Building With the Right Materials

9. Although Paul was primarily a foundation-layer, what concern did he have for those who accepted the truth of what he taught?

⁹ Paul wrote: “Now if anyone builds on the foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood materials, hay, stubble, each one’s work will become manifest, for the day will show it up, because it will be revealed by means of fire; and the fire itself will prove what sort of work each one’s is.” (1 Corinthians 3:12, 13) What did Paul mean? Consider the background. Paul was primarily a foundation-layer. On his missionary tours, he traveled from city to city, preaching to many who had never heard of Christ. (Romans 15:20) As people accepted the truth that he taught, congregations were formed. Paul cared deeply about these faithful ones. (2 Corinthians 11:28, 29) However, his work required him to move on. So after spending 18 months laying a foundation in Corinth, he left to preach in other cities. Still, he was keenly interested in how others followed up on the work that he had done there.—Acts 18:8-11; 1 Corinthians 3:6.

10, 11. (a) How did Paul contrast differing types of building materials? (b) What types of literal buildings probably existed in ancient Corinth? (c) What types of buildings are more likely to endure a fire, and what object lesson does that provide for Christian disciple makers?

¹⁰ It seems that some who were building on the foundation that Paul had laid in Corinth were doing a poor job. To expose the problem, Paul contrasts two types of building materials: gold, silver, and precious stones on the one hand; wood, hay, and stubble on the other. A building can be erected from fine, durable, fire-resistant materials; or one can be hastily put up using disposable, temporary, and flammable materials. Such a great city as Corinth no doubt abounded in buildings of both types. There were imposing temples made from massive, expensive blocks of stone, perhaps faced or decorated in part with gold and silver.b These durable edifices probably loomed majestically over nearby huts, hovels, and market stalls made of rough wooden frames and thatched with straw.

12. In what ways were some of the Corinthian Christians doing slipshod building work?

¹² Clearly, Paul felt that some of the Christians in Corinth were building poorly. What was wrong? As the context shows, the congregation was plagued with divisiveness, the admiring of human personalities despite the risk to the unity of the congregation. Some were saying, “I belong to Paul,” whereas others were insisting, “I [belong] to Apollos.” Some evidently thought too highly of their own wisdom. The result, not surprisingly, was an atmosphere of fleshly thinking, spiritual immaturity, and rampant “jealousy and strife.” (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:1-4, 18) These attitudes were surely reflected in the teaching that was done in the congregation and in the ministry. The result was that their disciple-making work was slipshod, like building work done with inferior materials. It would not survive the “fire.” What fire was Paul talking about?

14. (a) How might Christian disciple makers “suffer loss,” yet how might they attain to salvation as through fire? (b) How can we minimize the risk of suffering loss?

¹⁴ Sobering words indeed! It can be very painful to work hard to help someone become a disciple, only to see the individual succumb to temptation or persecution and eventually leave the way of the truth. Paul acknowledges as much when he says that we suffer loss in such cases. The experience may be so painful that our salvation is described as being “as through fire”—like a man who lost everything in a fire and was himself just barely rescued. For our part, how can we minimize the risk of loss? Build with durable materials! If we teach our students so as to reach their hearts, moving them to value such precious Christian qualities as wisdom, discernment, fear of Jehovah, and genuine faith, then we are building with durable, fire-resistant materials. (Psalm 19:9, 10; Proverbs 3:13-15; 1 Peter 1:6, 7) Those who acquire these qualities will continue to do God’s will; theirs is the sure hope of remaining alive forever. (1 John 2:17) How, though, can we put Paul’s illustration to practical use? Consider some examples.

15. In what ways can we make sure that we avoid doing slipshod building work with regard to our Bible students?

¹⁵ When teaching Bible students, we should never promote humans over Jehovah God. Our goal is not to teach them to view us as a primary source of wisdom. We want them to look to Jehovah, his Word, and his organization for guidance. To that end, we do not simply offer our own views in response to their questions. Rather, we teach them to find answers, using the Bible and the publications that “the faithful and discreet slave” has provided. (Matthew 24:45-47) For similar reasons, we are careful not to be possessive of our Bible students. Instead of resenting it when others express an interest in them, we should encourage our students to “widen out” in their affections, getting to know and appreciate as many in the congregation as possible.—2 Corinthians 6:12, 13.

16. How may elders build with fire-resistant materials?

¹⁶ Christian elders too play a vital role in building disciples. When they teach before the congregation, they seek to build with fire-resistant materials. Their teaching ability, experience, and personality may vary widely, but they do not capitalize on these differences to draw followers after themselves. (Compare Acts 20:29, 30.) We do not know exactly why some in Corinth were saying, “I belong to Paul” or, “I to Apollos.” But we can be quite sure that neither of these faithful elders promoted such divisive thinking. Paul was not flattered by such sentiments; he refuted them vigorously. (1 Corinthians 3:5-7) Likewise today, elders keep in mind that they shepherd “the flock of God.” (1 Peter 5:2) It does not belong to any man. So elders stand firm against any tendency for one man to dominate either the flock or the body of elders. As long as elders are motivated by a humble desire to serve the congregation, reach hearts, and help the sheep to serve Jehovah whole-souled, they build with fire-resistant materials.

17. How do Christian parents endeavor to build with fire-resistant materials?

¹⁷ Christian parents too are deeply concerned with this matter. How dearly they yearn to see their children live forever! That is why they work so hard to “inculcate” the principles of God’s Word into their children’s hearts. (Deuteronomy 6:6, 7) They want their children to know the truth, not just as a set of rules or a litany of facts, but as a full, rewarding, and happy way of life. (1 Timothy 1:11) In order to build their children into faithful disciples of Christ, loving parents endeavor to use fire-resistant materials. They patiently work with their children, helping them weed out qualities that Jehovah hates and cultivate the qualities that he loves.—Galatians 5:22, 23.