Paul challenges the Corinthians’ factions, where some declare themselves for Paul and others for Apollos. Paul demonstrates that this feud is artificial. Both he and Apollos served the same purpose, to teach the gospel. Paul brought the Corinthians to initial faith, while Apollos taught them to grow. It was God who caused their growth, and God who deserves the glory. Otherwise, Paul and Apollos are one and the same, since they both serve God’s purpose in their individual obedience, for which they will be rewarded.
In 1 Corinthians 3:5-91 Corinthians 3:5-9 commentary, commentary Paul makes it clear that he and Apollos are both properly viewed as being servants of God rather than being viewed as men to be served. Paul begins this section by asking, What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one (v.5).
The Apostle Paul emphasizes that both he and Apollos are merely instruments used by God. Apollos was a Jewish Christian from Alexandria active in the mid-first century A.D. He was a skillful teacher of the Scriptures (Acts 18:24-28Acts 18:24-28 commentary). By asking the question, What then is Apollos? And what is Paul?, Paul underscores that neither he nor Apollos hold ultimate importance.
Instead, they are simply servants through whom you believed (v. 5). Even though the believers in Corinth are currently championing different human leaders, Paul reminds them that it is the Lord who grants each person’s ministry and effectiveness. Paul is pointing them to Christ rather than to men.
It is notable that this is still an issue for the Corinthians when Paul writes 2 Corinthians. This demonstrates both that a) it is a human tendency to follow people rather than look to God and b) it takes considerable maturity to look past individuals and primarily serve God. We can see this in 2 Corinthians 12:192 Corinthians 12:19 commentary. Paul spent much of the space between 2 Corinthians 10:1 - 12:192 Corinthians 10:1 - 12:19 commentary defending his apostleship by comparing it to other “false apostles” (as he calls them in 2 Corinthians 11:132 Corinthians 11:13 commentary). He repeatedly called this process “foolishness” because it was focused on “me versus them” rather than focusing on Christ. Paul eventually says:
“All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and all for your upbuilding, beloved.” (2 Corinthians 12:192 Corinthians 12:19 commentary)
Even during the process of “boasting” against his apostolic opponents in 2 Corinthians 10-122 Corinthians 10-12 commentary, commentary Paul was doing it in a manner that was “speaking in Christ; and all for your upbuilding” in Christ. Paul’s consistent focus in both his letters to Corinth is to get them to focus on seeking Christ’s approval through the obedience of faith rather than seeking the approval of men (2 Corinthians 5:102 Corinthians 5:10 commentary).
In describing himself and Apollos as servants, Paul dismisses the sense of rivalry that some in Corinth apparently attempted to create. Servants in the biblical context are not owners or masters competing for followers. Rather they are stewards of their Master, who is Christ. Those who are believers in Jesus are consistently called His “servants” (Acts 4:29Acts 4:29 commentary, 16:1716:17 commentary, 2 Corinthians 4:52 Corinthians 4:5 commentary, commentaryPhilippians 1:1Philippians 1:1 commentary, commentaryJohn 18:36John 18:36 commentary, commentaryRevelation 1:1Revelation 1:1 commentary, 3:13:1 commentary, 10:710:7 commentary, 19:519:5 commentary, 22:322:3 commentary). The proper thing for a servant to focus on is to be a faithful steward in serving their master.
Likewise, leaders in the church must see themselves as stewards of a divine calling, not as sources of personal acclaim. Paul will delve into this topic more deeply in Chapter 9 (see for example 1 Corinthians 9:16-171 Corinthians 9:16-17 commentary).
This same attitude extends to all believers: whether one leads in the home, community, or workplace. Faithfulness to God’s calling takes priority over the desire for attention from men. As Paul asserts in Colossians 3:23-24Colossians 3:23-24 commentary, commentary everything we do should be done to please the Lord Christ. This is because ultimately everyone will give an account to Christ for their service, just as the servants in Jesus’s “Parable of the Talents” gave an account for their stewardship (Matthew 25:14-30Matthew 25:14-30 commentary).
Moreover, Paul asserts that God gave opportunity to each one, in this case speaking of Paul and Apollos. As we see in Ephesians 2:10Ephesians 2:10 commentary, commentary it is God who creates a “job description” (so to speak) for each believer. He has assigned good works for them to do, and will equip and empower them to accomplish those deeds.
