1 Corinthians 3:12-15

Now if any man build, &c.— "Though no man who pretends to be a preacher of the Gospel can build upon any other foundation than that of Jesus Christ, yet you ought not to cry up your new instructor, who has come and built upon the foundation that I laid, for the doctrines that he builds thereon,as if there were no other minister of the Gospel but he; for it is possible that a man may build upon that true foundation wood, hay, and stubble, things which will not bear the test, when the trial by fire at the last day shall come; (ch. 1 Corinthians 4:5.) at that day every man's work shall be tried and discovered, of what sort it is. If what he taught be sound and good, and will stand the trial,—as silver, and gold, and precious stones abide in the fire; he shall be rewarded for his labour in the gospel: but if he has introduced false or unsound doctrines into Christianity, he shall be like a man, whose building being ofwood, hay, and stubble, is consumed by the fire; all his pains in building are lost, and his works destroyed and gone, though he himself should escape and be saved." Instead of as by fire, the Greek might be rendered more properly as through the fire. To be a brand plucked out of the burning, is well known as a proverbial expression, to signify a narrow escape from extreme danger. See Zechariah 3:2. Amos 4:11 and especially Isaiah 33:11, to which some have thought the Apostle here alludes. The phrase Δια πυρος is put for passing through the fire, as δι υδατος, 1 Peter 3:20 signifies to be saved from the water by passing through it, as the ark did. See Jude 1:23.—The most approved heathen writers use the phrase in this sense. Many divines have well shewn how far this text is from giving any support to a popish purgatory. See Locke, Whitby, Stillingfleet, and Elsner.