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1 Corinthians 3:7 – Faithfully Serve and Trust

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Will

So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

Truth to Learn

Every Christian needs to serve, trusting God for the result.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “so then” is hōste. It is made up of hōs, meaning “in this manner” and te, meaning “and.” Thus, hōste literally means “and therefore.”

“He who plants” is from the participial form of phuteuō, which we saw in yesterday’s verse, meaning “to plant.” In the participle form it means “the one planting” or “he who plants.”

“He who waters” is from the participial form of potidzō, which we also saw in yesterday’s verse, meaning “to give a drink” or “to irrigate.” In the participle form it means “the one giving a drink” or “the one watering.”

The word translated “anything” is ti, meaning “a thing” or “something.” In verse five we pointed out that the word “who,” from the word tis, should probably have been translated as “what” (or “what thing”), from the word ti. The fact that Paul uses ti in today’s verse is evidence of that statement.

The words “who gives the increase” is from the participial form of auxanō, which we also saw in yesterday’s verse, meaning “to grow” or “to increase.” In the participle form it means “the one giving the increase.”

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse is very similar to yesterday’s verse; however, there is one important difference. In verse six, Paul told us that he is the one who planted the seeds of faith and that Apollos was the one who watered the seedlings. He now tells us that in spite of how important it is for us to be obedient to God in our calling, compared to God our efforts are miniscule and we should not claim any credit for the results.

You will recall that this teaching came about because of the divisions being caused in the Corinthian church as a result of people claiming to follow different leaders. They were placing these leaders on a pedestal, claiming allegiance to one or the other. In response to that, Paul pointed out that the very people whom the Corinthians were giving special honor and allegiance to were nothing more than servants. Neither Paul nor Apollos deserved the credit for the church growth; they were simply servants faithfully performing the tasks assigned to them by their Master. It is the Master who is producing the results.

There is a subtlety here in Paul’s teaching that I don’t want us to miss. The fact that people were giving allegiance to certain leaders implies that the people gave credit to these leaders for the success that the church had achieved. It is the same way in the sports world today. We give credit to a great quarterback of a football team when they win and often blame the same person when they lose. In fact, the success of a football team depends on all of the players doing their part as assigned to them by the coaches.

Application

Church growth is not the result of great leaders, it is the result of every member of the body doing the work that God has assigned them. The lack of growth of the church (spiritually or in numbers) is not necessarily the fault of the pastor. It is more likely the result of the members of the body not doing what God has assigned them to do. Are you giving your all to serve your Master in the task He has chosen for you?

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Corinthians 3:5 – Leader or Servant?

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Will

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?

Truth to Learn

A pastor leads by being an example of a humble servant.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “who” is tis, an interrogative pronoun meaning “who?” The oldest manuscripts, however, have the word ti, meaning “what?” Either one makes sense grammatically, but ti (what) makes more sense in context.

“Ministers” is from the Greek noun diakonos. This is the word from which we get our English word “deacon.” It refers to someone who serves, like a waiter serving a meal.

The word translated “through” is dia. In reference to a location, it refers to motion through a place. In reference to time, it refers to a continuance of time. When it is used in regard to a person or his action, it refers to that person and his action as being the instrument through which the objective is achieved.

Pisteuō is the Greek verb translated “believed.” It means “to be firmly persuaded about something,” that is, to believe or have faith in something. It is expressed here in the aorist tense, indicating past action that occurred at a point in time.

“Each one” is from the Greek word hekastos (from hekas, meaning “separate”). It refers to “each one” or to “everyone.” In the case of “everyone,” it implies specific application to each one separately, not to the group as a whole.

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse serves as a transition from Paul’s teaching regarding divisions in the church to teaching about serving God for the purpose of building up the church. As we previously pointed out, Paul is using himself and Apollos as the two specific people that might be seen as leaders of the church in Corinth because they are the two who have done most of the pastoring in that church. Later in this letter we will learn that Paul is about to send Timothy to take over the ministry there.

Before sending him, however, Paul needs to ensure that the members of the Corinthian church recognize that whoever serves in the capacity of pastor or teacher is not doing so as a “leader” but as a “servant.” It is true that the pastor of any local church has some leadership responsibilities. However, it is not his job to become a ruler or even a figurehead for the church.

Paul tells the Corinthians (and us) that the person who oversees the operation of a local church and who provides regular teaching from God’s Word is not a political or religious leader. This man is simply a servant, a conduit of blessing through whom God speaks to the members of the local assembly. He also tells us that these “ministers” serve in the church in accordance with the gifts that each one was given. In other words, it is God who gave Paul the ability to simply and plainly lay out the plan of salvation, it is God who gave Apollos the ability to speak eloquently, and it is God who gives salvation to everyone who believes. By declaring strong allegiance to one man over another, the Christians in Corinth were, in effect, giving individual men credit for what God and God alone has done and is doing.

