<1 Co 3> 1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. ² I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. ³ You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 

1. Three kinds of people.

1) The “Natural Man” <1 Co 2:14>.

2) The “Spiritual Man” <1 Co 2:15>.

3) The “In-Between” <1 Co 3:1>.

• A spiritual man who is in between babyhood and adulthood.
• “Already but not yet” state of a Christian.
• Martin Luther: “The saints in being righteous are at the same time sinners.”
• Encouragement to spur Christians toward true righteousness even though we are not there yet.
• Stern warning to those Christians who never grow up.
• Ponder: If they have been worldly, did they truly have the Holy Spirit, were they truly saved?

⁴ For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

⁵ 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. ⁶ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. ⁹ For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.¹⁵ If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

¹⁶ Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? ¹⁷ If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

2. To God, not His servants, be all the glory!

• The human heart is prone to make idols out of secondary agents/causes.
• “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain…” <Ps 127:1>.
• Apart from Jesus we can do nothing <Jn 15:4-5>.

3. Different roles, but one purpose <v8>.

• Co-workers serving the same Master (God) <v9>.
• Co-workers, not competitors.
• Discover each other’s unique gifts then complement them.
• Pursue unity.

4. Our work will be tested and rewarded (or not).

• Reward not given based on success but on faithfulness.
• <v8> “each be rewarded according to their own labor.” 
• <v15> “If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved”.
• Faithful to build on the one right foundation – Christ <v11>.
• Centre our lives on Christ.
• What is the priority of God in our lives? How present or absent is God in our hearts and minds?
• The lack of God-centeredness in human lives is the root problem of our culture. 
• The Church’s mission is to restore God-centeredness and God’s influence in our lives and others’.
  

Reflection

1. When we see the real hard work or successful accomplishments of men or even ourselves, how can we prevent ourselves from giving glory to men (or self) instead of God?
2. When the quality of your work is tested by fire, do you think you will receive reward or suffer loss?

[Consider: How faithful you are in serving God or living for Him? How are you building your life and the church on the foundation of Christ (how Christ-centred are you?)]