In verses 10 and 11 Paul speaks directly and explicitly concerning Christ as the foundation: “According to the grace of God given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid a foundation, but another builds upon it. But let each one take heed how he builds upon it. For other foundation no one is able to lay besides that which is being laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Here Paul indicates that he had already laid Christ as the unique foundation. In this universe there is just one foundation, and we should not lay another. We must not say that we are of a certain person or a certain thing, that we prefer a certain matter, or that we choose a certain locality for the church life. To speak in this way is to lay another foundation in addition to Christ. Instead of laying another foundation, we need to build upon the foundation already laid.
In today’s Christianity there are many other foundations, but there is virtually no building upon the foundation already laid. The Lord’s recovery must be altogether different. In the recovery we should never lay another foundation; we should simply build on the foundation which was laid more than nineteen hundred years ago. We thank the Lord that, in His mercy, He has recovered this unique foundation. Many years ago, in China, we took a strong stand for Christ as the unique foundation. We had to declare to those in the denominations that we could not have any foundation other than Christ Himself. As a result, many things had to be put aside so that Christ alone would be exalted. Now that the unique foundation has been laid, we should build upon it.
In 3:10 Paul says, “But let each one take heed how he builds upon it.” When we refer to how we do a certain thing, we usually mean the way, not the material used. When referring to the material, we usually say, “What are you building with?” We do not ask, “How are you building?” But in the Bible these two are the same. How we build upon the foundation is equivalent to what we build with. In other words, according to the Bible, the material used in building is the way we build. According to our natural thought, the material is one thing and the way is another. The material refers to a substance, but the way refers to skill or technique. But in the Bible the substance is the technique; the material is the way. Actually, the Bible pays little attention to skill or technique, but devotes much attention to the material. Paul’s concern is not by what way or method we build the church. His concern is what material we use in building.
In verse 12 Paul refers to two ways of building: “But if anyone builds on the foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, stubble.” The first way is to build with gold, silver, and precious stones; the second way is to build with wood, grass, and stubble. Here we have two categories of building materials. Gold, silver, and precious stones are minerals. Wood, grass, and stubble are related to the plant life. We in the Lord’s recovery all are doing the work of building. Thus, we must take heed how we build. Are we building with gold, silver, and precious stones, or with wood, grass, and stubble?
Paul’s word in 3:12 is not only for elders or co-workers. On the contrary, it is written to every believer. This is included in an Epistle addressed to the church in Corinth, with all those who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in every place. Thus, this verse is intended for all of us. It applies to you and also to me.
In the building of the church we ourselves are used as material. Since we are the building material, we need to ask what kind of material we are. Are we wood or gold, silver or grass, precious stones or stubble? Many of us may answer this question by saying that we are in the process of transformation. Therefore, in a sense we are both wood and gold, grass and silver, stubble and precious stones. Using an example from the insect world, we may compare ourselves to a caterpillar in a cocoon in the process of becoming a butterfly. On the one hand, we are still a caterpillar; on the other hand, there are signs that we are becoming a butterfly. The process of transformation has begun, but it is not yet complete. We are all on the way of transformation; we are in the process of being transformed.