What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. 7 Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters are equal, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor. 9 For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, 11 for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire [itself] will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage. 15 But if someone’s work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy. 18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written: “He catches the wise in their own ruses,” 20 and again: “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.” 21 So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you, 22 Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all belong to you, 23 and you to Christ, and Christ to God.
Paul expounds on the role of God’s ministers and explains that he and Apollos are equal servants and neither one of them can do anything other than what God has assigned them to do because they can do nothing on their own. God does not need either of them (v. 7) but Paul and Apollos are complimentary in their work and God uses them in accordance with their gifts and His will. They are servants performing the tasks assigned to them, but it is by God that their labor bears fruit. Every minister has gifts from God and a specific role. Each will be rewarded according to the quality of his work. The ministers must build the Christian community on the foundation laid by Jesus Christ otherwise their work will come to nothing, and they will barely be saved.
The references to ‘fire (v. 13)’ and ‘burned up (v. 15)’ is not a reference to purgatory or Gehenna. The person would be like someone who was pulled from a burning building, burned but alive. The minister who does not deserve a reward for his work will lose his work but not his soul. The community is God’s Holy temple in which the Spirit of God dwells (v. 16). If a minister teaches grave sin, he will be subject to eternal damnation. God will destroy whoever destroys His temple (2 Cor. 11:15). Those who depend on worldly wisdom should rely instead on the ‘foolishness’ of the Cross (1 Cor. 1:18). All ministers belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.
Almighty God, without you we can do nothing to help lead others to salvation. Help us to wisely use the talents You gave us and to work in harmony with each other to grow Your kingdom. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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