Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Corinthians 3:13
Every 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.
13. it shall be revealed by fire ] Rather, it is revealed in fire, being that in which the judgment day shall consist, i.e. in the fire of God’s judgment, fire being one of His many attributes (Heb 12:29; Deu 4:24; Deu 9:3; Psa 50:3; Psa 97:3; Isa 66:15-16; Mal 3:2-3; 2Th 1:8). As fire does, so does God in the end thoroughly search out and destroy all that is vile or refuse, all that is not thoroughly genuine and durable.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Every mans work shall be made manifest – What every man has built on this foundation shall be seen. Whether he has held truth or error; whether he has had correct views of piety or false; whether what he has done has been what he should have done or not.
For the day – The Day of Judgment. The great Day which shall reveal the secrets of all hearts, and the truth in regard to what every man has done. The event will show what edifices on the true foundation are firmly, and what are weakly built. Perhaps the word day here may mean time in general, as we say, time will show – and as the Latin adage says, dies docebit; but it is more natural to refer it to the Day of Judgment.
Because it shall be revealed by fire – The work, the edifice which shall be built on the true foundation shall be made known amidst the fire of the great Day. The fire which is here referred to, is doubtless that which shall attend the consummation of all things – the close of the world. That the world shall be destroyed by fire, and that the solemnities of the Judgment shall be ushered in by a universal conflagration, is fully and frequently revealed. See Isa 66:15; 2Th 1:8; 2Pe 3:7, 2Pe 3:10-11. The burning fires of that Day, Paul says, shall reveal the character of every mans work, as fire sheds light on all around, and discloses the true nature of things. It may be observed, however, that many critics suppose this to refer to the fire of persecution, etc. Macknight. Whitby supposes that the apostle refers to the approaching destruction of Jerusalem. Others, as Grotius, Rosenmuller, etc. suppose that the reference is to time in general; it shall be declared ere long; it shall be seen whether those things which are built on the true foundation, are true by the test of time, etc. But the most natural interpretation is that which refers it to the Day of Judgment.
And the fire shall try every mans work – It is the property of fire to test the qualities of objects. Thus, gold and silver, so far from being destroyed by fire, are purified from dross. Wood, hay, stubble, are consumed. The power of fire to try or test the nature of metals, or other objects, is often referred to in the Scripture. Compare Isa 4:4; Isa 24:15; Mal 3:2; 1Pe 1:7. It is not to be supposed here that the material fire of the last Day shall have any tendency to purify the soul, or to remove that which is unsound; but that the investigations and trials of the Judgment shall remove all that is evil, as fire acts with reference to gold and silver. As they are not burned but purified; as they pass unhurt through the intense heat of the furnace, so shall all that is genuine pass through the trials of the last great Day, of which trials the burning world shall be the antecedent and the emblem. That great Day shall show what is genuine and what is not.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 13. The day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire] There is much difference of opinion relative to the meaning of the terms in this and the two following verses. That the apostle refers to the approaching destruction of Jerusalem I think very probable; and when this is considered, all the terms and metaphors will appear clear and consistent.
The day is the time of punishment coming on this disobedient and rebellious people. And this day being revealed by fire, points out the extreme rigour, and totally destructive nature, of that judgment.
And the fire shall try every man’s work] If the apostle refers to the Judaizing teachers and their insinuations that the law, especially circumcision, was of eternal obligation; then the day of fire-the time of vengeance, which was at hand, would sufficiently disprove such assertions; as, in the judgment of God, the whole temple service should be destroyed; and the people, who fondly presumed on their permanence and stability, should be dispossessed of their land and scattered over the face of the whole earth. The difference of the Christian and Jewish systems should then be seen: the latter should be destroyed in that fiery day, and the former prevail more than ever.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Now, saith he, there will come a time when every mans, that is, every teachers, work, or doctrine, shall be made manifest. As the metal is brought to the touchstone to be tried, whether it be gold or silver, or some baser metal; so there will come a time, when all doctrines shall be tried and made manifest, whether they be of God or no.
