Article from the East Main Messenger, dated 5/11/2025.
If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
1 Corinthians 3:14-17
Having compared the church to a “building” (1 Cor. 3:9), specifically “God’s temple” (1 Cor. 3:16-17), Paul then spoke of the materials which are used to construct the spiritual temple which is Christ’s church (1 Cor. 3:12). He did this to basically illustrate the different responses to the preaching of the gospel, a concept also taught by Christ in his parable of the sower (Matt. 13:3-8, 18-23). Christian, what kind of material are you in the construction of God’s temple which is his church? Are you “wood, hay, (or) straw,” easily destroyed by the “fire” of trials, tribulations, or worldly distractions? Or are you “worth your weight” in “gold, silver, (and) precious stones” because you have been continually growing closer to the Lord and striving to bring others to him? As Paul warned, “each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done” (1 Cor. 3:13). Judgment Day will ultimately reveal all, but the fires of this life which are hardships and worldly distractions will also show our true dedication to the Lord.
Verses 14-15, cited above, speak to those of us who bring souls to Christ evangelistically and strive to teach them God’s Word and thus help them grow closer to the Lord. No preacher, teacher, or shepherd of souls exists who has not at times experienced great joy at the baptism of a precious soul with whom they’ve studied and great pride and encouragement as they watch that soul “survive,” i.e., never fall away and instead grow to be more and more like Jesus over the years. This is part of the “reward” they “receive” in this life, with its ultimate completion to come with eternity in heaven (Matt. 25:46).
Sadly, all of us who lead, preach, and teach in the church have also seen some of our work “burned up,” i.e., souls whom we have converted and taught either fall away outright or fail to grow as they should due to worldliness. This indeed causes us to “suffer loss,” i.e., become discouraged and heartbroken. Yes, we ourselves “will (still) be saved,” true. Our eternal destiny is not dependent upon the faithfulness or unfaithfulness of others. However, watching souls we worked hard to bring to Christ fall away from him is part of the “fire” we walk “through” on our own road to heaven. It is part of the trials faced in this life by those within the church who continually strive to bring their fellow man to the Lord.
It is because of the sad fact that some within the church fail to grow spiritually and others fall away completely that Paul gives Christians a serious warning in verses 16-17, cited above. The Calvinistic theory that apostasy is impossible for the saved Christian is proven false by this warning. Even more importantly, this admonition serves to put on notice all of us concerning the kind of influence we give to others (cf. Matt. 13:41-42; 18:6-9).
Christians, remember this. God’s Spirit is with us, both collectively as a church (1 Cor. 3:16-17) and individually as disciples of Christ (1 Cor. 6:19). He is always with us (2 Cor. 6:16; Matt. 28:20). He is always watching us (Heb. 4:13; Job 34:21; Ps. 33:13-15)…as are our brethren, including those who are spiritually younger and weaker than us. They too are watching us, and are extremely likely to follow our example, whether it be good or bad. If we lead them down the path which ultimately ends in hell through unbiblical teaching or ungodly examples shown to them by vulgar language, immodest dress, immoral actions, hot tempers, gossip, selfishness, and the like, we are “destroy(ing) God’s temple” which is the church…and “God will destroy” us in eternity. This is why each of us must strive to always do and say everything with the goal of helping those who watch and hear us get to heaven (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31-33).
–Jon
To read Jon’s series on 1 Corinthians from the beginning and many other articles, visit https://predenominationalchristianity.com.