1 Cor 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
Tonight I was wondering what I should write out for the Daily Devotional and I began to pray about it and very quickly this chapter in 1 Corinthians was laid on my heart. So I opened up my Bible and began to read, then I read it again, read the verses before and after the chapter and read it a few more times. I didn't seem to sense any direction as to why this was where I should pull the Devotional from and nothing was really jumping off the page.
In fact it seemed more confusing to me than anything, it was almost like Paul couldn't keep his train of thought in these verses in my sight. I even wrote out an outline of the Chapter and was trying to figure out what is the theme that tied these verses together. How does Paul start almost berating this Church, calling them Carnal, and then end up saying everything is theirs and they are Christ’s and Christ is God’s? I read it a few more times and then began to pray once again and came to a point where God showed me a thread in the midst of the chapter and that is what I would like to share with you for today’s Devotional.
As we see to begin the chapter Paul is calling these people Carnal but in 20 verses he ends up calling them God’s. How did he go from Carnal to God’s? Thinking and praying about this God began to reveal to me that there are 2 lines of thought going on in this chapter, two different perspectives that we need to recognize and understand. The first is from that Carnal or Fleshly or Worldly point of view. Although those connotations are probably not the best, I would say it's more like a personal human perspective.
The Church at Corinth according to Scripture were dividing themselves up and having quarrels over who was Baptised by Paul or by Apollos, thinking one was greater than the other, in their own minds. The beginning of the chapter Paul is addressing this issue, and he comes to show them that no one is better than another. Regardless of who was Baptised by who, or who does what within the Church no one person is greater than another. We are all equal in our work with the Lord.
Then Paul turns them into understanding that regardless of what we as humans may think is good or bad, there is only one person's eyes that can Judge what is good or bad in terms of our work with the Lord and that of course is God Himself. Paul brings into their perspective that there is only one Foundation on which anything that matters can be built and that is the Foundation of Christ. No matter our personal view of what is good or bad, God will be the one to Judge as by fire our Works and that which is built on Christ will lead to our reward, everything else is burnt up for a loss of reward.
After bringing to light that there is only one foundation, Christ and all things built apart from that foundation is worthless to be burnt up, Paul immediately tells them that they are the Temples of God. And then concludes the chapter telling them that all things are thiers, they are Christ’s and Christ is Gods. When I prayed over this God showed me the two different aspects of this, the Personal, Carnal one and then the Godly Spiritual one.
The Personal one is that we ought not to be in the vein of comparing ourselves to one another in the Work of the Lord, to be envious of each other or competing or uphold men higher as we do what God has asked of us for His Kingdom. We should be focusing on what God has for each of us as we individually will be reaping the reward or loss of reward of ourselves and not of one another.
One man may be a Preacher and it seems that he gets the spotlight more, that he is doing more for the kingdom than everyone else, and we may measure ourselves against him. We may think our Church is better and doing more because it has a bigger congregation with outreach to countries all over the world. Then from these perspectives we boost ourselves up, or lower ourselves down, become jealous or envious, but who are we to judge one another's work.
The quiet elder in the back row who spends hours at the foot of the cross praying for each member of the congregation is just as important as the man in front of the pulpit with all the eyes and lights on him. The guy that fixes the brakes and changes the oil on the bus that takes the people to the countryside is just as important as the one who is passing out tracks on the street.
We shouldn't downplay our service to the Lord, when it's built on the Foundation that is Christ it is just as valuable and lasts all of eternity as any other work!!!
That is the Personal, Fleshly perspective but then God showed me the bigger picture, the one that tied the 3rd verse to the 23rd verse and that is this, while we may do and act in Carnal ways, we need to recognize that WE are built on that Foundation. Christ is that Foundation, and while we may do works on this foundation with God, WE are the actual Work, the Temple of God that has been built on that Foundation.
Paul was trying to get them to realize there was no need to care or worry about the things mentioned in verse 3 because THEY were the Temple of God laid upon the Foundation of Christ, and because they were the Temple then all things were theirs. Remember anything built on the Foundation will not burn up, WE being the Temple built on the Foundation can not be burnt up, so all the Work we inherit because it too is built on that Foundation.
That is why everything is ours, because we are His Temple built on the Foundation of the Gospel of Christ and Christ is Gods!!
I am thankful to know that whatever work I do with the Lord is valuable in His eyes, so I will continue in Faith building as best as I can on that Foundation which has been laid which is Christ. And more so than that I am thankful that God has made me His Temple, being built on that Foundation of Christ I can not be burnt up or lost, I am saved forever more and all the rewards are mine because I am Christ’s and Christ is God’s!!!
And I want all of you to know these same things as well for yourselves, if you are saved then you are that Temple built on the Foundation which can not be destroyed or burnt up and the rewards of the Work of God awaits you!!!
I love you all, have a great day and blessed day in the Lord!
If you need prayer or anything else please feel free to reach out to me and I will help you the best I can and if I can't help I know one man that can, this man named Jesus!
Disciples
Are
Continually
Influencing
Peoples
Living
Existence
1 Cor 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.