For the day shall declare it: what day shall declare it is not so steadily agreed by interpreters. Some by a day here understand a long time, in process of time it shall be declared; as indeed erroneous doctrines have not used to obtain or prevail long: Dagon falls before the ark. Others understand it of a day of adversity and great affliction, the day of Gods vengeance; and indeed thus it is often seen, a false faith, or a lie believed, will not carry a man through the difficulties which he meeteth with in an evil day: the truths of the gospel are of that nature, that they will give a soul relief and support in a day of affliction and under Gods severest dispensations, but errors and falsehoods will not do it. Others understand by the day here mentioned, the day of judgment, which is indeed often called the day of the Lord, 1Co 1:8, and described by fire, Joe 2:3; 2Th 1:8; 2Pe 3:10; but this text saith not the day of the Lord, but only the day. It seemeth, therefore, rather to signify the bright shining out of the gospel; for the text seemeth to speak of such a manifestation as shall be in this life, not in the day of judgment.
Because it shall be revealed by fire; the same thing is also to he understood.
The fire shall try every mans work of what sort it is: by the fire here mentioned, not the fire of Gods wrath, or the fire of affliction and adversity, nor the fire of the last judgment, but the truth of the gospel shining forth in the world, and burning up the dross and stubble of corrupt, false doctrine, that shall bring all the doctrines which men teach, to the trial.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. Every man’s workeachteacher’s superstructure on the foundation.
the dayof the Lord(1Co 1:8; Heb 10:25;1Th 5:4). The article isemphatic, “The day,” that is, the great day of days,the long expected day.
declare itoldEnglish for “make it clear” (1Co4:4).
it shall be revealed byfireit, that is, “every man’s work.” Rather, “He,“the Lord, whose day it is (2Th 1:7;2Th 1:8). Translate literally,”is being revealed (the present in the Greekimplies the certainty and nearness of the event,Rev 22:10; Rev 22:20)in fire” (Mal 3:3; Mal 4:1).The fire (probably figurative here, as the gold,hay, c.) is not purgatory (as Rome teaches, that is,purificatory and punitive), but probatory, notrestricted to those dying in “venial sin” the supposedintermediate class between those entering heaven at once, andthose dying in mortal sin who go to hell, but universal,testing the godly and ungodly alike (2Co5:10; compare Mr 9:49).This fire is not till the last day, the supposed fire ofpurgatory begins at death. The fire of Paul is to try theworks, the fire of purgatory the persons, of men.Paul’s fire causes “loss” to the sufferers; Rome’spurgatory, great gain, namely, heaven at last to those purged by it,if only it were true. Thus this passage, quoted by Rome for, isaltogether against, purgatory. “It was not this doctrine thatgave rise to prayers for the dead; but the practice of praying forthe dead [which crept in from the affectionate but mistakensolicitude of survivors] gave rise to the doctrine” [WHATELY].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Every man’s work shall be made manifest,…. The doctrine he preaches shall be sooner or later made manifest to himself, and to his hearers; who shall see the inconsistency, irregularity, and deformity of such a building; at first so well laid, then piled up with such excellent materials, and at last covered in with such trifling or incoherent stuff:
for the day shall declare it; meaning not the day of judgment, though that is often called the day, or that day, and will be attended with fire, and in it all secrets shall be made manifest; but the apostle intends a discovery that will be made of doctrines in this world, before that time comes: wherefore this day rather designs a day of tribulation; as of persecution, which tries men’s principles, whether they are solid or not; and of error and heresy, when men are put upon a re-examination of their doctrines, whereby persons and truths that are approved are made manifest; or of some great calamity, such as the destruction of Jerusalem, whereby many wrong notions the Jews yet retained were discovered: but it is best of all to understand this day of the Gospel day, and of the progress of Gospel light, especially in some particular periods of it; as in the primitive times, at the reformation from popery, and the more remarkable Gospel daylight, which will be in the latter times, when the impertinence and inconsistency of many things which now obtain in the ministry will be seen; see Eph 5:13.
Because it shall be revealed by fire: not that day, but the man’s work, or doctrine:
and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is; by the fire is meant, not the general conflagration of the world, when that, and all that is therein, will be burnt up; much less the fire of purgatory, the “papists” dream of, for the punishment of evil actions; for the apostle is not speaking of the actions of men, good or bad, but of the doctrines of ministers; rather the fire of tribulation and affliction, which, as it is for the trial of the grace of faith, so of the doctrine of faith, whereby it becomes much more precious than of gold that perisheth; or of some fiery dispensation of God’s vengeance, as on Jerusalem: though the word of God, which is as fire, seems to be intended; which in some certain times so blazes forth, and will more especially in the latter day, that by the light of it, both ministers and churches will be able to see clearly the bright shining lustre of the gold, silver, and precious stones; and with so much heat, as to burn up the wood, hay, and stubble; when the difference between these things will be most easily discerned.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The day ( ). The day of judgment as in 1Th 5:4 (which see), Rom 13:12; Heb 10:25. The work () of each will be made manifest. There is no escape from this final testing.
