Keeping People in Perspective (1 Corinthians 4:6)

“Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other.” (1 Corinthians 4:6, NASB95)

What things? From the beginning of the letter the major issue has been the Corinthian believer’s loyalties and boasting in their previous spiritual fathers, pastors and teachers. And from those who were mentioned, these believers had been exposed to some very well-known ones, some of whom were considered fathers of the church as God’s appointed apostles. They had learned from what they would call “the best,” and this was precisely what was at the heart of their problem. Having focused so much of their attention on the varied loyalties that they had to a particular leader who had had the most influence, they appeared to spend a great deal of time arguing over the leader and not the common gospel they taught.

“These things” which Paul had spoken of regarding humility and service to God as His fellow builders had been applied to all these men in this letter. He applied them to himself and to Apollos for their benefit. Neither man was in position to go to them at the time of the letter, so Paul wrote on behalf of both to speak to the heart of the issues which they were having as a church. And, with their strong disagreement over who they were following, it appeared that these Corinthian believers were going nowhere following none of them. It was as if they were standing on the sidelines of the field arguing over their coaches and not entering the game.

Paul wrote about the perspective that he had concerning his role in ministry, and he was writing to encourage believers to keep that same perspective. There was to be no “he is the man” in their lives. Paul understood this form of adulation. He even testified to it before the rulers of the land, and he encouraged the Philippian believers in humility pointing to the change that Christ had made. We read, “… If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,” (Philippians 3:4–8, NASB95)

Instead of standing on his previous credentials, Paul counted them “rubbish” to gain Christ. In his introduction to Romans Paul painted a new picture of how he identified himself. We read, “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,” (Romans 1:1, NASB95) First and foremost, Paul saw himself as a “bond-servant.” Jesus had paid the price for his sins and embraced him knowing all that he had done to persecute Christians. Paul understand the great gift of grace that had been given to him, and he knew that the greatest thing he could do was to give himself back to the One who had bought him at such a great price. In fact, he would write later in this Corinthian letter, “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:20, NASB95) And, “For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord’s freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ’s slave. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.” (1 Corinthians 7:22–23, NASB95)

Then in the context of him being a bond-servant of Christ, Paul recognized that he had been given a special charge. He was called as an apostle. Though in the most general sense apostle means messenger, Paul was called in the more limited sense of an apostle like Peter, James, John and the others who were personally chosen by Christ to begin this great new work. But, Paul was also called different from them. It was not until after Christ ascension that He appeared to Paul and called him as an apostle to the rest of the world—the Gentiles. Paul who was the Jew of Jews, but also a Roman citizen, was sent to those who were the most far away from all that he knew and all that he thought he would be pursuing in the course of his life. Paul knew that he had been chosen and set apart to bring the message of the true gospel of God.

He did not deserve any of this. There was absolutely nothing in it for him or Apollos to boast, and in writing to the Corinthian believers he made it clear that they were not to argue over which man they followed, but having learned from them and others to then give themselves fully to continuing to grow in their knowledge of God who sent them all as messengers of the good news—the gospel of Christ.

Answerable to God (1 Corinthians 4:3-5)

“But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:3–5, NASB95)

There are some things regarding judgment that some misread into Scripture that encourage one in a false arrogance. The whole issue of us not being judged by others or becoming the judge of another has in many ways in our culture and even in our churches been taken to the extreme of not speaking against anything that anyone believes or does. I use the word “anything” because we have seen that line move so much. It is changing so far and so fast that we should not be surprised in the future when that line moved so far that it does not even remotely resemble the line of obedience to the word of God that we have embraced for so long even in our cultures. What is right among many today would have never been imagined as broadly acceptable in the past. Tolerance and even acceptance of these views has even infiltrated church speak and practice to the point that not being judgmental has now embraced to such a point that many Christians are accepting the cultural line and not deeply looking to the God-breathed, trustworthy, inerrant and practical for all areas of life Word of God for its sound biblical judgment.

Paul recognized that His judge was God, and it was God who directed his thoughts and set his standard for obedience to the faith. It’s not that he walked with a blatant disregard for others or that he was arrogant in having arrived and was above those he walked beside. He knew that the standard setter for him and all other believers was God and His revealed Word. It was by Christ that he was made an apostle and through God that he penned much of what we know we as Christians and His church are to think, speak, and function.