Application

The position of church pastor is one of the most difficult and thankless jobs a man could have. He is to lead the people without being their leader. He is to be a conduit of God’s blessing and an example to all of how a servant is to behave.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Corinthians 2:2 – And Him Crucified

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Will

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Truth to Learn

Christ’s crucifixion is the central theme of Christianity.

Behind the Words

“Determined” is translated from the Greek verb krinō, which literally means “to discriminate between good and evil,” that is “to judge, to choose, or to select.”

The words “to know” are from the verb eidō. It literally means “to see with perception.” In its most common usage it refers to understand mentally, that is “to know.”

“Anything” is from the Greek indefinite article ti, which means “someone, some thing, or a certain thing.”

The expression “except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” is constructed such that it places the emphasis on “Him crucified.” It could be literally translated as “except Jesus Christ and this one as crucified.” The central theme of Paul’s gospel message is not just Jesus Christ as the Son of God, but the fact that He was crucified to pay the penalty for our sins.

Meaning Explained

As we discussed in yesterday’s verse, the Apostle Paul was not known for his eloquent style of preaching but for simply and plainly declaring the good news about Jesus Christ. Today we learn that at some time in the past Paul made a conscious decision to preach the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Notice that he did not say “Jesus and Him crucified.” He was not focused on the humanity of Jesus, but His divinity. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed King who, as part of the Godhead, was the creator of all that is. And, as the Messiah, He is the one promised to come and save the world.

The Jews expected their Messiah would come as a conquering King who would free them from oppression. However, He came instead as a humble servant who was condemned to death and was crucified because He claimed to be the Son of God. This is precisely why the Jews find Him to be a “stumbling block,” and the great philosophical minds of the day considered Paul’s message to be foolishness:

but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, (1 Corinthians 1:23)

Christ’s crucifixion was the central theme of Paul’s preaching, but he did not preach only the crucifixion; He preached the whole Word of God, knowing that there is much more to the Christian life than just Christ’s death on the cross:

And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. (Acts 18:11)

For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. (Acts 20:27)

how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, … (Acts 20:20).

It is of vital importance to preach the crucifixion of Christ, but that is only the beginning of the Christian experience.

Application

Fortunately, there are still many churches today that preach the salvation message. Unfortunately, there are still churches where that is the only thing being proclaimed. There is much to know about being a Christian beyond salvation.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 6:15 – Grateful Willing Restraint

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:15

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!

Truth to Learn

Just because our sins are all forgiven doesn’t mean we should let our sin nature run wild.

Behind the Words

The expression “What then?” is from two Greek words, ti oun. The first word, ti (a form of tis), in an interrogative pronoun means “who?” or “what?” or “which?” Oun is used between two clauses or sentences to show a connection between them or a cause and effect relationship. Paul is using it here to express a question that shows the relationship between what he has just said and the rhetorical question to follow.

“Under” is translated from the pronoun hupo (or hypo), which can mean physically “under” or “under the influence or dominion of” as it is used here.

Meaning Explained

Paul now asks another one of his rhetorical questions. His purpose for asking the question is to answer an objection that might be raised. He has just declared that we are not under the dominion and power of sin any longer because we are no longer under the Law but under grace. Remember, the people to whom he wrote this letter were predominantly converted Jews living in Rome. They had been brought up believing that the way to righteousness was by obeying the Law. When they were saved, they continued to believe that it was necessary to obey the Law.

But Paul has skillfully demonstrated, not only are we no longer bound to the Law, but we are no longer under the lordship of our sin nature. We are freed from the bondage of the Law, and we are freed from the dominion of sin. To a Jewish Christian who has felt the weight of the Law and sin his or her entire life, this would sound like a freedom cry and permission to sin without repercussion.

So Paul asks his rhetorical question: Shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under grace?

In his typical style, Paul immediately answers the question with the Greek phrase, “me genoito” which, as we have seen before, means “May it not be!” or “No way!”

We Christians are funny people sometimes. We labor for years under the false impression that we will be punished for our sins. We are very careful to be as obedient and faithful as we possibly can for fear of reprisal from God, as if He were a giant ogre just waiting for us to slip up so He can pounce on us and make us pay. But as soon as we learn that all of our sins are paid for (past, present, and future) and that we are no longer under condemnation, but are declared to be righteous, we immediately want to throw off the mantle of self restraint and let our sin nature run wild.

Instead, we should endeavor to be as obedient and faithful as possible, not because we will be punished for sinning, but because we have been set free and we owe it to our Master and Lord to act the way He wants us to act.

Application

We should be so grateful for having all of our sins forgiven that we willingly restrain our sin nature and live for Him the way He wants us to! But that’s not the way we think, is it?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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