It is revealed in fire ( ). Apparently “the day” is the subject of the verb, not the work, not the Lord. See 2Thess 1:8; 2Thess 2:8. This metaphor of fire was employed in the O.T. (Dan 7:9; Mal 4:1) and by John the Baptist (Matt 3:12; Luke 3:16). It is a metaphor that must not be understood as purgatorial, but simple testing (Ellicott) as every fire tests ( the fire itself will test , ) the quality of the material used in the building,
of what sort it is ( ), qualitative relative pronoun. Men today find, alas, that some of the fireproof buildings are not fireproof when the fire actually comes.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “Every man’s work” (hekastou to ergon) “The work of each one.” This emphasizes personal responsibility and accountability of each person toward God and one’s fellowman, Rom 14:11-12; Isa 45:23; Php_2:10-11.
2) “Shall be made manifest.” (phaneron genesetai) “will become manifest or become disclosed.” Solomon affirmed this Ecc 12:13-14. Paul also affirmed this concept of personal accountability for life’s decisions and deeds, 2Co 5:9-11.
3) “For the day shall declare it.” (he gar hemera deloseis) “For the day will declare or disclose it.” The work of every saved person (good or bad) will be tested by the Word of God at the judgment seat of Christ, 2Co 5:10.
4) “Because it shall be revealed by fire.” (hoti en puri apokaluptelai) “because by fire it is disclosed.” As gold, silver, and precious stones, endure fire, so shall all the work of a man done in and as fruits of the spirit, endure the hour of testing for rewards. 2Jn 1:8.
5) “And the fire shall try every man’s work.” (kai hekastou to ergon to pur auto dokemasei) “And the work of each one (who builds) the fire will prove it.” If the work be carnal, chaff, unapproved, it shall be burned; If it be spiritual, it shall merit the doer rewards. Christian service, not salvation, is the theme.
6) “Of what sort it is.” (hopoion estin) “What kind or sort of doing or work it is.” Work done to try to merit salvation for one has God’s disapproval, Mat 7:21-23; Eph 2:8-10; Rom 11:6; Tit 3:5.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
13. For the day will declare it In the old translation it is the day of the Lord, (179) but it is probable that the words of the Lord were added by some one by way of explanation. The meaning unquestionably is complete without that addition. For with propriety we give the name of day to the time when darkness and obscurity are dispelled, and the truth is brought to light. Hence the Apostle forewarns us, that it cannot always remain a secret who have acted fraudulently in the work of the Lord, or who have conducted themselves with fidelity, as though he had said: “The darkness will not always remain: the light will one day break forth; which will make all things manifest.” That day, I own, is God’s — not man’s, but the metaphor is more elegant if you read simply — the day, because Paul in this way conveys the idea, that the Lord’s true servants cannot always be accurately distinguished from false workmen, inasmuch as virtues and vices are concealed by the darkness of the night. That night, however, will not always continue. For ambition is blind — man’s favor is blind — the world’s applause is blind, but this darkness God afterwards dispels in his own time. Take notice, that he always discovers the assurance of a good conscience, and with an unconquerable magnanimity despises perverse judgments; first, in order that he may call back the Corinthians from popular applause to a right rule of judgment; and secondly, for the purpose of confirming the authority of his ministry.
Because it will be revealed by fire. Paul having spoken of doctrine metaphorically, now also applies metaphorically the name of fire to the very touchstone of doctrine, that the corresponding parts of the comparison may harmonize with each other. The fire, then, here meant is the Spirit of the Lord, who tries by his touchstone what doctrine resembles gold and what resembles stubble The nearer the doctrine of God is brought to this fire, so much the brighter will be its luster. On the other hand, what has had its origin in man’s head will quickly vanish, (180) as stubble is consumed in the fire. There seems also to be an allusion to the day of which he makes mention: “Not only will those things which vain ambition, like a dark night, concealed among the Corinthians, be brought to light by the brightness of the sun, but there will also be a strength of heat, not merely for drying up and cleansing away the refuse, but also for burning up everything wrong.” For however men may look upon themselves, as forming acute judgments, their discernment, notwithstanding, reaches no farther than appearance, which, for the most part, has no solidity. There is nothing but that day to which the Apostle appeals, that tests everything to the quick, not merely by its brightness, but also by its fiery flame.
