The text assumes three things about believers in Christ. First, we are God’s holy temple, built on the foundation of Christ’s work, and filled with God’s Spirit (3:9–11, 16–17). Second, we are still capable of profound spiritual immaturity, and of living like “people of the flesh” (3:1–4). Third, because the Spirit is at work in us (2:14–15), we are capable of responding with repentance when confronted with our sin. Because of these truths, we neither deny our sin nor despair when it is revealed. Instead, knowing that we belong to Christ (3:23), we are free to take both sin and repentance seriously.

(3) ability for faithful labor comes from our new identity as “God’s temple” (3:16).

The foundation of the church was not the church leaders but Jesus Christ. Each person builds on this foundation. What is built may be something valuable or something worthless. Final evaluation of the value of one’s work will be revealed at the day of judgment. Paul explained the condition for rewards (3:10–17) with appropriate warnings for leaders and followers (3:18–23).

3:16–17. However, a local church (you here is pl.) might come to the point where its structure is so weak that it collapses entirely or exists in name only, that is, it is destroyed. Paul did not want this to happen in Corinth (2 Cor. 11:3, 13). If it did, the false minister would be paid back in kind by God Himself (an application of the OT lex talionis [Gen. 9:6; cf. 2 Cor. 11:15]). The destroyer would be destroyed (Matt. 13:41–42). The words Don’t you know (1 Cor. 3:16) are the first of 10 occurrences of the clause in this letter (cf. 5:6; 6:2–3, 9, 15–16, 19; 9:13, 24; each time it introduces an indisputable statement).

3:16, 17 Here is a severe warning to any who would try to interfere with or destroy the building of the church on the foundation of Christ. See notes on Matt. 18:6, 7.

3:18, 19a deceive himself. See notes on 1:18–25. Those who defile the church and think they can succeed in destroying it by their human wisdom, would be far better to reject that wisdom and accept the foolishness of Christ’s cross.

The church is God’s temple, and the image applies because “God’s Spirit lives in you.” Jesus associated the temple with his body (John 2:19–21), and Paul refers to the church as the “body of Christ,” which is constituted by the Spirit (1 Cor 12:12–13, 27). The reference to the Spirit in 3:16–17 continues what has already been emphasized from 2:4, 6–16 and prepares for further teaching on the Spirit in relation to the church in 6:12–20; 12:1–14:40; and 15:42–49.

Paul is discussing the building of the local church, the temple of God. (In 1 Cor. 6:19–20 the individual believer is God’s temple; but here it is the local assembly that is in view. In Eph. 2:19–22, the whole church is compared to a temple of God.) Paul points out that one day God will judge our labors as related to the local assembly. “The fire will test the quality of each man’s work” (1 Cor. 3:13, NIV).

Paul challenges the church with the fact that they together (note the plural constructions) are the spiritual temple of God, because the Spirit of God dwells in them (Eph 2:22; 1 Peter 2:5). Therefore anyone who builds this temple in a shoddy way deserves the destruction of his doctrine and false testimony described in v. 15. Implicit in this is a warning against any false teachers coming in among the believers.

More pointedly, Paul states (v. 17) that anyone who actually destroys or tends to destroy (i.e., defile or damage) God’s temple will be destroyed by God (cf. Lev 15:31). The reason is clear: God’s temple is holy, sacred, set apart (Isa 28:16; Rev 3:12). God in his justice and holiness cannot allow part of his holy work to be damaged without bringing retribution. Here is a fitting warning to every Christian minister and worker.

All the “you’s” of these two verses are plural; corporately these Christians form one temple. “In you” at the end of verse 16 would be better translated “among you.” Just as Jewish and pagan temples were believed to be the dwelling place of God (or the gods), so also the Christian fellowship is the special place of the Spirit’s presence. That is why the threat of verse 17a is so harsh. Here Paul warns against any who would try to destroy the church. These are clearly different people (potentially some of the patrons or local leaders of the Corinthian factions) from those who used poor building materials in the previous paragraph. Here people are trying to tear down the structure! Understandably, God’s response will significantly differ as well: he “will destroy” (i.e., eternally condemn) them.

3:23 Christ’s … God’s. Knowing that believers belong to Christ and therefore to each other is the greatest incentive for unity in the church (6:17; John 9:9, 10, 21–23; Phil. 2:1–4).

The conclusion of the matter is that no Christian is to boast or glory in the wisdom and attainments of men—not even Paul or Apollos. We are not to put our trust in anything human. The reason is that all things—yes, all the blessings of God in the whole universe—belong to the redeemed church. So the ministry of Paul, Apollos, Cephas (Peter), and any other Christian worker belongs to God’s people. Also the kosmos (the world itself), the processes of living and dying, the present and the future—all are to be viewed in relationship to God’s purposes and plans for his redeemed people. So Paul can say, “All things are yours.” Everything is for the believers’ benefit, everything belongs to them.