Paul knew what it was to stand before the courts of men, and even as he would eventually wind up in Rome he would experience the reality of this even more. And, from his life recorded for us in 2 Corinthians we can see that he indeed did stand firmly on his testimony in Christ before the highest courts in the land.

Paul was not perfect, but he also wrote for us here that he believed that he kept a clear conscience before God. We see him encourage Timothy in this in writing to him about the ministry he left Timothy behind to accomplish. “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5, NASB95) He was all about loving from a pure heart and a good conscience and an outworking of faith in God. Subsequently, any judgment of man paled in comparison to that which he held himself to before God.

Since he was moved to live rightly, when he did stumble in some way it is fully reasonable to assume that he also dealt with it quickly and rightly. Though he was not aware of any unconfessed sin or pattern in his life, he also acknowledged that he was submissive to God shedding light on those areas and I would believe even accepting of other godly believers pointing them out should it become evident. But even in this, he recognized that God was the One to whom he ultimately answered for all that he said or did. It is God alone who is the ultimate judge.

There are many amazing things about this truth. For instance, when we believed in Jesus Christ for our salvation we were truly saved and fully forgiven. We will never stand before God waiting to find out if we meet his standard for heaven. Jesus is that standard of perfection, and it is because of His shed blood that we are assured to be accepted by God. Also, considering where Paul had been, I am sure that he realized the amazing mercy and grace of God to take a man who was persecuting Christians and in so doing Christ and show him that same mercy and grace. The murderer was made to be a minister of grace to call people to salvation and obedience in Christ. Seeing how God worked here cements the realization that as long as a person is taking breath that it is not too late for them to be saved without regard to how “bad” or “evil” from our perspective they may have been. We have all fallen short of His glory, and yet He sent His Son for us.

It is in light of this that Paul did not see the examination of man to be a very big thing. He walked to a higher and more perfect standard and answered to God as the ultimate and final authority. In this context he encouraged the Corinthian believers to focus on Christ and His return, as they also walked rightly before God. This letter to them was itself one of reproof and correction with the hope that they would be so trained in righteousness that they would walk with each other before God in the same way that Paul had learned.

Abandoning encouraging one another to live godly lives is not what these verses are all about. They are about us encouraging and not condemning of one another while we encourage each other to walk to the higher standard that God has set. The way we do this is to look to Christ, hide the Word of God in our hearts, and encourage others in doing likewise as we “make disciples” who are careful how we walk. This is what we read in passages such as Psalm 119:11; Matthew 28:18-20; and Ephesians chapter 5.

“Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11, NASB95)

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18–20, NASB95)

“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” (Ephesians 5:15–21, NASB95)

Then when that day does come, Paul wrote, “each man’s praise will come to him from God.”

Trustworthy Stewards (1 Corinthians 4:1-2)

“Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” (1 Corinthians 4:1–2, NASB95)

Having written about how they were not to regard men such as himself, Apollos and Cephas, Paul now instructs the Corinthians believers as to how they are to regard him and them. In this we see three things: servants, stewards, and trustworthy. John MacArthur in his study Bible wrote in the notes, “Paul wanted everyone to view him and his fellow ministers only as the humble messengers that God ordained them to be.”

First as servants of Christ, they knew both who their head was and from whom it was that they received marching orders and their direction in fulfilling those orders. They were first and foremost Christ’s servants. They were there to do what He had set apart for them to do. The word “servants” in Greek is “hypēretas. It is a compound word that can be broken down to look at its parts and then put back together to look at its fuller meaning. The first part deriving from the word “hupo” which means “under” and a derivative of the word “eresso” which is not used by itself in Scripture but means “to row.” These men were Christ’s “under-rowers.” They were there to do as he instructed, just as the pilot of a large ship would command those who were conscripted to remain below the deck and row the boat. From this we sense a great amount of humility. To be an under-rower on a ship was not a place of prestige, but something reserved for those who were among the lowliest. And, carrying this term into other usage came with it the understanding that you were always there at the service of another. For them their lord was Christ, and it was His boat that they were called to row.

