“If any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood hay, stubble, every man’s work shall be made manifest, for the day will declare it, because it shall be proved by fire.” (1 Cor.3:11-13)
Note here that Paul is emphasising man’s work, what a man builds. The illustration is given to show what happens once a man becomes a true believer in Christ. He is given a job to do, and he needs to be very careful how he goes about it. Each one of us is given a task to fulfil, and we need to be much in prayer to know what it is, and having found out, much diligence in performing it as our bounden duty throughout life. The illustration is clear enough. There are two types of materials one can use. Gold, silver, and precious stones are not consumed by fire, indeed, they are purified. But wood, hay and stubble are totally consumed. Paul tells us that those in the first category receive a reward, but those in the second suffer loss even though they themselves are saved. [Read more…]