Contemplate these questions as you dwell in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15:

1. How does Paul use the metaphor of building upon a foundation to emphasize the importance of the beliefs and practices we add to our faith in Jesus Christ?

2. What distinctions does Paul make between the materials used in building (gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw), and how do these represent the quality and durability of our spiritual growth and works?

3. In light of the analogy of the foundation being Jesus Christ, what practical steps can believers take to ensure that they are constructing a spiritual life that will withstand trials and challenges, rather than being built on temporary or flimsy foundations?

Transcript:

So, as we continue through chapter three today, we're seeing Paul continuing to develop this idea. Remember on Friday, we looked at the beginning of chapter three where Paul talked about how he had planted, Apollos had water, but God was the one who brought the growth. And Paul is continuing with this.

And so, he's saying that that according to the grace that God gave to him, uh, like a skilled master building, he laid a foundation. He put a foundation down. So, he's going from this idea of planting to an illustration of a building here. And we saw that, uh, at the end of verse nine here, he said, you are God's field, God's building.

And so now he's switching to this idea of building this up. And so, he's saying that no one can lay a foundation other than that, which is laid and that's Jesus Christ. So, they have the foundation, they have an understanding of who Jesus is and what the gospel is. They are trusting in him for salvation, not themselves.

Okay, so this is the foundation. Now he's saying, now other people can build up this foundation. And there's some different options here. He says gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hey, straw.  Now we can look at those, and we can see what he's driving at, right? We can understand this. He's saying, hey, there are good things that you can build upon this awesome foundation that is Jesus.

And then there's some other ones, you know, gold, silver, precious stones, even wood are really, really going to last. But there's also this foundation of hay and straw. And while the foundation is good, your home built upon that hay and that straw and even, even wood isn't going to last in the same way that these, these metals and these stones are going to last.

And so Paul is saying that each one, each one's works, okay, the way that they have taught, the way that they've built upon this foundation that is Jesus, will become known. It'll be manifested because in the end it will be clear because it will be revealed by fire. It will be tested and so, Paul is saying here that when the fire comes, when the difficulties come, you're going to see what you have built upon this foundation in Christ.

And so, the idea here is that if we are going to be built up, we want to seek out these things that are going to last. You know, we can try and have, uh, this built up idea of, you know, being flimsy here. These are just some little things that we're... We're not going to worry so much about knowing these doctrines or that doctrines.

That is the hay and the straw, right?  It provides shelter. It's built upon the foundation of Jesus. But it's not stable like these, these precious stones and this gold and silver.  And so, as we think about this, as we, as we wonder, what does this mean for us?  It means that we need to be seeking out those things that truly matter.

What are the things that we are going to seek out that will last, that will, that will stand through the trials that we'll face as believers. Because remember, we're not, we're not promised happy, fun life. We know that because, because we are in Christ, we will persevere, or have to persevere against trials.

If our own Savior was persecuted and killed and martyred.  We should expect the same thing from the world. We should not expect to be loved, right?  And so, we are going to have trials to persevere through. And so, we want to seek those things that will last, and what are those things? An understanding of who God is, loving our neighbor and caring for them and building them up, gathering with other believers and, and having that foundation of the household of faith.

Those are the things that can last.  And so, we need to be seeking after those things because our foundation is fantastic. It is the ultimate thing. We know that we have salvation in Christ because we have him. He has paid the price for our sins. He has given us the gift of his perfect righteousness. That foundation cannot be shaken.

So, let's be sure to build that up with the things that really matter. May we be seeking out those things that God would have us do. Those things that God would have us understand about who we are in Christ. And maybe we'd be seeking them up, that our household, that our building may be strong and firm, that we might be able to persevere, no matter what comes our way.