Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of 1 Corinthians
Chapter 3: Ye Are the Temple of God
1 Corinthians 3 confronts the Corinthians' pride and party spirit. Paul must feed them 'with milk, and not with meat,' for they are 'yet carnal,' saying 'I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos.' He cuts the ground from under their factions: the preachers are only servants, 'I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase,' and 'we are labourers together with God.' There is but one foundation, 'other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ,' and each man's work will be 'tried' by fire in the day of judgment. Then Paul lifts the church to its true dignity: 'ye are the temple of God, and... the Spirit of God dwelleth in you.' Because all things are theirs in Christ, they must not 'glory in men,' for 'ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.' The chapter shows us the folly of exalting men, the one foundation of the church, the believer as God's indwelt temple, and the whole of it belonging to Christ, who is God's.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians chapter 3. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Paul heals the church's divisions by showing that the preachers are only servants, that Christ is the one foundation, and that the church is the temple of God, indwelt by His Spirit. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Still Carnal
Their party spirit proves they are babes, not spiritual men.
God Gave the Increase
Paul and Apollos are only laborers; God alone gives growth.
Which Is Jesus Christ
No other foundation can be laid; each man's work is tried by fire.
The Spirit of God Dwelleth in You
The church is God's holy temple, indwelt by His own Spirit.
I Have Planted, Apollos Watered; but God Gave the Increase (1 Corinthians 3:1-9)
The Corinthians' factions expose their carnality; the preachers they idolize are only servants through whom God works.
Labourers Together with God
"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building."
Word Study
"labourers together with God," Greek sunergoi (συνεργοί). The word means fellow-workers, those who labor alongside one another in a common task. Paul calls himself and Apollos "labourers together with God", not rivals to be pitted against each other, and not lords over the field, but servants working under the one Master. The glory belongs to God alone, for it is He who "gave the increase"; the planter and the waterer are "one" in purpose and reward nothing without Him. This cuts the root of all party spirit: to say "I am of Paul" or "I am of Apollos" is to exalt a servant and forget the Lord. The ministers are only hands in God's field; the harvest is His. And the church itself is not the property of any preacher but "God's husbandry, God's building", the field He plants and the house He raises. Let no man glory in the servant when the increase is the Lord's.
Explanation
Paul rebukes the Corinthians as "carnal" babes who still need "milk," and their very "envying, and strife, and divisions" prove it. Their factions — "I am of Paul... I am of Apollos" — misunderstand what ministers are: mere servants, "by whom ye believed." He captures it in a farming image: "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." The workers are nothing; God is everything. Ministers are "labourers together with God," and it is folly to idolize the field-hands when the growth belongs to the Lord of the harvest.
Gospel Focus
Paul had longed to feed the Corinthians solid food, but he "could not speak unto" them "as unto spiritual," only "as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ." The proof of their immaturity was not a lack of knowledge or gifts, for they abounded in both, but their "envying, and strife, and divisions." A church can be rich in gifts and still be spiritually infantile, and the surest sign is its factions. "For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?" To rally around human leaders as party banners is not maturity but the mark of those who still "walk as men." Paul dismantles the whole system with a question: "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed?" They are servants, nothing more. "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." The farmer may plant and water, but he cannot make a single seed grow; life comes from God alone. "So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase." The servants are not worth glorying in, for they add nothing the divine power does not supply. Yet they are not worthless: "every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour", God notices and rewards faithful service, even as He denies the servant the glory. And the highest dignity of all belongs to the workers together: "we are labourers together with God." What an honor, to work alongside God in His harvest. The Corinthians were dividing over the field hands while forgetting the Lord of the harvest. So it is whenever the people of God exalt a favorite preacher, a tradition, or a name above Christ. The remedy is to see every true minister as only a servant, and to give all the glory to the God who gives the increase.
Other Foundation Can No Man Lay (1 Corinthians 3:10-17)
Christ is the sole foundation of the church; each builder's work will be tried by fire, and the church itself is God's holy temple.
Ye Are the Temple of God
"According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."
