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Posted by 1 Corinthians on Tuesday, 5 January 2016
1 Corinthians 3:12
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
3:12. In verses 12-17 Paul described three kinds of builders or ministers: the expert (v. 14; cf. v. 10), the unwise (v. 15), and the destructive (v. 17).
The materials used in the building may be interpreted in at least four ways:
(a) The gold, silver, costly stones refer to the enduring quality of the builder’s work; and the wood, hay, or straw suggest work that is temporary and valueless. This view is supported by “work” (v. 13) and “what he has built” (v. 14).
(b) The three expensive materials suggest sound doctrine which the builder “builds” into people’s lives, and the three valueless materials are false doctrines.
(c) The first three materials refer to the worker’s worthy motives, and the other three point to his unworthy motives (cf. 4:5).
(d) The “gold, silver, costly stones” refer to believers who constitute the church (this is supported by similar uses of the metaphor in Eph. 2:22; 2 Tim. 2:20; and 1 Peter 2:5), and the “wood, hay, or straw” represent unregenerate people present in the church (chorton, rendered “hay” in 1 Cor. 3:12, is used of unbelievers in James 1:10, where the NIV renders it “wild flower”).
Excerpt from:
Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-c1985).
The Bible knowledge commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures.
Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
