Gold, Silver, Precious Stones, Wood, Hay, Stubble 1 Corinthians 3:12

Paul the apostle declared “other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ”, and in chapter three and verse twelve of First Corinthians, Paul the apostle began to share the about the perishable and imperishable materials that may be used to build “upon this foundation” where we read:

Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

The verse begins, “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones,...” Paul began with the word, “Now” which means “moreover and” “if any man” or “whether whoever” “build” or “rear up or erect” “upon this foundation” which means “on the beginnings or first principles” “gold” or “precious things or ornaments made of gold”, “silver” or “things, vessels, and images of silver”, “precious stones” which means “small stones of great price, honor and esteem”. Paul shared how enduring and imperishable things made of “gold, silver and precious stones” may be employed to “build” upon the “foundation” of the “gospel”.

The verse goes on to say, “... wood, hay, stubble;”. Paul continued with the word, “wood” which means “logs, timbers, cudgels, sticks or staffs”, “hay” or “grass, herbage and provender”, “stubble” which means “a stalk of grain or a reed such as a stalk left after the ears are cut off”. The perishable elements of “wood, hay and stubble” were also mentioned by Paul with which to build upon the “foundation of Jesus Christ”.

When we think through these words from Paul, we notice the materials we used to build upon the “foundation of Jesus Christ”. The works we do in the Kingdom of God will either be “perishable” like “wood, hay and stubble” or “imperishable” such as “gold, silver and precious stones”. We should pay particular attention to what Paul writes concerning these building materials because when we have Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we shall emulate the use of “imperishable” materials to build upon God's foundation of Jesus.

Next time Paul shares how “every man's work shall be made manifest”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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