Since God assigned the works to Paul and Apollos, then their accountability is to God, not to the Corinthians. And as Paul will soon assert, each of the Corinthians should adopt the same mindset. Rather than judging others (in this case whether Paul or Apollos is better to follow) they should be concerned about how they themselves will be judged by Christ at the judgment (1 Corinthians 3:13-141 Corinthians 3:13-14 commentary, commentary2 Corinthians 5:102 Corinthians 5:10 commentary).
Next, Paul notes that his ministry work was in unity with that of Apollos; both were faithful in serving their assigned roles as God’s ministers: I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth (v.6).
They are teammates in accomplishing a shared mission, to plant and cultivate spiritual growth in the believers in Corinth. Paul employs the agricultural image of planting and watering to show that meaningful spiritual work involves multiple roles and stages. Paul founded the Corinthian church by initially bringing them the good news of Jesus. He planted the seed of the gospel in their midst, which sprouted into an initial faith. They were “infants in Christ,” newly born into God’s family as children of God (1 Corinthians 3:11 Corinthians 3:1 commentary).
Then Apollos came later, watering that gospel seed through additional teaching and encouragement with a purpose to facilitate their spiritual growth (Acts 18:27-28Acts 18:27-28 commentary). Paul and Apollos should not be compared because they played different roles. Both were serving a mission as unto the Lord. And both of their goals were to point the Corinthians toward following Christ.
By way of application, we see that believers need ongoing nourishment through teaching, fellowship, and prayer. Yet human diligence is an instrument for the Lord to do the work because God was causing the growth. Believers can accomplish “all things” through Christ who provides the strength (Philippians 4:13Philippians 4:13 commentary).
At the same time, apart from abiding in Christ we can produce nothing of real value (John 15:5John 15:5 commentary). The power source for all spiritual growth is God through Christ. Paul continues this theme by stating, So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth (v.7).
Through this verse, Paul addresses any inclination toward boasting and shifts attention from human leaders to the true source of ministry impact, which is God. If God is the ultimate creator and sustainer of spiritual life, then human vessels are significant only insofar as they remain yielded to Him.
Again, Paul makes the case that there is no basis for following humans; rather each person should follow God. Paul further explains, Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor (v. 8).
Although Paul and Apollos served distinct roles, where one plants and one waters, they are one. This means that they are teammates who share a common purpose. The specific common purpose in this instance is to establish and equip the Corinthian believers to understand and live out their new identity in Christ through a walk of faith in Christ. This means following His commands and believing that His ways are for our best.
Paul will later delve into this topic in detail in Chapter 12. There he will use the metaphor of a “body” that has “many members” but are “one body” which is the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:121 Corinthians 12:12 commentary). Each believer has a spiritual gift. Just as the human body needs each of its members doing its job for the body to function properly, so the body of Christ needs each member to contribute its gifting, for the “common good” (1 Corinthians 12:71 Corinthians 12:7 commentary).
Paul notes that each will receive his own reward according to his own labor (v. 8). In saying this Paul is again asking the Corinthians to stop judging whether Paul or Apollos is best to follow and instead focus on their own faithfulness toward Christ. It is not for them to judge others, but for them to be faithful when they are judged by Christ (1 Corinthians 3:14-151 Corinthians 3:14-15 commentary, commentary2 Corinthians 5:102 Corinthians 5:10 commentary).
The basic nature of conflict is comparative (“I am better than you.”). In this case, the “teams” are the “I follow Apollos” team and the “I follow Paul” team (1 Corinthians 3:41 Corinthians 3:4 commentary). The contention is “One is superior to the other.” Paul has swatted this comparison aside as being utterly useless and spiritually immature. Rather, Paul is asking them to completely shift perspectives. Instead of “How can I show my superiority versus another,” Paul exhorts the Corinthians to ask, “What am I doing that Christ will judge as being the deeds of a faithful steward in the day of His judgement?”
Paul wants the Corinthian believers to stop comparing themselves to others and to instead measure their own faithfulness as stewards of the ministry they have been assigned by Christ. Each believer will receive from Jesus his own reward that will be based on his own labor. This means that:
Believers should prioritize receiving eternal rewards as a motivation for service to God and others in this life (Hebrews 11:6Hebrews 11:6 commentary).
