Ministry of Grace Church

Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,

Truth to Learn

We all need to be mindful of how we build the church.

Behind the Words

“Builds” is from apoikomeō, which we saw back in verse ten, meaning “to build a structure.”

The word “gold” is from the Greek word chrusos, which refers to gold or anything made of gold.

Arguros is the word translated “silver.” It is derived from argos, meaning “white, shining, bright, or glistening.” It refers to silver or anything made of silver.

“Precious” is from timios, meaning “that which is valuable, respected, or honored.”

“Stone” is from lithos, which refers to “a small stone.”

The word “wood” is from xulon, which refers to wood or anything made of wood.

Chortos is the word translated “hay.” In general it refers to grass or plant life, typically that which is grown as a crop.

The word “straw” is from kalamē, which refers to a corn stalk or straw, as the left-over part of a crop that is discarded.

Meaning Explained

In verse nine, the Apostle Paul told us that he, as the master builder, laid the foundation of the church, which is Jesus Christ. He also told us that we each need to be mindful of how we build on that foundation. In today’s verse and the next one he explains why it’s important to pay attention to how we build on that foundation. In writing this letter to the Corinthian Christians, Paul may be specifically referring to past, present, and future pastors of the church at Corinth, or to teachers within the church in general. However, based on the context of this verse, it is clear that he is referring to all Christians, not just those in leadership positions.

Paul mentions two types of building materials in today’s verse. One is “gold, silver, precious stones,” and the other is “wood, hay, straw.” At the time that Paul wrote this letter, temples and other great buildings were built of marble or other large cut stone and were adorned with gold, silver, and precious stones. All of these things were materials that were more or less permanent, beautiful, valuable, and hard to obtain. It took a lot of hard work to build with these materials. Household dwellings, however, were often made of wood, mud, or sod and frequently had roofs made of thatched straw laid over wooden supports. These materials did not last, were ordinary, and were not beautiful. They were cheap and easy to obtain. Although it took effort to build with these things, compared to the building of a permanent temple, there was little effort required.

The building of God’s temple (the church) deserves only the best building materials and selfless dedication on the part of the builders. In the next few verses Paul will explain the difference between building with these different materials.

Application

Every Christian is called to build up the church. Are you involved in the building process? If so, what kind of materials are you building with?