Word Study
"temple," Greek naos (ναός). The word does not mean the whole temple complex but the inner sanctuary, the holy place where God Himself dwelt between the cherubim. Paul says of the church, "ye are the temple of God, and... the Spirit of God dwelleth in you." Under the old covenant the glory filled a house of stone; now the living God has made His dwelling in a people, and the same Spirit who is the Spirit of God takes up residence within them. This is the heart of the Apostolic experience: God does not merely visit His people but indwells them by His Spirit, the promise of the Father poured out at Pentecost and received still by all who obey the gospel (Acts 2:38-39). Notice that "the Spirit of God" is God Himself present, not a separate person alongside Him, just as a man's own spirit is the man himself, not another being beside him. The one God who dwelt in the sanctuary now dwells in flesh-and-blood believers, making them holy; therefore "if any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."
Explanation
Paul, "as a wise masterbuilder," laid the one possible foundation: "other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." But how each believer builds on it matters, for "every man's work shall be made manifest... it shall be revealed by fire." Gold and precious stones survive; wood, hay, and stubble burn — the builder saved, "yet so as by fire," but his shoddy work lost. Then a solemn warning: "ye are the temple of God... if any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy." The church is holy ground, and the way we build in it is weighed.
Gospel Focus
Paul now turns from the field to a building. By "the grace of God," he had come as "a wise masterbuilder" and "laid the foundation" at Corinth, and others built upon it. But there is a solemn warning for every builder: "let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon." The foundation itself is fixed and cannot be replaced: "other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." No church, no ministry, no soul can rest on any other ground; Christ crucified and risen is the one foundation, and any who try to lay another build on sand. Upon that foundation men build with materials of two kinds, "gold, silver, precious stones", work that endures, or "wood, hay, stubble", work that will not last. The test is coming: "the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." At the judgment seat of Christ, the true quality of every man's service will be exposed. If his work abides, "he shall receive a reward"; if it burns, "he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire", saved, but as a man who escapes a burning house with nothing but his life. This is a searching word to every teacher and worker in the church: build carefully, with the enduring gold of God's truth, not the perishable stubble of human wisdom and self-display. Then Paul lifts our eyes to what the church truly is: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" The gathered people of God are His sanctuary, indwelt by His own Spirit. This is a staggering dignity, and it carries a warning: "if any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." To wreck the church by division, false teaching, or corruption is no small thing, for it is God's holy dwelling. The One who fills His people with His Spirit will defend His temple. Build on Christ, build with care, and reverence the church as the holy temple of the indwelling God.
Ye Are Christ's; and Christ Is God's (1 Corinthians 3:18-23)
Worldly wisdom is folly with God; therefore glory in no man, for all things are yours, and ye are Christ's.
Let No Man Glory in Men
"Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's."
Word Study
"glory," Greek kauchaomai (καυχάομαι). The word means to boast, to exult, to make one's proud confidence in something. "Therefore let no man glory in men." The Corinthians were boasting in their favorite teachers, staking their pride and identity on a man's name. Paul forbids it, not because ministers are nothing, but because to boast in a servant is to rob the Master of His glory and to shrink an infinite inheritance down to a single human figure. The believer has no business glorying in men, for "all things are yours", the whole company of God's servants, the world, life, death, the present and the future, all serve the child of God. Why cling to one preacher when all are yours in Christ? Scripture permits only one boast: "he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:31). To glory in men is to trade the Lord of glory for a mere laborer in His field.
Explanation
Paul strikes at the root of the divisions — pride in human wisdom: "if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise," for "the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." So it is absurd to "glory in men," splitting into parties named after teachers. The truth is exactly the reverse of their factionalism: "all things are yours" — Paul, Apollos, the world, life, death — "and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." They were dividing over what already belonged to them all.