(179) It is so in two of the old English versions. In Wiclif’s version (1380) the rendering is as follows: For the dai of the Lord schal declare. The Rheims version (1582) reads thus: For the day of our Lord will declare. — Ed.
(180) “ Celle, qui aura este forgee au cerveau des hommes s’esuanouira tout incontinent, et s’en ira en fumee;” — “That which has been forged in man’s brain, will quickly vanish, and go off in smoke.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(13) Revealed by fire.Better, revealed in fire. For the general scope of this passage, see 1Co. 3:12 above. The day of the coming of the Lord is always thus represented as bursting suddenly with a rush of light and blaze of fire upon the earth. (See Mal. 3:1-3; Mal. 4:1; 2Th. 1:8; 2Th. 2:8.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. Work Whether doctrine he has taught, or morals he has enjoined, or Church organization he has founded.
Made manifest Shall come under clear review.
The day Not as Calvin, the day of millennial enlightenment; nor the day of Jerusalem’s destruction, with which the Corinthians had no relation; nor the process of time: but the day of Christ’s coming to judgment. See notes on 1Co 4:3-5.
Declare it As if the shades of uncertainty were dispersed by the light of the judgment blaze.
Revealed by fire Its true, indestructible character be disclosed by the fiery test.
Every man No teacher or founder’s work will evade this trial.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Co 3:13 . Apodosis: So will what each has done on the building ( ) not remain hidden ( .). Then the ground of this assurance is assigned: , sc [521] . The day is , the day of the Parousia (comp Heb 10:24 ), which is obvious from what follows on to 1Co 3:15 . So, rightly, Tertullian, contra Marc. iv. 2; Origen, Cyprian, Ep. iv. 2; Lactantius, Inst. vii. 21; Hilarius, Ambrosiaster, Sedulius, Chrysostom, Theodoret, Theophylact, the Roman Catholics (some of whom, however, in the interests of purgatory, make it out to be the day of death ), Bengel, and others, including Pott, Heydenreich, Billroth, Schott, Schrader, Rckert, Olshausen, de Wette, Osiander, Ewald, Hofmann. It is un-Pauline, and also against the context (for wood, etc., does not apply to the doctrines of the Judaizers alone), to interpret the phrase, with Hammond, Lightfoot, Gusset, Schoettgen, of the destruction of Jerusalem , which should reveal the nullity of the Jewish doctrines. The following expositions are alien to the succeeding context: of time in general (comp dies docebit : , Sophocles, Oed. Rex , 608; Stob. Ecl. I. p. 234, so Grotius, Wolf, Wetstein, Stolz, Rosenmller, Flatt, and others); or of the time of clear knowledge of the gospel (Erasmus, Beza, Calvin, Vorstius [524] ); or of the dies tribulationis (Augustine, Calovius, and others).
.] We are neither to read here [525] instead of (Bos, Alberti), nor does the latter stand for the former (Pott), but it has a causative force: because it is revealed in fire , the day , namely (Estius, Pott, Billroth, Rckert, Olshausen, de Wette, Ewald, Hofmann), not , as Luther and the majority of interpreters (among them Heydenreich, Flatt, Schott, Neander) hold, following Ambrosiaster and Oecumenius; for this would yield a tautology with what comes next. Bengel, joined by Osiander, imagines as the subject of the verb , which can be evolved from only by a very arbitrary process, since the whole context never speaks of Christ Himself.
