1 Cor 3:9 - For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
Paraphrase:
We are workers who work alongside & with God. We are His farm, His building.
Initial idea:
We are workers who work with God, it is not us who works alone or on our own, neither does God work on His own and alone, we work together. We are God’s. We are His to cultivate, care for, build and maintain.
Let’s have a look at this verse from different angles:
Background:
It is believed among historians and theologians that Paul wrote the First Epistle to the Corinthians (c. AD53-54), at Ephesus in Asia Minor. He founded the Christian community at Corinth, Greece. His first visit to Corinth was on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1) (c.50-51) and his ministry was fruitful. He remained there longer than in any other city, about a year and a half. This first letter to the Corinthians deals with issues that arose in the early years after this initial visit.
Ancient Corinth had headed the Achaean League during the Hellenistic period. This city was completely destroyed by the Roman L. Mummius Achaicus in 146 B.C. A century passed before it was finally rebuilt, probably under the direction of Julius Caesar.
Corinth was strategically located. It was a hub whose spokes radiated in every direction. Any movement which gained a footing here could be assured of a hearing in surrounding districts. Leon Morris has described this important city as intellectually alert, materially prosperous, and morally corrupt.
Perhaps the most significant of the factors which comprised the atmosphere of Corinth was gross, unashamed immorality.
Idolatry is another feature of the city which was closely linked to its immorality. In addition to the temple of Aphrodite, there were numerous others, and the worship in these temples was popular among the residents. These idol temples played a significant role in both economic and social life.
Corinth was proud, busy, and intellectual. It is understandable that Paul confessed that he approached the city in weakness, fear, and in much trembling (1 Cor. 2:3).
Two circumstances provided the occasion for the writing of First Corinthians. First, the Corinthians had written to Paul and had asked his advice on a number of problems which were perplexing them. These problems included the Christian view of marriage, the practice of eating meat sacrificed to idols, the manner in which women should dress for public worship, the proper observance of the Lord’s Supper, the relative value of spiritual gifts, and the resurrection of the dead. The other circumstance was the news which Paul received of irregularities within the life of the church. Factions had sprung up and a case of incest was being condoned.
Words analysis:
- Noun: labourers, God, husbandry, building
- Verb: are
- Pronouns: ye, we, God’s
- Preposition: for, with
- Adverb: together
W-Analysis:
- Who: we, God, ye
- What: labourers, husbandry, building
- Where: -
- When: currently (present tense)
- How: -
- Why: -
Greek/Hebrew analysis:
For – S1063 – assigning a reason, and, as, because (that), therefor, verily, yet
We are – S2070 – are, be, have our being
Labourers together – S4904 – co-labourer, companion in labour, workfellow
With God – S2316 – the supreme Divinity, deity
Ye are – S2075 – ye are, be, have bee, belong
God’s – S2316 – the supreme Divinity, deity
Husbandry – S1091 – cultivable, a farm, husbandry
Building – S3619 – architecture, structure, building, edify (edification)
Definitions:
Labourers
Noun, plural - a person doing unskilled manual work for wages.
"a farm labourer"
Together
in or into one group, body, or place We gathered together.
in touch or in partnership with They are in business together.
with or near someone or something else Let's walk together.
at one time They gave the same answer together.
Origins: Together goes back to the Old English togædere, formed by combining the preposition to with gædere, an adverb meaning “together”. Gæd is an Old English word for fellowship or companionship
Husbandry
Noun -
the care, cultivation, and breeding of crops and animals. "all aspects of animal husbandry"
management and conservation of resources. "low borrowing demonstrates astute husbandry of resources"
Building
Noun -
a structure with a roof and walls, such as a house or factory.
Verb -
the action or trade of constructing something. "the building of motorways"
Context:
The chapter starts off with Paul telling the Corinthians that they are not strong in their faith or grown in their knowledge and understanding. They are basing their beliefs on men, and not on God. They are classifying themselves according to men, not to God.
Paul then tells them that it is not about the person delivering the message, but about God – He is the only one Who matters. The messengers are merely relaying God’s word, and that He should be the foundation.
Even though Paul and Apollos and others bring the message to the people, it is not about them, but about God. They all work together with God, not man, but God.
And the chapter continues on how every man will be accountable for what he did, on what foundation he built, his actions. He further admonishes that we are God’s temple and should take care of our bodies as such.
He ends the chapter by reminding them that we should only glory in the Lord, not in men, because everything is everyone’s, and all is Christ’s and Christ is God’s.
Other anomalies:
- repetition: with God, God’s, God’s – the repetition of these possessive pronouns drives home the concept that we belong to God
- imagery: the imagery used of husbandry and building are both things that imply work – to build and maintain, but also of continuation and establishment. Neither can prosper without proper management and care, and with continued proper management and care, both can grow stronger, and remain established. Using “labourer” our job to work is also made clear, but we are not to do it alone, we are to do it “with” God, labouring alongside Him. He does not leave us to our own devices, but He works with us, alongside us. He’s very much a hands-on manager and owner.
- Tenses: simple present tense – it is what it is, no matter when you read it, it still is what it is now.
Cross references:
Acts 15:4 - And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
2Cor 6:1 - We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
Eph 2:20 - And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Col 2:7 - Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Heb 3:3-4 - For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.
1Pet 2:5 - Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
About:
- What does this scripture teach me about God?
He is possessive. We are His and should be His alone. But He is considerate – labouring together with us = involvement, instruction, teaching, working. He is not aloof or autocratic, blurting out instructions. Where I work, He works with me. I am not alone in my growth or struggle, He is next to me, working with me, because He takes care of what is His.
