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The Bible passages in Revelations 19 and 2 Corinthians 10 point us to the fact that in the final day when we go before the throne of God, there will be much praise and rejoicing. We will join in the marriage supper of the Lamb, (Revelation 19:7, 9) and each Christian will be judged by the work that he has done in the body, which makes the Bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 is part of a broader passage (verses 12-17) which gives us more insight into what kind of work which we need to do to build the body. First of all, the foundation is built on the saving work of Jesus, by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This firm foundation is the most important part of the building, and if it is not founded on Jesus, it will eventually collapse and disappear. Second, the body must be built with the right materials. Notice the materials which Paul mentions in building the Church, first, gold and silver and precious stones, which are valuable and hard to obtain, then wood, hay and stubble, which are cheap and easy to obtain.
The best way to understand this is that these right materials are the teachings and the doctrines of the Bible. As Christians, we must dig deep into the Bible and mine out the precious gold, silver and jewels of wisdom and build these truths into our own hearts and minds. What Paul is saying is that each of us builds into the Church what we build into our own lives. Veteran missionary to India, Amy Carmichael, used to say: “The work will never go deeper than we have gone ourselves.” So we end up tearing up our own lives if we fail to build into the Church the values that last.
This is important work because Apostle Paul warns us in verses 1 Corinthians 3:15-17 that it will be tested by fire and if anyone destroys God’s temple by using cheap material, there are very serious consequences. However, this does not mean eternal condemnation as 1 Corinthians 3:15 assures us that each Christian will be saved, even if he loses a reward. That is because we have all been built on the firm foundation of the saving work of Jesus Christ on the Cross already. “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25)
