Commentary - 1 Corinthians 3:1-4

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, the Apostle Paul pivots from the high theology of the first two chapters to a sharp, pastoral rebuke. Having established that the wisdom of God, revealed in the cross of Christ, is foolishness to the world, he now confronts the Corinthians for failing to live in light of that reality. They were still thinking and acting like the world. The core problem was their spiritual immaturity, a condition Paul diagnoses as being "fleshly" or carnal. This carnality was not a theoretical problem; it had manifested itself in the ugly sins of jealousy, strife, and division. Their factionalism, where they were lining up behind their favorite celebrity preachers, "I am of Paul," "I am of Apollos", was not a sign of theological astuteness but was rather the behavior of spiritual infants, of "mere men" walking according to the flesh, not the Spirit. Paul is laying the groundwork to explain that all true ministers are nothing more than servants of the one Master, gardeners in God's field, and builders on the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ Himself. Their party spirit was a fundamental denial of the gospel they claimed to believe.

This section serves as a crucial diagnostic tool for the church in any age. It teaches us that carnality is not defined by a particular list of "worldly" activities, but by the attitudes of the heart. Envy, rivalry, and a partisan spirit are clear indicators that a church has left its first love and is operating by the world's rules of power, personality, and prestige. Paul's goal is to call them back to the foot of the cross, where all human boasting is silenced and the only name that matters is the name of Jesus Christ.

Outline

Context In 1 Corinthians

This passage flows directly from Paul's argument in chapters 1 and 2. He began the letter by addressing the report of divisions in the Corinthian church (1 Cor 1:10-12). He then spent two chapters dismantling the intellectual pride that was at the root of these divisions. He contrasted the "wisdom of the world," which is based on rhetoric and human philosophy, with the "wisdom of God," which is the message of Christ crucified. He reminded them that God chose the foolish, weak, and despised things of the world to shame the wise and strong, so that no one might boast in His presence (1 Cor 1:27-29). He explained that his own ministry among them was not with clever words but in a demonstration of the Spirit's power (1 Cor 2:1-5). He distinguished between the natural man, who cannot understand the things of God, and the spiritual man, who has the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:14-16). Now, in chapter 3, he applies this framework directly to their situation. Their factionalism is proof that, despite their claims to wisdom and spirituality, they are in fact operating as "natural" or "fleshly" men, not spiritual ones. This section therefore provides the pastoral application for the theological foundation he has just laid.

Key Issues

Still on the Bottle

One of the most dangerous conditions for a church is to be stalled out. It is one thing to be a baby; every Christian starts there. It is another thing entirely to be a thirty-year-old baby, still in the crib, still demanding a bottle, still unable to walk. This was the problem at Corinth. They had been Christians long enough to have moved on to solid food, to the meat of the Word. They had been gifted by God with every spiritual gift (1 Cor 1:7). They had access to the finest apostolic teaching. And yet, they were still on a diet of milk. Why? Because their hearts were still governed by the flesh.

Paul uses the term sarkikos, meaning "fleshly" or "carnal." This doesn't mean they were unregenerate. He calls them "brothers" and "infants in Christ." But it does mean that they were allowing the principles of the old man, the fallen Adamic nature, to dominate their lives and their church. The flesh loves to compare, to compete, to create rivalries, to measure success by worldly standards. The Spirit, by contrast, produces unity, humility, and a focus on Christ alone. The strife in Corinth was a flashing red light on their spiritual dashboard, indicating a serious engine problem. They were Christians, yes, but they were acting like they weren't. They were walking "like mere men," which is a tragic failure for those who have been given the mind of Christ.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to fleshly men, as to infants in Christ.

Paul begins with a tender but firm address. He calls them "brothers," affirming their status as genuine believers. This is not a letter to an apostate church, but a letter of correction to a deeply troubled one. Having just described the "spiritual man" who can discern all things at the end of chapter 2, he now has to tell the Corinthians that they don't fit that description. He could not address them as mature, spiritual believers. Instead, he had to speak to them as though they were fleshly, carnal. He softens this by clarifying that he means they are "infants in Christ." Infancy is a necessary stage, but it is a stage one is meant to grow out of. The problem was not that they started as infants, but that they had remained infants.

2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are still not able.

He illustrates their infancy with a dietary metaphor. When he was with them, he fed them "milk," the basic, foundational truths of the gospel. He did not move on to "solid food," the deeper, more complex doctrines of the faith. This was not because he wanted to hold anything back, but because they were not ready for it. A baby cannot digest a steak. Their spiritual digestive system was too weak. The truly damning part of the verse is the last clause: "Indeed, even now you are still not able." Time had passed. They should have grown. They should have been ready for meat by now, but their carnality had stunted their growth. This is a perpetual warning. A church that indulges in sin and strife will never mature in its understanding of doctrine. Moral failure arrests theological development.

3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?

Here Paul presents his evidence. How does he know they are still fleshly? He points to the undeniable facts of their common life: "there is jealousy and strife among you." These are not the fruit of the Spirit; they are the works of the flesh (Gal 5:20). Jealousy, or envy, is the bitter resentment of another's success or gifts. Strife is the outworking of that jealousy in conflict and division. Where these attitudes reign, the Spirit is grieved. Paul then asks two rhetorical questions that expect a "yes" answer. "Are you not fleshly?" Of course you are; the evidence is plain. "Are you not walking like mere men?" This is a stinging charge. To walk "like mere men" is to behave as if you were unregenerate, as if Christ had never died for you, as if the Holy Spirit had never been given. It is to live by the standards of the fallen world, not the standards of the kingdom of God.

4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?

He now gives the prime example of their jealousy and strife. It was manifesting in a party spirit, a foolish sectarianism. They were turning preachers into mascots for their spiritual sports teams. Some were "Paul's people." Others were in "Apollos's camp." Apollos was a gifted and eloquent preacher from Alexandria who had ministered in Corinth after Paul (Acts 18:24-28). There is no indication that Paul and Apollos were themselves rivals; the rivalry was entirely a creation of the carnal Corinthians. By lining up behind human leaders, they were taking their eyes off Christ, the head of the church. This behavior, Paul says again, is the mark of "mere men." It is how the world operates, with its personality cults and its obsession with celebrity. It has no place in the church of Jesus Christ, where all ministers are simply fellow-servants pointing to the one Master.

Application

The Corinthian disease is highly contagious and has infected the church down through the centuries. We live in an age of celebrity pastors, brand-name ministries, and theological tribes that often function more like political parties than like members of one body. It is very easy to begin to identify ourselves more by the men we follow or the conference we attend than by the Christ who bought us.

This passage forces us to look in the mirror. Is there jealousy in our hearts when another church or ministry seems to be more "successful" than ours? Do we engage in strife, whether in person or online, in a way that tears down the body of Christ? Do we define our spiritual identity by saying, "I am of Calvin," or "I am of Luther," or "I am of Piper," or "I am of Wilson"? To do so is to be carnal. To do so is to walk like mere men. Paul is not saying that we cannot appreciate and learn from gifted teachers. He is saying that we must never make them the basis of our identity or the cause of division.

The only cure for this carnality is a fresh vision of the cross. The gospel humbles us all. It reminds us that Paul is nothing, Apollos is nothing, but God gives the growth. All our gifted leaders are just servants, janitors, and farmhands in God's great project. The foundation is Christ, and no other can be laid. When we are rightly captivated by the glory of Christ, the lesser glories of men fade into their proper place, and we find our unity not in allegiance to a human teacher, but in our shared allegiance to the Lord who bought us with His own blood.