- What does this scripture teach me about people?
The people should be working too. Not just God, it is just as much our responsibility to grow as it is God’s. We belong to God and should remember that. We are not to find other masters.
- What does this scripture want me to know/do?
Work. Work on my faith, work on my life, work in whatever God is giving me to do. But to work with Him, to seek His guidance and instruction. It is not my job to do it alone, I shouldn’t be doing more to try and impress Him, He is working with me. If I work with Him, I won’t get tired or overworked, because He sets the pace.
I should remember Whose I am. And act accordingly. I should not allow any other master to try and till my field or build my building.
Discussion:
This verse makes it very clear that God is working with us. He is not far off blurting out instructions, He is working alongside us. It is also very clear that I belong to Him, I am His property. And rightly so, because He bought me with the blood of Jesus Christ.
The owner of something will always take better care of it than anyone else. So if we are God’s He will always take the best care of us.
When we go off to find some other master, that master/idol will never take as good care of us, as God will. Serving other gods is allowing other masters governance over us – over our farm and building. And because it is not theirs, they will not care for it like God does.
For the people of Corinth, it must’ve been very hard to live godly amongst all that immorality and idolatry. Paul reminded them that they are not working alone. That God is with them and with His help they will overcome. When you consider the rest of the chapter, Paul makes it also very clear, that they decide what to do, and that they need to carefully consider their actions, as there will be consequences for it.
In our lives today, I think we are in much the same boat. To live morally right according to the Word of God is frowned upon and judged. We have to stand strong on our faith and loyalty to God, making the right choices, just like the people of Corinth.
From the definitions, we are referred to as “unskilled”, as the word labourer is defined as unskilled worker. Unskilled means that you don’t know what you are doing. God does not require us to know exactly what we are doing, or how to do it. He simply requires us to be willing to work and to follow His lead. He is working alongside us, and will teach us how and what we should be doing.
As we work with Him, we will become more skilled and can move on in our faith. The beginning of the chapter starts with Paul telling the people of Corinth that they are still babies in their faith, requiring only milk, and no meat. And that they should grow in their faith – building with God – to be able to understand more and deeper truths.
But God equips us for this, as we work with Him. He teaches us and trains us, we should listen to the elders and the teachers and the preachers, but we should learn from Him. Everything we are taught from others, we should measure against His word for ourselves, before accepting it. We should make sure that what we are being taught, is based on the only foundation that exists in the Bible: Jesus Christ.
“Together” is such an illustrative word, too. It’s origins rooted in companionship – relationship. We cannot build with God if we are not in a relationship with Him. If we run ahead, we won’t be doing together, we will be out of sync and we will be in danger of building and cultivating wrong – wrong ideas, wrong thoughts. It will be easier to be lead astray. Same with if we fall behind. If we neglect our relationship with God, we will fall behind in the building and maintaining of our faith, and it will weaken, again leaving us exposed to attacks from wrong masters.
The words “husbandry” and “building” is specifically chosen for the significance of what it resembles: husbandry is the cultivation of animals and crops, and building is a fixed structure. In God’s word, both are used to describe us and our relationship with God. Jesus said that He is the Vine and we are the branches (John 15:5 – again: with us). We are to bear fruit (Gal 5:22) which comes from trees that need to be cultivated to bear more and better fruit. In this very same chapter, Paul tells the Corinthians that their bodies are temples of God, and should be cared for as such.
When crops are neglected, they perish. Trees that are not trimmed and pruned, stop carrying fruit. Vineyards that are not tended, wither completely. Weeds take over and to restore it, will take harsh pruning and cleaning.
Buildings that are neglected, falls into disrepair. It is amazing that there are buildings still in use today that were built in the first century after Christ. Because it is being used and maintained, it is still functional. And then there are buildings that aren’t even 50 years old that are completely falling apart, because it is not being used and not being maintained. Sometimes these buildings can be rebuilt, with great effort, cost and time. Other times there is no hope but to completely demolish the building and build something new.
The image is very clear: God works alongside us, pruning us and tending to us, so we can grow stronger in the Vine that gives us our life. The better He tends us, the harder we work with Him, the better fruit we will bear. As His temple, He maintains us, improves us, constantly working on us, for His Spirit to dwell in us. This means cleaning. Constant cleaning, as the dust of this world creeps into every opening. Rooms not occupied, need to be found, cleaned out and filled with God’s Spirit. Windows need to be cleaned so we can clearly see. Although, now we will only see through a glass darkly (1Cor 13:12), it can still be clean!
The most important part of this verse for me, is the very clear message that God is with me. All my struggles in my faith, in my life – He is right here, next to me, working with me. If I am in a relationship with Him, and if I stay in a relationship with Him, everything that I am going through is part of the process of cultivating my garden, my crops, renovating and maintaining His temple. I am not going through it because He is NOT with me. I am going through it BECAUSE He is with me. Nothing that is happening to me is beyond His reach, or catches Him off guard. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” – Rom 8:28.
When the devil attacks, I am not standing there alone. He is standing right there next to me. Eph 6 says that I have an armour that I should wear, but that I should be praying and standing. God will fight for me (Deut 1:30). Because He is with me.
I just need to let Him.
References:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Letter-of-Paul-to-the-Corinthians
https://preachingsource.com/journal/the-historical-background-of-first-corinthians/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Epistle_to_the_Corinthians
Google dictionary – Oxford languages
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/together
https://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/together
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