As the appointed servants charged to move His ship along, they were also entrusted with a great treasure to bring along with them. They were made “stewards of the mysteries of God.” The word “stewards” is itself another compound descriptive Greek word (oikonomos), where the word “oikos” means house or household and the word “nomos” means anything that is established such as laws, customs, commands, and rules. In other words the normal function or ways of the house. A steward was one charged with the responsibility of his master’s household or some other possession.

And the possession with which they were entrusted was the “mysteries of God.” Earlier in chapter 2, Paul wrote, “but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;” … “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:7, 10, NASB95) The prophets had spoken, but man did not understand. With the coming of Christ these darkened doors were opened, and the men were shown these hidden treasures or mysteries which they entrusted with to share with others. These mysteries are the revealed word of God and particularly the unfolding of our New Testament as these men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit to speak His truth (2 Peter 1:21). They were made its overseers and dispensers.

With their placement under Christ with the charge of His word, they were then expected to be trustworthy or faithful in their task. Our passage continues, “it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” The Greek word is “pistos,” and it has the meaning of being fully reliable. Humanly speaking, if you are under someone and you are entrusted with something of theirs then it is fully expected that you will be trustworthy in executing your charge. The servant was to be both loyal and obedient. He was depended upon to do what he was charged to do. He had proven himself faithful and was trustworthy to do as he was expected. All of these things are wrapped up in that word.

Responding to a question raised by Peter after Jesus telling a parable, Jesus said in Luke 12:42-48, “And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward (oikonomos), whom his master will put in charge of his servants (doulos), to give them their rations at the proper time? “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. “But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” (Luke 12:42–48, NASB95)

In human terms, it expected of the servant/steward to be found faithful over those things for which he was charged. To not be found as such came at a cost. I am so thankful that our Lord has suffered the price of our sins and has taken the lashes for us. But it does not remove the responsibility that as His we are to be found faithful until such time that He comes again, or we are ushered into His presence by death. Paul had this attitude, and it is the attitude that we see declared throughout Scripture. And, for those who have not believed by faith and been saved, judgment surely does await unless they believe as well before that appointed date.

Paul began verse 2 with the word “moreover.” To be a servant or a steward is one thing, but unless you are faithful to the charge then the position serves little benefit and frequently leads to destruction and decay. In wrapping up today, I reflected on some of the commendations of Paul in his writings. I love how he commends such as of Epaphras and Tychicus in Colossians, “just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,” (Colossians 1:7, NASB95) And, “As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information.” (Colossians 4:7, NASB95)

“…moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” I can think of no greater honor than to have others say of me that I was faithful, and even more to hear the words in the presence of Christ my Lord saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21 excerpt, ESV)

To God be the Glory (1 Corinthians 3:21-23)

“So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.” (1 Corinthians 3:21–23, NASB95)

Whether its men in the church our outside the church, we are not to put our boasting in men. There are many wonderful people from whom I have learned and who I hold in high regard, but for the most part I think the real reason I do so is because of how they looked to Christ reflected His image, and then shared what they learned as His followers with me along the way. It is my hope that I would have a similar influence on others such that when they boast they boast in our Lord who has shown Himself in me.

Earlier in the letter Paul spoke to both the roles that he, Apollos, Cephas (Peter) and others had in the building of the church as well as how there were divisions in the church because people had been wrongly looking to them and not to them as laborers in the construction of God’s building—them as His church. These men evidenced a humility in their attitude of service, recognizing that they were Christ’s bond-servants first and foremost, and that the credit and the glory go to Him. Sure, they recognized to some degree the impact that was being made and had even shared in the fruit of their labor, but none of them were the one’s to be put on a pedestal and fawned over.

At this time, I am with a bunch of believers in a time of consideration and preparation to come to them as their pastor for a window of time prescribed by God. There were men who came before me and there will be men after me. We are all His laborers in this building of His construction, and the field in which we serve has been and will be served by others just as the vast farm and ranch land surrounding has been done for generations. It is my hope that I would serve them and our Lord well.

