And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to fleshly men, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are still not able, 3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?
5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to each one. 6 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. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. 1 Corinthians 3: 1-9 LSB
1 Corinthians 3: 1-9
Robert Murray McCheyne was a minister in Scotland in the last century. He was only thirty years old when he died, but he made an enormous spiritual impact on Scotland that still continues. He said, “It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likenesses to Jesus... A man cannot be a faithful minister until he preaches Christ for Christ’s sake, until he gives up striving to attract people to himself, and seeks only to attract them to Christ.” In this chapter we see how Paul embodied this principle. - Precept Austin
Was not able to speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to fleshly men - I will bring this up over and over again as we go through Paul's letter to the Corinthians. Every point that he addresses will be best and most clearly understood in light of this backdrop. The Body of Christ is divided here because of people holding onto carnality.
Could not speak to you as to spiritual men (pneumatikos) - Who are spiritual men in context? "He who is spiritual appraises (anakrino - present tense- continually examines carefully) all things." (1 Cor 2:15+) But these believers were not spiritual men, I like the way Wuest paraphrases it "was not able to speak to you as I would to those dominated by the Holy Spirit." (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission)
MacArthur explains that the Corinthians "had come through the door of faith but had gone no farther. Most of them had received Jesus Christ years earlier but were acting as if they had just been born again....So a Christian is not characterized by sin (THAT IS BY A LIFESTYLE OF SIN); it no longer represents his basic nature. But he is still able to sin, and his sin is just as sinful as the sin of an unbeliever. Sin is sin. When a Christian sins, he is being practically unspiritual, living on the same practical level as an unbeliever. Consequently Paul is compelled to speak to the Corinthian believers much as if they were unbelievers" (See context in 1 CorinthiansCommentary)
It is interesting that a number of commentaries interpret Paul's initial description in 1 Cor 3:1-2 as applying primarily to the Corinthians present immature condition. But if one reads the text carefully, it actually describes Paul's original visit to Corinth, when he gave sinners the pure milk of the Gospel and they became saints (1 Cor 1:2+), born again by the Spirit. He continued to give them milk (for 18 months) which would be expected since they were still spiritual infants, so to speak. Just as newborn babies cannot eat solid food, newborn believers cannot eat solid food. Of course, while 1 Cor 3:1-2 describes a past event, in context, Paul is clearly using their past experience to help them (and us) understand their present spiritual state, some 4-5 years later. - PA
1Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.… Galatians 6: 1-3
1 We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.… Romans 15: 1-2
V. 2 Not solid food - This was understandable in the natural succession of their spirituality. You are born again, so you start out as a babe in Christ. You would be given the pure milk of the gospel, the basic doctrines, and continue growing through study and obedience to the Word of God. What had kept them from moving past the point of milk, to the extent that Paul must go back to milk? There is a lot of admonishment going on here, and we would all best pay close attention, for it is easy to confuse oneself as outside of this, because you read a book on doctrine that was 800 pages long, so you think yourself a carnivore. You have a big library, and you think that is the meat to which he refers. There are others who "feel" spiritual and think that their meat is a host of wondrous, rapturous moments they experience caught up in their own high thoughts or while singing or dancing or being entertained. The Corinthians will even confuse the lesser gifts for a sign of spiritual maturity.
11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food! 13For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.… Hebrews 5: 11-13
V. 3 For you are still fleshly - My dad and many others love this passage for the idea of the carnal Christian, since Paul addresses them generally as brothers but also as carnal. In those sort of circles they stop short of the gist though, that Paul is correcting them, calling them out of infancy, for those who need to mature, but will also have them send the unrepentant away, in the hopes of their being broken and returning in repentance. Others will leave churches because they were never regenerate at all, but that is not always quickly apparent. The reason why they could not take solid food was because they were still fleshly.
18Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us. 20You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.… 1 John 2: 18-20
V. 3b For since there is jealousy and strife among you - What does your fleshliness look like? What is keeping you from growing, from maturing spiritually. Jealousy, and that comes from selfishness, even some of the greatest men have experienced it. The cure is to take your eyes off yourself. Quit praying only for things and start praying for change when it comes to you, not stuff that you think will make you feel happy, but pray for eyes that move away from you and onto Christ. Start praying more for others. Will a godly man or woman ever feel jealous? Absolutely, but look at this story and see how a godly man comes to meet it.