] i.e. encompassed with fire (see Bernhardy, p. 209; Matthiae, p. 1340), so that fire is the element in which the revelation of that day takes place. For Christ, when His Parousia draws nigh, is to appear coming from heaven (2Th 1:8 ; comp Dan 7:9-10 ; Mal 4:1 ), i.e. surrounded by flaming fire (which is not to be explained away, as is often done: amid lightnings ; rather comp Exo 3:2 ff; Exo 19:18 ). This fire, however, is not, as Chrysostom would have it, that of Gehenna (Mat 6:22 ; Mat 6:29 , al [528] ); for it is in it that Christ appears, and it seizes upon every , even the golden, etc., and proves each, leaving the one unharmed, but consuming the other. The correct supplying of with . supersedes at once the older Roman Catholic interpretation about purgatory (against which see, besides, Scaliger and Calovius), as the correct view of sets aside the explanations of the wrath of God against the Jews (Lightfoot), of the Holy Spirit , who tries “quae doctrina sit instar auri et quae instar stipulae” (Calvin), of the fire of trial and persecution (Rosenmller, Flatt, following Augustine, de civ. Dei , xxi. 26, Erasmus, and many old commentators; comp Isa 48:10 ; 1Pe 1:7 ; 1Pe 4:12 ; Sir 2:5 ), and of a progressive process of purifying the mind of the church (Neander). The idea rather is: “The decision on the day of the Parousia will show how each has worked as a teacher; if any one has taught what is excellent and imperishable, that, as belonging to the divine , will stand this decision and survive; if any one has taught what is worthless and perishable, that will by the decision of that day cease to have any standing, fall away, and come to nought” (comp on 1Co 3:12 ). This idea Paul, in accordance with his figure of a building, clothes in this form : “At the Parousia the fire, in which it reveals itself, will seize upon the building; and then through this fiery ordeal those parts of the fabric which are of gold, silver, and precious stones will pass unharmed; but those consisting of wood, hay, and stubble will be burnt up.”
] The result of this act of revelation is the already spoken of. The present marks the event as beyond doubt; the sentence is an axiom.
. . [531] ] not to be connected with (Rckert), but with the clause in the future , . . Is in the nominative (Theophylact, Oecumenius, and many others) or accusative (Billroth, Schott, de Wette, Osiander, Ewald)? The former is more in harmony with the sense of the passage, for so . is made to appear not as merely inserted, but in its befitting emphasis. For the form of the statement advances from the general to the particular: the day will show it , namely, what each has wrought; and (now follows the definite specification of the quality ) what is the character of the work of each , the fire itself will test .
] ignis ipse (see the critical remarks), i.e. the fire (in which the of the day takes place) by its own proper working , without intervention from any other quarter . Respecting the position of after , see Bornemann, a [532] Xen. Mem. ii. 5. 1. Were we to take it as the object of , pointing back to the preceding statement (Hofmann), it would be superfluous in itself, and less in keeping with the terse, succinct mode of expression of this whole passage.
] “ probabit , non: purgabit . Hic locus ignem purgatorium non modo non fovet, sed plane extinguit,” Bengel.
[521] c. scilicet .
[524] Were this so, the text would need to contain an antithetic designation of the present time as night . And in that case, too, it would surely be the clear day of the Parousia which would be meant, as in Rom 13:12 .
[525] As regards the fact of the two words being often put the one for the other by transcribers, see Schaefer, ad Greg. Cor. p. 491; Khner, ad Xen. Anab. i. 4. 2.
[528] l. and others; and other passages; and other editions.
[531] . . . .
[532] d refers to the note of the commentator or editor named on the particular passage.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