Those rewards will be granted by Jesus based on each person’s own labor. Our labor is simply the actions we take in our daily lives. What we do in our interactions with others will not be judged based on comparisons to others. It will be judged by a standard chosen by Christ:
Jesus asserts that “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required” (Luke 12:48Luke 12:48 commentary).
This tells us that Jesus’s measurement will be based on the degree of faithfulness each believer exercised in stewardship of their gifts.
An exception to this rule is also given by Jesus. He also said that if we want to elevate to a higher standard, we can do so by judging others; Jesus will apply to us whatever measurement we apply to others (Matthew 7:2Matthew 7:2 commentary).
In none of this does Paul question whether these Corinthian believers have been justified in the sight of God. Paul acknowledges that these believers are new creations in Christ, saying For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building (v. 9).
By calling the Corinthians God’s field and God’s building, Paul makes it clear that these are believers in Christ, made one with Christ. This entire letter is written from a premise that all these believers are in Christ and a part of the Body of Christ. To be placed into the body of Christ is a matter of simple faith, apart from deeds (Ephesians 2:8-9Ephesians 2:8-9 commentary, commentaryJohn 3:14-15John 3:14-15 commentary).
The topic at hand is rewards from Jesus for deeds (each will receive his own reward according to his own labor). Believers will not be rewarded for the labor of who they follow. They will not be rewarded for the labor of their parents or children. Rather, each will be rewarded by Jesus according to his own labor.
By calling himself and Apollos fellow workers, Paul affirms their shared accountability and partnership with God. Continuing the agricultural metaphor of planting and watering, Paul likens the Corinthian believers to God’s field. Paul and Apollos are workers in the field that is the group of believers in Corinth who belong to God.
Now Paul introduces a new metaphor he will use to expand the notion of shared ministry, noting that the Corinthians are like God’s building. Paul and Apollos are like a construction crew working on the building that is the assembly of believers in Corinth. But, as we will see, the believers in Corinth are also fellow workers, and they will have a role to also contribute to the building construction by way of their own deeds.
It is likely that Paul is using building metaphors because Corinth was a wealthy city with numerous impressive buildings, including temples to pagan gods. We will also see Paul expand the building metaphor in 1 Corinthians 3:161 Corinthians 3:16 commentary to assert that each believer is a “temple of God” because “the Spirit of God dwells in you.” This further emphasizes that Paul is speaking to a group of people who have believed in Jesus and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
This is an important perspective, because the warnings that follow are sufficiently sobering that believers might be inclined to think “He must be talking to someone who does not believe.” But it is precisely Paul’s intent to shift the Corinthians’ focus from a posture of judging (“Is it better to follow Paul or Apollos?”) to one of being judged (“What will Jesus say of my deeds, and will my deeds endure His judgment fire?”)
In the next section, Paul will focus our attention onto the judgment seat of Christ, where deeds done by believers will face the scrutiny of His judgement fire.
Set to dark mode
1 Corinthians 3:5-9 meaning
In 1 Corinthians 3:5-91 Corinthians 3:5-9 commentary, commentary Paul makes it clear that he and Apollos are both properly viewed as being servants of God rather than being viewed as men to be served. Paul begins this section by asking, What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one (v.5).
The Apostle Paul emphasizes that both he and Apollos are merely instruments used by God. Apollos was a Jewish Christian from Alexandria active in the mid-first century A.D. He was a skillful teacher of the Scriptures (Acts 18:24-28Acts 18:24-28 commentary). By asking the question, What then is Apollos? And what is Paul?, Paul underscores that neither he nor Apollos hold ultimate importance.
Instead, they are simply servants through whom you believed (v. 5). Even though the believers in Corinth are currently championing different human leaders, Paul reminds them that it is the Lord who grants each person’s ministry and effectiveness. Paul is pointing them to Christ rather than to men.
It is notable that this is still an issue for the Corinthians when Paul writes 2 Corinthians. This demonstrates both that a) it is a human tendency to follow people rather than look to God and b) it takes considerable maturity to look past individuals and primarily serve God. We can see this in 2 Corinthians 12:192 Corinthians 12:19 commentary. Paul spent much of the space between 2 Corinthians 10:1 - 12:192 Corinthians 10:1 - 12:19 commentary defending his apostleship by comparing it to other “false apostles” (as he calls them in 2 Corinthians 11:132 Corinthians 11:13 commentary). He repeatedly called this process “foolishness” because it was focused on “me versus them” rather than focusing on Christ. Paul eventually says:
“All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and all for your upbuilding, beloved.”