F. B. Meyer said when the young fellow came and the crowds began to throng and the crowds began to jam into buildings and they couldn't get a building big enough to hear him preach, he said, "My heart was filled with that old green-eyed monster, jealousy and envy. Here I am preaching in London on a pulpit in my throne, and I've been here these years and years."
F. B. Meyer: "the throngs are going to hear Charles Haddon Spurgeon, that young man, and I was filled with envy and jealousy;” and F. B. Meyer said, "I got down on my knees, and I said, oh, Lord God, I can't be this way. Take it out of my heart. Take it out of my soul.
"And oh, God bless that young fellow, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, that young fellow who's just come to our city, and may he have bigger crowds and may God bless him with greater power and may God give him greater fame and greater influence." And F. B. Meyer said, as I read it, F. B. Meyer says, "it wasn't long until every triumph of that young man I began to receive as though I had done it myself.
And I rejoiced in the throngs, and I rejoiced in his fame, and I rejoiced in his power and I rejoiced in God's favor upon him.” That is true and godly love. As Jonathan rejoiced and the king will be not Jonathan but David, but David.
An unselfish love—not I, but you, not for me but for you, not what I want but what you want, not what pleases me but what pleases you, and his soul was knit with David, and he loved him as he loved his own soul.
Strife is from the same place, from having your eyes on yourself and wanting others eyes on you, or wanting them to see you a certain way. Selfishness needs to have everything it's own way, and it is willing to die on hills so low they can barely be discerned.
V. 4 I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos - Look how important this point is, how prominent a place the Apostle gives it. He is back to the first chapter of his letter. If the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to repeat himself here then maybe it's for a reason. Maybe God knew the Corinthians didn't quite hear it the first time, but here it is, in the place of prominence that repetition provides. Remember the answer then? Get back to Christ. He didn't need you, so where did all this self importance come from? Where is your joy, your astonishment at His grace, why is the testimony of your church that goes out into the world that you are contentious and immature? Here is the setting again, the context for all that follows.
…11My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: Individuals among you are saying, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?… 1 Corinthians 1: 11-13
Vs. 5-9 He who plants and he who waters are one - So what are you fighting for? Both jobs were necessary, but God could raise planters and waterers out of the rocks, so why are you strutting the yard? We are so vain, people who don't make themselves yet need to be recognized for everything. It is the Spirit Who brings life, Who causes growth. That God brings us into His work is all part of the same grace that saved us, completely unmerited.
Now he who plants (present tense = continually - ministry is NOT "one and done!") and he who waters (present tense = continually) are one - He who plants is Paul's self-description, for it was his proclamation (casting out) of the "seed" of the Word, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which the Holy Spirit used to birth the Corinthians into the Kingdom of God (cf Jn 3:3+) and in effect plant the Church in Corinth. There was an interdependence (mutual dependence) in the ministries of Paul and Apollos. Farmers plant and there is a drought the crops fail. Paul says there was no "water" shortage here. So both men were needed and neither deserved to be lauded over the other. He who waters alludes to Apollos who followed up Paul's ministry in Corinth with his eloquent teaching, viewed here as his dispensing the "water of the Word." (cf Eph 5:26+). The point of oneness is that there was harmony, not competition. Does that describe your ministry beloved? Or are you jealous of how big the other fellow's church is, etc? One is the Greek word heis which is the first cardinal numeral and signifies that which is united as one in contrast with being divided or consisting of separate parts. In other words, while Paul and Apollos had different functions (plants, waters), picturing separate and distinct ministries, they were still viewed as a unit and one which functioned synergistically, working together in harmony. If the saints at Corinth would begin to grasp the significance of the oneness of the work/ministries of Paul and Apollos, party bickering would be minimized.
But each will receive his own reward according to his own labor (kopos) - Paul is saying that individual ministries are important and call for faithfulness and hard work. And the reward is proportionate to the labor for each individual. Notice own reward...own labor signifying that the reward will be as we might say today "personalized," or suited to each person's labor. Notice Paul does does not use the Greek word ergon for work, but the word (kopos) which describes labor which is toilsome, wearying and even sorrowful at times (if you are a pastor, you are probably saying "amen" to that statement!). Spirit filled ministry (while being supernaturally energized) involves human responsibility which in turn is associated with trouble and toil (just as Paul is illustrating in the very letter we are reading)!
God rewards on the basis of labor, not success or results.
-- John MacArthur - PA
