Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 3:16-23
From reading 3:18-23 we realize that chapter three is an explanation and continuation of chapters one and two. In the first two chapters of this book, Paul deals with the wisdom of the Corinthians. Because of their philosophical wisdom, they were divisive, and they exalted spiritual giants. In 3:18 Paul refers to those who think themselves to be wise, and in verse 19 he says that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. In the sight of God, Greek wisdom is foolishness. The Lord grasps the wise in their craftiness, and He knows that the reasonings of the wise are vain (v. 20).
First Corinthians 3:17 says, “If anyone destroys the temple of God, God shall destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, which you are.” To destroy the temple of God is to ruin, corrupt, defile, or mar it. To destroy the temple of God means to build with the worthless materials of wood, grass, and stubble, as described in verse 12. This refers to some Jewish believers who attempted to build the church with elements of Judaism, and to some Greek believers who endeavored to bring philosophical elements into the building. All this tended to corrupt, ruin, defile, and mar the temple of God, that is, to destroy it. Using any doctrine which differs from the fundamental teachings of the apostles (Acts 2:42), or any ways and efforts that contradict God’s nature, Christ’s redemptive work, and the Spirit’s transforming work is to corrupt, ruin, defile, mar, and destroy the church of God.
The word destroy in verse 17 at least implies the punishment unveiled in verse 15. All those who have corrupted, ruined, defiled, and marred the church of God by their heretical doctrines, divisive teachings, worldly ways, and natural efforts in building will suffer God’s punishment.
In this verse Paul points out that the temple of God is holy. Since the temple of God, the church, is holy, the materials, the ways, and the efforts by which we build it must also be holy and correspond to God’s nature, Christ’s redemption, and the Spirit’s transformation.
We have seen that to build the church with natural things, with wood, grass, and stubble, is to build with our natural makeup, our being, and such evil doings as jealousy, strife, envy, and hatred. With wood, grass, and stubble, there is nothing precious. The interpretation of these figures is not the important matter here; the crucial matter is that we realize that our nature, our being, and our negative doings have no part in the building up of the church. As members of the church, we must participate in the building up of the church. However, we must take heed not to allow the wood, the grass, and stubble — our nature, our being, and our evil doings — to be brought into the church. It is dreadful to inject these things into the church life. We need to have a deep realization of this. We need to see how abominable it is and condemn it.
During the last nineteen hundred years, there has been hardly any real building up of the church. Today the Bible is freely available, and the gospel has been preached in every country. But where is the genuine building up of the church? We must admit that even among us in the Lord’s recovery there is not much building. The reason for this lack is that too much of our nature, being, and doings have been brought into the church life. These elements are germs which damage the church life. However, we may not be enlightened regarding the seriousness of this matter.
Certain saints are strong in their character or peculiar in their way of thinking. Others, however, may regard themselves as common, general, and not strong in any particular way. But according to my experience and observation, such persons are the most natural ones. They may not criticize others and they may adapt to every situation. Nevertheless, they are extremely difficult to deal with. Some of the saints who are unusually nice are like rubber, which cannot be broken. Nothing seems to touch them. No matter how they are treated, they never lose their temper. But automatically these people bring their nature and being into the church life. They regard their nature as good, and others also may appreciate it. Thus, it is unconsciously injected into the church life. But because all this is natural, it cannot be the proper material for the building up of the church. Of course, those who are rough and tough by nature are also not the right material for God’s building.
It is very difficult to find any use for stubble, but certain kinds of wood may be useful and also have a good appearance. Many saints in the Lord’s recovery are like this kind of wood. But not even the wood of a humanity that is naturally good is useful for the building up of the church.
To build the church with natural things is to destroy the temple of God. Many years ago I thought that to destroy the temple of God was to persecute the church. I did not realize that, according to the context, to destroy the church is to build with natural things. For example, would it not mar the New Jerusalem to bring in grass or stubble? Likewise, to inject our natural makeup, our being, or our doings into the church damages the church. Perhaps you have never realized that when you bring your good nature, your good being, and even your good natural deeds into the church life, you ruin and corrupt the church. Of course, if there is jealousy or strife among us, that will also mar and defile the church life.
