In the bustling city of Corinth, a vibrant and diverse community of believers had gathered, united by their faith in Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul, having spent considerable time among them, had planted the seeds of the gospel, nurturing their young faith with the truth of God’s Word. Yet, as time passed, divisions began to emerge within the church. Some claimed allegiance to Paul, others to Apollos, and still others to Peter. These factions threatened to fracture the unity of the body of Christ, and word of their quarrels reached Paul, who was deeply grieved by the news.
From afar, Paul penned a letter to the Corinthians, his heart heavy yet filled with love and concern. He began by addressing them as brothers and sisters, reminding them of their shared identity in Christ. “Brothers and sisters,” he wrote, “I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready, for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?”
Paul’s words were sharp but necessary, cutting through the pride and division that had taken root. He reminded them that he and Apollos were merely servants, instruments through whom they had come to believe. “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”
The imagery of planting and watering was vivid, evoking the image of a lush garden tended by diligent hands. Paul was the one who had first sown the seeds of the gospel in Corinth, breaking up the hard soil of their hearts and planting the truth of Christ’s death and resurrection. Apollos, a gifted teacher and eloquent speaker, had come afterward, watering the seeds with his teachings and encouraging the young believers in their faith. Yet, it was God alone who caused the seeds to sprout, grow, and bear fruit. The Corinthians had lost sight of this truth, elevating human leaders above the divine Gardener.
Paul continued, “The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” The metaphor shifted from a garden to a construction site, emphasizing the collaborative nature of their work. Paul and Apollos were not rivals but partners, laboring side by side to build up the church. Yet, the foundation had already been laid—Jesus Christ himself. “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Paul’s words carried a solemn warning. The quality of each person’s work would be tested on the day of judgment, when the fire of God’s refining presence would reveal its true worth. “If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”
The imagery of fire was both awe-inspiring and terrifying. It spoke of God’s holiness and the ultimate accountability of every believer. The Corinthians were reminded that their labor in the church was not for their own glory but for God’s. They were to build with materials that would endure—gold, silver, and costly stones—symbolizing acts of love, faithfulness, and obedience. Wood, hay, and straw, on the other hand, represented selfish ambition, division, and worldly wisdom, which would be consumed in the fire.
Paul then turned his attention to the temple of God, a sacred metaphor for the church. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.” The weight of these words was immense. The church was not a mere human institution but the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. To sow division and strife was to defile this holy temple, an offense that carried severe consequences.
In closing, Paul urged the Corinthians to embrace humility and wisdom. “Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become ‘fools’ so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.” The wisdom of the world exalted human leaders and pitted them against one another, but the wisdom of God exalted Christ and united his people. Paul reminded them that all things were theirs—whether Paul, Apollos, Peter, the world, life, death, the present, or the future—all were theirs because they belonged to Christ, and Christ belonged to God.
The letter was a call to repentance and renewal, a plea for the Corinthians to set aside their divisions and return to the unity of the Spirit. It was a reminder that their faith was not built on human wisdom or strength but on the unshakable foundation of Jesus Christ. And as they read Paul’s words, the believers in Corinth were challenged to examine their hearts, to build with enduring materials, and to honor the sacred temple of God’s presence among them.
