1 Corinthians 3:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Therefore each one must see that what is raised corresponds to the foundation. He must also take care that a crooked or unstable superstructure not bring down the whole building, leaving only the one firm foundation.

For if the new builder teaches badly, the name of Christ will remain, since He is the foundation, but the bad teaching will pass away.

As the Lord said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up" (Mt 15:13).

Paul says that no one, neither man nor angel, can lay any other foundation besides this, that is, besides faith in Christ and confession of it.

Therefore, if anyone does not establish his teaching on this dogma, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, then his teaching will not be pious. It will be impious, false, and destructive of the soul.

I, says Paul, laid this foundation according to the grace given to me. "Another builds upon it," that is, other pious pastors and teachers of the Church stand upon this foundation and explain and teach the dogmas concerning Jesus Christ.

"But let each one take heed how he builds." That is, every sacred teacher must be attentive and guard with all diligence that his teaching be pure from the tares of every heresy and superstition, and agree in all things with the word of truth.

This is all the more so because this foundation is also the creative and sustaining Wisdom and Power of God. It makes the Church unbending and immovable.

Even in ordinary buildings, the foundation determines the size, plan, and character of the structure, if a wise architect builds it. All the more must strict unity and harmony reign in the construction of living buildings, the souls of men.

Thus, by comparing the Church to a building on one foundation, Christ, the Apostle instructs the Corinthians, and through them all Christians. In building our inner temple, we must first and above all conform ourselves to the Foundation on which the Kingdom of God is built within us.

We must conform ourselves to what our supreme Architect requires of us, and only then to what His servants require.

"Let us build," says Saint John Chrysostom, "on this foundation and hold fast to it, as a branch to the vine. Let there be no division between us and Christ. If one is separated, he immediately perishes.

Let us cleave to Him, and cleave by works. For He says, 'He who keeps My commandments abides in Me' (Jn 14:20-21)."

When the Apostle Paul compares himself to a wise builder laying the foundation (v. 10), he seems to attribute much to himself. Yet, as Bishop Theophan observes, "the thought here is not that he calls himself most wise. This is only a comparison.

The force of the thought lies not in the wisdom of the builder, but in the firmness of the foundation. It also lies in the fact that this foundation is the only one.

This foreordained foundation, as the Apostle explains further, is Jesus Christ. The prophets called Him the cornerstone (Is 28:16), as did He Himself (Mt 21:42), and the holy Apostles (1 Pet 2:4)."

Although only the foundation was laid by me, the complete design of the building has already been given there.

In material buildings, the foundation indicates only the outward form of the building. In spiritual buildings it is not so.

Here the foundation also indicates the plan of the whole building, its character, and the materials from which it must be built.

Whoever undertakes to build must understand all this well. Then he must raise the building with all attention: let him take heed how he builds.

The reason for such speech is explained afterward. Here the Apostle only fixes attention on this point.

He wants the one who has undertaken to raise the building to reflect: has he rightly understood what he must do and how he must do it?

He has begun the building on a ready foundation, and on one that indicates everything.

After founding the Church in Corinth, the Apostle went elsewhere. After him Apollos came and continued the building of the Church.

He continued the work wholly in the spirit of the holy Apostle Paul. Therefore he acted rightly and blamelessly. Saint Paul does not have him in view.

But when Apollos also departed from there, certain local wise men rose up. They were more capable, more educated, and more talkative than others.

They came forward as leaders for the lesser brethren. Paul aims at them.

At the same time, every Christian is a small image of the Church. Each also received from the Apostle the foundation for the building of salvation within himself by faith in the Lord.

Therefore each one had to see in this a good reminder for himself: take heed how you build.

Saint Chrysostom says, "Here, it seems to me, he turns them toward the struggles of life." Oecumenius continues: "He calls them to a fitting life, naming each one's activity a building."

"Let each one take heed how he builds upon the foundation laid, that is, having faith and Christ Himself, so that he may do good works."

In the words "as a wise master builder," the thought is not that he calls himself wise. There is only a comparison.

When a wise master builder lays a foundation, he lays the proper, firm, and best foundation. Such a foundation I also laid, or rather, God laid through me.

For everything I do, I do according to the grace given to me. The force of the thought is not on the wisdom of the one laying the foundation.

It is on the foundation's firmness, or on its unchangeability. It is on the fact that a foundation has been laid that cannot be changed, because it is the only one in the spiritual building.

He speaks about this immediately. But even if one accepts that he called himself wise, this still does not mean that "he exalts himself."

Rather, "he offers them an example and shows that it belongs to the wise man to lay one, and only one, foundation."

"And see how he observes humility even here. Having called himself wise, he did not ascribe this to himself."

"First he handed himself over entirely to God, and only then called himself this: 'according to the grace of God given to me,' he says. At the same time he teaches that everything is God's" (Chrysostom).