1 Corinthians 3:22, commentary and pictures

Everything, from faithful ministers to the world itself with life and death and present and future, belongs to believers together because they belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God. Through Christ given as sacrifice and head over all things to the church, all things become the inheritance of those who receive him and believe on his name. Ministers are gifts given for the good of believers, only servants by whom they believed as God gave increase to planting and watering, and not masters or party leaders to be gloried in or divided over. The verse therefore forbids glorying in men, thinking of them above what is written, and splitting into rival parties behind favored teachers, for such jealousy and strife show a carnal spirit rather than the mind of Christ. Those to whom all things belong are to live as Christ's own, giving heart and strength wholly to God in unselfish service and passing blessing on to others as channels of his goodness to the world.

All Things Are Yours

Paul, Apollos, and Cephas, together with the world and life and death and things present and things to come, all belong to believers together, and believers themselves belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God. No one is therefore to glory in men or divide into parties behind favored ministers, exalting one for closeness to Christ while rejecting another for a past as persecutor. No believer is to link up exclusively with the one man under whose labors he received light, stand as an independent atom, tie up in separate bundles, or refuse harmony with brethren. Such envying, strife, and division is carnal, babe-like, and unsanctified, revealing jealousy, selfishness, and lack of liberality, generosity, and tenderness, and it warns of dangerous ground and great evil to the church. Those held by it are called to meekness, humility, wholehearted kindness, and straight paths lest the lame be turned out of the way, and to reconversion at once, or their claimed conversion is a stumbling block to sinners. Thinking of men above that which is written and being puffed up for one against another by preferring and comparing one minister with another to the detriment of the one not preferred is forbidden, since every gift by which one differs was received from God and gives no ground to glory as if it had not been received.

Ministers by whom believers believed are only ministers as the Lord gave to every man, one planting and another watering while God gives the increase, so neither planter nor waterer is anything, though every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and all ministers belong to believers for their good and benefit and are not party leaders to be gloried in or divided over, and the church does not belong to them. They are given for the good of the people, not to rule or control them, bind them to themselves, dictate to them, forbid and command them like an officer over soldiers, or lord over God's heritage. Those who accept the truth are to be treated as the property of Christ, not as the property of man, with the minister hiding self in God, keeping humble, holy, and dependent on God for grace and increase, and returning all praise and glory to him. Ministers may be loved and respected for their work but must not be idolized or placed above Christ, for glory and the heart's affections belong to God whose power works through them, and the minister must not eclipse the Son of God. God's institutions are for humanity's benefit and good, as shown by the Ten Commandments including the Sabbath given as a blessing for the people.

Through Christ all things become the believer's inheritance, for the Son of God was given not only as sacrifice for the guilty and Redeemer for the lost but as the One through whom everything becomes theirs. God gave Christ to be head over all things to the church, and Christ loves the church with an everlasting love. As many as receive him and believe on his name receive power to become sons of God, and those who have faith in Christ and are obedient to his instruction know by experience the boundless power that witnesses that they are Christ's and Christ is theirs. Christ gave himself for the church to present it to himself a glorious church, holy and without blemish, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, and those who have chosen him as their portion stand on vantage ground by the charter of this inheritance.

The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God and the thoughts of the wise are vain, so no flesh should glory in his presence but he that glories should glory in the Lord. Anyone who seems wise in this world must become a fool in order to be wise, letting go of self-deception and worldly wisdom and being willing to be called a fool by the world for doing what is right. Men given to worldly pursuits and sharp business traits do not come into the truth in large numbers because they are too worldly-wise, for the preaching of the cross is foolishness to them that perish but the power of God to the saved. Not many wise men after the flesh, mighty, or noble are called, for God has chosen the foolish, weak, base, and despised things of the world to confound the wise and mighty. Pharisaical forms, prayers, and ceremonies are condemned, and faith which works by love and purifies the soul is called for, with a true use of God's house in practical service like healing the sick.

God gives wisdom to those who will make the best use of it, seeing where it is most needed and where it will accomplish the most good, and knowing who is prepared to act as his helping hand in the closing scenes of earth's history. He strengthens the minds of his servants to devise and plan and execute for the greatest advantage of his work. Because all things come through Christ, to whom all power in heaven and earth is given, no one in any responsible position is to take glory to himself or glory in men, or lift himself up as a foundation for others to build on, and there is to be no jealousy of Paul or Apollos or Cephas. True success comes from God alone and every particle of praise and glory belongs to him, and believers who are Christ's are to work under the generalship of Christ with a living connection to him as God's husbandry and God's building. Work woven with selfishness will be revealed, because the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise are vain.

No Party Spirit

The verse forbids glorying in men and breaking into rival parties behind favored ministers. Paul and Apollos and Cephas all belong to the whole church together, and such factional loyalty reveals jealousy and strife and selfishness and a carnal spirit rather than the mind and Spirit of Christ. It rebukes exalting one minister for closeness to Christ on earth while rejecting another for a past as a persecutor of believers, and the want of liberality and generosity and tenderness that shows Christ abiding in the heart. To hold to such a party spirit is to be babe-like and unsanctified, and brings danger of great evil to the church.

No believer is to link up exclusively with the one man under whose labors he received the light, to be cemented to the man who brought the truth, to stand as an independent atom, to tie up in separate bundles, or to refuse harmony with brethren. Withdrawing from some for reasons existing only in the imagination and binding up with others is condemned, for Paul and Apollos and Cephas and every gift and help belong to all believers for their good and are not party leaders to glory in or divide over. Clinging to a favorite teacher and refusing harmony comes from want of meekness and humility and wholehearted kindness and shows the receiver is not sanctified through the truth.

