Co-Workers In Christ

1 Corinthians 3: 1-9 (February 13, 2011)

1) The Text

And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, 3for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? 4For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely human?

5What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. 9For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.

2) The Context

In last week’s passage, Paul indicated that there was more wisdom from God to be had beyond merely the word of the cross. Such wisdom is spoken "among the mature." The implication there that the Corinthians might not qualify as "mature" is explicitly stated here, "I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as to infants in Christ" (3:1).

Paul's description of them as immature, and therefore not capable of receiving the wisdom of God, flies in the face of their own self-assessment as wise people. More than this, however, Paul's assessment undermines their self-understanding as a "Spiritual" people. These Christians take tremendous pride in their Spiritual gifts, as we see in 1 Corinthians 12-14. But those gifts themselves are not being used in keeping with the gospel. Thus, paradoxically, the very use of Spiritual gifts by the Corinthians calls their spirituality into question. Later on, Paul will speak of being a Spiritual person as a function of participating in the life of the resurrected Christ (15:44-49). To be "in Christ" is, by definition, to be a (Holy) Spiritual person.

3) Interpretation

People of the flesh are contrasted against people of the Spirit.

Fleshly people must begin with spiritual milk. The Corinthians wanted to debate and discuss philosophy of deeper theological points than they were ready for. They still didn't understand the basic truths of grace and holiness. Many people today try to dive into theological discussion before they are ready. Sometimes churches forget that new Christians haven't adjusted their way of thinking to their new calling.

People of the flesh are identified by their behavior. Fleshly people are normal. They argue among one another, seek their own rights above the welfare of the Church, and are anxious to follow human leaders with a loyalty that competes with their love for Christ.

Acknowledging Each Other's Labors

In a series of images, Paul proceeds to put his and Apollos' ministries in proper perspective. Different leaders in the church should not be seen as rallying points for competing parties, but as co-workers performing complimentary tasks for the achievement of a common goal.

In 1:21 Paul had contrasted God's wisdom with the world's by saying that God saves by means of the belief that comes when people hear the word of the cross. Now, he urges the Corinthians to see that both he and Apollos are servants through whom the Corinthians have come to such believe (3:5).

Notice how Paul has undermined their efforts to flock to one leader over another. Although worldly wisdom and God's wisdom are antithetical concepts, he places both himself and his purported competitor Apollos on the side of God's wisdom and the gospel. Rather than villainize Apollos, Paul insists that the only way to rightly interpret the work of God in Corinth is to see that both men have been working together, under God, to build the church.

Paul uses two metaphors to help the Corinthians imagine his and Apollos' complimentary ministries. First, in an agricultural metaphor, he depicts himself as the one who scattered the seed and Apollos as the one who cared for it by watering it. But any growth is only from God—which means that God is the only person in that whole interchange who is worthy of allegiance (3:6-7). The imagery shows why all the Corinthians should be allied together under God.

If Paul and Apollos are one, united in their work for and with God (3:8-9), where does that leave the Corinthians? They are the field over which the leaders are working (3:9), or the building they are helping construct (3:9-12). The Corinthians are dependent on both workers, and should not be allying themselves with one against the other.

4) Thought Exercise

How can we be more appreciative of the efforts of our coworkers in Christ?

Are there ways to better integrate these efforts?