1 Corinthians 3

Laying The Foundation Of The Gospel

Verse 11,  For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Verse 15  If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

The foundation of Christian belief is the base on the gospel, and the atoning work of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. When Jesus uttered these words on the cross “It is finished,” the curse of sin is now broken, and our relationship with His Father is restored. The Apostle in the first two chapters of 1 Corinthians carefully laid out the gospel, and its power in how changes a believer  into a servant of Christ. The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit are working together proclaim the gospel
A pastor friend of mine uttered these words, while you may see a building or person; however, you do not see the foundation. Yet, if the foundation is not laid down properly the building or person would crumble under pressure or duress of a trial, As written in scriptures,” though a righteous man falls seven times, he will get up, but the wicked will stumble into ruin.” KJV Commentary stated these words, “ The foundation is always the least noticed and the most important part of any building. Paul had laid the foundation of the church among them in that he had “begotten (them) through the gospel” furthermore, the commentary states, “If a man’s work remains undamaged by the fire; accordingly, he receives rewards. If a man’s work does not endure, and is consumed in the fire, then he shall “suffer loss.” Everything he has devoted himself to in this life shall be suddenly swept away. As written in the scripture, Do not trust in nobles, in man who cannot save. When his breath leaves him, he returns to the ground; on that day his plans die.” KJV Commentary wrote these words, “Every man’s work shall be made manifest. While it is possible to hide the true quality of one’s service for Christ in this life, there is coming a time when it will be openly displayed for what it is.”
In chapter 2; verse 2, it states, “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and He crucified.” This is the principle of laying down our foundation for the Christian life. This the true foundation!!

Team Work

Verse 6- 7, I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.

When I care for my mother in the latter part of her life, I was part of a team. Our aim was to keep her in her home, and not put into elderly home, for she had no desire to live in an elderly resident. Without the brothers, sisters, and brother and sister in laws it would have been impossible to accomplished this.

The gospel is like that some plant, some water, yet God causes it to grow. When I worked in Interior Landscape for 15 years. I had the abilities identify bugs, putting the right amount of fertilizer in water, how much water the planted needed, and where they thrived and grow the best in the environment that they dwell in, however, I did have the abilities to make th grow only God could accomplish this. Believer Commentary penned these words, we can readily see that the planter and the waterer are really not very important, relatively speaking. They have not the power in themselves to bring forth life.
When Jesus chooses the twelve apostles, they all had different personalities and different gifts. Yet they had one common interests to follow Jesus and preached the gospel. Further the commentary wrote, “ Why then should there be any envy or rivalry among Christian workers? Each should do the work that has been allotted to him and rejoice when the Lord shows His hand in blessing. Teamwork is essential when preaching the gospel!