As believers in Christ the work belongs to no man. It is shared by all who are called by God and who enter into the life of the local church. And, the boasting by any individual because of the fruit of this goes against the grain of how our Lord intends that His church should be as we share in His gifts and glory. We exist in this long continuum of being His body from the foundation of the apostles until such time that Christ returns, and He has given it to us as faithful stewards who belong fully to Christ the Son as He submits fully to the will of the Father.

Sure, it may look at times that Satan is in charge. But we are never to be fooled by appearance. Satan is the father of lies and those who do not know Christ are indeed at his beck and call. But Satan exists even now because the Father has allowed him to do so until such time that He sends His Son to bring it all to an end and final judgment occurs. But, we are to realize this, Satan was defeated at the cross. It was at the cross and through His resurrection that Christ conquered sin and death and brought life to all who believe. When we trust Christ for our salvation Satan is no longer our master. We belong to Christ. We are made righteous with His righteousness, and we are given the Spirit of God to seal, indwell, and work in our hearts and minds.

We are secure in Christ, and Jesus Christ is the real deal. He is and always has been God, who at the will of the Father as the Son took on the form of man to die for our sins, and who now sits at right hand of the Father to intercede on our behalf. We are Christ’s and as we read in 1 Corinthians 11:3, “the head of Christ is God.” Jesus is fully God, and yet in the makeup of our God who is One manifest in three persons the Son submits to the Father. That is God’s order of things, and for us in the church the men who God places in leadership are there under the authority of Christ, and it is Christ who gets the glory as we all share together as His unified body, praising Him for what He has done in and through us.

To God be the glory, great things He hath done,

So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,

Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,

And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Refrain:

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice!

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice!

Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,

And give Him the glory, great things He hath done.
(To God Be the Glory, Frances J. Crosby, 1875)

Fools Wisdom (1 Corinthians 3:18-20)

"Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless.”” (1 Corinthians 3:18–20, NASB95)

We live in a world where it is common to be told how we should think, and we are even ostracized if we dare not think or speak in that same manner. In general, we all have a desire to be thought well of and to have something valuable to offer other people. In our passage for today, Paul is not speaking of this good innate desire, but rather he is speaking of the arrogance that we see and find so distasteful and for which we are to guard against in ourselves. Being on Facebook as a social media platform, I see all sorts of things posted, and it is not uncommon to see something posted by someone who is so forceful in their expression that they put down anyone who disagrees. This is particularly so when it comes to views on gender identity, relationships and politics. The bottom line is that every person has an opinion, and there is clearly a wide chasm generated when those opinions alienate people because of how strongly they attack or malign those who disagree. Without a standard of truth there is really nothing to say that any single viewpoint is either right or wrong. And, when speaking without a foundation we can easily see how foolish one person’s view seem in relation to ours.

In this passage today, we read that these “wise” people who espouse or advocate their positions further entrench themselves in their stance by their own words and the support of those who similarly agree. It becomes a self-feeding structure that reinforces itself by selectively hearing that which best supports their position. Things can even be called proven science or fact, when in reality it may be little more than a strongly held idea. become science when in fact science may indeed say something different or may even be itself silent. And, what is determined as scientific fact really at times is nothing more than a preponderance of people coming together to agree on what may really in scientific terms be nothing more than an unproven hypothesis indicated by a symptomology without a proven cause.

Many try to boast in themselves or their ideals. They can speak with authority, even be quite knowledgeable, and appear wise in what we say. But Paul says that this kind of wisdom has no eternal value. It won’t save anyone. The real way to find answers is to humble ourselves and listen to the One who is eternally existent and is in fact the Creator of all that exists. In simple terms, the way to become wise is to become as a fool in order to learn from the One who is infinitely wise. There is so much that we don’t understand and there are so many pieces that we cannot put together, but God is knows everything without limitation, and He has revealed Himself to us. There is nothing that man can bring to God to cause Him to learn. But for us to really learn, we need to go to Him and let Him teach us. We need to let our minds be absorbed in His truth and His Spirt become the counselor of our hearts.

