Principles from Paul's Epistles

Understanding the Nature of the Church

1 Cor. 3:1-17

Introduction

Last week, I began a new series of sermons covering various principles related to living in the Church of Jesus Christ. I stated that I would be taking these principles from portions of Paul's epistles to the churches of the New Testament period. My plan is to select passages which demonstrate how we are to conduct ourselves as we participate in the life of a local congregation of believers. Most of what I'm presenting, therefore, has to do with perspectives, attitudes and personal responsibilities.

This approach means that I'll be talking about how you view this church to which you belong, about how you interact with those sitting here with you; I'll be talking about what responsibilities God has given you as a participant in this body. In this present series of sermons, therefore, we will be considering how our common experience of redemption is bound to manifest itself in our lives-that is, in our viewpoints, in our choices, in our goals, and in our priorities. Remembering that we are all one in Christ and that we all share in the same faith, I stated that we have to conclude that there should be common characteristics which can be observed in us and in our families regardless of our backgrounds. This is precisely what Paul is getting to in his epistles. He is telling those who have a common Savior, who are indwelt by the same Spirit and who confess the same gospel how they should look and think and act.

In this type of study, we're going to run across two types of principles from Paul's letters-principles which are general in nature and principles which are quite specific in nature. The first principle we considered was one of those general types. That principle had to do with maintaining our point of reference. It was a principle which helps establish the context for the Christian life. The second principle which we are going to study this morning is of that same type-it, too, is a general type of principle. It's one of those principles which is mandatory before we can start talking about specific issues. So, together with the first sermon, this second sermon is designed to help us develop the right orientation as members of Christ's Church.

As I said last time, all believers are supposed to share the ultimate point of reference which is Christ. By “point of reference,” I mean that by which everything else is measured. In this case, having Christ as our ultimate point of reference means that whatever resource for edification we use should be seen not as an end in itself, but as one means of instruction among many that the Lord has given to His people. Ideally, the people of Christ are growing in their apprehension and practice of the faith as a result of exposure to various perspectives and, also ideally, each of those perspectives has Christ as its focal point. And, as I also said in the last sermon, we should be eager to share with others that which has been most helpful to us in learning how to walk rightly before God and we should be just as eager to hear from others about what has helped them.

This brings me to a second principle which I want us to explore. This second principle is related very obviously to the first. With Christ as our shared point of reference for our lives, we will be looking to Him and asking “What is my place in His Church?” and “How is Christ using me to accomplish His purposes?” The second principle, therefore, has to do with how this local body is supposed to work. How are we to see ourselves as members of Westminster Presbyterian Church? We know that we're supposed to be looking to Christ, but as we look at Him, what do we do? How should we see ourselves in relation to Him and everyone else who is with us in this congregation? What is it that we are supposed to be doing in terms of an overall guiding notion?

You'll remember as you think back upon the last sermon that Paul condemned the existence of various factions in the Corinthian congregation. He was condemning what was, in fact, the existence of several little “churches” within the church at Corinth. The believers in that city were dividing into factions and asserting loyalty to one teacher over another and one approach to the Christian life over another. Step one, then, for those Corinthians was to stop dividing themselves into camps; step two, which is the subject of our next passage, was for the Corinthians to begin thinking in a more Biblical way of their place in that congregation. Paul explains this second step by again referring to his labors and those of other men. He stresses that he and the others were fellow-servants laboring together on the same “building project,” if you will. Before the Corinthians could start functioning properly, they had to understand the nature of the Church, particularly as it touched upon their participation in a local congregation.

Using himself and some others as an example, Paul helps the Corinthians recognize one aspect of the Church's nature which was severely misunderstood at the present time:

1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men? 5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 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. 14 If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 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.

In this series of sermons, as I said before, I'll be presenting two points only, followed by application. In each sermon, my two points will be: the issue, which will be identified by Paul; and the response, which will be provided by Paul.

