1 Corinthians 3:6 Commentary and Bible Study

The illustration then switches to the farmer. The apostle does this: he switches his metaphors and his figures very rapidly. ‘I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything.’ He is only a lowly worker. When the crop comes up he does not say, ‘Look at the fullness of that crop; look at the ears of corn, the length of them; they are longer because of the way I planted them.’ So then, ‘neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth.’ They are doing humble tasks; they must do those tasks efficiently, of course, and you must hold the preachers to account to be faithful and efficient, but don't over credit them; it is God's work: ‘but God, that giveth the increase.’ Now the apostle Paul repeats himself with different illustrations and figures and then sums it up all over again for a third time because it's so important, and these are lessons that we as churches today are not learning and not putting into practice. So enough of the worldly outlook.