1 Corinthians 3
by Pastor David Groendyk

Paul comes back to the topic that he left off from in 1:10–17, the divisions that are wreaking havoc in the church. He’s going to explain now what godly wisdom looks like applied to this situation.

The Corinthian church surely has many, many problems in it. They’re famous for it. But only one of their problems causes Paul to call them “infants in Christ,” “merely human,” and “people of the flesh” rather than “spiritual people”—jealousy and strife caused by following human leaders (vv. 1–4). It’s not that they were following wicked men or listening to people they shouldn’t have been listening to. No, they were boasting about their favorite Christian leaders, and boasting so much that it caused splits! Personally speaking, I’ve got my own favorite theologians—Kevin DeYoung, Dale Ralph Davis, Ligon Duncan, just to name a few—and I’ve had other certain preachers and pastors who were instrumental in my growth as a Christian. But boasting in these men at the expense of creating divisions and factions and wars in the church would be ungodly, no matter how holy or smart that man might be. The way the church in Corinth boasts in their human leaders and champion them at all costs is a worldly way of thinking and not something that comes from the Holy Spirit.

One of the reasons that it’s foolish to follow the “party of Apollos” or the “party of Paul” or any other man’s party is because all people are instruments in the hands of God (vv. 5–7). It makes no sense fawning over the cello at a Yo-Yo Ma concert or praising the basketball after LeBron James plays a great game. God is the one who causes people and churches to grow, not humans. We’ve all heard of examples of churches crumbling when they lose their pastor. One that comes to mind is the Mars Hill Church network which disbanded and dissolved after Mark Driscoll’s immoral behavior was exposed and he resigned. Churches like that boast too much in their human leader’s power and wisdom and influence, and they forget that the church belongs to God and that it is God’s power alone that grows the church.

How do we know if we’ve fallen into the same traps as the Corinthians? One diagnostic question might be, Have your favorite leaders supplanted Christ as the most important leader you follow? Are you abandoning or rejecting relationships with genuine believers because you follow different human leaders? Which is more important to you—the common bond you have in Christ or the differences you have in your parties? Be careful that your foundation is Christ, not Apollos or Paul (v. 11).

But it is also possible to have Jesus Christ as your foundation but build on top of it that which will be burned away at the judgment (vv. 12–15). How do you know if you’re building on the foundation of Christ with gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay, and straw? Take some cues from what Paul has said in 1 Corinthians 1:18–2:16. Do your leaders boast in the cross and its weakness and folly? Do they lead you to sanctification? Do they cause you to boast in Christ or are you boasting in a person?

Paul’s final words in verses 21–22 are a good summation: let no one boast in men, because you belong to God, and because he’s given you everything in Christ.