Division Is Carnal The Corinthians had grown slowly in spiritual things. They still clung to carnal things like envy and strife (1 Corinthians 3:1). Like those at Ephesus, they needed not to be "children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning craftiness by... [ Continue Reading ]
Increase Comes From God Paul wanted to know what it was about Apollos and himself that could cause division. They were both "ministers," which is the same word translated "deacons" in Acts 6:2 and means they were servants. They were both God's servants and worked as God gave them the ability, thus... [ Continue Reading ]
The Church is God's Building Then, Paul and Apollos were workers together under God. The field they worked in, which literally could be translated "tilled land," was God's. To further illustrate, Paul called the church God's building (1 Corinthians 3:9). So, the glory belonged to God, as the Psalmi... [ Continue Reading ]
Testing the Building Materials McGarvey suggests the building materials Paul mentioned were very familiar to the brethren at Corinth. The first three building materials, gold, silver and precious stones, were used to make idolatrous temples fireproof. The last three materials were used in building... [ Continue Reading ]
Beware of Defiling God's Temple In 1 Corinthians 3:9, Paul described the church at Corinth as God's building (Hebrews 3:6; 1 Peter 2:5). The church is God's temple and the Spirit's dwelling place on earth. "Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being... [ Continue Reading ]
True Wisdom True wisdom, according to the apostle Paul, comes in learning to be a fool in the eyes of this world's wise (Acts 2:24). Pride in one's own intellectual abilities can keep him from learning the truth. It is important to humble oneself before God to learn (1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Peter 5:6... [ Continue Reading ]