Automatic Transcript Generated:
Speaker 1
All right. So Robert is asking what does one Corinthians 310 to 15 mean? Does it have something to do with the judgment seat of Christ?
Speaker 2
Well, Robert, that is a wonderful question and I really appreciate you asking it. I don’t know if you’re the same Robert who’s been giving us quite a few questions. We’re we’re just grateful that you are and that you have so many wonderful questions about the Bible. Be sure to keep them coming. We we love having them. So first of all, let’s go to First Corinthians 310 through 15, just so everybody has an idea of the verses that you are talking about. And let me just make sure sorry, I want to make sure I put this in the new King James version. Just FYI, that’s the version I’ll be reading from. So First Corinthians, three verses ten through 15. And the Bible reads here, I can see it, sorry. According to the grace of God, which was given to me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. So this is Paul speaking here and he’s talking about basically the foundation of the Gospel, what he’s preaching to the people and then we can go ahead and keep reading.
Speaker 2
Sorry, I just wanted to give you a little background kind of what’s going on in the context of these verses or of this, especially this verse in particular. So it goes on to say in verse eleven, if you want to get that up, for no other foundation can anyone lay than that which was laid, which is Jesus Christ. And we can go to verse twelve too. Now, if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, verse 13, each one’s work will become clear, for the day will declare it, that day being Jesus. Jesus is called the day star because it will be revealed by fire and the fire will test each one’s work of what sort it is. And then it goes on in verse 14 if anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. And the last verse of this section says, if anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be will be saved yet so as through fire. So basically what Paul is talking about here in this passage is he’s talking about his preaching of the Gospel and his ministry of evangelism.
Speaker 2
I wouldn’t say so much as talking about a physical seat or throne of Christ, but it is alluding to a future judgment. And so you’re on the right track as far as kind of what the context is. And actually I really like this because this is probably one of it’s honestly one of my favorite passages of the Bible. And so I actually want to go back a little bit to just give you a little bit of context to make sure you know that, yes, what I’m saying is true, that I do believe that this is more having to do with the sorry, like the sharing of the Gospel more than anything else. And so if you go to verse 41234, sorry, for whatever reason, my Bible isn’t numbering the verses tonight. So I’m sorry, 1234. So because the context of what actually is going on here in this passage is that Paul was preaching and he was kind of reprimanding some of his people in Corinth, because some people were going, oh, well, I’m from Paul or I’m from Apollos, which was a different evangelist back in his time. And so he’s like, why are you guys basing your faith on people?
Speaker 2
That’s not the point. The point is jesus. And so if you go, like I said to verse four, jesus says, for one says, I am of Paul and another I am of Apollos. But are you not carnal? Like, you’re acting like carnal people, like unsaved people. Because the point, like I said, isn’t being about that’s like saying, oh, I was saved by Billy Graham. It’s like, well, I was saved by blah, blah, blah, like these persons. But it doesn’t matter because your salvation is not in a person. Your salvation is in Jesus Christ alone. And so when he goes on to say, I’ll just look at verses five and six, it says, who then is Paul and who is Apollos? But ministers by whom you have, whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to every man, he’s like, I’m just a man, I’m just a minister. Don’t put your faith in me again. Put it back in Jesus. And he says in verse six, I have planted. So he’s like saying, I started doing evangelism when no one else was doing it. Apollos watered. Apollos came around as an evangelist and built on what I had already the foundation of me telling you about the Gospel and says, but God gave the increase.
Speaker 2
So if any growth is going on spiritually, it’s from God. It’s not because of them, it’s because of God and his Spirit working. And so again, going back to verse ten, where you were talking about, it says, for no other foundation can a man lay than that which was laid, which is Jesus Christ. Again, he’s talking about his ministry of sharing the Gospel, and that the point of the Gospel is to be founded on Jesus Christ and Him alone, because he’s the only thing that’s going to last. He is that foundation. And he’s saying then going on, if any man build on this foundation, gold, silver or whatever, every man’s work shall be made manifest. So basically, he’s like, whatever you invest into your ministry or invest into the church, into spreading the Gospel, that is going to be made manifest eventually in the last Day, in the judgment, the fortitude, when something’s real, that’s how genuine you are in your walk with Christ. That’s what’s actually going to last. It’s not about, like I said, he’s like carnal things, like physical things, like, oh, I’m of this famous person or this famous preacher. That doesn’t mean anything.
Speaker 2
It’s just your sincere walk with Christ. And in the judgment, Christ is going to lay everything manifest bare and open. And everybody says the books will be opened and will be judged from according to our works. And God knows from which works our works come from, whether it’s a heart that serve God because we love God or because we’re trying to get something out of our ministry. There are many people who work in ministry, sadly, like these televangelists, who they’re trying to make money off of the gospel. And does that mean that even if they preach to hundreds and thousands of people, if the reason they’re preaching is because they’re trying to have some sort of selfish gain from it, that doesn’t mean that they have a real walk with God. That doesn’t mean they’re saved. What matters in the long run, what matters in the end is if we have a real and living connection to Jesus Christ, and if we based our life, our ministry, our preaching of the gospel on Jesus and Christ alone, then that’s something that’s going to last. Even if we are burned, even if everything else is burned away, our foundation, our salvation will stand because we based it on Christ.
Speaker 2
So I hope that gives you a little bit more of a clear picture of what I believe Paul is saying here in this passage. This is honestly one of my favorites. Just because Paul is so real and he’s just brass tacks, like, what are you basing your salvation on? He’s like, don’t base it on me. Don’t base it on people. Don’t base it on stuff, on external physical things of this world. Base it on Jesus Christ. And that is the point of everything we are preaching, which is Jesus and Jesus alone. So I hope you’re blessed. And if you have any other thoughts or questions, please feel free to share them with us.
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In His Service
BibleAsk Team