(2 Corinthians 12:192 Corinthians 12:19 commentary)
Even during the process of “boasting” against his apostolic opponents in 2 Corinthians 10-122 Corinthians 10-12 commentary, commentary Paul was doing it in a manner that was “speaking in Christ; and all for your upbuilding” in Christ. Paul’s consistent focus in both his letters to Corinth is to get them to focus on seeking Christ’s approval through the obedience of faith rather than seeking the approval of men (2 Corinthians 5:102 Corinthians 5:10 commentary).
In describing himself and Apollos as servants, Paul dismisses the sense of rivalry that some in Corinth apparently attempted to create. Servants in the biblical context are not owners or masters competing for followers. Rather they are stewards of their Master, who is Christ. Those who are believers in Jesus are consistently called His “servants” (Acts 4:29Acts 4:29 commentary, 16:1716:17 commentary, 2 Corinthians 4:52 Corinthians 4:5 commentary, commentary Philippians 1:1Philippians 1:1 commentary, commentary John 18:36John 18:36 commentary, commentary Revelation 1:1Revelation 1:1 commentary, 3:13:1 commentary, 10:710:7 commentary, 19:519:5 commentary, 22:322:3 commentary). The proper thing for a servant to focus on is to be a faithful steward in serving their master.
Likewise, leaders in the church must see themselves as stewards of a divine calling, not as sources of personal acclaim. Paul will delve into this topic more deeply in Chapter 9 (see for example 1 Corinthians 9:16-171 Corinthians 9:16-17 commentary).
This same attitude extends to all believers: whether one leads in the home, community, or workplace. Faithfulness to God’s calling takes priority over the desire for attention from men. As Paul asserts in Colossians 3:23-24Colossians 3:23-24 commentary, commentary everything we do should be done to please the Lord Christ. This is because ultimately everyone will give an account to Christ for their service, just as the servants in Jesus’s “Parable of the Talents” gave an account for their stewardship (Matthew 25:14-30Matthew 25:14-30 commentary).
Moreover, Paul asserts that God gave opportunity to each one, in this case speaking of Paul and Apollos. As we see in Ephesians 2:10Ephesians 2:10 commentary, commentary it is God who creates a “job description” (so to speak) for each believer. He has assigned good works for them to do, and will equip and empower them to accomplish those deeds.
Since God assigned the works to Paul and Apollos, then their accountability is to God, not to the Corinthians. And as Paul will soon assert, each of the Corinthians should adopt the same mindset. Rather than judging others (in this case whether Paul or Apollos is better to follow) they should be concerned about how they themselves will be judged by Christ at the judgment (1 Corinthians 3:13-141 Corinthians 3:13-14 commentary, commentary 2 Corinthians 5:102 Corinthians 5:10 commentary).
Next, Paul notes that his ministry work was in unity with that of Apollos; both were faithful in serving their assigned roles as God’s ministers: I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth (v.6).
They are teammates in accomplishing a shared mission, to plant and cultivate spiritual growth in the believers in Corinth. Paul employs the agricultural image of planting and watering to show that meaningful spiritual work involves multiple roles and stages. Paul founded the Corinthian church by initially bringing them the good news of Jesus. He planted the seed of the gospel in their midst, which sprouted into an initial faith. They were “infants in Christ,” newly born into God’s family as children of God (1 Corinthians 3:11 Corinthians 3:1 commentary).
Then Apollos came later, watering that gospel seed through additional teaching and encouragement with a purpose to facilitate their spiritual growth (Acts 18:27-28Acts 18:27-28 commentary). Paul and Apollos should not be compared because they played different roles. Both were serving a mission as unto the Lord. And both of their goals were to point the Corinthians toward following Christ.
By way of application, we see that believers need ongoing nourishment through teaching, fellowship, and prayer. Yet human diligence is an instrument for the Lord to do the work because God was causing the growth. Believers can accomplish “all things” through Christ who provides the strength (Philippians 4:13Philippians 4:13 commentary).
At the same time, apart from abiding in Christ we can produce nothing of real value (John 15:5John 15:5 commentary). The power source for all spiritual growth is God through Christ. Paul continues this theme by stating, So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth (v.7).
Through this verse, Paul addresses any inclination toward boasting and shifts attention from human leaders to the true source of ministry impact, which is God. If God is the ultimate creator and sustainer of spiritual life, then human vessels are significant only insofar as they remain yielded to Him.