Gospel Focus
Paul presses home the lesson against human wisdom. "Let no man deceive himself." The one who "seemeth to be wise in this world" must "become a fool, that he may be wise", he must renounce his proud self-confidence and receive the wisdom of God in the cross, which the world counts folly. "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God," and Paul proves it from Scripture: God "taketh the wise in their own craftiness" (Job 5:13), and again, quoting the Psalms, "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain." The cleverness the world admires is empty before God. "Therefore let no man glory in men." Here Paul reaches the root of the Corinthians' problem, and the cure. They were dividing because they gloried in men; but why boast in a single leader when the whole inheritance of God is theirs? "For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas", the very men they were fighting over belong to them all as gifts, "or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours." The believer in Christ is heir of everything; even life and death and the unknown future serve his good. To split into parties over one teacher is to grasp a pebble while owning the world. And then comes the crowning word, the true order of all things: "And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." The believer belongs to Christ, bought with His blood and ruled by His love; and Christ is God's. This last phrase is not the language of a lesser god under a greater, for there is one God, and Jesus Christ is that one God manifest in flesh. It speaks of the incarnation: the Son, the man Christ Jesus, lived wholly for God and belongs wholly to God, because in Him the one God had come in flesh and was doing the Father's will. As the Son He is God's; as to His eternal deity He is Himself the LORD, "God... manifest in the flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16). So the chain runs upward and holds: we are Christ's, and Christ, in His humanity, is wholly God's, and God is over all. Rest in that order. Do not glory in men, who are only servants; glory in the Lord, to whom you belong, and in whom all things are already yours.
Chapter 3 in Review
1 Corinthians 3 heals a divided church by putting men in their place and God in His. The Corinthians' factions, "I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos," proved them "yet carnal," babes fed on milk. Paul strips the preachers of every claim to glory: "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase," and the servants are only "labourers together with God." There is but one foundation, "which is Jesus Christ," and each man's work will be "tried" by fire in the day of judgment, some abiding for reward, some burned though the man himself is "saved; yet so as by fire." Then Paul names the church's true glory: "ye are the temple of God, and... the Spirit of God dwelleth in you," a holy sanctuary God will defend. Because the world's wisdom is "foolishness with God," no one should "glory in men"; rather, "all things are yours... and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter tears down the pride that splinters the people of God. Ministers are servants, not masters; the increase is God's, and the glory is His alone. The one foundation is Jesus Christ, and every worker must build on Him with care, for the fire of judgment will test the worth of all our labor. The deepest word of the chapter is the church's identity: we are "the temple of God," and "the Spirit of God dwelleth in" us, the one God Himself taking up residence in His people by the Spirit poured out at Pentecost, not a separate person beside Him but His own Spirit within us, making us holy. Reverence that temple; do not defile it with strife. And hold the true order of all things: we belong to Christ, and Christ, the man in whom the fulness of the Godhead dwelt, belongs wholly to God, for Jesus is that one God manifest in flesh. So cease from glorying in men, in whom there is no lasting stay, and glory in the Lord, to whom you belong and in whom all things are yours.
- Division over favorite leaders is a mark of carnality, not maturity (3:3-4).
- Preachers are only servants; "God gave the increase" and gets the glory (3:6-7).
- There is one foundation, Jesus Christ, and no other can be laid (3:11).
- Each believer's work will be tried by fire in the day of judgment (3:13-15).
- The church is "the temple of God," indwelt by His own Spirit (3:16).
- Glory in no man; all things are yours, "and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's" (3:21-23).
Questions for Reflection
- Do you glory in a favorite teacher or tradition more than in the Lord who gives the increase?
- Are you building on Christ with enduring gold, or with the wood and stubble of human wisdom?
- Do you reverence the church, and your own life, as the temple where God's Spirit dwells?
- Have you received the Spirit of God who makes the believer His temple (Acts 2:38-39)?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. Carnal divisions and party spirit: 1 Corinthians 1:11-13; 1 Corinthians 3:3-4; Galatians 5:19-21. God gives the increase: 1 Corinthians 3:6-7; Psalm 127:1; John 15:5. The one foundation, Jesus Christ: 1 Corinthians 3:11; Isaiah 28:16; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6. The work tried by fire and the judgment seat: 1 Corinthians 3:13-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5. The believer as the temple of God, indwelt by His Spirit: 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 2:21-22; Acts 2:38-39. Christ is God's, God manifest in flesh: 1 Corinthians 3:23; 1 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 3:16; Colossians 2:9. Glory only in the Lord: 1 Corinthians 3:21; 1 Corinthians 1:31; Jeremiah 9:23-24. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Only servants; God gives the increase: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; John 15:5; Psalm 127:1.
- The one foundation and the temple of God: 1 Corinthians 3:10-17; Ephesians 2:20-22; Acts 2:38-39.
- Glory in no man; ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23; 1 Corinthians 1:31; 1 Timothy 3:16.