In our passage for today we read, ‘For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God.” Before Robin and I got married we had both been drawn to a particular passage of Scripture, which is Proverbs 3:5-6. And, it has been the principles of this passage that have been so much a part of our lives as we have walked together for 38 years through so many different things. It reads, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5–6, NASB95) Even now it is Him that we are heavily relying on as we are looking to the possibility of a move and the opening of an exciting and even intimidating new opportunity for ministry. There are many answers that we do not have but having it all figured out is not our standard for moving forward with God. What we are called to do is to seek Him for His leading and having that to step forward trusting Him to take care of the stepping stones along to way as He truly does direct our steps. He provides the principles by which we live. We then are to trust Him as we live by those principles and do what He has given us to do even making decisions that don’t have every “i” dotted or “t” crossed.

The world, however, does not work this way. We continue to read, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless.” The world schemes and walks according to its scheming. Man, apart from God, is about devising his own path and then figuring out ways to get to his desired end. The reality is that God knows the intent of every person’s heart, and He knows just how futile all of these intents are apart from Him. People may garner a great amount of wealth and admiration in the world, but one day they will die, and all of this will be gone. They will stand before God with absolutely nothing to offer because the reality is that their way might have helped them navigate this life, but it had no ability to bring them into His presence.

“But as for me, I would seek God, and I would place my cause before God; Who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number. He gives rain on the earth and sends water on the fields, so that He sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd, so that their hands cannot attain success. He captures the wise by their own shrewdness, and the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted. By day they meet with darkness, and grope at noon as in the night. But He saves from the sword of their mouth, and the poor from the hand of the mighty. So the helpless has hope, and unrighteousness must shut its mouth.” (Job 5:8–16, NASB95)

“The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.” (Psalm 19:7–9, NASB95)

Living Rightly in His Temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

“Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” (1 Corinthians 3:16–17, NASB95)

Here Paul continues his focus on the church, and he calls it “a temple of God,” adding that the Spirit of God dwells in it or “you” (us) collectively. Whether the church(es) of Corinth met together in a house or some other location is largely irrelevant to this declaration. The church was not determined by the structure where they gathered, but by those who gathered in that structure. In this case, it was those in Corinth who were knit together in Christ by virtue of them being saved and not due to them having gone through some form of membership exercise.

God’s people, Israel, were given access to Him in a very unique way. In Exodus God told Moses, “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8, NASB95) Then He continued in instructing Moses on how this sanctuary was to be constructed from its contents to its outer shell (the Tabernacle) and everything related to it in fine detail. In verses 33 and 34 of chapter 26 God told Moses, “You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring in the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall serve for you as a partition between the holy place and the holy of holies. You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the holy of holies.” (Exodus 26:33–34, NASB95) Then Moses and the people did as God instructed, and it was into this most holy place that the High Priest would go as prescribed by God to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat to make atonement for the sins of the people (see Leviticus chapter 16). Later, Solomon would build a temple as a more permanent structure.

While Solomon’s temple had long been decimated, there was a reconstructed temple at the time of Christ. It was in this temple at the time of His giving up His life for the forgiveness of our sins that we read, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom….” (Matthew 27:50–51, NASB95) The veil through which only the high priest was to enter, and then only in a special way at a specific time had now been torn open from top to bottom by God Himself. In a very real way the barrier between God and man had been removed, and because of what Jesus did for us on the cross we now have become that temple in whom the Spirit of God dwells.

Of each Christian in relation to our behavior Paul wrote later in this same letter, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19, NASB95) When we trust Christ for our salvation we receive immediately to Spirit of God to dwell in us permanently. Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30, NASB95) And collectively, we read “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.” (Ephesians 5:23, NASB95)

We have indeed entered an enduring relationship with our God. We are His and He will not let go of us. We are His collectively His church, as individuals we have His Spirit dwelling in us in a very personal way, and as local fellowships of believers we are “a temple of God” in which the Spirit of God dwells. He takes all of these relationships seriously, whether it be on the largest scale or on the smallest and most personal.

Big church or little church, we are His church and His temple, and God takes the protection of His temple seriously. Paul went on to write in this passage, “If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him….” Looking at destruction here, we are not looking at the destruction of God’s people for their disobedience. Paul had already spoken to this issue, and God does deal consequentially with sin among the saints. Here, we are are looking at those who do not have Christ seeking to destroy His church. They are not God’s people and they will face eternal judgment and damnation on the final day.