13 Every 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.
Ver. 13. For the day shall declare it ] That is, the light of the truth, or time, the father of truth, or the day of death, when many recognize and recant their errors, shall show them their sin.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
13. ] Each man’s work (i.e. that which he has built: his part in erecting the ) shall (at some time) be made evident (shall not always remain in the present uncertainty, but be tested, and shewn of what sort it is): for the day shall make it manifest (the day of the Lord , as Vulg., ‘dies domini:’ see reff., and so most Commentators, ancient and modern. The other interpretations are (1) ‘ the day of the destruction of Jerusalem ,’ which shall shew the vanity of Judaizing doctrines: so Hammond (but not clearly nor exclusively), Lightf., Schttg., al., against both the context, and our Apostle’s habit of speaking, and under the assumption, that nothing but Jewish errors are spoken of: (2) ‘ the lapse of time ,’ as in the proverb, ‘ dies docebit ;’ so Grot., Wolf, Mosheim, Rosenm., al., which is still more inconsistent with the context, which necessitates a definite day , and a definite fire : (3) ‘ the light of day ,’ i.e. of clear knowledge, as opposed to the present time of obscurity and night: so Calv., Beza, Erasm.: but the fire here is not a light-giving , but a consuming flame; and, as Meyer remarks, even in that case the would be that of the , see Rom 13:12 : (4) ‘ the day of tribulation :’ so Augustine, Calov.: but this again is not definite enough: can hardly be said of mere abiding the test of tribulation); because it (the day not, the work , as Theophyl., cum., al., which would introduce a mere tautology with the next clause) is (to be) revealed (the present expresses the definite certainty of prophecy: or perhaps rather the attribute of that day, which is, to be revealed, &c., as in the expressions , , &c.) in fire (‘accompanied,’ ‘clothed,’ ‘girt,’ ‘with fire;’ i.e. fire will be the element in which the day will be revealed. Cf. 2Th 1:8 , and Mal 3:2-3 ; Mal 4:1 , to which latter place the reference is, see LXX. But notice, that this is not the fire of hell , into which the gold, silver, and costly stones will never enter, but the fire of judgment , in which Christ will appear, and by which all works will be tried . This universality of trial by fire is equally against the idea of a purgatorial fire , which lucrative fiction has been mainly based by the Romanists on a perversion of this passage. See Aug [7] de Civ. Dei, xxi. 26. 4, vol. vii. p. 745, who mentions the idea with ‘non redarguo, quia forsitan verum est.’ See Estius, who does not maintain the allusion to Purgatory here; and Bisping, who does), and each man’s work, of what kind it is, the fire itself shall try (this clause does not depend upon , but ranges with the following futures. It is a question whether is nom. or acc., of what kind each man’s work is (Meyer), or as above. In the only other places where Paul uses , Gal 2:6 , 1Th 1:9 (see also Act 26:29 ), it commences a clause, as here if be accus.; we have a very similar expression, Gal 6:4 , : and it seems more natural that the action of the fire should be described as directly passing upon the work. For these reasons, I prefer the accus. , the fire itself, of its own power, being a .
[7] Augustine, Bp. of Hippo , 395 430
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
1Co 3:13 . “The work of each ( resuming the of 10) will become manifest:” while the Wheat and Tares are in early growth (Mat 13:24 ff.), they are indistinguishable; one man’s work is mixed up with another’s “for the Day will disclose (it)”. can only mean Christ’s Judgment Day: see parls., esp. 1Co 1:8 , 1Co 4:3 ff., and notes; also Rom 2:16 , Act 17:31 , Mat 25:19 . “The day” suggests ( cf. 1Th 5:2 ff., Rom 13:11 ff.) the hope of daylight upon dark problems of human responsibility. But this searching is figured as the scrutiny of fire , which at once detects and destroys useless matter: , “because it (the Day) is revealed in fire”. For (pr [564] , implying certainty , perhaps nearness ), see notes on 1Co 1:7 , 1Co 2:10 a supernatural, unprecedented “day,” dawning not like our mild familiar sunrise, but “in” splendour of judgment “fire”: cf. 2Th 1:8 . This image comes from the O.T. pictures of a Theophany: Dan 7:9 f., Mal 4:1 , Isa 30:27 ; Isa 64:1 ff., etc. . . .: “and each man’s work, of what kind it is, the fire will prove it”. The pleonastic is due to a slight anacoluthon: the sentence begins as though it were to end, “the fire will show ”; is, however, replaced by the stronger suitable to , and this altered vb [565] requires with it , to recall the object . Mr [566] and El [567] attach the pronoun to , “the fire itself ,” but with pointless emphasis. Others avoid the pleonasm by construing at the beginning as a nominativus pendens (“as to each man’s work”), resembling that of Joh 15:2 ; but the qualification that follows, , makes this unlikely: cf. Gal 2:6 , for the interpolated interr [568] clause. is to assay (see LXX parls.), suggested by the “gold, silver” above: “ probabit , non purgabit . Hic locus ignem purgatorium non modo non fovet, sed plane extinguit” (Bg [569] ). , thrice repeated in 1Co 3:10-13 , with solemn individualising emphasis.
[564] present tense.
[565] verb
[566] Meyer’s Critical and Exegetical Commentary (Eng. Trans.).
[567] C. J. Ellicott’s St. Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians .
[568]nterr. interrogative.
