Believers as God’s Temple
CLASS 4 ISSUES
Study Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3: 10 – 23
Background Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3: 10 – 23
Lesson 10 August 2, 2025
Key Verse
For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:11
INTRODUCTION
Why did Paul have to speak so sternly to a Church he founded during 18 months of difficult ministry?
Was the behaviour of the church members so terrible?
What does God expect from those who profess to be Christians and so claim the blessings of God and the reward of eternal life in His presence with Him?
What is the most important focus in our belief system?
Is it sensible following skilful, talented, fast- talking, and impressive human beings or are they to be regarded only as mere men whose wisdom is far below the wisdom of God and so qualitatively inferior that they are not to be trusted?
How do we determine whether someone with great claims is spiritually mature and yet despite their claims is still trapped into carnality?
It must first be noted that our Scripture Text is placed in a particular context for it deals with who Christians are to a group of persons from a wide social status including slavery, but clearly gifted immeasurably by the Holy Spirit. They have an elevated view of themselves and their gifts and now they are taught what the Bible teaches they are to exhibit.
The difficulty for many is that true Christians live a life which shows a war is going on between their old sinful nature, called the flesh, and the Spirit of God whose task it is to wean professing believers away from their old ingrained habits they derived from being children of Adam.
Sometimes it would seem that the “flesh” is winning more often than the “Spirit”.
Generally one would expect that to be the case with “new believers” that are very recently “born” into new life which is called the “second birth”.
The danger that then appears is that many claim to be Christians but do not according to Matthew 7:21 possess “true faith”.
There is according to the Lord Jesus Christ two ways of life, a ‘narrow way’ or a ‘narrow gate’ that leads to life, and a ‘broad way’ that leads to destruction.
In discussing the true way into the Kingdom Jesus made it clear:
“Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord”, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven”.
The Book of Matthew records warnings from Jesus on what true Christians believe, and how they behave. The principles of kingdom living are made clear.
One of the Parables, that of the Sower and the Seed in Matthew 13 illustrates in a pointed fashion how God looks at those who profess to be His.
Mark 4:3 and 14 makes it plain Jesus sows the seed of the Word of God and He expects and prizes certain kinds of results.
The real life teachings from the Apostle in our Study Scripture has led to proponents of what is called “carnal Christianity” to give some people a false assurance of salvation, for they claim it is possible to trust in Jesus as Saviour but still not accept Him as their Lord who demands a certain mental framework and behaviour from these professors.
The position can be examined as to whether that is what is dealt with in our Study Scripture or whether the Apostle is focusing on the sadly common case among believers of “arrested spiritual development”.
We know from experience that being conformed to the image of Christ does not happen quickly and this causes unfortunate complications in the life of those that are supposed to be the personal Temple of God as well as unfortunate complications in the Body of Christ which can also be viewed corporately as the Temple of God.
The extremely important context of our Study is the demand by the Apostle that the very gifted by the Spirit believers in Corinth be gathered around and focused only on Jesus and Him crucified.
The truth of this way of salvation and what was involved in the Cross was paramount.
The facts that are understood by believers may vary, but the significant and ever growing-relationship to God is determined by how much of the truth of God the believer may understand.
Two questions must be answered, namely,
- Are we saved persons?,
- Are we spiritual persons?
The truths of God are given so that we might know ALL OF IT.
So there is a relationship between the love of ‘sin’ (many will violently deny they love sin) which one calls ‘carnality’, and the “spiritual maturity’ that is to be desired.
Understand then that no believer is blameless for not “seeing’ what Scripture has placed in front ot us. We are culpable except for one little class of new believers.
We older believers have too much to lose so we must be careful of the wiles of the liar and murderer Satan.
We must therefore pay special attention to the apostolic teaching.
Beside this Study Passage we note there are several other important teachings which include warnings Paul made which we can keep in mind. We list some of them:
Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin”
Romans 8:13 “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live”.
Galatians 6: 16.”I say then: Walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh”
Galatians 6:7-8. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man sows, that he will also resp. For he who sows to the flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life”
Colossians 3:5-8. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them
But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth”..
So how do some writers define carnality. These definitions might assist us in our holy walk.
We are told Carnality is shown by when one is influenced or controlled to a significant extent by the desires of the flesh or natural human inclinations such as self-indulgence, self-gratification, a focus on material, worldly styles, or sensual desires.
Personal physical gratification flashes a code red.
Enmity and envy, with jealousy and fits of anger, rivalries and dissensions, characterizes persons in that state, but at an extreme state of development might come idolatry, sorcery, drunkenness, and orgies of one type or another.
These behaviours are opposed to an attitude of gentleness, love for others and their interests, peace with others, gentleness, patience, self-control. These virtues come from a mind that is not in enmity and hostility against God according to Romans 8:7 and the behaviour that He prizes.
One writer Elmer E. Shelhamer writes in a tract about 12 symptoms of carnality advising that the Holy Spirit alone can interpret and apply these to your individual cases. So he encourages you to examine yourself as if in the presence of God. He lists:
- A secret sense of pride; an exalted feeling in view of your success or your position..
