Re: Christ's Commandments
-
The next commandment is embedded in the following scripture. It's indicated by underlined text.
1Cor 3:5-15 . .What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe. As The Lord has assigned to each his task: I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it.
. . . For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be 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 upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be spared, yet so as through fire.
Sorry for that big gob of scripture, but in order to explain what is meant by the underlined text it's essential that I retain it's context.
It's easy mistake the judgment spoken of in that passage for the judgment spoken of in Rev 20:11-15. But there are crucial differences worth noting.
1• The fire spoken of at 1Cor 3:5-15 burns works. The fire spoken of at Rev 20:11-15 burns people.
2• People walk away alive from the fire spoken of at 1Cor 3:5-15. Nobody walks away alive from the fire spoken of at Rev 20:11-15.
3• People are awarded at the judgment spoken of at 1Cor 3:5-15. People are punished at the judgment spoken of at Rev 20:11-15.
FYI: Koiné Greek words for "purify" and "purge" are nowhere to be found in 1Cor 3:5-15; and a note in the current official Catholic Bible-- the 2011 New American Bible --says: "The text of 1Cor 3:15 has sometimes been used to support the notion of a purgatory, though it does not envisage this."
If perchance there are Catholics reading this, I should clue them that the non Biblical materials (foot notes) in the 2011 New American Bible have a nihil obstat by Reverend Richard L. Schaefer, Censor Deputatus, and an imprimatur by Most Reverend Jerome Hanus, O.S.B. Archbishop of Duguque.
Nihil Obstat is defined as: The certification by an official censor of the Roman Catholic Church that a book has been examined and found to contain nothing opposed to faith and morals
Imprimatur is defined as: Approval of a publication under circumstances of official censorship
So; if 1Cor 3:15 doesn't envision the notion of a purgatory, then what does it envision? It's a depiction of people who waken inside a burning home with barely enough time to get out; taking nothing with them but whatever they wore to bed. Their home is destroyed, and all their valuables and all their mementoes; but at least the occupants themselves are safe, and suffer no harm from the fire.
The works in context are those pertaining specifically to Christians like Paul and Apollos; viz: people involved in ministerial capacities e.g. apostles, missionaries, evangelists, pastors, deacons, Sunday school teachers, church administrators, home Bible study leaders, et al. Though John Q and Jane Doe pew warmer's works will some day be evaluated too; they are not the ones whose works will be evaluated as per 1Cor 3:5-15 because John Q and Jane Doe are depicted not as God's fellow workers, but as: (1) God's field, and (2) His building.
It's extremely important to note that only the Christian worker's works are tested with fire; not the worker himself. Compare this to the great white throne event depicted at Rev 20:11-15 where the dead's works are not tested; but rather, their works are introduced as evidence in the prosecution's case against them. The Christian worker's works aren't evaluated as evidence against them, but as potential credit to justify giving them a performance award.
Another extremely important thing to note is that the Christian worker's substandard works are burned up rather than burned off.
"let each man be careful how he builds upon it" indicates that Christian workers need to keep in mind that what they produce will be thoroughly scrutinized; and projects that don't measure up will be summarily culled; resulting of course in reduced compensation for their service. How sad it would be to see workers like Mother Teresa who, after devoting decades of their lives to a Christian service capacity, only to be stripped of everything and come away with nothing to show for it; not even so much as a Boy Scout merit badge.
NOTE: According to 1Cor 4:5 the motives of Christian workers will be evaluated too in order to determine whether they were in it for The Lord, or just in it for themselves.
/
