1 Corinthians Week 6

Day 1 

READ 

1 Corinthians 3:5-6 

⁵ 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. ⁶ I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 

The Corinthian believers had been arguing about the best speaker and teacher. Some thought Apollos; others thought Paul. Here Paul emphasizes both of them are only the messengers of God doing what the Lord gave them to do. Paul had given the gospel message; Apollos had watered it, but it was “God who made it grow.” 

REFLECT 

Are you aware in your witnessing for Jesus that you can only tell others about Him; only God can convert the heart? 

RESPOND 

Talk about these verses with a friend from your local church. Be thankful for others who have planted the spiritual seed and for others who had watered it. Be especially thankful to God who changed hearts as they believed in Him. Talk also about which part each of you can have in the sowing and watering ministries. 

Day 2 

READ 

1 Corinthians 3:7-9 

⁷ It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. ⁹ For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building. 

Paul minimized the part he and Apollos had in God’s work. He and Apollos had worked together with the same purpose in mind. As they were faithful in doing what God wanted them to do each could expect to be rewarded. In verse 9 Paul changes the metaphor from God’s field to God’s building. He will focus on the building in the following verses. 

REFLECT 

As you talk to others about Jesus, you may be planting the seed for the first time or watering what someone else did before you. Thank God for the part each of you have. 

RESPOND 

As you pray for others, consider what Paul prayed for the ones he loved. Read Ephesians 3:14-19 to see one of Paul’s prayers for others. You and a friend should discuss this prayer and how it can relate to your own prayer lives. 

Day 3 

READ 

1 Corinthians 3:10-11 

¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. 

Having mentioned God’s building in verse 9, Paul proceeded to use that example for some spiritual truths. He had laid the spiritual foundation in the lives of individuals. Others built on that foundation. There is only one true foundation; that is Jesus Christ Himself. By telling others the gospel message, Paul had laid this foundation in their lives. 

REFLECT 

Which part do you think God has given you? Are you one who has the privilege of giving the gospel message and laying the foundation; or are you one who builds on what others have done? Both are important and God uses both kinds. 

RESPOND 

Notice the warning not to try to build a spiritual foundation other than the Lord Jesus Christ. With a friend, read Galatians 1:6-9 to see what Paul said about anyone who preached a different gospel than what he was preaching.  

Day 4 

READ 

1 Corinthians 3:12-13 

¹² Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. ¹³ 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. 

Notice the subject in these verses. It is not the one who laid the foundation; it is the one who builds on it. The “judgment day” referred to is also known as the Bēma or “judgment seat of God” (see Romans 14:10). If you are teaching believers, you are building on the foundation someone else has laid. In the analogy, the gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw are symbolic and not strewn around heaven. It is logical to conclude that the fire is symbolic also and not actual. These have to do with quality, not quantity, of one’s spiritual work. 

REFLECT 

Let this Bible passage be a reminder of doing Christian work with the right motives. 

RESPOND 

Talk with a believer about the difference of the quality of one’s ministry in contrast to the quantity of it. Verse 13 in the study refers to whether the work has value. Some translations render it “of what sort it is.” 

Day 5 

READ 

1 Corinthians 3:14-15 

¹⁴ If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ 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. 

This passage reveals the results of testing the quality of the believer’s works. When there is quality there will be a reward. When there is no quality, the loss suffered will be the loss of rewards. Salvation is not in question. All who stand before this judgment are believers in Jesus.  

REFLECT 

Knowing that you do not lose salvation once you’ve put your trust in Jesus should cause you to want to live to please Him in all you do.  

RESPOND 

Talk with a friend about distinguishing between salvation and rewards. Salvation is secure for all who believe in Jesus; rewards depend on how the believer serves Him.