- Love of human praise; a secret fondness to be noticed…..
- The stirring of anger or impatience—but worst of all you call it nervousness or holy indignation….
- Self-will: a stubborn, unteachable spirit, an arguing, talkative spirit…..
- Carnal fear: a man-fearing spirit; a shrinking from reproach and duty; reasoning around the cross…
- A jealous disposition, a secret spirit of envy shut up in your heart; an unpleasant sensation in view of the great prosperity and success of another…..
- Lustful stirrings; unholy actions; a carnal yarning; undue affection and familiarity toward those of the opposite sex……
- A dishonest, deceitful disposition evading and covering the truth, covering up you real faults…..
- Unbelief; a spirit of discouragement in times of pressure and opposition; lack of quietness and confidence in God…
- Formality and deadness; lack of concern for lost souls; dryness and indifference
- Stinginess; being exacting with trifles; falling out with others over a few apples, chicken………
- Sectarianism; being narrow and bigoted in favour of my little crowd, cool and unlovely toward others who differ with me….
It is instructive that we examine the founding of the Corinthian church. Corinth was an important city in ancient Greece and its location allowed it to dominate east-west commerce.
It held the Number 2 ranked athletic Games of that period called the Isthmian Games which was only second to the celebrated Olympic Games.
Acts 18:1-18 recounts its founding when Paul on his second missionary journey, after his disappointing and discouraging time in Athens. For a living he made tents working with Aquila and Priscilla and preached in the synagogue on the Sabbath, ministering there for 18 months.
Corinth’s commercial success was unrivalled. That notorious success was rivalled only by its decadence. One writer notes:
“The immorality of Corinth was so well known that Aristophanes coined the Greek very korinthiazomai (meaning “to act like a Corinthian”) as a synonym for sexual immorality. Greek plays of the day often depicted Corinthians as drunkards and reprobates. The Corinthians drew attention to their lewdness through their worship of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.
The city’s corrupt nature made for a unique opportunity to display to the Roman world the transforming power of Christ”.
Paul had to address at least four groups of dissenting, argumentative, proud and rebellious but supernaturally gifted brethren, showing the absurdity of their mindset and behaviour held by those who professed they belonged to the Almighty God.
THE TEXT
Verses 1-9. The apostle Paul addresses the Corinthian Church members as brethren and stresses they should focus only on Christ crucified and glorying only in the Lord and not in mere mortals.
In a loving but powerful and biting paternal lecture, the Apostle warned them away from worldly wisdom.
They were thinking and acting according to the ways of the ‘born in sin’ men of the world.
They were behaving like babies though they were in Christ. In Christ but still mastered by the way the world behaved, the natural man, the flesh.
They were still infants, immature and complained if they were given anything but milk. They could not digest the meat of the Word of God, the solid food God wanted them to have and what they should have. They could not learn the deeper things of God.
They showed they were not spiritually mature even if they thought they were. Their envy, strife, and divisions among them attaching themselves to a Paul clique or an Apollos clique showed they were behaving as men of the world.
Fighting over the men who were simply servant of God and fellow workers made no sense.
He had started the church in Corinth, Apollos made his contribution ‘watering’ it so that it would grow. But they both were nothing. It was God who gave the increase.
The church in Corinth had to make the choice of growing in their knowledge and adoration of the living God.
In three word pictures, Paul spoke of a child being weaned, a planted field, and a building under construction.
Verse 10, It was the grace of God that Paul states was responsible for the growth of the kingdom. No one in leadership has all the gifts necessary to build.
He by the grace of God was gifted by grace as a wise master builder and so he laid the foundation. Gifted Workers worked together under God to bring hope to those that believed through the Word of God. . Everything including success depended on God.
Christian workers for God had to thus work together and each worker had to be warned that they had to take heed how they did their building.
Strength among workers differ but the grace of God achieved the ends of God.
Verse 11. The work was simply to have believers understand the doctrines of God are concerning for us and concerning to God.
The kind of lives believers live shows the relationship they have to the Word of God and their submission to that Word.
Thus the Word teaches that there is only one foundation that can be built on. That foundation is Christ.
There can be fake foundations and that means a different kind of Gospel can be preached.
That kind of true proclamation of the Word of God is the only way of building.
Verse 12. The grace of God saved, but under this image of building, the Apostle warned that there were rewards for these responsibilities. But there are unfortunately shoddy workmanship.
Building is done with different materials.
The question now posed is how to build and what kind of materials is to be used. The materials has to do with people and the effect on them.
The heart of Christian leadership is now called into question.
Are leaders whether they be pastors, deacons, evangelists, workers in telecommunications, image development, and other workers building lives of courageous faith on the foundation of Jesus Christ?
Those who labour in the church are doing the work of servants. Those who teach, serve, organize, make phone calls, have prayer sessions, may be using shoddy and inferior materials.
The work is described as using materials of gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw.
Verse 13. The value of each workers’ work will be made clear. There will be a testing.
The ultimate Test will be the Day for on the Day the value of work done will be revealed.
That Day will be on the Coming of the Lord and the judgment of Christ.
