In 1 Corinthians 3:9 Paul uses two illustrations to speak of the church: one is God’s cultivated land, and the other is God’s building, that is, the dwelling place built by God. Paul says that we are God’s fellow workers, working together with God to build the church, God’s dwelling on earth. In verse 10 he says, “As a wise master builder I have laid a foundation.” The foundation spoken of here is the same as the rock in Matthew 16; the foundation that has been laid is the rock. The foundation that was laid by Paul is Jesus Christ.
At the same time, he also charged each man to take heed how he builds upon the foundation. This indicates that the building work is very particular; some build upon the foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones, and others build with wood, grass, and stubble (vv. 10-12). What is spoken of in Matthew 16 is connected with 1 Corinthians 3. The stone in Matthew 16 is part of the precious stones in 1 Corinthians 3. The foundation is Christ, but the only materials that can be used to build upon it are gold, silver, and precious stones, not wood, grass, and stubble.
We should understand the words wood, grass, and stubble figuratively because they are figures conveying certain meanings. Wood, grass, and stubble are all botanical, which implies naturalness. Wood, grass, and stubble all grow naturally, and they are easily burned with fire. Once they are burned, they are finished. When wood is burned, it is gone; when grass is burned, it is gone; when stubble is burned, it is gone. This indicates that wood, grass, and stubble are natural.
In the figures of the Old Testament, wood, grass, and stubble denote the nature of man. For example, the Ark in the tabernacle was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold (Exo. 25:10-11). Gold signifies divinity, and wood signifies humanity. But acacia wood is a high-quality wood, signifying the humanity of the Lord Jesus. First Peter 1:24, Isaiah 40:6-7, and 51:12 indicate that all flesh is like grass. All flesh is wood, grass, and stubble because they grow up from the ground, from clay, and are of the earth, the world. Hence, these three items denote nothing less than human nature, the flesh, and the world. All of these things are natural and cannot withstand burning or trial. If we build the church, serve the church, and work in the church with these things, then we are building the church with humanity, the flesh, and the world. If we use wood, grass, and stubble as our materials, they will not remain when they go through the test of fire.
In the Bible, gold, silver, and precious stones are all positive things; these three items are not natural. Both gold and silver must pass through the refining of fire, and precious stones are produced through pressure under the earth and through the refining of fire. Hence, these three things share a common trait, that is, they are not in their natural, original form. Wood, grass, and stubble are all in their original form; they are natural. However, gold, silver, and precious stones have passed through the refining of fire and pressure in the ground, so they are not in their original forms; they have been transformed. This can be compared to Simon’s name being changed to Peter. It is like clay being changed into a stone, and a stone being changed into a precious stone through the refining of fire.
Moreover, in the Bible, gold signifies divinity, and silver signifies redemption. The Old Testament speaks of the expiation silver (Exo. 30:15-16). Hence, figuratively speaking, silver refers to redemption, and redemption refers to the cross. The cross is not only for our redemption but also for the termination of the old creation; the cross is not only for the taking away of sins but also for the taking away of the old creation. In Revelation 4:3 the One on the throne is like a precious stone in appearance; therefore, precious stones signify God’s glory, God’s appearance. When we serve and build the church, we cause people to receive God’s life and God’s nature; this is gold. We also can lead them to know Christ’s redemption and the cross and to experience the cross in terminating their sins and the old creation; this is silver. As a result of the operation of these two aspects in them, they will be like God in appearance; this is the precious stone.
Hence, gold signifies God’s nature, silver signifies the redemption of the cross, and precious stones signify the glorious image of God. How can we work in the church and build up the church with gold, silver, and precious stones? We need to dispense God’s life into others so that they may have God’s life and nature; this is gold. Then we need to lead them to experience the cross so that their sins and the old creation can be terminated; this is silver. After they experience these two points, they will live out God’s image; this is the precious stone. If we continually serve and work in this way in the church, we will be doing God’s work, and we will be building the church of God with gold, silver, and precious stones. Otherwise, we will be doing something natural, something of the flesh, and something of the world, which are wood, grass, and stubble.
We should serve and build the church with gold, silver, and precious stones. We should dispense God’s life into others and lead them to experience the cross so that they may live out the glorious image of Christ. This is gold, silver, and precious stones. Apart from these three things, everything is natural, of the flesh, and of the world, which are wood, grass, and stubble.
Peter in Matthew 16 becomes a precious stone, who is shining, bright, and full of the glory in 2 Corinthians 3. Second Corinthians 3:18 says, “We all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.” When we experience Matthew 16 by receiving revelation, clay is changed into stone. The Holy Spirit, however, must still do a transforming work in us until we are transformed into the same image from glory to glory; then we will be precious stones.
As God’s fellow workers, we are building the church of God on the unique foundation that has been laid—Christ. We must take heed how we build upon it by building with gold, silver, and precious stones. In the administration of the church, all of our methods or techniques will be wood, grass, and stubble if we do not see this. May God open our eyes to see that the building of the church is not a matter of method or technique but a matter of material. It is not a matter of how we work but a matter of what we use in our work. We can produce the glorious image of Christ in people only if we use Christ, God’s life, and the cross.
The Holy Spirit inspired the writing of the Scriptures, and this inspiration is great and wonderful! The Bible does not put precious stones or silver first, but gold first. The sequence of gold, silver, and precious stones indicates that in our work and service in the church, we must first enable people to receive God’s life and be regenerated. Then we need to lead them to experience and know the cross of Christ so that precious stones will be produced. In other words, this sequence involves dispensing God’s life into others so that they may have the gold of God’s life and nature. Then we should lead them to know the cross of Christ and show them that all the problems have been dealt with through the redemption of the cross. Sin, the old man, and the world have been terminated by the cross. The more a person has this kind of experience, the more he will have the element of precious stone in him, and the more he will have the glorious image of God.
Peter did not forget the word the Lord spoke in Matthew 16. In 1 Peter 2:5 he says, “You yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house.” This shows that he understood the Lord’s word. In Romans 9, Paul likens man to a lump of clay, and in 1 Corinthians 3, he likens the believers to precious stones. Verses 14 and 15 say that all work involving wood, grass, and stubble will be consumed, and only the building that comes from gold, silver, and precious stones will remain. Then verse 16 continues, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God?” This does not refer to an individual but to a corporate entity, the church. Hence, these precious stones are the pieces of stone in the temple, and these stones are undoubtedly those who have received Christ and who have been transformed.
In Romans 9 Paul says that the natural man is a lump of clay, and in 1 Corinthians 3 he speaks of the believers, who once were natural, as precious stones. Did Paul forget his word in Romans 9 when he wrote 1 Corinthians 3? Paul did not forget, and neither did Peter. This is the reason Peter said that the believers are living stones, who are being built up as a spiritual house, which is the church. Can we build the church with doctrines or methods? No, we must build the church with Christ and the cross. We need to lead people to receive God’s life and to live according to the cross. This will issue not only in gold and silver but also in the image of God—the glorious, precious stones.