Again, Paul makes the case that there is no basis for following humans; rather each person should follow God. Paul further explains, Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor (v. 8).
Although Paul and Apollos served distinct roles, where one plants and one waters, they are one. This means that they are teammates who share a common purpose. The specific common purpose in this instance is to establish and equip the Corinthian believers to understand and live out their new identity in Christ through a walk of faith in Christ. This means following His commands and believing that His ways are for our best.
Paul will later delve into this topic in detail in Chapter 12. There he will use the metaphor of a “body” that has “many members” but are “one body” which is the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:121 Corinthians 12:12 commentary). Each believer has a spiritual gift. Just as the human body needs each of its members doing its job for the body to function properly, so the body of Christ needs each member to contribute its gifting, for the “common good” (1 Corinthians 12:71 Corinthians 12:7 commentary).
Paul notes that each will receive his own reward according to his own labor (v. 8). In saying this Paul is again asking the Corinthians to stop judging whether Paul or Apollos is best to follow and instead focus on their own faithfulness toward Christ. It is not for them to judge others, but for them to be faithful when they are judged by Christ (1 Corinthians 3:14-151 Corinthians 3:14-15 commentary, commentary 2 Corinthians 5:102 Corinthians 5:10 commentary).
The basic nature of conflict is comparative (“I am better than you.”). In this case, the “teams” are the “I follow Apollos” team and the “I follow Paul” team (1 Corinthians 3:41 Corinthians 3:4 commentary). The contention is “One is superior to the other.” Paul has swatted this comparison aside as being utterly useless and spiritually immature. Rather, Paul is asking them to completely shift perspectives. Instead of “How can I show my superiority versus another,” Paul exhorts the Corinthians to ask, “What am I doing that Christ will judge as being the deeds of a faithful steward in the day of His judgement?”
Paul wants the Corinthian believers to stop comparing themselves to others and to instead measure their own faithfulness as stewards of the ministry they have been assigned by Christ. Each believer will receive from Jesus his own reward that will be based on his own labor. This means that:
In none of this does Paul question whether these Corinthian believers have been justified in the sight of God. Paul acknowledges that these believers are new creations in Christ, saying For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building (v. 9).
By calling the Corinthians God’s field and God’s building, Paul makes it clear that these are believers in Christ, made one with Christ. This entire letter is written from a premise that all these believers are in Christ and a part of the Body of Christ. To be placed into the body of Christ is a matter of simple faith, apart from deeds (Ephesians 2:8-9Ephesians 2:8-9 commentary, commentary John 3:14-15John 3:14-15 commentary).
The topic at hand is rewards from Jesus for deeds (each will receive his own reward according to his own labor). Believers will not be rewarded for the labor of who they follow. They will not be rewarded for the labor of their parents or children. Rather, each will be rewarded by Jesus according to his own labor.
By calling himself and Apollos fellow workers, Paul affirms their shared accountability and partnership with God. Continuing the agricultural metaphor of planting and watering, Paul likens the Corinthian believers to God’s field. Paul and Apollos are workers in the field that is the group of believers in Corinth who belong to God.
Now Paul introduces a new metaphor he will use to expand the notion of shared ministry, noting that the Corinthians are like God’s building. Paul and Apollos are like a construction crew working on the building that is the assembly of believers in Corinth. But, as we will see, the believers in Corinth are also fellow workers, and they will have a role to also contribute to the building construction by way of their own deeds.
It is likely that Paul is using building metaphors because Corinth was a wealthy city with numerous impressive buildings, including temples to pagan gods. We will also see Paul expand the building metaphor in 1 Corinthians 3:161 Corinthians 3:16 commentary to assert that each believer is a “temple of God” because “the Spirit of God dwells in you.” This further emphasizes that Paul is speaking to a group of people who have believed in Jesus and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
This is an important perspective, because the warnings that follow are sufficiently sobering that believers might be inclined to think “He must be talking to someone who does not believe.” But it is precisely Paul’s intent to shift the Corinthians’ focus from a posture of judging (“Is it better to follow Paul or Apollos?”) to one of being judged (“What will Jesus say of my deeds, and will my deeds endure His judgment fire?”)
In the next section, Paul will focus our attention onto the judgment seat of Christ, where deeds done by believers will face the scrutiny of His judgement fire.