More than a few times have I had the frustration of speaking with people who are ‘on the other side of the Jordan,’ so to speak. These individuals at the time did not know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Therefore, our conversations are often difficult because our positions of thought are different. This is also true when speaking with someone who is a Believer, but is yet immature and does not recognize the thoughts of a mature Believer who speaks with ‘the mind of Christ.’
It is important to understand what the Apostle writes in Romans chapters 5-8 in reference to what he says in 1 Corinthians 3:1-17 (HCSB) concerning the spiritual condition of the folks in that church. For purposes here this text will be broken into 3 sections: vv 1-4; 5-9 and 10-17. For reference only, Paul wrote 1 and 2 Corinthians prior to his letter to Rome.
- Verses 1-4, “Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, 3 because you are still fleshly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and living like unbelievers? 4 For whenever someone says, “I’m with Paul,” and another, “I’m with Apollos,” are you not unspiritual people?”
Please note that we are concerned here with someone who is a ‘babe in Christ,’ and not as one who is mature. For this reason alone we must understand the entire letter to the church in Corinths in the light of immaturity. Removing a single sentence or more without considering the complete thought is doing an injustice to the subject of Paul. No rock is left unturned by the Apostle when he speaks of the disunity found in this church.
- Verses 5-9, “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 Now the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.”
This Body of Christ belongs to God. This is His Building. We belong to Him alone and He causes the growth. No single person is to be honored, NOT one.
- Verses 10-15, “According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on that foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each one’s work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire.”
Christ is the Foundation and no man called the ‘Pastor’ can rightfully say, ‘this is my church.’ He may preach and teach there, but Christ is the Shephard. We who are the Pastors of these local churches must be careful how or what we are constructing upon the Foundation which is Christ.
- Verses 16-17, “Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s sanctuary and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s sanctuary, God will destroy him; for God’s sanctuary is holy, and that is what you are.”
In these two verses we discover that we are to understand that Holy Spirit has residence in our bodies, this new creation caused by the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His promised Spirit resides where the old man once ruled. “For if we have been joined with Him in the likeness of His death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of His resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin’s claims.” Romans 6:5-7.
As we converse with people who are not Believers, but are lost and at this moment are on their way to the Lake of Fire the words we use are not understood from the same perspective. Because of our biblical world view and the humanistic world view in their sight, our discussions become confusing. For this reason alone we must learn to know the difference. And in knowing the difference we will shortly discover this truth,
“Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God. We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. But the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually. The spiritual person, however, can evaluate everything, yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone. For who has known the Lord’s mind, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:12-16.
Jesus is Lord.
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