What does 1 Cor. 3:10-15 mean?

What is this passage talking about exactly? Does this process involve literal fire or is this figurative language?

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (KJV)
10According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

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According to 1Cor 3:9, two distinct groups are in view in this section of first
Corinthians.

1» Laborers together with God, i.e. apostles, evangelists, preachers, Sunday
school teachers, missionaries, etc.

2» God's husbandry, God's building, i.e. converts: rank and file pew
warmers.

The fire about which you ask applies only to the first group.

The fire, even if literal, does not burn laborers; it only burns their unsatisfactory
works while they walk away unharmed.

NOTE: A footnote in the current official Catholic Bible says that 1Cor 3:15
has sometimes been used to support the notion of a purgatory, though it
does not envisage this.

Non biblical materials (footnotes) in the current official Catholic Bible (a.k.a.
the 2011 New American Bible) have a nihil obstat by Reverend Richard L.
Schaefer, Censor Deputatus, and an imprimatur by Most Reverend Jerome
Hanus, O.S.B. Archbishop of Duguque.
_

Ah makes sense now once you break it down. Should have read 1 Corinthians 3:9, too. 😅

This is a rather tricky set of scripture, especially if a person is using the NLT (which in this case, cannot possibly be accurate). Let's see how many people can show that they either understand or do not understand without consulting a commentary.

This is a most sobering passage for anyone who is born again. A great deal of Christian work is something like this: A Christian sees a need, decides to do something about and starts a ministry. He asks God to bless his endeavours, and puts his energies and talents into the work. Depending on his natural abilities and talents, he may well be successful. This he takes to mean that God is blessing the work so he presses on with much effort. Other people see the work and admire it. They also believe that it is of God because it is successful.

However, God has as different perspective. He looks at the source of the work, not the end result. God looks to see if the work is centred on the Lord Jesus, motivated and empowered by the Lord Jesus, to the glory of the Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus said, "Apart from me, you can do nothing". No matter how great the work seems to be, if it is not of Christ, God declares it to be nothing. The work will be consumed (our God is a consuming fire). The saint does not lose salvation - that is impossible. He does lose out on rewards. The same resources and time could have been devoted to a work that was initiated by Christ.

Many times a work starts out well, full of zeal and approved of by God. Too many times the founder gets proud and begins to take credit for the success of the work. It starts out in the Spirit and ends up in self. A work may reach the point where God says enough. Too often, the work carries on under its own momentum. If God says stop, we need to stop. I wasted two years of my life because I failed to heed this.

"the day that declares it" is a reference to the Lord's Day / Day of Judgement.

A concept is presented early on that those who believe in Christ are saved. Regardless of how much is burned away, the believer is saved (yet so by fire). Each of us have our works in life (spiritual fruits). The more we are in Christ the more abundant the yield of these works. The passage shows that a sufficient abundance of good works will result in reward (a measure of good standing in New Jerusalem? Or the amount of ones self that is retained during purification? It's not necessarily clear by itself).

If we cross reference this with the parable of the tares and the wheat (which is also placed on the Judgement Day), we see an interesting parallel of the "chaff" of the wheat being burned away before the purified fruits of the wheat are taken to the barn.

I am convinced that 1 Cor 3 speaks to a purification process leading to life in New Jerusalem.

In my opinion, Paul talking about the quality of ministry.
He talking how people build the church.

He himself lay foundation, or preach about pure Christ teaching.
He preach honest gospel, he not preach prosperity gospel to attract more people

Some preacher may put another gospel, if you want to be rich on earth than come to Jesus, while Jesus say it is easier for the camel enter the nidle hole than rich man go to heaven.

That mean when Jesus give you money, it is not a blessing because it will make harder for you to enter heaven.

Fire in those verse mean tribulation.

If we preach prosperity gospel, to attract more people, more people will come, but when trouble come, they go. The preacher itself may go to heaven but so as by fire

I like what you've written, here. I also agree that we can pull from this text-set the idea of Purity . . . and exactly how Pure we are when our "time" comes. I can't help but think of those seedlings that fell upon rocky paths, shallow soil, etc . . . those seedlings had a little tap root, but that little root did not find water . . . and died. Others were eaten up by birds, etc. And so Paul is telling us that these people are really struggling, saying that they were not ready to be spoken to as though Spiritually Wise in Christ. He spoke to them as babes. And so if these people are babes in Christ (think of the kid having sex with his step-mother, and the church was proud), there is much sin to be extracted. Most people aren't as fortunate so as to feel the Raw, Almighty Power of God as did young Saul, now referenced as Paul. Paul changed almost immediately, if not preaching within two weeks of being Powerfully struck by Christ. But again, most people do not undergo this kind of Transformation. But these people were apparently saved, for verse 16 tells us that they are the Temple and that the Holy Spirit lives within them.

The implications should be clear to the OP. This is about a level of Purity. Are they saved? Well, verse 16 says they are. But . . . they certainly are not acting like Moses or Abraham, our Father of Faith. And so there is a process that we know by Sanctification, that process that produces an increased quality of Life. And this is a Life dedicated to Jesus, our Perfect Lord, and Savior. And as indicated, these Corinthians weren't too far down that road. Hence, the debauchery that they were building upon Paul's foundation would be burnt up, but they themselves would be saved on that final Day.

It's a possibility, at least.

The fire is figurative since what is being burned is not tangible. It speaks of Christ's judgment of the works of Christians.

We know that we are not judged for salvation by our works, our salvation comes from our faith. There seems to be loads of controversy about the place of works in the life of a Christian, and even if works have a place in a Christian's life. These verses should answer that question.

Our Lord is a fire. Deuteronomy 4:24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire. And we know the Christ is our foundation. Our works in this life will be judged for works for or against the Lord, those works for the Lord will have rewards. Our works do not enter in at all when it comes to salvation, salvation is completely apart from these passages. Works will be rewarded.

Faith without works is no faith at all.

Amen. Those who claim to have the Faith of Abraham (before Christ died on the cross - we should think about that) yet live in strip clubs and the bottom of alcohol bottles (my former belief system and way of life) are 100% deceived, just as I was deceived.

What works though?

Anything other than the valuable metal is considered "dross." Dross is burnt away by the Refining Fire of God. But that which remains will be Pure. Those metals are described below:

Ezekiel 22:19-22 KJV - "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you."

Hi

That does not answer my question.

What works?

Oh, I'm sorry. I misunderstood your question and now realize that I don't quite understand it.

What you are saying here comes from what James says.
How does this relate to what Paul says in the verses quoted in the OP?

It puzzles me why Christians seems unable to think of works except in connection with salvation, when scripture tells us not to do that. Works simply do not apply to salvation we are told.

You speak of the increase, it is good. I hope you are able to also think of the rewards we are promised for works that increase the role of God in people's lives.

We are given salvation on our faith only, works simply do no enter into that picture.
There is a vast difference in the doctrine of salvation for the lost, and the doctrine of rewards for the saved. Salvation is “the gift of God, not of works” (Eph. 2:8, 9). Salvation is received by faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:36). Rewards are according to the works of the believer.

Matt. 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.