaning that if he will admit to himself that he is not a wise man, he will then be in the proper frame of mind really to learn.

Verse 19

Verse 19. The quotation is in Job 5:13, and is the statement of one of Job's friends. It is an uninspired re mark but is the truth, hence Paul gives it approval.

Verse 20

Verse 20. The wise means those who boast of their worldly wisdom; all such are vain in the estimation of the Lord.

Verse 21

Verse 21. No man glory in men. One man is no more important in God's sight than another, regardless of his apparently great qualifications. All things are yours denotes that all of these seemingly great things have been provided for the benefit of the brethren and not for their worldly glorying.

Verse 22

Verse 22-23. Again referring to the men as he did in chapter 1:12, Paul takes in more scope in his general summing up of the lesson at hand, including other persons and also other things, both present and future. This all shows that the specific point in view is yet to be brought out, which we will see in the next chapter.