23 “And you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.” Though all things belong to the Christian, they are not centered in him, for all things actually and finally belong to God. They belong to the Christian, then, as he himself belongs to God through the mediatorship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Christ and the Father are one John 1:1; 10:30), yet Christ was sent by the Father into the world (John 10:36; 17:18) to effect our redemption so that we may “inherit the kingdom” (James 2:5).

The key criterion in evaluating stewards. Stewards must be faithful to the gospel of Jesus, the crucified Messiah and Savior (1:18–2:5; 3:10–11).

4:1. “Stewards” (“those entrusted”—NIV) were often servants, as here, or freedmen. These servants and freedmen were trusted to manage the master’s estate, especially his financial affairs, and had great authority and prestige. Some philosophers saw themselves as stewards or managers of divine truths.

4:2. Because stewards were trusted to handle their masters’ finances, purchasing slaves and goods and making wise investments, it was most important that they be “trustworthy” or “faithful.”

4:3–4. The Old Testament speaks of the day of God’s judgment tribunal as “the day of God.” “Day” sometimes

Paul defines his responsibilities as an apostle by using a word originally referring to a person entrusted with and responsible for his master’s entire household: e.g., buildings, fields, finances, food, other servants, and sometimes even children of the owner. Cf. 1 Pet. 4:10. mysteries of God.“Mystery” is used in the NT to refer to divine revelation previously hidden. See notes on 2:7; Matt. 13:11; Eph. 3:4, 5. Here the word is used in its broadest sense as God’s full revealed truth in the NT (Acts 20:20, 21, 27; 2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16). It was all that truth which Paul had to oversee and dispense as God’s servant and steward.

4:2 faithful. The most essential quality of a servant or steward is obedient loyalty to his master (v. 17; 7:25; cf. Matt. 24:45–51; Col. 1:7; 4:7).

4:1. It follows then that all who minister for Christ are responsible to Him. The word translated servants (hypēretas) differs from that used in 3:5 (diakonoi) and stresses subordination and responsibility to a superior. The secret things of God refers to God’s wisdom, the message of the Cross known only by the Spirit’s revelation (2:7–10).

The NIV translates the second term, oikonomos, as “those entrusted” in 4:1 and “those who have been given a trust” in 4:2. The word denotes one who has authority and responsibility for something such as an administrator or manager of a household.396 The term denotes a person in a position of trust and who is accountable to others.

“ministers of Christ.” The word translated ministers is literally “under-rowers.” It described the slaves who rowed the huge Roman galleys. “We are not the captains of the ship,” said Paul, “but only the galley slaves who are under orders. Now, is one slave greater than another?”

Then Paul explained the image of the steward. A steward is a servant who manages everything for his master, but who himself owns nothing. Joseph was a chief steward in Potiphar’s household (Gen. 39). The church is the “household of faith” (Gal. 6:10), and the ministers are stewards who share God’s wealth with the family (Matt. 13:52). Paul called this spiritual wealth “the mysteries of God.” We met this important word mystery in 1 Corinthians 2:7, so you may want to review it.

There is the servant’s own self-judgment (vv. 3b–4a). Paul knew nothing that was amiss in his life and ministry, but even that did not excuse him. Sometimes we do not really know ourselves. There can be a fine line between a clear conscience and a self-righteous attitude, so we must beware.

Paul’s “therefore” in 1 Corinthians 4:5 alerts us that he is about to make a personal application of the truths just discussed. He closed this section with a threefold rebuke.

First, “you are judging God’s servants at the wrong time” (v. 5). It is when the Lord returns that He will evaluate their lives and ministries, so wait until then. In fact, you cannot see into men’s hearts; you cannot begin to judge their motives. Only God can do that. “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7).

The Corinthians who were passing judgment on Paul were actually “playing God” and assuming to themselves the privileges that only God has. How often in my own ministry I have made this mistake! How easy it is to misread a situation and misjudge a person.

“Those entrusted with” (oikonomous, “house stewards”) refers to a position often held by a slave (Joseph, Gen 39:2–19), who managed the affairs of the household entrusted to him. “The secret things of God” indicates those mysteries of salvation God has revealed in his Word (Rom 16:25; Eph 1:9; 3:3, 4; 1 Tim 3:16—the things man cannot discover by his human wisdom. (See note on “mystery” under 1 Cor 2:1.) These truths of the cross have been entrusted to Christian workers to be carefully used and guarded. As subordinate servants of Christ, they have no right of authority over those truths, but minister them in Christ’s name to God’s people.

When Christ returns, all believers will have to appear before him, “that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10).

The nature of believers’ rewards remains unspecified here (v. 14b), but in 4:5 it will be described as “praise from God.” One naturally thinks, for example, of the master’s words to the faithful stewards in the parable of the talents: “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21, 23) or of the imagery of Revelation 14:13 in which the good deeds of those who die in the Lord follow them. Such people receive the reward of knowing that they spent substantial time building relationships that would last into eternity.