Chapter summary:
Joseph Benson:
“In this chapter,
(1) The apostle reproves the Corinthians for their carnality and contentions about ministers, 1 Corinthians 3:1-4.
(2) Shows the absurdity of such contentions, since ministers were but mere instruments in God’s hands, who could do nothing effectual toward the salvation of mankind without his aid, and who all unanimously preached Christ as the great foundation of all true religion, and its blessed consequences, 1 Corinthians 3:5-11.
(3) He mentions the different ways men take of building on this foundation, and warns them of the great trial which every man’s work was to undergo, and of the great guilt of destroying, or defiling, God’s church or temple, 1 Corinthians3:12-17.
(4) Shows the vanity of human wisdom in the sight of God, and cautions them against glorying in men, as through Christ, ministers, and all things necessary for their welfare, were by God’s grant made the property of true believers, 1 Corinthians 3:18-23.”
Warren Wiersbe adds: “Paul painted three pictures of the church in this chapter and, using these pictures, pointed out what the ministry is supposed to accomplish. The church is a family and the goal is maturity (1Co 3:1-4). The church is a field and the goal is quantity (1Co 3:5-9). The church is a temple and the goal is quality (1Co 3:9-23).”
The Bible speaks of the carnal Christian, but what is it? Bridge Bible Dictionary explains it well:
“The nature of men and women everywhere is infected by sin from birth. Adam, as the father and head of the human race, rebelled against God and corrupted human nature from the beginning. All human beings, because of their union with Adam, are born with this sinful nature (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12; Romans 7:18).”
“Human nature (the flesh) is directed and controlled by sin, and rebels against God’s law. It is incapable of being reformed and produces all the evil in the world. Like a deadly disease it cannot be cured, and leads only to moral decay and death (Romans 7:5; Romans 8:6-8; Galatians 6:8; Colossians 2:23). The evil results of the flesh affect every part of human life and activity (Galatian 5:19-21; cf. Matthew 7:18).”
1 Corinthians 3:1-4 (WEL) I, brethren, could not speak to you as spiritual [people] but as carnal, as infants in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, not solid food, for up to this point, you were not able to bear it, and you’re still not able. 3 For you are still carnal, since there is envying, strife, and divisions among you. Aren’t you carnal and living by human standards? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you carnal?
V1 I, brethren, could not speak to you as spiritual [people] but as carnal, as infants in Christ.
What is the difference between a spiritual vs a carnal Christian?
The spiritual person is one reading, studying, and living the Christian faith. The Law of Christ is honored and trusting in God’s assisting grace lives it in thoughts, desires, words, and deeds. Compare Psalm 15:1-5. The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is seen as well as their first love is God, His kingdom, and His ways. Compare Revelation 2:4, 1 Timothy 1:5-6, and John 14:15. The wisdom asked for and lived is God’s wisdom (the wisdom from above) as in James 3:17-18.
The carnal Christian is usually the opposite. The wisdom lived here is found in James 3:13-16. The fruit seen in the carnal Christian is found in Galatians 5:19-21.
Comments:
Annotated Bible on Romans 7:1-25: “True Christian experience is to know our full deliverance in Christ and to walk in the Spirit; the experience of a Christian in struggling with the old nature and discovering what is that old nature, the flesh, is put before us in Rom 7:15-24. That we have here a converted person is seen by the fact first of all, that he does not want to do evil, he wants to do good and cannot do it and therefore hates what he does. The carnal nature, the flesh, which is still in a converted person, is thus demonstrated as enslaving him; however, he is no longer a willing slave, but he hates that old thing which has the mastery over him. In hating it and condemning sin, he does the same thing that the law does, for it also condemns sin.”
V2 I have fed you with milk, not solid food, for up to this point, you were not able to bear it, and you’re still not able.
Milk in this context refers to the bare basics of Christianity in Bible study, definitions, basic doctrine, and Christian life.
Warren Wiersbe writes: “It is important that we preach the Gospel to the lost; but it is also important that we interpret the Gospel to the saved. The entire New Testament is an interpretation and application of the Gospel. Paul did not write Romans, for example, to tell the Romans how to be saved — for they were already saints. He wrote to explain to them what was really involved in their salvation. It was an explanation of the “deep things of God” and how they applied to daily life.”
Much of the time, the reason believers do not grow in the faith is laziness. They do not want to take the time to pray, read, and study the Bible, or live out the Christian faith. We must make our Christian life a priority.
V3 For you are still carnal, since there is envying, strife, and divisions among you. Aren’t you carnal and living by human standards?
The proof that many Corinthian Christians are carnal is their life and actions resulting in envy, strife, and division of little cliques.
V4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you carnal?
The little groups are listed here. Who is our favorite teacher? He is the one we will follow and respect.
V21 Therefore, let no one glory in [other] humans, for everything is yours.
Jesus is the head of the church, so we must be followers of Him. See John 12:26, Luke 6:46, and 3 John 1:11.
V22 Whether Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, things to present, or things to come—all are yours.
All these teachers are brethren just like you. Don’t have favorites and ignore the others.
V23 You are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
The most important is Jesus, the head of the church. See Ephesians 1:22 and Colossians 1:18.
We learn:
- We need spiritual food to grow, which means we must read, study, and live according to the rules and principles of the Bible, particularly the New Testament.
- We are all Christ-followers, not followers of some teacher.
Questions:
- Are you growing in your faith?
- Are you following a teacher instead of the Lord Jesus?