1 Corinthians 3:10-15

The context of our passage today is a lengthy discourse that encourages unity over rivalries. Paul has just reminded the church in Corinth that there is no need for them to create division by siding with certain teachers because the teachers all have the same goal in mind: ensuring that gospel fruitfulness occurs through the message they preach. Paul reminded the Corinthians in the previous section that the church is God’s field. He closed verse 9 with another metaphor: the church is also God’s building (1 Corinthians 3:9). The building metaphor is central to Paul’s message in this next section. If the church is a building, then how should that building be built? Paul answers that question and provides us with some helpful insights into how we are to labor rightly in the Church, God’s building.