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NASB | 1 Corinthians 3:12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Corinthians 3:12 But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, |
Bible Question: I was reading 1 Corinthians 3 this morning and wondered how do you build upon Christ ie the foundation? |
Bible Answer: This verse is often used to teach that we "build" good works and holy living onto our salvation in order to earn rewards. This is not what this verse is about. In context, Paul is talking about the Corinthians' allegiance to various church leaders, including himself and Apollos. He's explaining that each leader has a role, and none should be elevated above the others. Paul came to Corinth and laid a foundation, which was the rudimentary teaching about Jesus Christ. Others came, including Apollos, and built on that foundation with additional teaching. Each teacher that comes to the church at Corinth is thus filling the role that God called him to. Ultimately God builds the church into what he wants it to be. So it's not right for the Corinthians to worship those who are sent; they should only worship the Sender. Paul further instructs each teacher to be careful how he builds on the foundation that is already laid by Paul. They can teach false doctrine that will get burned up, or they can teach sound doctrine that will survive. This passage is both a warning against inappropriately elevating people to a position of undeserved worship or praise, and a warning to those in ministry to be careful to stick to sound teaching so that they can't be accused of "destroying the temple of God" and thus lose their reward. So this verse isn't about you building on top of your own salvation, but rather is about how you (if you have this role) carry out your responsibilities in your local church. |