1 Corinthians 3:11

Context

This verse belongs to 1 Corinthians, a letter the apostle Paul sent to the church at Corinth. The Corinthian church was troubled by quarrels in which members divided into factions around leaders, saying, "I am of Paul; and I of Apollos" (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4). In chapter 3, Paul likens himself and Apollos to laborers who plant and water, and the church to God's field and God's building (3:6-9). He then says that "as a wise masterbuilder" he has laid the foundation of the building and that others build upon it (3:10). In verse 11 he declares that this foundation has already been laid and that it is Jesus Christ. The verses that follow (12-15) warn that what each person has built upon it will be revealed by fire on the day of judgment.

Interpretation

• Reading the foundation as Christ himself: Many commentators take the "foundation" to be the person of Christ himself. On this reading, Paul's argument is that although the laborers change, the foundation does not, so there is no basis for forming factions around any particular leader.
• Reading the foundation as the gospel Paul preached: This reading connects the verse with 2:2, where Paul says he determined to know nothing but "Jesus Christ, and him crucified." Here, "laying the foundation" refers to Paul's first preaching of the gospel at Corinth and his founding of the church there, and the foundation signifies the whole gospel concerning Christ.
• Reading the verse as a warning to ministers: This reading treats verse 11 as the premise of verses 12-15. Because the foundation has already been fixed, ministers are accountable for what they build upon it. On this reading, the verse serves as a text for examining the teaching of pastors and teachers.

Debates and Issues

Ephesians 2:20 uses different language from this verse, stating that the church is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets," with Christ as the chief cornerstone. The two passages are generally explained as using the same architectural metaphor from different angles: 1 Corinthians emphasizes Christ himself as the foundation, while Ephesians emphasizes the teaching of the apostles who bore witness to Christ.

Protestants cite this verse as evidence that the foundation of the church is Christ alone rather than any person or office, and they sometimes invoke it against the Catholic interpretation that identifies "this rock" in Matthew 16:18 with Peter. The Catholic Church, while maintaining the interpretation of Peter as the rock, does not deny that Christ is the ultimate foundation of the church. The two traditions therefore diverge less over the meaning of the verse itself than over its application.

In the Korean Church

Because the passage presents the church not as a building but as a community built upon Christ, it has been used as a sermon text at events such as groundbreakings for church construction and church dedication services.

Related Passages

• Ephesians 2:20
• 1 Corinthians 2:2
• 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
• 1 Peter 2:5
• Psalm 118:22