4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely

human? 5 What then is Apollos?

What is Paul? [only [TNIV]] Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.
Q: Imagine how Corinthian’s would have answered Paul’s 1:18-3:4 Paul examined the grounds (eloquent wisdom) on
questions? Apollos the great orator; Paul, the man of God. which the Corinthians divided. Here he turns to address what are
the leaders themselves!
Q: What word does Paul use? “servants” Q: What kind of status? To Gentile ears, degrading work. Ridiculing the Corinthians for
used for “waiter”. following mere/only “servants”
“Lord assigned to each” Q: What assigned? Task to lead, to Argument: replacing the worship of human leaders with worship
work the field, to build. of God.
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
Modern view of growth: automatic, as long as have stuff It’s still work, but with a profound awareness that without the
 Jewish view would be Ps. 65:9-11 “you” Lord’s blessing it would all be vanity
Q: Who was first? Paul (Rom 15:20 “lest built on someone else’s “God gave the growth” - v.7 the only significance of the planter
foundation”). Apollos arrived later. and waterer is that God accepts their labor.
v.5 leaders are servants, v.7 Q: What are they? They are 1 Cor. 1:11 “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
nothing. (hyperbole: next to God they are nothing) But if causing division, point to God alone.
Q: Read v.5-9 what is the picture being painted? unskilled farm laborers and a common field. (v.8)
8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.
“are one [thing]” Q: What does this mean? In context, of the Q: If rank is determined, who determines it? God alone. “they
same rank/status. labor under one who determines their pay”
“wages” - Paul doesn’t tell us what this is. In 3:12-17 may be ?honour of having your enduring work recognized by God
referring to the enduring of one’s work himself.
Imagery of “wage” reminds us that they are responsible to God. Assessments of one’s own work are pointless before all the data
are open to view before God on the Last day.
9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.
Notice the three possessive’s, Paul and Apollos and the “field..building”: field which God, through his servants, is
Corinthians “you” are all God’s. cultivating; building which God, through his servants, is erecting
10 According to the grace of God given to me [1:4; Rom. 12:3], like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone
else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is
laid, which is Jesus Christ.
“skilled/[wise] master builder” - (2:1 + ch. 15) brings them back to Solomon’s Temple (1 Chr. 22:14) ‘gold’ ‘silver’ ‘precious stones’
his ministry = taught them the gospel. + botanical features [Malachi 3:2-3]
Q: any competition in Paul? The proper thing to do is for Q: Why “let each one take care”? Message = medium, thus way
someone to continue (ch. 8-14 gifts are for the “up-building” of of building should be consistent with the foundation.
the church)
“that which is laid”: a person has no choice in the foundation! Q: What happens if you build on another foundation? You are
(Cf. 1 Peter 2:5 “cornerstone”) not part of the church. You can’t tamper with the Gospel. It can’t
 we cannot add to it or change it. Human vs. God wisdom. be grace + something else

