1 Corinthians 3:1-23

God Makes It Grow
1 Corinthians 3:1-23 Lesson 3
Key verse 3:6 NIU UBF 9-27-09
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.”
In this chapter Paul returns to a troubling problem in the Corinthian church which he first mentioned in chapter 1 (10-17), namely that there were divisions, caused by elevating leaders too highly. In the last chapter Paul re-introduced the message of the cross, and Jesus as the power of God and the wisdom of God. Paul contrasted worldly wisdom with God’s wisdom. Paul’s ministry was not based on worldly wisdom but on God’s power. God’s power is manifested in the changed lives of those who repent and believe the message of the cross. But this wasn’t good enough to impress some people. In this chapter, Paul urges the Corinthian Christians to have a proper view of God’s ministers and of themselves. He also urges them to build their lives on the foundation of Christ. May God help us to humbly and honestly examine ourselves and repent of anything that displeases God or anything that damages ourselves or others.
Part l: We Are God’s Fellow Workers (1-3)
The first problems Paul mentioned were jealousy and quarreling among the church members. Look at verses 1-3. “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?” Their jealousy and quarreling revealed that they were not spiritual, but worldly. They were believers in Christ. But they were acting like unbelievers. Paul said they were being spiritually immature, like infants in Christ. Here we learn that arguing or feuding with others is childish and a sign of spiritual immaturity. The Bible encourages us to be childlike, but not childish. To be childlike is to be humble, with a learning mind and forgiving. But to be childish is quite different. To be childish is to be self-centered and selfish, like children fighting for things and calling each other names. Childish peoples’ four favorite words are “I, my, me, mine.” Childish Christians are immature Christians. They complain or criticize or quarrel, becoming a burden to those around them. Christians all need to grow spiritually. Otherwise, we are unhappy in our souls; we stagnate in our own spiritual growth and become a hindrance to the formation of Christian fellowship. God really wants us to grow.
Why were they spiritually immature? Paul called them “worldly.” This means that they loved this world. They were focusing too much on their worldly desires. The Bible tells us not to love the world—which is defined as three things: the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does (1Jn 2:15-17). Many Corinthian Christians were just coming out of godless past lives. But their hearts were turning back to the world. They were like the Israelites in Moses’ time, who, though they physically came out slavery, were still filled with desires to return to Egypt for small bits and pieces of food and security. (Ex 14:12; 16:2).
We must grow mentally and spiritually into Christian maturity. Ephesians 4:15 says, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” In a recent article that I read, pastor’s are having a difficult time defining and recognizing spiritual maturity. There is confusion as to what a mature Christian looks like. But there doesn’t have to be such confusion for when we study the Bible deeply, we learn that a mature Christian looks more and more like Jesus.
Then how can we grow? 1 Peter 2:1-2 tells us how. Peter says, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation…” There are many more Bible references alluding to this holy battle of dying to our sinful passion and pride. Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”
After an overview of the New Testament you will discover that a growing Christian denies himself, takes up his cross and follows Jesus (Lk 9:23). The growing Christian gives thanks, rather than complaining (1 Thess 5:18). The growing Christian encourages others rather than criticizing others. He speaks the truth in love rather than flattering people to be accepted. (Eph 4:15) He prays with and works together with others. He prays for others, with empathy, sincerely caring about others’ plight. In a word, he is not self-centered, but God-centered, and “others” centered. He bears the good fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23) Let’s examine ourselves honestly and ask, “am I growing spiritually? Am I making spiritual progress”? Let us renew our decision to mature and grow as a people of God by God’s grace.
Through this message preparation, I came to realize that I have remained in my spiritual immaturity in so many ways. I become lazy in my message preparation. I have stopped taking time to think deeply about daily bread. I seldom read. I can’t slow down and stop and think deeply about the words of God. In my business I have ignored time and again trying to walk in Jesus footsteps by neglecting the fishing ministry. I have worked and flew by the seat of my pants, spiritually speaking. In this way, I have stunted my spiritual growth. Lord, help me not to be childish but to grow and mature spiritually in Christ. Help all of us, by your mercy, grow to maturity in Christ.
Part ll: Humble Co-working In Christ (4-7)
What was Paul addressing specifically? It was the exalting one leader over another and their lack of co-working. Let’s read verses 4-7: “For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not mere men? 5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” We can learn three ways to overcome the exalting leaders at the cost of unity in Christ. First, realize that God is the one who makes us grow. The most important word in that statement is God. God used Paul and Apollos as gospel servants through whom the Corinthian Christians came to believe in Christ. Paul planted the gospel seed in Corinth as the pioneer, founder and first pastor. Then Apollos came as another pastor and watered the gospel seed, which Paul had planted. Through Apollos, the church in Corinth continued to grow and thrive like a garden through his preaching, teaching and discipleship training. Paul planted the seed and Apollos watered it. But, God made it grow. God is the essential element in the birth and growth of a Christian. It is God’s sovereign choice and power that gives life to anyone, both physically and spiritually. God decides. God gives the right. God gives the power. Genesis chapter 1 is a powerful reminder that it is God who is doing all the work. When we analyze these words we find that God created, God said, God saw, God made, God set, God blessed, God separated. Jesus said in John 5:17, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” God is the one who blesses and uses a man’s labor or not (Ps 127:1). We should not exalt man over God. And we should uphold whomever God raises up.
