I Corinthians 3:11
"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid (it’s already done. And Paul doesn’t take credit for being the foundation. Who is?) which is Jesus Christ."
Again, we can go back into the secular world, we can go back into Scripture. In the parable, Jesus used the analogy of building on the sand, and this is in relation to religion as a whole. How long will it last? Until the first good rainstorm. Poof! There it goes. But if you want that building to last, you’re going to build it on what? A solid foundation. The inspiration of revelation upon which He will build His Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. That was what He was teaching. As Paul in this letter is stressing that Christ's King-Priesthood is far superior to that of Judaism in that like Melchizedek's was a God chosen ie..order of, God ordained and is of a Higher order than that of Aaron's and the Levitical manly or earthly priesthood as it was to serve until Christ.
Well, Paul was saying the same things. We’re not building on the sands of some false religion; we’re building on the foundation of the One and Only True God-given basis for our salvation. And that is the finished work of the Cross. So then in verse 12. Now Paul says, as a believer you’ve been redeemed through the foundational work of the Cross. And as a believer you’re going to start building on that foundation for our salvation and for reward.
I Corinthians 3:12
"Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble."
These are six materials that we’re going to build with. Three of them will never burn up. And they are representative of the spiritual aspect of the heavenly calling. Three of them would go in a puff of smoke like a western forest fire. Why? Because those works were good for nothing, just a waste of time. They are representative of all human forms of religion as a man made object of worship. Even though God had given through Moses to Aaron and the tribe of Levi a priesthood of short duration as a means of showing to Israel their being set apart as a people, through whom He would bring the seed of promise, Jesus as the redeemer not for just Israel but as the seed for the nations. It should be pointed out that as a nation the Israelite people broke God's Law and the covenants and they too became hay, wood and as grass stubble. And how many Christians aren’t going to find out that that’s what has happened to their works. But, those other three materials will abide, gold, silver, precious stones, no fire can destroy them. For they're tried by fire to proof them as a potter proofs his work in a kiln furnace. All that which is Christ centered will remain. If anything it will enhance them. And so Paul is using that analogy, Now verse 13.
I Corinthians 3:13a
"Every man (now that’s a generic term remember, when Paul says man, he’s not leaving the women out. So every believer’s and none believer's) work shall be made manifest:"
And what’s the explanation I've used for manifest? Put in the spotlight. Just like turning on the microscope and put the slide over the light and there’s everything manifested. Well, that’s exactly what’s going to happen to our works. They’re going to be manifested. They’re going to be put in the spotlight. Are they of the Fathers direction and working through us or are they of our own sufficiency or the doing of something even if its the wrong thing? Sad but true many times its of our own sufficiency and when it is it'll fail.
I Corinthians 3:13b
"…for the day shall declare it,…"
The judgment day. Now it’s not the Great White Throne Judgment, as that’s for the unbelievers and the lawless ones. But we as a true believer must appear before the Bema Seat Judgment in II Corinthians 5 where it says, ‘We believers shall all appear before the judgment of Christ (the Bema Seat).’ I think it’s unfortunate that the translators used that word ‘judgment.’ That scares people. Most think that believers are going to come up and have a whip laid over them. No, no! When we as a believer come before the Lord it’s going to be the Bema Seat. The place of reward. Like as sports man and athlete receives a reward after the Olympic games or event. My, as those athletes ran past the finish line, who determines who was first? Who determines who was second and third and so forth? The Bema Seat judges. And that’s why Paul refers to that when we come before the Bema Seat for reward, not the ‘fiery eyes of the Lord Jesus,’ which I get from Revelation 19, where He’s going to have ‘eyes as flames of fire.’ But He'll have eyes full of His great Love for us because we're identified as His Body, as being IN Him, as being Christ-centered-ones.
I Corinthians 3:13c
"…because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is."
And remember the analogy, is it gold, silver and precious stones; or is it wood, hay and stubble?
I Corinthians 3:14
"If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward." In other words, as a believer; and if it’s gold, silver and precious stone, it’ll remain and you will receive a reward. We don’t know what they’re going to be. We can speculate all we want but I cannot tell someone, well this verse says this is what we’re going to have, I can’t do that. All I know is that God is fair. He’s just. And His reward is going to be beyond human comprehension, whatever it is. But, now the other side of the coin is, verse 15.
I Corinthians 3:15
"If any man’s work (as a believer? now we’re talking only about believers. And even believers are going to come before the Bema Seat with nothing but wood, hay and stubble. They’ve never done anything worth a plug nickel to further God’s Kingdom, but they’re believers. They've fallen short of the revelation of God in Christ Jesus of which we are part and parcel with Him. All right, and so their work) shall be burned,…"
Now that’s not talking about hellfire burning. It’s just simply a point that it’s going to be set aside like trees that are pruned and the branches are burned. Because they're of dead works of our own sufficiency because we lacked His sufficiency.
I Corinthians 3:15b
"…he shall suffer loss:…"
The loss those believers will suffer will not be their salvation, but rather they’ll lose their reward. That’s all. They’ll suffer loss of reward. For they've run the race in their own sufficiency for many reasons one of which is wrong teaching.
They’re going to be up there where there’s no activity. There’s nothing like being on the playing field. You either come full force into salvation or you’re going to miss it! The believer who has produced (as a Christ-centered-one) and who has been in the right attitude (as a receptiveness in child likeness) and his motivation has been to please the Lord; Is it’s going to be gold, silver and precious stones? If all he’s done it for is earthly acclaim or the pat on the back of fellow human beings, it’s wood, hay and stubble. It’ll count for nothing. Now let me finish verse 15 so I can make the point.
I Corinthians 3:15
"If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."
The believer will suffer loss, as he won’t get a reward, but, he himself shall be saved! He’s going to be in glory. "...yet so as by fire." In other words, it will be by the ‘skin of his teeth’ if I may put it that way.
All right, back to Hebrews chapter 10 and so here you have the same concept, that these Jewish believers ie..Hebrew-Christians who were suffering for their trust would experience, one day, reward. These people were on the verge of turning tail and returning to their Jewishness and roots because of the social pressures of religionist's and nationalism of the time. Israel was on the verge of rebellion and uprising against the Roman oppression, they wanted their independence back from Roman rule. Paul is here strengthening them to stand in the faith and faithfulness of God in Christ to get them through the hard times ahead. Verse 35 is where we came from on that thought.
Hebrews 10:35-36
"Cast not away therefore, your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise."
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