01. The Issue (vv. 1-9)

I want to emphasize the manner in which Paul describes the believers in Corinth. They could not be addressed as “spiritual men,” but had to be addressed as “men of flesh.” (v. 1) In Paul's terminology, that was not a compliment, as he indicates with that last phrase in the same verse: “as to infants in Christ.” Paul spoke of the Corinthians this way because of the issue we explored in the last sermon. They were divided into factions; they were declaring ultimate loyalties to mere men and were missing the truth that those teachers were all servants of the one Christ. Consequently, Paul adds that he could not provide these believers with true spiritual meat (v. 2). They were not able to receive the weightier matters of instruction because of their immaturity. And, it appears, even after a previous warning, the Corinthians still were unprepared for discipleship that would take them beyond the elementary things of the gospel. In fact, Paul charges, “you are still fleshly.” (v. 3)

Here we reach the portion of this chapter to which I referred last time. Paul explains which characteristics evidenced the immaturity in this congregation. There was jealousy and strife among them and as long as this state existed in Corinth, Paul was quite justified in calling them “fleshly” and saying they were walking “like mere men.” He means that although they professed the gospel, their conduct betrayed the gospel. Their conduct signaled a lack of understanding, not a growing understanding. Their behavior was the kind that comes from those who are still in their sins, not the kind that comes from a regenerated heart.

Paul repeats the charge found at the opening of this letter: “For when one says, 'I am of Paul,' and another, 'I am of Apollos,' are you not mere men?” (v. 4) Paul could point to conclusive evidence of a profound lack of insight in this congregation. In a tremendously sobering tone, Paul already asked “Has Christ been divided?” back in the first chapter. That question should have been sufficient to shock the Corinthians into right thinking. But Paul believes that this problem in Corinth was so serious and so potentially destructive that he continues talking about here in the third chapter. There's more to be said. Not only has Paul condemned the division into factions which resulted when the Corinthians started declaring loyalty to one perspective or another, he also is going to go even deeper into the matter in this passage.

Why would Christians conclude that it is acceptable to make such declarations of loyalty? Paul has already stated that such behavior is wrong, but in our present text he is going to identify to a greater degree why this is wrong. Notice what he says now: “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.” (v. 5) You'll recall that I emphasized the point Paul is making here. The teachers to whom the Corinthians were swearing allegiance were all servants of Christ. Not one of them should have been singled out as provided all that needed to be said or understood concerning the faith. Here Paul hammers away at that notion. Apollos is nothing more than a servant. “Even I am nothing but a servant of Christ,” he says of himself. “We did what servants do-we did our duty by preaching and teaching, but if any benefit came from our labors, it was because 'the Lord gave opportunity' to you to believe.” You cannot “side” with Apollos against Paul or Paul against Peter, the apostle is saying. We are all serving the same “side,” if you will, and that is the cause of Christ.

I did my part, Paul states, and Apollos did his part (v. 6). God used us both, Paul asserts, to accomplish His purposes. That means that alone, Paul is nothing, and alone, Apollos is nothing. What matters is what God does with the labors of His servants (v. 7). This is true because we all are involved in the same “cause.” We all are laboring on the same “project.” Apollos, Peter, and Paul weren't working to establish separate kingdoms; they weren't laboring to create and maintain individual ministries. “He who plants and he who waters are one,” Paul writes (v. 8). We are going to be rewarded according to our faithfulness to our calling and our calling is to the same goal-that of building up the one kingdom, the one Church of Jesus Christ.

And here is the heart of the second issue: “For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.” (v. 9) Do you see what Paul means? It's true that there were many laborers, many teachers, many sources of instruction for the Corinthians. It was not true that there were many Churches or many kingdoms of Christ. This is how the Corinthians were behaving, but this was wrong. You are part of the one “field” of God and the one “building” of God, Paul writes. He uses two images meant to convey the same thing, namely, that Apollos and Peter and Paul and every other legitimate teacher or preacher with whom the Corinthians had contact were laboring for the one and only Church of Jesus Christ. Again, Paul could assert, “we aren't many churches, we are one Church represented in local congregations like this one in the city of Corinth.” This was a truth of fundamental importance. It is related to the nature of the Church. The Corinthian believers were not rightly comprehending the nature of the Church of Christ when it came to their reactions to the emphases that were put forth by the various preachers and teachers. They were acting like so many little kingdoms were being built and so, as other parts of this letter reveal, they were acting petty and they were plagued with disharmony and every manner of misunderstanding and misapplication of the faith.

