Every building has a foundation. My home has a humble concrete footing for a foundation. That footing works well for a single-story home but would fail as the foundation for a 5-story office building. It’s not apparent, but impressive buildings have an equally remarkable foundation.
Welcome to our study on Corinthians. We are looking at how Paul addresses various controversies in his letter to the Corinthian church. The first controversy is division in the church.
In the 3rd chapter of Corinthians, Paul wraps up his argument. “When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world? After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:4–6, NLT) Paul recognizes that Appllos has a different yet complementary approach. They each labor as God equipped them. Paul planted seeds, and Apollos came along and watered those seeds. Different, yet working toward the same end – a harvest of righteousness. But neither caused the seeds to grow – God did.
Many have sought the formula for growing a church. Some have turned to growth studies and impact models. Others have implemented various forms of marketing and advertising. How do you grow a church? Paul’s answer is – you don’t. That doesn’t mean that we don’t labor in God’s field. Some till the soil, others plant seeds, others water the seeds, others care for the seedlings, and some harvest. And yet, it is God that causes the growth. You don’t grow the church, God does.
In the middle of using the seed, water, and growth metaphor, Paul switches to that of a building. “Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:10–11, NLT)
Jesus is our foundation, the cornerstone on which men and women have built according to their equipping. At one time, some leaders were testing Jesus’ authority. Part of His response recalled an early prophecy. “Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’” (Matthew 21:42, NLT) Jesus is our foundation, the common element from which the church rises.
The foundation of Jesus Christ is a reminder that while we may add to the church in different ways, we must always be true to the foundation. That also gives us room to celebrate and encourage others as they build on that foundation in the way that God equips them.
Paul also provides a warning: While there is freedom, there is also testing. “Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.” (1 Corinthians 3:12–15, NLT)
It may seem that only pastors and leaders build, but that is not so. Everyone in a church adds to the building in some way. Each addition or subtraction changes the dynamics of the whole. We must all be careful what and how we build. In our next Corinthian Controversy, Paul addresses sin in the church.
Before we move on, let’s summarize. The first controversy Paul addresses is that of factions and divisions in the church. He calls the Corinthians towards unity and provides three common factors for that unity. The first common factor is the shared truth of the Cross of Christ. The second common factor is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The third common factor is the foundation of Jesus Christ. These should bind us together in all our diversity of teaching and practice. And yet, each must be careful how they build on the foundation of Christ, for it will be tested with fire.
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