In 2 Corinthians 5:10 Paul warned we all will appear before the Judgment seat of Christ to see what was done while we were alive.
The reality and genuine nature of what we all have done will be made plain by the Lord.
The Apostle states that this will be done by ‘fire”.
There will be differences among the workers for God.
Note that the genuine is what is done by the will of God in your hearts. So leaders and all Christian workers should beware
Verse 14. Using good materials will bring good rewards. Good materials will lead to works which endure.
Verse 15. If a believer works and his work does not meet the standard required of the heart of love and glorifying God his work will be burnt, but he himself will be saved.
Let us understand clearly as one writer teaches, that there are human perceptions of the divine wisdom. What is the essence of God’s wisdom?
God’s wisdom is centered on the Cross of Christ.
So the apostle tells that he simply teaches Jesus Christ and Christ crucified.
This is critically important for our work. Why? The apostle has told us in chapter 1 that the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. To the Jews it is a stumbling block and to the Greeks, the Gentiles, the Cross is foolishness. Gentiles prefer their idolatry and their creations of mystical means of salvation where they are gods.
But to those who are saved it is the power of God.
The wisdom of the age and its rulers will come to nothing 2:2.
We know therefore that revelation of the truth from God comes to us by the Spirit of God and so we can compare spiritual things with spiritual things, combining spiritual truths revealed by the Spirit using spiritual words and presenting them to those who are perishing as to well as to those who are saved.
Remember that the Book of Jude verse 19 warns us there are soulish or natural persons who are spiritless and will not welcome or receive the word of God
Carnality therefore is worldliness and it is a constant in man’s existence.
Verses 16-17. Given the coming Day, all believers must remember that they are the Temple of God. Paul stresses this personal definition of the individual believer in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
But the collection of believers, the congregation, the ekklesia, forms the Temple of GOD.
The Holy Spirit dwells in each believer and exist corporately for whenever even two or three are gathered together the Spirit is there to bless.
If anyone therefore defiles the congregation or violates the holy temple God will destroy them.
Love must reign. It is not enough to give one’s body to be burnt, or to give all one has in material terms.
Verses 18-23. Why should worldly wisdom be avoided?
It is noted firstly that this worldly wisdom is deception. It is not what it seems.
If anyone loves this wisdom of the world they first have to change and become fools so that they can be considered as sensible. So the Apostle advises that a person must become a fool as far as worldly wisdom is concerned.
There is a paradox here for only God’s wisdom brings hope.
Though some of the wisdom of the world makes sense and is therefore valid when tested, in general the wisdom of the world is in reality salvation by works.
All wisdom proposed therefore must be tested and put in subjection to divine wisdom.
It is pointed out that the Lord knows man-centered philosophy which abounds in the fields of education, government, investments, and everywhere else is coming from futile minds.
God is so much wiser than man, the wisdom that men develop is foolishness compared to God’s wisdom. If it were that men’s wisdom was so valid the world would be in much better shape.
Over the centuries men have proven their gross inabilities even if they claim to have a word from God. That claim has been exercised to gain control over people and accumulate power and wealth.
So we read of the plans of Haman in the Book of Esther who hated the godly Mordecai. In chapter 6 we are told the king cannot sleep and he called for the records to wile the time away. But when he calls for the records, it records that the humble Mordecai had saved the life of the king and yet had not been rewarded. The king then decreed that Mordecai be suitable honoured and Haman who loved power and prestige had to go before Mordecai whom he hated to an extreme, and loudly proclaim Mordecai’s greatness.
God treated many of the plans of men against His people as nothing He could not handle.
Of course we know of the experience of the Lord Jesus Christ for the Jews, Satan, and the Romans thought that killing Jesus would bring about Jesus’ downfall and wipe out the possibility of man achieving salvation and eternal life.
But God knew their hearts and their craftiness and the futility of their wisdom and Jesus’ death brought an end to their intentions. His death and resurrection brought the victory.
So in verses 20-23 the Apostle wisely told the Corinthians to cease their boasting in mere men.
There is pride and shallow arrogance in worldly wisdom.
So do not boast in men, whether in Peter, in Paul, or in Apollos.
Do not boast in the world, life or death, things present or things to some. That knowledge or alleged wisdom of those things will lead to nothing.
Ultimately all will know that there is glory only in Christ for He is the Lord and Master of all.
All believers including those in Corinth must know that if they are true believers and are thus indwelt by the Holy Spirit all things are theirs.
They have salvation, and they have rewards and eternal life..
They are in Christ and Christ is in God.
CONCLUSION
There is clearly a great responsibility to teach the word of God. There is responsibility to work for God.
There are many truths in the Word of God and gifted people are required to pass information on to all believers who then have the responsibility to absorb, internalize and manifest all of those truths.
So no believer can get away with making the excuse that ALL the teachings of the Word of God
are not for them.
Believers are short changing themselves and chaining themselves into carnality and spiritual immaturity when they stick to the milk doctrines of the Word of God and keep away from the meat truths of God.
So we can only encourage you not to be transformed by the world.
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind through the Holy Spirit that is in you.