1 Corinthians 3:9

Paul and Apollos were fellow workers for God. Elsewhere Paul spoke of believers as fellow workers with God (2 Corinthians 6:1), but that was not his point here. The Corinthians were the field in view in the preceding illustration (1 Corinthians 3:6-8). Paul now compared them to a building. He proceeded to develop this illustration in the following verses (1 Corinthians 3:10-17). This verse is transitional.

To help the Corinthians abandon the party spirit that marked their church, Paul stressed the equality of their teachers as fellow workers under God’s sovereign authority (1 Corinthians 3:5-9).

"Everything is God’s-the church, its ministry, Paul, Apollos-everything. Therefore, it is absolutely not permissible to say ’I belong to Paul,’ since the only legitimate ’slogan’ is ’we all belong to God.’" [Note: Ibid., p. 134.]

"A sermon on our text [1 Corinthians 3:1-9] would focus on the attitudes of preachers and congregations about one another as they relate to the gospel of the cross. Peruse this brief sermon sketch:

"’I belong to Paul.’ ’I belong to Apollos.’ Familiar cries in a world of hi-tech religion. See huge Sunday crowds squint under the glare of spotlights as ’their’ preachers dazzle millions of electronic viewers with wisdom and rhetorical charm. Overhear the Christian public admire TV evangelists and big-time clergy: ’Oh, I like to listen to _____.’ ’Well, he’s O.K. but I like _____ better.’ You fill in the blanks. Yes, everyone has their favorite preacher nowadays. In spite of all the notorious hucksters, ’preacher religion’ is in. The result? An increasingly fragmented church. ’I belong to Paul and you don’t.’ It is enough to make Corinth look tame by comparison." [Note: C. Thomas Rhyne, "Expository Articles: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9," Interpretation 44:2 (April 1990):177.]