The target audience of Paul in 1 Corinthians was not a group of non-believers nor beginner Christians. Quite oppositely, they were seemingly “mature” Christians who were ‘filled’ with the Holy Spirit, able to function in spiritual gifts (1:7), and seemingly hungry for teachings of “wisdom” (as seen in their following of Paul, Apollos etc.). In today’s context, we could liken them to people who have attended church for years, or are biblically learned, and even hold positions of ministry in church. However, Paul outrightly calls them “mere infants in Christ” (3:1). …Read More
Why? Because they are still “worldly” (carnal; 3:1) – not living by the Spirit, which is the lifestyle of the Kingdom of God, and behaving just like the world behaves. Today, such a person is a Christian who is deeply entrenched in the world & embracing of worldly wisdom, though they can be actively involved in church. In 3:15, Paul says that such people will only be “as one escaping through the flames”, that is, marginally saved.
However, this is not the main trend of the Gospel. The result of being saved through the Gospel, as exemplified by the Early Church, is that the believer will be able to lay down his life for the Truth, even to the point of being martyred.
Furthermore, the trait of saved believers is that they will become heirs of God (Rom 8:17). “Infants” obviously can never perform the role of the heir if they do not grow up. So if the Church is largely made up of “infants”, it is tantamount to losing the state of being the Church of God. It is not only undesirable, but fatal.
In 1 Cor 3, Paul uses 3 parables to explain how we can confirm the state of being the Church:
Firstly, the Parable of Farming (3:5-9). Just like a farmer would not attribute a good harvest to him sowing the seed well or watering well, so Paul states that it is not the work or ability of human leaders (including himself) that can achieve any results, except “God who makes things grow” (3:6). The church is “God’s field” (3:9), not man’s field. Ministry is not the work of man, but the work of God. The attitude should be one of service (diakonia), not being served. Failing to recognise this would definitely lead to division, comparison, jealousy and rivalry in the church.
Secondly, the Parable of Building (3:10-15). Just like a house without a roof is incomplete, “God’s building” should be completed with the foundation, structure & system intact. It has to be built “by the grace God has given” (3:10) – completely dependent on God’s blueprint & design for every layer. It must also be built on the Truth, not on human ideology or self-made doctrine. One must be careful with what he builds the Church with, because there will be a Day where the true substance of the Church would be revealed, and man will be put to shame (3:15).
Thirdly, the Parable of the Temple (3:16-17). Being God’s Temple (dwelling place) means, first, that people in the church must be set apart as holy; secondly, that God sets His centre of government in the Church, and so the Church will have the power to order national & global history. Needless to say, anyone who dares touch the Church will face dire consequences (3:17).
Thus the Church cannot be run by human/worldly wisdom (3:19) and fail to acknowledge its ownership by Christ (3:21-23). May the essence of the Church be restored in our churches, so that it will leave behind the stage of infancy, and mature to become the heirs of God, possessing ‘all things’ (3:21)