Paul anticipates the objection that their factionalism was the result of assessing the quality of the leader’s work. Paul’s answer is
that it is God who will judge Paul/Leaders in the end.
12 Now if anyone [generalized] builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one's work
will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each
one has done.
Q: What is a way to build wrongly? using inferior materials. A worker’s task must be in character with the foundation, who is
“wood, hay, straw”: will the build last or not? (1 Pet 1:7) Christ.
“manifest”, “the Day”, “disclose it”, “fire will test” = Day of “the Day will disclose it” (Cf. Rom. 2:16 judge the secrets of
Judgement. Synonyms leave no doubt about the assessment in men) “by fire” -> each person’s (more specifically ministers) work
the end. No one will disagree. will be judged
Give us pause when we judge someone. We will be wrong, we can’t see what is in the heart truly. But God will give a verdict that
cannot be revised because all factors have been taken.
14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will
suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
Q: What is the standard? 1:18-3:4 Paul believes his work is up to standard look to him.
 He hasn’t “emptied the cross of its power” (1:17b), he hasn’t given them human wisdom but (1:17; 2:6-7). He laid the
foundation Jesus Christ and him crucified (2:2), in a way appropriate to the message (2:1-4) -> 1 Cor. 11:1
But also something he will pick up in 4:5 “will expose the motives of people’s hearts”. Our hearts will be judged too!
 Q: Why human wisdom bad? Displays human adequacy that stem from being “self-centered, self-contained, self-directed”
Q: What is this “reward”? Biblical idea. NOT the same as God Matt. 25:21,23 “well done good and faithful servant, come and
being in your debt. Generally signifies God’s approval. share your master’s happiness”
Some people think it’s material reward, but v.13 tells us it won’t “he will suffer loss” Q: What loss? referring to the reward!
be revealed until “the Day”  But yet you will be saved! -->
“he himself will be saved” - a person’s salvation has nothing to If the house is constructed of combustible material, it will catch
do with the reward earned. Unmerited. fire, the person will be caught in it but will dash through the
flame, safe, but still smelling of fire. ?suffering: pain and loss.
16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will
destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you [together] are that temple. [God’s Spirit dwells in all Christian’s]
Q: Where does Paul get this idea? The OT (Cf. Jer. 7:9) Addresses their identity: 1:2 “saints”, 3:5-15 garden-temple, v.16
-Addresses the Corinthians directly. purity theme, Now we know why: they are God’s temple.
“Do you not know”: emphasis + rebuking them. Q: What is amazing about being God’s temple?
 The temple is in the center of Jewish worship. Annual pilgrames with the express intention of meeting with God! Solomon’s
Temple destroyed in 587 BC, to Paul the next act isn’t Herod’s temple or overthrowing Rome, but a small unknown band of
mainly Gentile believers: “you are that temple”!
v.12-16 If you build out of straw, you yourself can still be saved. 2 Cor. 7:2;11:3 = “destroy” means to impact a person’s spiritual
v.17 stakes are raised: God will destroy that person. well-being negatively. Rob them of God’s grace.
“you together are that temple” - The reason God pays back an If you rob someone of God’s grace it can only mean that the
eye for an eye is the holy status of the church. person has rejected grace for himself.
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become
wise.
1:18 to now Paul discussed wisdom and folly. Now applies it to “If anyone” Q: What is Paul implying? Many in Corinth thought
Corinth with a direct confrontation: “let no one deceive himself” they were wise. Factionalism is the result of pride.
“become a fool” -> “become wise”: Two imperatives, sounds Barrett: “Instead of being wise by the standards of this age,
shocking. Q: What does Paul mean? Focusing on Jesus and the Christians are to be foolish by the standards of this age”
cross and the selfless lifestyle it entails.
If you consider yourself wise by worldly standards, you cannot reach divine wisdom by becoming wiser, you must negate the old
wisdom to acquire the new.
19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” [Job 5:13] 20 and
again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” [Ps. 94:11]
v.19 “wisdom of this world is folly with God”: contradiction is Quotes: God thwarts the plan of the wise, they are no more than
stated in the sharpest possible terms. fools in God’s hands.
21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the
present or the future—all are yours,
Q: Who were they boasting in? Paul, Apollos, Cephas. Q: What does that mean? Paul, Apollos, Cephas, others are
Q: Why do we not boast in men? “For all things are yours” there to build the church for their sake! How impoverished
would we be if we only followed DA Carson and not RC Sproul.
Ascending order in the list. Even life/death, time is ours, why do  “world, life/death, time” are negative forces that threaten us.
we want to follow human leaders? But in Christ we need not be afraid.
To boast in human leaders degrades the person who is boasting!
23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's 1:26-28 God chose the Corinthians, 2:1 Paul proclaims the
testimony of God, 2:5 their faith rested o “the power of God”,
The Lordship we have we owe to Christ, because he belongs to
2:12 receive the Spirit of God. 3:6-7 God causes the growth, 3:9
God and laid that true foundation completely and perfectly in the
it is God’s field God’s building. Even Christ belongs to God.
cross.

The local church is precious to God, because it is his temple where his Spirit dwells. v.4-9 Paul focused on the Leaders and then turned the spotlight
onto the church from v.10-23. He tells us that all things are subject to us from “Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or
the future—all are yours”. But this is only if we belong to Christ, and we are only Christ’s if he is our foundation. If we try to build on another foundation
and boast in the world, we will lose our lordship and again become enslaved to the world, showing that we do not belong to God and that we are
actually against God and he will make us fools/destroys us.
Many Christians have been blinded by the attraction of money, health, sex, joy, happiness, looking at their lives and telling them based on how good
they are this is what they deserve. Paul tells us another story, that our reward will come at the end (v.12-13). That is when all will be reviewed and our
works will be tested. Thus the building of the church isn’t focused on numbers or dollars or techniques that won’t last, but focused on using “materials”
that are consistent with “Christ crucified” who is the foundation. In the end it is a divine activity and we are servants for his glory.
The church is where God dwells, it is an outpost of the new heavens and earth. The glory of God is tied up with his church and we will try our best to
build until the end in which we can look back and enter into the Lord’s happiness, knowing that it was God all along.