Greetings to all of you, dear brothers and sisters. We continue our series of sermons on the First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. Today we will be speaking from chapter 3, verses 1 to 9.
From the very beginning, already in the first chapter, Paul introduced the first problem of the Corinthian church:
“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, ‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow Cephas,’ or ‘I follow Christ’” (1 Cor. 1:10–12).
The problem lay in divisions within the church based on their favorite preacher or teacher. But the core of the problem was not that someone liked Paul’s teaching more, while someone else liked Apollos’s. That would be harmless, as every person has their own preferences for how they easier understand the truth.
For example, some people better perceive logical arguments, others need illustrative examples, and others need emotional experiences to be convinced. The problem was not that, but that by saying “I follow Paul” or “I follow Apollos,” they were thereby setting themselves above other brothers. They were saying, “We are better than you because we follow this or that teacher.”
Thus, the real problem is human pride and divisions in the body of the church. Unfortunately, this happens today as well. People divide over various teachings — for example, Calvinists or Arminians — not so much because one teaching is closer to the Bible, but because, by associating themselves with a certain group, they exalt themselves over others.
But we shouldn’t limit this only to the question of teachers. What Paul is talking about can be applied to other areas of life. A person can separate themselves from another for any reason — just to feed their pride, not for the sake of truth or holiness. Someone might consider their nation superior to others and thereby humiliate brothers in Christ. Someone might be proud of their wealth or status and look down on those who have less. Others are proud of their intelligence or education and despise simple people. The list goes on endlessly.
My prayer is that the Holy Spirit would convict us if we are in any way separating ourselves from our brothers and sisters, and lead us to repentance.
Carnal Christians
“But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not being merely human?” (1 Cor. 3:1–4).
Notice how sharply Paul expresses himself: “I could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.” Someone might think he is talking about unbelievers, but no — he adds: “infants in Christ.” That is, he is talking about Christians, but those who have not yet grown spiritually and remain like spiritual infants.
In verses 2–4, Paul explains what it means to be a spiritual infant. He says: “I fed you with milk, not solid food.” This is like with an infant — you cannot give them solid food; they simply won’t be able to digest it. What does he mean? This is well-said in the Epistle to the Hebrews:
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Heb. 5:12–14).
From this passage, we see that a sign of spiritual infancy is the inability to distinguish good from evil. If a person does not distinguish what is good from what is bad, they remain a spiritual child. In our context, Paul says: those Christians who do not understand that divisions in the church are evil, that exalting oneself over others is sin — they remain spiritual infants.
Interestingly, in verse 3, Paul names two more signs of spiritual immaturity — jealousy and strife. When there is jealousy and quarreling among believers, it shows that they are behaving in a carnal way, like ordinary people, rather than spiritual ones. This is not praise, but a rebuke.
Moreover, elsewhere Paul says that if a person constantly lives in such works as jealousy and strife and does not repent, then perhaps they are not saved at all:
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:19–21).
Very strict words, aren’t they? But these are not my words — this is written in the Word of God. Paul clearly says: if a person lives in jealousy, strife, and divisions and does not want to part with them, they will not inherit the Kingdom of God. This is a serious warning to each of us.
Now Paul returns to his main thought — that all the division around ministers (Paul, Apollos, and others) is completely senseless if we correctly understand who the servants of God are.
We Are God’s Fellow Workers
“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:5–9).
Paul explains to the Corinthians that all their disputes about ministers are a futile matter. He says: “What is Paul? What is Apollos? We are just servants through whom you believed.” But he immediately adds — “as the Lord assigned to each,” meaning God Himself appointed to each their ministry. Paul did not choose his ministry himself — the Lord assigned it to him. The same applies to each of us: if God has entrusted you to serve someone, to lead a person to Christ — this is not a cause for pride, but a great privilege and responsibility.
Paul shows that the whole work of salvation is not in man, but in God. He says: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” This means that Paul preached, Apollos continued to teach, but only God gives the growth. No minister can boast that they themselves “saved” someone. God uses us as tools, as messengers, but the power of salvation belongs to Him alone.
Imagine a mailman who brings a letter with joyful news. He performed an important job, but he didn’t write the letter — he simply delivered it to the recipient. So it is with us — we simply deliver God’s Word to those whose hearts the Lord has opened. Many people tend to boast that someone repented through them. Sometimes this becomes ridiculous. But in reality, the path to conversion consists of many steps that God Himself prepared in advance. When you look closely, you see — it was God who directed everything and prepared the heart long before repentance.
Therefore, Paul says: we are just servants whom God has entrusted with a certain task. But even if we do something correctly, all the glory belongs to God, because He is the One who gives growth, who gives birth to new life. But so that no minister would be discouraged or feel useless, Paul adds a very important thought: God gives a reward to each according to their labor.
Each Will Receive Their Reward
He says: “Each will receive his wages according to his labor” (1 Cor. 3:8). This does not mean that all will receive the same. God is just, and the reward depends on how faithfully and diligently we serve Him. In many cases, we will not see this reward in this life, but we will certainly receive it in the future one. People often ask, “When will we receive this reward?” We are used to getting paid immediately after work, but spiritual reward is special. It will be given when the Lord returns.
Let’s look at a few verses about rewards:
“If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward” (1 Cor. 3:14).
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).
“Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward” (2 John 8).
Someone might ask, “What are these rewards? Isn’t eternal life everything?” Yes, eternal life is also a gift of God, but it is not everything that God gives you for your diligence. Scripture also speaks of rewards that will be given to faithful servants beyond this gift.
This idea comes directly from Jesus Christ Himself. He told a parable about a man who went away, entrusting his servants with certain talents (or minas) (Luke 19:11-27). The master gave minas to the servants and said, “Engage in business until I come.” When he returned, the first servant brought ten minas of profit, and the master said to him, “Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.” The second brought five minas and received authority over five cities. But the one who hid the mina in a handkerchief lost even what he had.
From this parable, we learn several important truths. First, the reward of faithful servants will be given when the Lord returns. All rewards will be finalized upon the return of the King. Second, the reward is participation in the Kingdom of Christ. Those who were faithful in a little will receive a greater assignment. Third, the one who did not use the opportunities and gifts given by God will lose even what they had.
This is a serious warning: if we do not use our gifts and time for God’s work, we may lose the blessings that God has given us. Dear brothers and sisters, let this word prompt us not to remain infants in Christ but to strive for spiritual maturity. Let’s not spend time on quarrels, jealousy, and divisions — all these are signs of a carnal life.
Paul calls us to grow spiritually, to use everything God has given us — talents, time, opportunities — for His glory. If we spend our lives on empty things, on strife and jealousy, we will not bring fruit to God. And, as said in the parable, we might even lose the little we had. Therefore, let us pray today that the Lord would renew our hearts, strengthen us spiritually, and help us grow in maturity. If there is something you need to repent of — do it today.
And when the Lord returns, may He say to each of us: “Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.” May each of us hear these words.
Amen.