Purkey's Bible Study Outlines

KEY VERSE: For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11).

INTRODUCTION: In chapters 3 and 4, Paul deals with the ministry of the Gospel and tells us what a minister of the Gospel is and does, and how the church should look upon him and his work. It is sad that we have such extremes today: some churches “deify” their ministers and make gods out of them, while other fellowships “defy” their ministers and refuse to respect them. In these two chapters, the Apostle Paul gives six pictures of Christ’s servants, three in chapter 3 and three in chapter 4. Today, we will study 1 Corinthians chapter 3.

 (1 Corinthians 3:1-5) And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

The word “minister” here is the same word from which we get our word “deacon,” and it means “a servant.” For eighteen months Paul was Christ’s servant in Corinth, feeding people the Word, disciplining them, encouraging them, and helping them win others.

If there were problems in the church, it was not Paul’s fault; it was their fault for being such immature Christians. They were babes in Christ and could not receive the solid meat of the Word, the deeper truths of the Scriptures (Heb. 5:11-14) about the heavenly ministry of Christ as High Priest. He had to feed them with milk like a nurse! Just like little children they argued and divided into cliques, following human leaders. Read James 3:13-4:17 to see why there are wars and divisions in the church.

A true pastor must be a servant. He must have a servant’s mind (Phil. 2) and be willing to put Christ first, others second, and self-last. This is not always easy to do! We must pray for our spiritual leaders, that God will give them grace and strength to be servants to others. 

(1 Corinthians 3:6-9)  I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

Paul now changes the image from that of a family to that of a field; he portrays the minister as a farmer working in the field. The seed is the Word of God (note the Parable of the Sower in Matt. 13:1ff), and the hearts of the people are the different kinds of soil. The local church is a “spiritual garden” where the pastor acts as the gardener (note verse 9—“You are God’s husbandry [God’s garden]”).

INSIGHT: On any farm, many different workers are needed. One prepares the soil; another plants the seed; a third pulls the weeds; and a fourth reaps the harvest. But all of them share in the harvest, and each receives wages. “How foolish of you to compare one worker with another!” says Paul. “We are all working together. I planted the seed by founding the church at Corinth; Apollos came along and watered the seed by his preaching and ministering; but only God can give the harvest. Apollos and I deserve no glory! We are nothing, but God is everything!”

The church was divided over human leaders, but Paul says in verse 8 that the workers are one, united in purpose and heart; therefore the church should also be one. How tragic when Christians compare pastors, evangelists, and Bible teachers in the way the people of the world compare athletes or movie stars! “Laborers together” must always be our motto and motive. We must take care that the soil of our own hearts is not hard and cold and unable to receive the seed of the Word.

(1 Corinthians 3:10-23) According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your's; 22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's; 23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

A. The Wise Builder (1 Corinthians 3:14).

(1 Corinthians 3:14) If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

The local church is compared to a temple or a building, and the pastor is a builder whose responsibility is to keep the materials in the temple at their very best. Paul was the builder God used to lay the foundation at Corinth, and that foundation was Christ as preached in the Gospel. Along came Apollos, who built upon that foundation, and other pastors followed him. “Each one should be careful how he builds” (1 Corinthians 3:10) is Paul’s warning. He then describes three kinds of Christian workers:

1. The first worker uses lasting materials (gold, silver, jewels) and not the cheap, shabby things of the world (wood, hay, stubble). This builder seeks to honor Christ, aiming for quality that will glorify Christ, not quantity that will win the praise of men. Wise builders use the Word, they pray and depend on the Spirit; as a result, their work is lasting. When the fire tries their work in glory, it will stand!

B. The Worldly Builder (1 Corinthians 3:15).

(1 Corinthians 3:15) If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

2. The second builder uses materials that cannot stand the test. This is the Christian worker who is in a hurry to build a crowd, but does not take time to build a church. The materials come from the world—wood, hay, stubble. These workers do not test people’s professions by the Word of God (the Bible) to see if they are truly born again; they merely take them into the church and rejoice in bigger statistics. When this ministry is tested in eternity, it will burn up. The worker will be saved, but there will be no reward. Like Lot, the worker will be saved, as by fire.

C. The Destroyer (1 Corinthians 3:17).

(1 Corinthians 3:17)  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

3. Finally, the destroyer does not build the church but tears it down. The word “defile” in verse 17 really means “destroy.” It takes no talent or intelligence to tear something down; even a child (and the Corinthians were like babies) can destroy something. Sad to say, there are Christian workers whose selfish ministries destroy local churches instead of building them up. God has a severe judgment awaiting them.

