5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.
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.
8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.
9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, 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.
12 Now if anyone 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.
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.
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 are that temple.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. From the factionalism surrounding certain personalities at this church (3:4-6), we can tell that the Corinthians reflected their secular world in evaluating their leaders in terms of their talents, privileges, or status. What are some of the ways the church in America does this? Are there ways in which you realize you have personally done this (be specific)?
How should we instead evaluate Christian leaders? (Note in particular how Paul describes himself and Apollos)
2. Reports of revival or numerically successful ministries sometimes give the credit to the leaders involved. Yet we see here that Paul gives all the glory to God alone (3:7). How can we cultivate this same attitude in both our congregations and our pastors? What are things we can do to make sure we are always pointing towards God and Jesus (again, be specific)?
3. What should 1 Corinthians 3:11 - 15 inform how a Christian leader builds up the church? What are some “bad materials” upon which to build a church? What are some “good materials” upon which to build a church? How should the foundation of Jesus Christ inform how we do church and how pastor-elders lead the church?
4. How should the fact that as member of a local church you make up “God’s holy temple” affect how you act as a member of the church? For example, how should it influence how you speak to and about other church members? How should it influence how you evaluate and participate in various church ministries? How should it influence your prayer life?
BONUS QUESTION:
How would you argue against a Roman Catholic who claims that 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 refers to purgatory?
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