Historically, God destroyed those who destroyed Solomon’s temple, and in the future, He will destroy those who seek to destroy His people when He returns to establish His Millennial rule and Israel is saved. And when it comes to the church which is the body of Christ, God will deal as severely with those who raise a hand against it as well.

The call on all of us as believers is to watch how we walk such that we build up that which God declares right and that we stand strong against the forces of evil who would seek to enter and destroy. We read that “the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” The Corinthian believers had not been living as God’s temple even though that is exactly what they were. Here Paul reminds them of their identity as the temple of God, both on the large scale and on the most personal and intimate one on one scale. We are the temple of God in who His Spirit dwells, and we are called to live accordingly.

In Hebrews 10 we read, “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:19–25, NASB95) 

Doing Works that Endure the Test (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)

“Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:12–15, NASB95)

Paul had just finished addressing that the foundation of the church is Jesus Christ and that everyone who builds on it is to be careful in how he does so. Paul may have been the like the wise master builder who started the work, but there were others who were significant in the subsequent work, a work which includes both the pastor teachers who followed and the very members themselves who had roles in the overall work and who left a mark along the way.

This passage is about believers. It is not about those who have not trusted Christ for their salvation. It is in this context that some may have left indelible marks for good and others may have done otherwise. In the short term, the work may or may not have been highly valued and it may or may not have accomplished some form or visible good or have even been seen. People may have come to Christ and grown significantly in Christian maturity through their service. Others may have been prayed for intently during a difficult time, or even benefited from someone quietly or even anonymously reaching out to help them in a time of need. And, contrary to God’s intent, some may have even been hindered, given cause to stumble, or even harmed because of another’s disservice. Some may have worked humbly for God’s glory and some (even the same person at a different time) may have done things with their thumbs under their armpits for their own glory. No matter what we do or the motive we have in doing so, it is all done on the foundation of the church laid before of which Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone.

In the end every single person’s will be fully evident. Paul wrote that whether the work is accomplished as with enduring materials of value such as gold, silver or precious or with less durable ones like wood, hay, and straw every person’s work will be tested with fire. When exposed to the intensity of a consuming fire there will be those things which burn up and perish and there will be those that are further purified and show their true value. On this side of eternity, we might not be able to clearly see the difference, but once having been tested by fire the quality of our work will truly be seen.

Notice here that Paul is talking about the quality of a person’s work and not the eternal state of the person. For us who are in Christ there will be a day when all that we have done will be judged by God as described here, and for all that remains we will receive a reward. We may or may not sense a reward now, but nothing has missed God’s sight. And, similarly where we may have patted ourselves on the back big time for something we have done we might also be surprised to see that this very thing did not survive the fire because our reward was of the moment and not eternity.

Speaking of open religiosity, Jesus said, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1–4, NASB95)

It is then in the next verses that we have what we know as the Lord’s prayer. “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’” (Matthew 6:5–13, NASB95)

Clearly there will be a dividing of the work done for self-adulation and that done for God’s glory, and we read that there will be a “day” when this happens. In 2 Corinthians 5:10 we read, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10, NASB95) There will be a day when Jesus looks at our work and we will be recognized for what we have done. The bad will be as if our works were burnt away, and the good will lead to some form of reward known to and given by Him.

These rewards or lack thereof are not the determinant of whether we are ultimately saved. These words of Paul were written to believers whose eternal foundation has already been eternally established in Christ. Paul affirms this in verse 15 where we read, “If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” This is a pretty amazing statement, because it could conceivably include all of a man’s works being burnt and him being saved. This is a truth that is clearly affirmed in passages such as Ephesians 2:8-9. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, NASB95) But even Ephesians 2:8-9 are followed immediately by an affirmation of what should happen by all of us once we are saved, which is good, and thus enduring, works. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10, NASB95) 

The Corinthian believers seemed to have not grasped doing work for the glory of God. They were fixated on following particular men and doing things according to their ways. In these verses Paul clearly writes to shift their focus pointing out that these men were given to serve Christ for His glory as His workers, and subsequently they were to do the same as leaders came and went and the church continued to grow even here as we enter 2018.