As Paul describes his work in the kingdom of God, he uses language of building and construction. He reminds us that there is only one foundation - Jesus Christ, and everyone is secure on that foundation. However, he also teaches us that there will be a day when everyone will be called to judgement and held accountable for every one of our actions. Our actions, our attitudes, and how we invest our lives in general can be seen as how we each build our lives on the foundation of Jesus. Paul lists several different materials, some that would withstand the test of fire, and some that would burn up. Some of our deeds amount to nothing of eternal significance and will be burned up. Others that give God glory and express his love to the world will not only withstand the test but will shine with eternal significance. I really can't help but think of the three little pigs, who built their houses out of different materials. Some held up to the test of the Big Bad Wolf, and others didn't. :)
2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?
In the first few verses, Paul encourages the believers to move on to maturity, comparing them to a toddler who is still drinking milk when they should be eating solid food. Another interesting comparison is that a child who is eating solid foods is also able to feed themselves. I think this is also a mark of spiritual maturity, that someone is not totally dependent on someone else to nourish them spiritually. Rather they are able to read the Scriptures themselves, and seek out other ways to be fed and nourished by God's word. This concept reminded me of Hebrews 6:1-3, where the writer encourages the believers to move beyond elementary teachings of the faith and move on towards maturity. It's like saying, "Okay, we've mastered addition, subtraction, and letter sounds. We've been dwelling on it far too long, it's time to move to the 3rd grade to bigger and better things."
3. What does this mean for my life?
The part that caught my attention on a really personal level was 1 Colossians 3:16-17. Paul explains that because God's Spirit lives within us, our bodies are God's temple. I think this is one of the most compelling biblical concepts advocating health and wellness at least in a general sense. There are obviously some things that we can't control that happen to us, but there are SO MANY things we can do to care for our bodies, including sleeping enough, eating healthy, not eating too much, drinking enough water, exercising, taking time to rest and de-stress, refraining from too much alcohol or substance use (or any for that matter), and many other daily decisions affecting our health. Caring for our bodies enables God to use us more for his purposes, and hopefully for a longer time in this life. Verse 17 references that together we are God's temple, but I don't think it is a stretch at all to take it personally as well.
4. What questions do I have about this passage?
I wonder what things Paul would consider to be elementary versus more mature as far as Christian teaching and living. The Hebrews passage mentioned above sheds some light on that, I suppose. I also wonder what Paul would say to churches today. If he would say, "Wow, 2000 years have passed and we still haven't moved passed ______!" Or if he would say, "Well done, we have moved the church into a mature body of Christ." I think either way, he would encourage us to keep digging deeper. :)
Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!
In Christ,
Dan
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