There is another important factor to consider. We need to acknowledge that God is the one who is working to bless our labors. It is not just our human abilities. It’s good to work hard for the Lord. But hard work is not enough. God is the one who works by his word and Holy Spirit to draw people to Jesus, lead them to salvation, and enable them to grow. God works in and through people and churches. It is God who is doing the work. (Philippians 2:13) Whatever we do, we must not just see people, but see what God is doing in and through us and others. We can apply this to disciple-making and also to raising our kids. Sometimes we become impatient and push Bible students or our children to grow thinking that we can force them to mature in Christ. That is like trying to push a plant to grow, or demanding that a 12 year old act like a 25 year old. God’s work is not done by our human pushing power. When we do this we may be hindering God’s work because of our impatience. But when we see what God is doing, we can be patient with others. We can be patient with ourselves. We can be instep with God and in this way glorify God and build up the work of God. Then we can say, from our deep heart of hearts, “To God be the glory!”
Second, we learn the importance of co-working. Paul and Apollos were different people. They had different ways in carrying out ministry, different characters and their influence was different. But they were not competitors. They each did their assigned task given them by God. Paul planted and Apollos watered and God blessed their labor. The Christian life is like a team sport. In any team sport, the team’s objective is to win. A team spirit is crucial. One standout player cannot win the game by himself. All members must keep their positions and play them well. Then the game can be won.
But the Corinthians were taking sides as if their favorite preachers were competing. Paul says they were being worldly and childish. How about us? Aren’t there times when we get envious or compete with others, even other Christians? Let’s examine our hearts and repent of such an attitude, for it hinders God’s work. Anyone who attended the wonderful Praise Band Concert at Triton College last Friday (9/25/09) can see the wonderful fruit of co-working. But co-working in Jesus is not easy. We get competitive in a negative way, and exalt one servant of God over another. But where there is humble and beautiful co-working in Jesus, there is God’s manifold blessing. That is why the start and end of Psalm 133 says, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!....For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”
Third, each will be rewarded. Let’s read verse 8. “The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.” The kids don’t like team projects at school because the poor performance of some team members brings their grade down. They would rather do it themselves. But in Christ things are different. Just because we are to work as a team, this does not negate our individual work. Verse 8 clearly tells us that the Lord will reward each man according to his own labor. Jesus promised blessing and recognition for good and faithful servants. God rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Heb 11:6) This is just.
Sometimes we are discouraged when our task doesn’t seem so glorious compared with others. For example, reaping a harvest is more satisfying and impressive than sowing the seeds. But God assigns to each his task. Whatever our task from God, we should do our best for the glory of God for we are all working together for his glory. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
There is another way to overcome negative competition in a fellowship. Have the right view point of each other. Look at verse 9. “For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.” Paul says we are God’s fellow workers. He is referring to Apollos and himself. But it also refers to us. We are all God’s fellow workers! What a privilege it is! We are not robots or slaves, but God’s precious coworkers! God could do his work all by himself. But he has chosen to use our hands and feet and mouths and hearts to participate in his glorious, soul saving work as his fellow workers. At the same time, we are God’s field, and we are God’s building. God is working in us and through us all in different ways for a certain purpose. Remembering this helps us to rejoice in who we are before God and to respect and love our fellow Christians as God’s precious coworkers.
I thank God for his fellow workers who had a role in my conversion to Christ and spiritual growth. My Catholic upbringing helped me to have a basic belief in God’s existence and a respect for church. I also believed that if a person is going to seek God then they should start with the Bible. In high school, I will always remember Lori Dyer inviting me to youth group in grade nine, Paul McGinn arguing in God’s favor at drunken parties, Scott Yoeman’s father handing out gospel tracts at his pizza restaurant. In coming to Christ I will always remember the street preachers in Winnipeg, the charismatic hair cutter, crying and hitting my chest, pleading with me to accept Jesus. I can never forget the Korean missionaries inviting me to Bible study at the U of Winnipeg, and especially Msn Ruth Hwang taught me the Bible and who shed tears for me when I got insincere and superficial in my spiritual struggle. Through her tearful prayers I could break free from the chains that bound me and grow as a shepherd. So many people helped me spiritually, prayed for me and were a godly influence on me to help me in my newfound faith. By God’s grace, I have studied the Bible with some students over the past 23 years. I don’t know if these Bible studies made an eternal impact on them. There were some whom I studied the Bible once and no more. Later on I have discovered that some became Christians and are serving God somewhere else. There is a beautiful song called, “Thank You,” (by Ray Boltz) which describes how when we get to heaven we will meet all the people we positively influenced for Christ, even if we didn’t realize it. Thank God who is working in us and through us purely by his grace. Let us respect fellow co-workers in Jesus.