That is the issue identified by Paul in this passage. The Corinthians did not behave as if they understood that the Church is one and that those who serve are serving the one Christ and the One Church. But it was this very perspective which, if embraced, would remedy much of the strife and jealousy to which Paul referred earlier. If you believe that Apollos is serving for the purpose of building up the same body for which Paul was laboring, and if you believe the same about Peter, then you're not going to be divided by their ministries, you are going to be united. And with that perspective comes an almost automatic cessation of certain hostilities, those hostilities which arise from envy, resentment and protectiveness.

We know the issue in this passage. What was the response provided by Paul? The response is more than what we have read thus far. The response he provides is, in fact, taken from his own conduct and ministry, but is presented in such a manner that it takes into account not just the labors of Apollos, Peter and Paul, but anyone who participates in the ongoing process of building the Church of Jesus Christ on this earth.

02. The Response (vv. 10-17)

I just noted that Paul's response to this issue in Corinth relies on his personal experience and practice. He describes himself as “a wise master builder” who, by the grace of God, laid a foundation. (v. 10) Paul describes himself as a man who had a particular part to play in a very large project, that of building the Church. So, his labors as an apostle, his teaching and preaching, his counsel and exhortation-all that he did in the capacity of his calling was related to what he calls “laying a foundation.” You don't have to know much about the process of building to know that the foundation is not the building itself. And you don't have to know much about the process of building to realize that the foundation, although not the building itself, is essential and must be in place before additional construction takes place.

This quick depiction by Paul contains the essence of his response to this situation. The answer to the lack of understanding which was evident in Corinth-a lack of understanding regarding the nature of the Church-is found in the image Paul uses here. He saw himself as one among many who were laboring for the Church. Paul wanted to be seen as one who had a task to do, yes, and an important task, that of laying the foundation for the Church, but he also wanted to be seen as a fellow-laborer of Apollos and Peter, not as one competing with those men. The nature of the Church is such that all who labor are laboring on the same project and all who serve are serving for the same purpose. We aren't many churches, Paul could have said, we are one Church. There may be many laborers but we all are working for the same Christ and to achieve the same goal.

Paul recognized that his work was not all there was to be done: “and another is building on it.” Notice the tone of expectation. “Yes, I am doing a critical work,” Paul says, “but my work is not all there is to be done. Others are building on what I have done; others are contributing to my efforts.” Whatever Paul did, whatever Apollos and Peter did, it was designed to strengthen and extend the same Body of Christ. It was this truth which was so crucial to a right understanding of the ministries of those men. And it was this truth which was so vital to a right understanding about everyone's participation in this one Body. The Corinthians had to be led to the point where they recognized that the nature of the Church is such that everyone's labor matters, but not in an exclusive sense. Everyone's labor matters in the sense that all are serving the same purpose.

This purpose, as Paul implies, is so serious that great caution must be exercised as this process of building continues. “I laid the foundation,” Paul states, by which he means that his ministry was that of initially establishing the theological parameters which would define the Church of Christ. “And another is building on it,” he adds, meaning that this is exactly what was supposed to happen. A foundation was designed for a particular type of building, so the theological foundation prepared by Paul and the other apostles was designed for a particular type of spiritual association. But the point is, Paul expected others to contribute to this work; he did not expect his work to exist in isolation from the efforts of other Christians.

Stopped here

Application

Start with yourself. Don't point the finger at anyone else no matter how guilty they may be, no matter how much they may need correction. Start with yourself because you are the only one you can change.

Conclusion

Let's pray...