Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:11-23

Building by God's Standards

Paul’s advice to the Corinthian church is timeless, as is all of Scripture, and it is just as important for us today as individuals and as members of a community of believers.

Quality check: verses 11-15
We are reminded that as “builders” of God’s Kingdom we will be held accountable for our behavior and accomplishments. Paul warns that not all of our labors will have eternal value and be judged worthy of reward. In order to meet God’s “building standards,” we need to examine our hearts. Do we reflect the love of Christ in our everyday lives at home, at work, at school, in our church involvement? Are we willing and obedient? What motivates our actions? In Colossians 3:24-25, we are told that whatever we do should be done as for the Lord, not for men – this means not for earthly reward and recognition, not in our own best interests. Doing the “right things” for the wrong reasons has no eternal value in God’s eyes and will be counted as loss. Paul’s comfort: Our salvation does not depend on our works, but on the grace of God and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Church maintenance: verses 14-17 and 18-23
As temples of God’s Spirit we need to be faithful custodians, carefully tending the physical, mental, spiritual and social health of both ourselves and our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to build one another up, encourage and support one another, and be careful with criticism, not discouraging one another. And we must be on guard against influences which could cause divisions and threaten the life of the Church.
Paul warns specifically against fractious behavior within a body of believers. Groups at the church in Corinth were choosing to follow either Paul or Peter or Apollos, each group claiming to have chosen the leader with superior knowledge. Paul humbly points out that the wisdom of mere mortals is foolishness in God’s sight and by their exclusiveness they were not only damaging the fellowship and effectiveness of the body of believers at Corinth, but restricting themselves, failing to benefit from the knowledge of the other groups and their leaders. He reminded them that “all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas …” and that they were all Christ’s, all in the family of God.

IPC as a family of believers with many different cultures and church backgrounds can also benefit from Paul’s advice not to boast about the wisdom and knowledge of any one leader compared to another, and claim superiority, but rather learn from one another. In the 21st century we also have access to a global community of believers on the internet. Here, too we should heed Paul’s advice and his word of caution about the wisdom of the world, and his reminder at the beginning of this passage that our foundation is Jesus Christ.