# 1 Cor. 3:11-15: Believers as the Works of God

- Link: https://lordjesuschristreigns.blog/2025/09/16/1-cor-311-15-believers-as-the-works-of-god/
- Published: 2025-09-16T09:00:21-07:00
- Author: LordJesusChristReigns

In this post, I will examine the blessed and holy Apostle Paul’s warning to the 
Corinthians regarding sectarianism and the judgment that believers must undergo 
before entering into final salvation/glorification. My focus will be to show that
the works that Paul had in mind are actually individuals who were led to the Lord
through the ministry of God’s servants.

Here are his inspired words:

“And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual men, **but as to 
fleshly men, as to infants in Christ.** 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,**
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?** For when one says, ‘I 
am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ **are you not mere men?**

“What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even
as the Lord gave to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the
growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but
God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, but each
will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow 
workers; **you are God’s field, God’s building**.

“According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder
I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful
how he builds on it. **For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which 
is laid, which is Jesus Christ.** Now if anyone builds on the foundation** with 
gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident,
for the day will indicate it because it is revealed with fire, and the fire itself
will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on
it remains**, he will receive a reward. If **any man’s work is burned up**, he will
suffer loss, **but he himself will be saved, yet so as _through fire (dia pyros)_**.

“Do you not know that **you are a sanctuary of God** and that the Spirit of God 
dwells in you? **If any man destroys the sanctuary of God, God will destroy him**,
for the sanctuary of God is holy, **and that is what you are**.” 1 Corinthians 3:
1-17

Note how Paul states that believers themselves are God’s very sanctuary, his own
building, a point reiterated elsewhere:

“And He came and preached the good news of peace to you who were far away, and peace
to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to
the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow
citizens with the saints, **and are of God’s household, having been built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets**, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner
stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, is growing into a holy
sanctuary in the Lord, **in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling
of God in the Spirit**.” Ephesians 2:17-22

“Therefore, holy brothers, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle
and High Priest of our confession—Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him,
as Moses also was **in all His house**. For He has been counted worthy of more glory
than Moses, in so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house.
For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Now Moses
was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which
were to be spoken later, but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—**whose
house we are, _IF _we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope**.” Hebrews
3:1-6

“And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice
and precious in the sight of God, **you also, as living stones, are being built 
up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices 
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ**. For this is contained in Scripture: ‘Behold,
I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes upon 
Him will not be put to shame.’ This precious value, then, is for you who believe;
but for those who disbelieve, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, This has become
the chief corner stone,’ and, ‘A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.’ They
stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this stumbling they were
also appointed. **But you are a chosen family, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people for God’s own possession**, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of
Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were
not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but
now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:4-10

These texts show that it is the believers who are God’s building, being the very
stones He uses to construct his house/temple, wherein he dwells/lives by His Holy
Spirit.

It, therefore, seems reasonably sure that the works, which the Apostle states will
go through the fire to be tested, are not the deeds of believers, but the believers
themselves. Paul seems to indicate that ministers will receive a reward, or loss
thereof, depending on the kind of believers their evangelism/ministries have produced.
If any convert turns out to be carnal, sinful, then that individual will be consumed
by the fire of God’s judgment. On the other hand, those believers who strive to 
remain faithful will be purified/cleansed by the fire, not destroyed by it.

This seems to be supported by the holy Apostle, referring to a person being saved
through fire despite churning out converts who proved faithless.

In corroboration of this exegesis, I will cite a few examples where Paul explicitly
refers to converts as his work in the Lord, and that they will be the reason for
his boasting, and the basis for his being crowned on the day when Christ comes to
judge the living and the dead:

“Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? **Are _YOU_
not my work in the Lord?**” 1 Corinthians 9:1

“For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope 
you will understand until the end, just as you also partially did understand us,**
that we are your reason for boasting as you also are ours**, in the day of our Lord
Jesus.” 2 Corinthians 1:13-14

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, so that you will be blameless and
innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse
generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of
life, **so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to boast because I did not
run in vain nor labor in vain**.” Philippians 2:14-16

“Therefore my brothers, loved and longed for, **my joy and crown**, in this way 
stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.” Philippians 4:1

“For who is** our hope or joy or crown of boasting? Is it not even you, before our
Lord Jesus at His coming?** For **you are our glory and joy**.” 1 Thessalonians 
2:19-20

To further substantiate this view, the Old Testament likens individuals to gold,
silver, bronze, iron, and/or dross that God will either destroy or purge on the 
day when he comes to pass judgment upon his people:

“You have rejected all those who stray from Your statutes, for their deceitfulness
is a lie. **You remove all the wicked of the earth like dross**; Therefore, I love
Your testimonies.” Psalm 119:118-119

“‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says Yahweh, ‘**Though your sins are as
scarlet, they will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they will
be like wool**. If you are willing and obey, you will eat the best of the land; 
But if you refuse and rebel, you will be eaten by the sword.’ For the mouth of Yahweh
has spoken. How the faithful city has become a harlot, she who was full of justice!
Righteousness once lodged in her, but now murderers. **Your silver has become dross**,
your drink diluted with water. Your rulers are rebels and companions of thieves;
Everyone loves a bribe and pursues rewards. They do not execute justice for the 
orphan, nor does the widow’s plea come before them. Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of
hosts, The Mighty One of Israel, declares, ‘Ah, I will be comforted concerning My
adversaries, And I will avenge Myself on My enemies. I will also turn My hand against
you, **And will smelt away your dross as with lye And will remove all your alloy**.
Then I will have your judges return as at the first, And your counselors as at the
beginning; Afterwards you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful town.
Zion will be redeemed with justice And her repentant ones with righteousness. But
transgressors and sinners will be broken together, And those who forsake Yahweh 
will come to an end. For you will be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired,
And you will be humiliated because of the gardens which you have chosen. For you
will be like an oak whose leaf withers away Or as a garden that has no water. And
the strong man will become tinder, His work also a spark. Thus they shall both burn
together, And there will be none to quench them.’” Isaiah 1:18-31

“And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, the house of Israel** has
become dross to Me; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace;
they are the dross of silver**. Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “Because all of
you have become dross, therefore, behold, I am going to gather you into the midst
of Jerusalem. **As they gather silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into 
the furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger
and in My wrath, and I will lay you there and melt you. And I will collect you together
and blow on you with the fire of My fury, and you will be melted in the midst of
it. As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it**;
and you will know that I, Yahweh, have poured out My wrath on you.”’” Ezekiel 22:
17-22

“‘Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger
of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,’ says Yahweh of hosts.‘
But who can endure **the day of His coming**? And who can stand when He appears?
F**or He is like a smelter’s fire and like fullers’ soap. And He will sit as a smelter
and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like
gold and silver**, so that they may present to Yahweh offerings in righteousness.
Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to Yahweh as in the ancient
days and as in former years. **Then I will draw near to you for judgment**; and 
I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against
those who swear falsely and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages,
the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the sojourner and do not fear
Me,’ says Yahweh of hosts. ‘For I, Yahweh, do not change; therefore you, O sons 
of Jacob, are not consumed.’” Malachi 3:1-6

The next two cases are rather interesting since the Greek versions employ the same
expression used by Paul:

“Bless our God, O peoples, And make the sound of His praise heard, Who establishes
us among the living And does not allow our feet to stumble. For You have tested 
us, O God; **You have refined us as silver is refined**. You brought us into the
net; You established an oppressive burden upon our loins. You made men ride over
our heads; **We went through fire and through water^((1))**, Yet You brought us 
out into a place of abundance. I shall come into Your house with burnt offerings;
I shall pay You my vows, Which my lips uttered And my mouth spoke when I was in 
distress. I shall offer to You burnt offerings of fat beasts, With the smoke of 
rams; I shall make an offering of bulls with male goats. _Selah_.” Psalm 66:8-15

“For thou, O God, has proved us; **thou hast tried us with fire as silver is tried**.
Thou broughtest us into the snare; thou laidest afflictions on our back. Thou didst
mount men upon our heads; we went **through the fire (_dia pyros_) and water^((1))**;
but thou broughtest us out into [a place of] refreshment.” Psalm 65:10-12 LXX

“‘Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd And against the man, My Associate,’ Declares
Yahweh of hosts. ‘Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will
turn My hand against the little ones. And it will be in all the land,’ Declares 
Yahweh, ‘That two parts in it will be cut off and breathe their last; But the third
will be left in it. **And I will bring the third part through the fire And refine
them as silver is refined And test them as gold is tested**. They will call on My
name, And I will answer them; I will say, “They are My people,” And they will say,“
Yahweh is my God.”’” Zechariah 13:7-9

“And I will bring the third [part] **through the fire (_dia pyros_)**, and I will
try them as silver is tried, and I will prove them as gold is proved: they shall
call upon my name, and I will hear them, and say, This is my people: and they shall
say, The Lord [is] my God.” Zech. 13:9 LXX

Contrast this with the man whom Paul stated will be saved as one that goes through
a fire:

“If any man’s work burn, he shall suffer harm [If any man’s work shall burn, he 
shall suffer impairing]; but he shall be safe, **so nevertheless as _by fire (dia
pyros)_**.” 1 Corinthians 3:15 Wycliffe ([WYC](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+3%3A14-16&version=WYC&ref=answeringislam.blog))

The aforementioned passages make it abundantly clear that the holy Apostle is in
fact teaching that the individual himself will achieve final salvation/glorification
by having to go through fire, which results in the believer being completely purged/
purified from all the stains of his/her sins.

Unless noted otherwise, scriptural references taken from the Legacy Standard Bible(
LSB).

**Endnotes**

**(1)** The Psalmist’s claim that the Lord saved his people through water is echoed
by the NT writers, particularly the blessed Peter who pointed to the flood of Noah
as typifying water baptism:

“For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous,
so that He might bring you to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made
alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits 
now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting 
in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is,
eight persons, **were brought safely through the water (_di’ hydatos_). Corresponding(
_antitypon_) to that, baptism now saves you**—not the removal of dirt from the flesh,
but an appeal of a good conscience to God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities
and powers had been subjected to Him.” 1 Peter 3:18-22

Contrast this with the Greek of the Psalter:

“… we went _through _the fire and_ water _(_dia … hydatos_); but thou broughtest
us out into [a place of] refreshment.” Psalm 65:12b LXX

Hence, the water that God’s people must pass through in order to experience refreshment,
i.e., salvation, is baptism.

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