Once again I wish to point out that when we read or study the Bible, we need to get into the spirit of the writer. In 1 Corinthians 3 the burden in Paul’s spirit was to help the believers at Corinth realize what they had and what they needed. They had the divine life and the Holy Spirit, and they needed growth—growth in life and growth in the Holy Spirit. But how could these believers grow? If they were to grow, they needed to be watered.
Although the saints may water others, growth comes only from God Himself. As Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God made to grow; so that neither is the one who plants anything nor the one who waters, but the One Who makes to grow, God.” Because growth comes from God alone, those who water others must help them contact God. Actually, contacting God is itself the watering. Thus, the best way to be watered is to contact God. If you can help a weaker one or a young one have some contact with God, that will bring in the genuine watering. The watering will then supply the ingredients of life to those who already possess the divine life. As these ingredients are added to them, they will have an additional supply of life. Then spontaneously they will grow. Just as fertilizer helps plants to grow in a spontaneous way, so the believers in Christ also grow spontaneously by receiving an additional supply of life.
Many of those in the charismatic movement or the Pentecostal movement do not care for life or for the growth in life. Most of them do not even understand what life is. Instead of concentrating on the development of the divine life within the believers, they give their attention to the pursuit of miraculous gifts. As a result, many who emphasize things such as speaking in tongues are extremely immature in life. Paul’s emphasis in 1 Corinthians is very different. This book reveals that Christ is the unique center of God’s economy and also our portion for our enjoyment. This wonderful One is now the life-giving Spirit dwelling in our spirit. Continually we need to exercise our spirit to be one spirit with Him. The more we contact the Lord in this way, the more we are watered, supplied, and nourished. Then spontaneously we shall grow. I thank the Lord that many of the saints in the churches throughout the world are experiencing the genuine growth in life. What we need in the Lord’s recovery, and what the Lord is seeking among us, is more growth in life, more development of the initial gifts.
We have seen that in 3:1 Paul indicates that the believers at Corinth were infants in Christ. They, of course, had been genuinely saved, but they were fleshly and even fleshy, not spiritual. They exhibited the signs of infancy: not able to receive solid food, but only milk; being full of jealousy and strife and walking according to man; and exalting spiritual giants to cause divisions.
The situation in Corinth was the same as that found among many believers today. In almost every Christian group certain leaders are exalted in such a way as to cause division. Furthermore, many Christians are not able to receive solid food, but only a small amount of milk.
Paul knew that the Corinthian believers needed feeding, watering, and the additional supply of life. They needed to be fed with solid food (v. 2), they needed to be watered continually (vv. 6-7), and they needed the additional supply of life from God so that they could grow in life. These are the very things we need in the church life today. We need to be fed with solid food. We also need to water others and to be watered ourselves. We have seen that even the youngest and weakest among us is able to water the saints. But in watering others we should not try to solve their problems or presume to do God’s work by trying to help others grow. Instead, we should simply take time to contact God together. Then others will be watered, and God will give them growth through the additional life supply. May we all see that what is urgently needed is the growth in life. May we live in a way which produces the growth in life, and may we function by planting, feeding, watering, and also by leaving the actual growth to God.
In verse 8 Paul says that he who plants and he who waters are one. In the same verse he goes on to say, “Each one shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.” The reward is an incentive to the ministers of Christ who labor by planting or watering on God’s farm.
In 3:9 Paul says, “For we are God’s fellow-workers.” This indicates that God is also a worker. While the ministers of Christ, His fellow-workers, are working on His farm, He also is working. What a privilege and glory that men can be God’s fellow-workers, working together with God on His farm to grow Christ!