[569] Bengel’s Gnomon Novi Testamenti.
be made = become.
manifest. App-106.
the day. i.e. the day of the Lord. See Act 2:20.
declare. Greek. deloo. See 1Co 1:11.
revealed. App-106.
by = in. App-104.
try = test, or prove. Greek. dokimazo.
13.] Each mans work (i.e. that which he has built: his part in erecting the ) shall (at some time) be made evident (shall not always remain in the present uncertainty, but be tested, and shewn of what sort it is): for the day shall make it manifest (the day of the Lord, as Vulg., dies domini: see reff.,-and so most Commentators, ancient and modern. The other interpretations are (1) the day of the destruction of Jerusalem, which shall shew the vanity of Judaizing doctrines: so Hammond (but not clearly nor exclusively), Lightf., Schttg., al.,-against both the context, and our Apostles habit of speaking, and under the assumption, that nothing but Jewish errors are spoken of:-(2) the lapse of time, as in the proverb, dies docebit;-so Grot., Wolf, Mosheim, Rosenm., al., which is still more inconsistent with the context, which necessitates a definite day, and a definite fire:-(3) the light of day, i.e. of clear knowledge, as opposed to the present time of obscurity and night: so Calv., Beza, Erasm.:-but the fire here is not a light-giving, but a consuming flame; and, as Meyer remarks, even in that case the would be that of the , see Rom 13:12 :-(4) the day of tribulation:-so Augustine, Calov.: but this again is not definite enough: can hardly be said of mere abiding the test of tribulation);-because it (the day-not, the work, as Theophyl., cum., al., which would introduce a mere tautology with the next clause) is (to be) revealed (the present expresses the definite certainty of prophecy: or perhaps rather the attribute of that day, which is, to be revealed, &c., as in the expressions , , &c.) in fire (accompanied, clothed, girt, with fire; i.e. fire will be the element in which the day will be revealed. Cf. 2Th 1:8, and Mal 3:2-3; Mal 4:1, to which latter place the reference is,-see LXX. But notice, that this is not the fire of hell, into which the gold, silver, and costly stones will never enter, but the fire of judgment, in which Christ will appear, and by which all works will be tried. This universality of trial by fire is equally against the idea of a purgatorial fire, which lucrative fiction has been mainly based by the Romanists on a perversion of this passage. See Aug[7] de Civ. Dei, xxi. 26. 4, vol. vii. p. 745, who mentions the idea with non redarguo, quia forsitan verum est. See Estius, who does not maintain the allusion to Purgatory here; and Bisping, who does), and each mans work, of what kind it is, the fire itself shall try (this clause does not depend upon , but ranges with the following futures. It is a question whether is nom. or acc.,-of what kind each mans work is (Meyer),-or as above. In the only other places where Paul uses , Gal 2:6, 1Th 1:9 (see also Act 26:29), it commences a clause, as here if be accus.;-we have a very similar expression, Gal 6:4, :-and it seems more natural that the action of the fire should be described as directly passing upon the work. For these reasons, I prefer the accus. , the fire itself, of its own power, being a .
[7] Augustine, Bp. of Hippo, 395-430
1Co 3:13. ) the work, which any one has erected.- , the day) of the Lord. So Heb 10:25, comp. presently ch. 1Co 4:3; 1Co 4:5, where, after an interval, as usual, he speaks more clearly. Previous days, which vividly realize to us the fire, for instance, in adversity and at death, are not altogether excluded.-, shall declare) to all.-[Many things are also revealed sooner, at least to some, but Paul lays down the last and most certain day of fiery trial.-V. g.]- ) is revealed in fire, viz., the Lord, whose day that is; or, the work [so Engl. Vers.]; 2Th 1:7-8, is revealed, as present, because it is certain and near, Rev 22:20.- , the fire) a metaphor, as throughout this whole discourse. The fire of the last day and of the Divine judgment is intended, as is evident from the subsequent language, which peculiarly applies to the last judgment, 1Co 4:5; 2Co 5:10 [2Th 1:8]; to which the visible fire on that day will correspond.-) shall try, not shall purge. This passage not only does not support [add fuel to] the fire of purgatory, but entirely extinguishes it; for it is at the last day, and not till then, that the fire shall finally try every mans work; therefore the fire of purgatory does not precede it. Nor on that very day, shall the work be purged; but it shall be tried, of what sort it previously was on either side [good or bad], when it shall either remain or be burnt up.
