RSV ~ 1 Corinthians 3 Notes

1 Cor 3:1 | ISB Notes

men of the flesh: Immature Christians who possess the Spirit but are enslaved to worldly ways of thinking. The “jealousy and strife” (3:3) exhibited in Corinth was proof that many of them were spiritual infants. Real Christian maturity produces the fruits of love and unity (Gal 5:22-23; Col 3:12-15).

1 Cor 3:5-23 | ISB Notes

Paul stresses that success in ministry is primarily the work of God. Teachers of the flock must recognize that (1) God alone gives life and growth to the Church and that (2) God will test the work of every laborer on the Day of Judgment. Consequently, the faithful must not overestimate the importance of their teachers but see them as “[s]ervants” (3:5) and “fellow workers” (3:9) of the Lord. Paul illustrates this with two analogies, one agricultural (3:5-9; CCC 755) and one architectural (3:10-17; CCC 756).

1 Cor 3:6 | ISB Notes

I planted, Apollos watered: Paul first established the Church at Corinth (Acts 18:1-17), while Apollos came afterward to foster the spiritual growth of the community (Acts 18:24-19:1).

1 Cor 3:10 | ISB Notes

skilled master builder: Or “wise architect”. Paul laid the foundation of the Church in numerous cities by evangelization, leaving it to subsequent leaders to build up the congregations in faith and love (Rom 15:19-20). For him, the only stable foundation to build upon is the gospel of Christ (1 Cor 3:11). • Architects in the OT were endowed by the Spirit with the wisdom and technical skills necessary to build the wilderness Tabernacle (Ex 35:30-33) and the Jerusalem Temple (1 Kings 4:29; 7:13-14). King Solomon, in particular, was a wise architect who laid the foundation of the Temple (1 Kings 5:17-18) and imparted his wisdom to Israel and the nations alike (1 Kings 10:24; Prov 1:1-2). Paul views himself as a spiritual Solomon who oversees the building of another Temple, the Church, and proclaims the greater wisdom of the gospel to “Gentiles” and the “sons of Israel” (Acts 9:15).

1 Cor 3:12 | ISB Notes

Now if any one builds: Spiritual leaders are like artisans commissioned to build believers into the Temple of God (3:16-17). The quality of their workmanship is portrayed by a list of building materials ranging from the most valuable to the least—the first three (gold, silver, stones) are expensive and durable, while the second three (wood, hay, straw) are cheap and flammable. The fiery Day of Judgment will reveal whether they have labored diligently or carelessly, since all substandard work will be consumed in the flames of divine scrutiny (3:15). Although Paul is speaking directly to ministers of the gospel, his words apply to all Christians inasmuch as all are called to “build up” the Church in love (14:4; Eph 4:11-16; 1 Thess 5:11; CCC 2045). • Paul’s list of building supplies is similar to those given in the OT for building the Tabernacle (Ex 31:2-5) and the Temple (1 Chron 29:2). Hay and stubble, however, are absent from these lists—a fact that accentuates their unworthiness as structural materials.

1 Cor 3:14 | ISB Notes

reward: The same Greek term is translated “wages” in 3:8. It refers to spiritual compensation for apostolic work. • In the back of Paul’s mind stands King Solomon, who contracted the laborers of Hiram of Tyre to receive “wages” for building the Jerusalem Temple under his supervision (1 Kings 5:5-6). See note on 1 Cor 3:10.

1 Cor 3:15 | ISB Notes

as through fire: Some Christian workers, whose 5 efforts are shabby and imperfect, will pass through God’s fiery judgment like a man who barely escapes a burning building with his life. This prelude to salvation will involve painful spiritual consequences, which, though severe, will spare them eternal damnation. • The OT often depicts fire as a testing and refining agent (Sir 2:5; Is 4:4; 6:6-7; Zech 13:9; Mal 3:2-3). • Catholic tradition interprets Paul’s teaching in the light of Purgatory, a doctrine defined at the Councils of Lyon II (1274), Florence (1439), and Trent (1563). Purgatory is a final stage of purification for those who are destined for heaven but depart from this life still burdened with venial sins or with an unpaid debt of temporal punishment incurred from past sins (i.e., mortal sins already forgiven but imperfectly repented of). Passing through fire is thus a spiritual process where souls are purged of residual selfishness and refined in God’s love (CCC 1030-32).

1 Cor 3:16 | ISB Notes

you are God’s temple: The Temple in Jerusalem was still standing when this verse was written (A.D. 56). In Paul’s mind the stone sanctuary of the Old Covenant had been replaced by the living body of Christ in the New.

He viewed this mystery in three dimensions: the body of every individual Christian is a temple (6:19); the body of every local Church is a temple (3:17); and the body of the universal Church is a temple (Eph 2:19-22).

1 Cor 3:17 | ISB Notes

If any one destroys: The final scenario outlined in Paul’s building metaphor: careful builders will receive a heavenly reward (3:14); careless builders will pass through purging fires on their way to salvation (3:15); and destructive workers will themselves be destroyed (3:17).

1 Cor 3:19-20 | ISB Notes

Paul quotes Job 5:13 and Ps 94:11 to caution those who think they are wise. • The first passage is spoken by Job’s friend Eliphaz, who says that while God lifts up the lowly, he also frustrates the proud and ensures that their arrogant schemes fall apart. The second is a plea for Yahweh to chasten the proud who think that their wickedness goes unnoticed by the Lord.