The verse forbids thinking of men above that which is written and being puffed up for one against another. It forbids showing preferences and comparing one minister with another to the detriment of the one not preferred. Since every gift by which one differs from another was received from God, there is no ground to glory as if it had not been received, and the heart is to be humbled before God.

Paul and Apollos are only ministers by whom believers believed, as the Lord gave to every man. One planted and another watered, but God gave the increase, so neither the planter nor the waterer is anything, though he that planteth and he that watereth are one in object though their work differs, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. A minister who emphasizes a different phase of truth or presents the Word in a different way is not to be condemned, and no minister needs to fear that brethren do not regard his exposition as of highest consequence. Brethren are not to judge one another because they do not count every word and spirit and action as perfection, but are to abide in Christ, avoid finding fault with another person's work, and do their own Christian work faithfully.

Ministers belong among the gifts God gives for the good of believers, so they may be loved and respected for their work but must not be idolized or placed above Christ, and the church does not belong to them. No one is to glory in men or in worldly wisdom, and workers must not take glory to themselves for success nor get above the simplicity of the work, but keep humble and holy and dependent on God, hide self in God, labor with His Spirit, depend wholly on God to give the increase, and return to Him all praise and all glory. No human being may bind other human beings to himself, control them, dictate to them, forbid and command them like an officer over soldiers, lord over God's heritage, claim a church that will do his bidding and be ruled by his wisdom, or bind up in separate parties. After the truth has impressed hearts, those who accept it are to be treated as the property of Christ, not as the property of man, for Paul and Apollos and Cephas and all things are given to believers for their good, and believers are Christ's and Christ is God's, so all glory belongs to God.

The verse requires unity in place of division before the world and angels and men, with all who are called prepared and aided by one Agency from one great Source to glorify God in love and harmonious action, each strengthening the other. It calls for meekness and humility and wholehearted kindness and generosity and tenderness, for truth received in love to sanctify the receiver to be a channel and representative of grace, for each to take diligent heed to his own course, and for straight paths for the feet lest the lame be turned out of the way. Cherishing prejudice and envy and jealousy and evil surmisings and discord against brethren separates from brethren and from God and greatly hinders the manifestation of the Spirit, who will not be sent as Comforter and Strengthener until the Word is obeyed to be all of one mind, love as brethren, be pitiful and courteous. Those possessed by a divisive spirit and in party spirit need reconversion at once, or their claimed conversion is a stumbling block to sinners, and those who follow a minister's example in refusing fellowship with those who do not do just as they do need a re-conversion.

Living as Christ's Own

The text is to be thought over at home and taken personally, for many who think themselves ready for the Lord's coming are not ready, and those who apply it will be helped to understand it, to put away every hindrance, to know God's will and walk in that pathway, to confess Christ and come out of darkness into His marvelous light, and thus to become free men and all light in the Lord. All things belong to believers because they belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God, who gave Christ to be head over all things to the church and who loves the church with everlasting love. As many as receive Him and believe on His name receive power to become sons of God, and He gave Himself for the church to present it to Himself glorious, holy and without blemish, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Those who receive these blessings are to give them to others, serving as channels through which God's goodness, mercy and truth flow to the world and as co-workers with Christ in bringing brightness and blessing into other lives, and those who receive in order to give know life's greatest satisfaction.

Through Christ all things become the believer's inheritance, for the Son of God was given not only as sacrifice for the guilty and Redeemer for the lost but as the One through whom everything becomes theirs, and He has given the charter of that inheritance so that those who have chosen Him as their portion stand on vantage ground. Those who have faith in Christ and obey His instruction know by experience the boundless power that constantly witnesses that they are Christ's and Christ is theirs. When a person gives heart, soul, strength and all capabilities wholly to God for helpful, unselfish service instead of idleness and selfish withholding, Christ becomes his, heaven becomes his, eternal life becomes his, and all things through Christ become his. God's servants are given for the good of His people, not to rule or control them, so each person is to remain free before God, seek His guidance, and use the work and gifts God has given without being placed under human yokes or made dependent on human permission. No ruling power should compel obedience to the dictates of the finite mind, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, and men must cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils, refusing to rely on human wisdom or submit to human authority that compels such obedience, for turning minds to lean on man places a veil between God and man so that there is no seeing of Him who is invisible. The whole chapter is to be studied and prayed over so that faith and practice are energized by the Holy Spirit.

All things — including spiritual leaders, the world, life, death, and what is present or still to come — are given for the good of believers, who belong to Christ while Christ belongs to God, and this shows the principle that God's institutions are for humanity's benefit, as the Ten Commandments including the Sabbath were given as a blessing and for the people's good. Believers are God's building and are urged to consider how they carry out their work for Him, which applies to responsible use of money and care of physical, mental and moral health. Since all things are the believer's because the believer is Christ's, no one is to glory in men or commend himself but to glory in the Lord, to think soberly of himself, to present his body a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, to keep the body in healthful condition and the intellect clear and active for God's service, to arouse the moral powers and look to Jesus trusting His grace to overcome unnatural craving. This requires cooperating fully by total abstinence from alcohol and stimulating drinks rather than moderate use, because he is not his own but God's property purchased with an infinite price.