Building for the Fire Text: 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
Introduction: The Coming Inspection
Every construction site of any significance has a building inspector. He shows up with his clipboard and his codebook, and he doesn't care about the color of the paint or the style of the curtains. He is there to check the foundation, the wiring, the plumbing, the structural integrity of the whole enterprise. He is there to determine if the building is sound or if it is a deathtrap. His job is to see what is real, what is up to code, and what is just cosmetic fluff. And when he signs off, the building stands. When he doesn't, it gets condemned.
The apostle Paul, writing to a church that was shot through with division, carnality, and spiritual pride, brings them to just such an inspection. The Corinthians were behaving like rival construction firms, each boasting about their foreman. "I follow Paul." "Well, I follow Apollos." "I'm with Cephas." They were glorying in men, treating the church like a marketplace of personalities and branding themselves with their favorite teacher. Paul has just told them that they are God's field, and God's building. And because they are God's building, they need to understand that there is a final inspection coming for every single man who picks up a hammer.
This passage is one of the most sobering in all of Scripture for those who are engaged in Christian service, which is to say, every single Christian. It is a call to radical seriousness about how we live our lives and how we build the church. Paul lays out the blueprint for us. There is one, and only one, foundation. But upon that foundation, many different kinds of structures can be built. And all of them, every last one, will be tested by fire.
The Text
According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident, for the day will indicate it because it is revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
(1 Corinthians 3:10-15 LSB)
The Apostolic Foundation (v. 10-11)
Paul begins by defining his own role and issuing a solemn warning.
"According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it." (1 Corinthians 3:10)
Notice how Paul begins. He doesn't start with his resume, but with grace. "According to the grace of God." All apostolic authority, all ministerial skill, all spiritual success is a gift. This is a direct rebuke to the pride of the Corinthians who were glorying in men. Paul, the man they were idolizing, deflects the glory right back to God. He calls himself a "wise master builder," an architekton, from which we get our word architect. His job, by God's grace, was to lay the foundation. In Corinth, that meant preaching the gospel for the first time, establishing the church on the bedrock truth of who Jesus is and what He has done.
Then he says, "another is building on it." This refers to men like Apollos, who came after Paul and watered the seed that Paul had planted. This is the normal pattern of the church. One man lays a foundation, others come and frame the walls, another puts on the roof. The work is collaborative. But then comes the warning, and it is sharp: "But each man must be careful how he builds on it." The foundation is set. The blueprint is fixed. But the quality of the construction is the responsibility of every subsequent builder. This is a command to pay close attention. Be vigilant. Don't be a sloppy workman.
Why? Because the foundation is not a matter of personal preference.
"For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:11)
This is the great non-negotiable. The identity of the church, the substance of the Christian faith, the hope of salvation, is not an idea, a system, or a moral code. It is a person. The foundation is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, crucified, buried, resurrected, and reigning. Any church, any ministry, any life that is not built squarely on this foundation is not a Christian enterprise at all. It is something else entirely, a religious club or a self-help group, and it is built on sinking sand. You cannot swap out this foundation for the foundation of moralism, or social justice, or political activism, or mystical experience. There is no other name, and there is no other foundation.
Eternal Materials and Flammable Folly (v. 12-13)
Upon this one foundation, two very different kinds of buildings can be erected.
"Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident, for the day will indicate it because it is revealed with fire..." (1 Corinthians 3:12-13a)
Paul presents us with two categories of building materials. The first set, gold, silver, and precious stones, are valuable, durable, and non-combustible. They can withstand the fire. What do these represent in the life of the church and the individual believer? They represent sound doctrine, faithfully taught. They represent discipleship that produces real holiness. They represent acts of service done with a pure heart for the glory of God, not the applause of men. They are the hard, costly, beautiful realities of a life lived in obedient faith.
The second set of materials is wood, hay, and straw. These materials are cheap, common, and, most importantly, highly flammable. They are what you build a temporary shack with, not a temple. What do these represent? They represent all the man-centered foolishness that so often passes for ministry. This is the wood of worldly wisdom, the hay of emotional hype, and the straw of shallow, entertainment-driven programs. It is teaching that tickles the ears but does not convict the soul. It is building a following for yourself instead of for Christ. It is factionalism, gossip, selfish ambition, and doctrinal compromise. It might look impressive for a season, like a big haystack, but it has no eternal substance.
And the difference will not remain hidden forever. "Each man's work will become evident." How? "For the day will indicate it because it is revealed with fire." "The day" is the day of the Lord, the day of Christ's return. This is not the final judgment of the wicked at the Great White Throne. This is the bema seat judgment, an evaluation of the service of believers. The fire here is a metaphor for the searching, purifying, all-knowing judgment of God. His holy gaze will penetrate all our facades and test the quality, not the quantity, of our work.
Reward and Loss (v. 14-15)
The result of this fiery test is twofold: reward for what remains, and loss for what is burned.
"If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward." (1 Corinthians 3:14)
The gold, silver, and precious stones will emerge from the fire, purified and gleaming. The work that was done faithfully, for God's glory, according to His Word, will last. And for that work, the builder will receive a reward. This is not the reward of salvation; salvation is a free gift received by faith. This is the reward of a faithful steward, the "well done, good and faithful servant" from the lips of the Master. The Scriptures speak of crowns and commendations, not as something we have earned in ourselves, but as a gracious recognition of grace-enabled faithfulness.
But there is another, more sobering outcome.
"If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." (1 Corinthians 3:15)
This is one of the most terrifying verses in the New Testament for a believer to contemplate. The man who built with wood, hay, and straw will watch his entire life's work go up in a cloud of smoke. All the programs, all the applause, all the activity, all the things he thought were so important, consumed in an instant. He will "suffer loss." This is the loss of reward, the loss of commendation. It is the tragedy of a wasted life, a squandered stewardship.
And yet, notice the crucial caveat: "but he himself will be saved." Why? Because he was on the foundation. His faith in Jesus Christ was genuine. Justification is by faith alone, and his salvation was never in jeopardy. The fire tests the work, not the person's standing in grace. But his salvation is described in a terrifying way: "yet so as through fire." The image is of a man escaping his burning house. He gets out, but just barely. He escapes with his life, but he smells of smoke, he has lost everything, and he stands there with nothing to show for his life but the ashes at his feet. It is a salvation accompanied by profound regret and shame.
Conclusion: Your Life's Construction Project
This passage forces a question upon every one of us. What are you building with? When you come to church, when you raise your family, when you conduct your business, when you speak to your neighbor, what materials are you using?
Are you building with the gold of God's Word, the silver of sincere worship, and the precious stones of loving, sacrificial service? Or are you content with the wood of man-pleasing, the hay of doctrinal compromise, and the straw of spiritual laziness? The Corinthian factions were a clear example of building with hay. They were building a movement around personalities, which is always flammable.
The day of inspection is coming. The fire of God's holiness will test every life. Much of what is celebrated in the modern evangelical world will be revealed as a pile of straw. The big stages, the smoke machines, the celebrity pastors, the seeker-sensitive fluff, all of it will burn. And what will remain is that which was done in simple, humble, costly obedience to the Word of God.
First, you must ensure you are on the foundation. You cannot build for Christ until you are saved by Christ. Repent of your sins and trust in Him alone. He is the only foundation that will hold in the coming storm.
And then, once you are on that foundation, take up your tools and be careful how you build. Build with eternal materials. Build something that will last. Build something that will not just survive the fire, but will be purified by it, to the praise and glory of the God who gave you the grace to build in the first place.