Part lll: Build On Jesus, The True Foundation (10-23)
Paul shifts from a gardening analogy to a construction analogy—from a field, to a building in verses 10-11: “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” The construction of a building begins with the foundation. To lay the foundation requires much time, effort and money. Under the Sears Tower is a foundation 10 stories deep. That is how it can be so steady. The house with its foundation on rock can withstand windstorms and floods. The house is our lives, families, and ministries. Then what is the trustworthy foundation which Paul laid? It is Jesus Christ. Jesus taught the importance of having our foundation on the rock by putting his words into practice. (Lk 6:46-49) Jesus Christ is the true foundation for individuals and for the church. Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of God’s house and of God’s redemptive history.
Here, we need to ask ourselves: What is the foundation of my life? Some people try to build their lives on money, a career or a family. Some build their lives on another person whom they admire or on a dream or a human philosophy. None of these are a lasting foundation. Only Jesus Christ is the firm foundation established by God through the gospel. Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame. (Ro 9:33)
Look at verses 12-15. These verses tell us how to build our house on Jesus. Paul likens Christian life or ministry to building a house. A building can be made of fragile, cheap, natural materials like wood, hay or straw or of enduring, costly, transformed commodities like gold, silver or costly stones. Then what does it mean to build with cheap materials? Cheap materials represent trying to build our lives and ministries on something else other than the Gospel and the way of the cross. Our natural, easy-going, comfort-seeking selves always want to avoid sacrifice, and lead us to a life of compromise. We try to build our lives in Christ and build up our ministries with cheap materials that don’t require much sacrifice. In the Bible, Lot was drawn to a worldly life. He himself didn’t want to live a godless life, but his life of faith was too weak to influence his wife and children for good. With his faith, he himself could be saved, but he had nothing to show—no fruit. He could not even save his family or his possessions. So it will be with the person who does not build his life and ministry in Christ. Who is the wise builder? He is one who invests his time, effort and money in building God’s kingdom. He denies himself, takes up his cross, and follows Jesus. He struggles to obey Jesus ahead of his own worldly desires and ideas. He labors to please the Spirit of God rather than his sinful nature (Gal 6:7-8). In light of Paul’s words, let us help and pray for others to trust Christ and build their lives wisely on Jesus Christ.
Now look at verses 16-17. “Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” Paul has already called the Corinthian church “God’s field” and “God’s building”. Now he calls them “God’s temple.” Paul wanted the Corinthians to see themselves as God’s holy dwelling place, with God’s Spirit living in them. They were precious to God. They needed to identify themselves and each other as God’s holy people. Then they could live holy lives and respect each other. Paul warns that anyone who destroys, damages or defiles God’s temple will be punished by God. Let’s repent of anything that damages or defiles God’s people or God’s church.
In closing this chapter, Paul quotes two Bible verses to show again the folly of worldly wisdom. He concludes, “All things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.” Everything belongs to God and thus owes thanks and praise to God. The solution to divisions in the church is to focus on God and give him thanks and praise for what he is doing, rather than focusing on men and what they are doing. Paul admonishes Christians to be God-centered and not man-centered. God is the one working in and through people for his glory and the advancement of his kingdom. Let’s grow in Jesus and build our lives on him.
1. What problem in the brothers did Paul expose? (1¬¬–3) In what respects were they worldly (infants in Christ)? Why were they still spiritual infants?

2. How did God use Paul and Apollos in the Corinthian ministry? (4–6) How did some of the brothers misunderstand this? How did Paul help them to see God? (7) Think about how God is working through his servants. (cf. Jn5:17; Php2:13)

3. How were the tasks of Paul and Apollos different? How was their purpose the same? (6–8) How then should they view God’s servants and thems¬elves? (Read verse 9.) Why is it important to have this viewpoint? How can you apply this principle to yourself and your ministry?
II. Build On Jesus, The True Foundation (10-23)
4. What new analogy is Paul using in verses 10,11? Why is the foundation of a building so important? What is the church’s one foundation? (11; 15:3,4; Eph2:20–22)

5. How does Paul compare Christian works to building materials? (12) Which ones survive a fire and which ones don’t? (13-15) Why did he give this warning?

6. How did Paul help the Corinthians see themselves? (16,17) What happens to those who destroy God’s temple?

7. What false confidence did they have in worldly wisdom? (18) How does God view such wisdom? (19,20) What was their motive in boasting? Why should we not boast about men? (21b–23) In light of the above study, what is the solution to divisions in the church?