Those who destroy the church by building with natural things will be punished by God. According to verse 17, those who destroy God’s temple will be destroyed by Him. One aspect of God’s punishment is darkness. It certainly is a serious punishment not to have light and to remain in darkness. If you build the church with natural things, you will be in darkness. God punished Pharaoh with darkness, and He will also use darkness to punish the kingdom of Antichrist (Exo. 10:21-23; Rev. 16:10). This indicates that darkness is a serious punishment. All those who endeavor to bring their nature, being, and doings into the church will be left in darkness.
According to verses 13 through 15, our building work will be tested by fire. If our work remains, we shall receive a reward. But if our work is consumed, we shall suffer loss. I cannot say definitely what this judging fire is. However, in both the Old Testament and the New fire comes from God as a judgment. For example, Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, were judged by fire. In the book of Malachi we are told that the Lord will judge people by fire. In the same principle, fire from God will judge our work. Work that is of gold, silver, and precious stones will pass the test of fire. In fact, the more intense the fire is, the more refined these materials become. However, everything of wood, grass, and stubble will be consumed by fire. Whatever is done according to our nature, being, and natural doings will be burned by fire.
The Lord’s punishment has at least two aspects: darkness and burning. We ourselves may be in darkness, and our work may be burned to ashes. Often I have been in fear and trembling before the Lord, wondering if my work will remain. Many times I have asked myself if my work will pass the test of the Lord’s judging fire. We all should inquire whether our work brings us into the light or keeps us in darkness. Some of those who labored on the mission field can testify that the more they worked, the more they remained in darkness. This is a sign that their work was according to their nature, being, and human doings.
To boast in spiritual giants is also to destroy the temple of God, the church. To do this is to be in the flesh and to walk according to men (3:3-4). Thus, we must be careful not to have preferences in elders, co-workers, or in brothers and sisters. Along with learning not to bring our nature, being, and doings into the church, we must also learn not to have preferences for any persons. If we exalt a certain person, we shall mar, defile, destroy, the temple of God, and we shall suffer God’s punishment.
In verse 18 Paul says, “Let no one deceive himself: if anyone among you thinks himself to be wise in this age, let him become foolish that he may become wise.” Both the Judaizing believers and the philosophizing Greek believers deceived themselves by bringing the elements of Judaism and Greek philosophy into the building up of the church. The apostle’s thought here centers mainly on those Greek believers who highly esteemed the wisdom of their philosophy (1:22).
To boast in spiritual giants is also to think ourselves to be wise and thus to be self-deceived. Those who exalt a certain person regard themselves as wiser than others. The ones who exercise their philosophical mind are those who exalt others. To think ourselves more clever than others and to exalt certain persons is to be self-deceived. Exalting spiritual giants not only destroys the church; it also causes us to be self-deceived. According to the context of verse 18, deceiving ourselves is related to exalting man. Nevertheless, many think that there is nothing wrong with exalting others. For example, someone may say, “Brother So-and-so is one of the best elders. I like him, and I am for him.” This may sound harmless, but it is actually damaging to the church. In the Lord’s recovery there must not be the exalting of any person.
In verse 18 Paul charges the one who thinks himself to be wise in this age to become foolish that he may become wise. To become foolish here is to forsake the wisdom of philosophy and receive the simple word concerning Christ and His cross (1:21, 23). To become wise is to take the wisdom of God in making Christ everything to us (1:24, 30; 2:6-8).
Although it is easy to become wise and difficult to become foolish, everyone in the Lord’s recovery must learn to become foolish in the sense in which Paul speaks in verse 18. Actually all believers today are “Greeks,” for we are philosophical in our own way. Thus, we need to become foolish in order that we may become wise. The more foolish we become in the proper sense, the more enjoyment we shall have. But the more we become wise in a philosophical way, the less enjoyment we shall have. Furthermore, the growth in life in the churches depends on this. If we are all willing to become foolish, we shall experience much progress in the growth in life.
In the church life it is necessary that we learn to become foolish that we may have God’s wisdom. Then God’s revelation will come to us. Those who receive the most revelation from God are those who have learned to become foolish. As a result, they have God’s wisdom.