Keep in mind that Paul is saying all this to teach the Corinthian Christians (and us)  to love and respect their pastors and to pray for them because they had this tremendous task of building the local church for God’s glory. The Christian who is a “preacher follower” is helping to build with wood, hay, and stubble. The church member who loves the Word of God, obeys the pastor’s teaching of the Word, and seeks to keep the local church at its best spiritually is helping the pastor build with gold, silver, and precious stones. The judgment seat of Christ will reveal that many great churches were not great at all.

INSIGHT: 1 Corinthians 2:5 says “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” Paul warned the Corinthians not to trust in men; now he warns them not to glory in men (1 Corinthians 3: 18-23). Immature Christians love to bask in the light of “great men.” Paul refers to Job 5:13, Psalm 94:11, and in 1 Corinthians 3:19 and 20. Why must we glory in people when, in Jesus Christ, we have all things? If Paul or Apollos was a blessing to them, they should glorify God and not the men. All that we have comes from God, whether it be gifted men and women, the blessings of life, or things yet to come. And, if these blessings come from God, we should give the glory to God and not to men or women.

It is important that new Christians realize their relationship to the local church and the pastor. As members of the family (verses 1-5), we receive the food and grow (see Eph. 4:1-16).

As “plots” in God’s garden (verses 6-9), we receive the seed of the Word of God and bear fruit. As living stones in the temple (verses 10-15, and see 1 Peter 2:4-8), we help the temple grow and be strong for the glory of God. The lives that we live help to determine whether the church is being built with gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay, and stubble. The Christian is not to glorify his pastor, but is to respect him and obey him as he obeys the Lord.

(Hebrews 13:17) Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

1. How we treat other believers (Heb. 6:10; Matt. 10:41-42).

2. How we exercise our authority over others (Heb. 13:17; James 3:1).

3. How we employ our God-given abilities (1 Cor. 12:4, 11; 2 Tim. 1:6; 1 Pet. 4:10).

4. How we use our money (1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; 1 Tim. 6:17-19)’.

5. How we spend our time (Ps. 90:l2; Eph. 5:16; Col. 4:5; 1 Pet. 1:17).

6. How much we suffer for Jesus (Man. 5:11-12: Mark 10:29-30; Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 4:17; 1 Pet. 4:12-13).

7. How we run that particular race which God has chosen for us (1 Cor. 9:24; Phil. 2:16; 3:13-14; Heb. 12:1).

8. How effectively we control the old nature (1 Cor. 9:25-27).

9. How many souls we witness to and win to Christ (Prov. 11:30; Dan. 12:3; 1 Thess. 2:19-20).

10. How we react to temptation (James 1:2-3; Rev. 2:10).

11. How much the doctrine of the Rapture means to us (2 Tim. 4:8-9).

12. How faithful we are to the Word of God and the flock of God (Acts 20:26-28; 2 Tim.4:12; 1 Pet. 5:2-4).

-- Author Unknown

CONCLUSION: What have we learn from our study of 1 Corinthians chapter 3?

First, We Learned About Maturing (1 Corinthians 3:1–4). We never outgrow the nourishing milk of the Word (1 Pet. 2:2), but we cannot grow strong unless we also have the “solid food” (Heb. 5:12–14; Matt. 4:4). You grow by eating and exercising (1 Tim. 4:6–8), and it takes both. Age is no guarantee of spiritual maturity.

Second, We Learned About Harvesting (1 Corinthians 3:5–9). Every true believer has a place in the Lord’s harvest, and all are doing His work (John 4:34–38). There must be no competing or comparing, for the Lord alone recognizes the work and gives the reward. It makes no difference who the servant is so long as Jesus Christ is Lord of the harvest.

Third, We Learned About Building (1 Corinthians 3:10–17). Paul writes about the local church and the materials we put into it as we minister (Prov. 2:1–5; 3:13–15). Substituting man’s wisdom for God’s Word means building with perishable materials that God will burn up at the judgment seat of Christ.

Fourth, We Learned About Glorifying God (1 Corinthians 3:18–23). Because the Corinthian believers gloried in human teachers (1 Corinthians 1:12) and human wisdom, they robbed God of the glory that rightly belonged to Him. “Let no one boast in men” is a command, not a suggestion. Give God the glory!

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER:  “If you lack knowledge, go to school. If you lack wisdom, get on your knees! Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is the proper use of knowledge" -- By Vance Havner.