In verses 21 and 22 Paul says, “All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours.” All things, including the world and even death, are ours and work good for us (Rom. 8:28). The Corinthian believers said they were of Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas (1:12), but Paul says he, Apollos, and Cephas are of them; all are theirs. They are the church, and all these things are for the church. Furthermore, the church is for Christ, and Christ is for God.
According to these verses, not only the spiritual giants are for us, but all things, including negative things such as the world and death, are for us. This means that even the world and death can work good for us. Have you ever realized that the negative condition of the church in your locality is yours and that it works good for you? Some saints may say, “The situation of my local church is not good. I am thinking of moving to a place where the condition of the church is better.” However, those who are dissatisfied with a certain local church and move to another place do not experience the growth in life as a result. We all must see that the condition of the church in our locality, like death, is ours, and is for us. Truly all things are for us.
As you read 1 Corinthians 3, you may wonder why Paul concludes the chapter in this way. After speaking of wisdom and the exalting of spiritual giants, he concludes by saying that all things are ours, that we are Christ’s, and that Christ is God’s. Here Paul seems to be saying, “You Corinthian believers exercise your Greek culture, wisdom, and philosophy. According to your wisdom, you have preferences and choices. You have preferences in persons, doctrines, and practices. These preferences are all related to your wisdom, to your philosophical way of thinking. But I want you to know that all things, whether good or evil, and all persons are used by God to perfect you. Even the world and death are means used by God to work good for you. All things are your servants for your perfection.”
I would like to speak a comforting and encouraging word to all the saints in the Lord’s recovery. Do not feel that the church in your locality is not the right place for you. Even if the condition of your church is poor, God still uses that church to perfect you. He uses a church which does not satisfy you to work good for you. This means that you need this kind of church. When I was in China, many saints regarded the church in Shanghai as excellent and wanted to move to that city. But those who went there were disappointed. Many who had never been to Shanghai thought that the church there was wonderful. But some of those in the church in Shanghai were unhappy with the church there. This illustrates the fact that we should not move to another locality in order to be in a place which we imagine is better than the church in our locality. No matter where you may be, the church is yours, and God uses that church to perfect you. God used the church in Shanghai to perfect the saints in Shanghai. Those in that locality needed that church. However, those who lived elsewhere needed the church in their own locality.
God uses everything to perfect us. Hence, all things are for us, we are for Christ, and Christ is for God. God uses everything to perfect us so that we may be the living Body of Christ. Therefore, we are the Body for Christ, and Christ is the expression of God. Thus, Christ is for God. God is expressed through Christ, Christ is expressed through us, and we are perfected through all things. If we see this, we shall not complain or have any preference, choice, or selection. Furthermore, we shall be content to receive all that God ordains for us. If God ordains a difficult church life for you, you should accept it and praise Him for it. God may ordain a difficult husband or wife. He may even ordain death. But even a difficult spouse or death itself is for us and is used to perfect us. Therefore, we need to receive what God has ordained and acknowledge that it is being used by Him to perfect us.
As an elderly person, I have passed through a great many things in my lifetime. I can truly testify that all things are mine and that God uses them all to perfect me. Because God uses all things, I find it very difficult to say who would make the best wife for a certain brother or the best husband for a certain sister. Likewise, I do not know who would be the best co-worker. The Lord has brought me to the point where I do not consider which co-workers are good and which are not so profitable, for I realize that they all work good for me. Even those whom I may regard as the worst may be used to perfect me the most. How blessed we are to be perfected by all things! Oh, how good it is to see that all things are for us!
Since all things are ours and work for us, we should not be so foolish as to have personal preferences and choices. We are for Christ, and Christ is for God. God is manifested through Christ, Christ is expressed through us, and we are perfected by all things. Every thing, every person, and every situation is ours. God is sovereign, and He is using everything and everyone to perfect those who love Him. As long as you love the Lord, you may have the assurance that He is using everything to perfect you. Therefore, all things are ours for the church, the church is for Christ to be His Body, and Christ is for God to be His expression. This is Paul’s concluding word in 1 Corinthians 3.
In the light of this word, we should not exalt anyone, and we should not have any preferences or choices concerning persons, matters, or things. Rather, we should see that all things, bad as well as good, are for us to perfect us so that we may become the Body of Christ, who is the expression of God. This is the proper understanding of Paul’s word that all things are ours, that we are Christ’s, and that Christ is God’s.