1Co 3:13
1Co 3:13
each mans work shall be made manifest:-Every mans work will be tried with fire, and so its character will be revealed or made known. If tried by fire, the wood, hay, and stubble will be burned up.
for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire;- There is some doubt as to what day is meant. It is a day of testing to the unfaithful that is coming whether in this world or in the world to come. Some think it is the day of persecution that will come upon the church as a fiery trial that will destroy and purge out the unworthy. Others interpret it as referring to the day of judgment.
and the fire itself shall prove each mans work of what sort it is.-The point of comparison is: fire will purge and purify the gold, silver, and precious stones. It will burn up and consume wood, hay, and stubble. So the day of trial will purge and purify the good, and they will shine the brighter; but it will bring to ruin the unworthy. This is true of the classes, whether it refers to a time of persecution and trial here or to the future judgment.
man’s: 1Co 3:14, 1Co 3:15, 1Co 4:5, 2Ti 3:9
the day: 1Co 1:8, Mal 3:17, Rom 2:5, Rom 2:16, 2Th 1:7-10, 2Ti 1:18, 2Pe 3:10, Rev 20:12
shall be revealed: Gr. is revealed, Luk 2:35
and the fire: Isa 8:20, Isa 28:17, Jer 23:29, Eze 13:10-16, Zec 13:9, 1Pe 1:7, 1Pe 4:12
Reciprocal: Gen 1:5 – and Gen 29:25 – in the morning Num 31:23 – abide Ecc 5:6 – destroy Isa 5:24 – devoureth Isa 43:2 – when thou walkest Jer 23:28 – What Eze 24:11 – that the filthiness Dan 5:27 – art Mal 3:2 – for Mat 7:25 – the rain Mat 7:27 – General Luk 6:48 – the flood 1Co 4:3 – judgment Rev 3:18 – gold
TESTED BY FIRE
The fire shall try every mans work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:13
How best can we prepare for the ordeal that awaits us all? The day of Christs appearing will be a day of joy and gladness, but it will be a solemn day too. The day of the Lords Advent will be a searching day even to His own. If we would be successful in our building, we must conform to plan. What is Gods plan for our sanctification? What is the Divine method of purifying the heart? There is a prophecy which supplies the answerwe shall find it in Mal 3:1-4 Its primary fulfilment was long ago, when the Child Jesus was presented in the Temple (St. Luk 2:22). Its ultimate fulfilment is still future, reserved for this very day of the revelation of Christ from heaven.
I. The day of revelation is the day of reward.Salvation is of grace, yet faithful service is reckoned as a debt, and God will be no mans debtor. There shall be a reward, a reward exactly proportioned to the work accomplished. Every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own labour. Other parts of Scripture (the Parables of the Talents and the Pounds, for instance), teach us how careful and how liberal the reward will be.
II. Nothing done for Christ shall be forgotten.A cup of cold water, even, given for His name, shall be remembered in that day (St. Mat 10:42). What a glorious ending to a life of faithful toil! The Masters glad Well done! the hallelujahs of the saints; the acclamation of the angels; all the labours and sufferings of life forgotten. The work of time a possession for eternity. This is indeed a glorious prospect. Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like His.
III. But what is to be said of the work that will not stand the testing?If any mans work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: yet he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Suffer loss! Dread and ominous words. Suffer loss even in heaven itselfhow can that be? Alas! it may too easily be realised. The work of a lifetime; the work which all men praised; the work to which the builder had devoted sleepless nights and weary daysmust it all perish? must it count for nought? must the builder begin life in heaven as a pauper? Yes, it is nothing less; if the work will not abide the flame, he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.
Do you wish to be saved like that? If not, see to it that your house is fireproof now. Let the fire of God play through and through it while you build, that the materials you use may be such as will endure.
Rev. E. W. Moore.
Illustration
In the elder days of art
Builders wrought with greatest care
Each minute and unseen part,
For the gods see everywhere.
Let us do our work as well,
Both the unseen and the seen;
Make the house where God may dwell
Beautiful, entire, and clean.
Else our lives are incomplete,
Standing in these walls of Time,
Broken stairways, where the feet
Stumble as they seek to climb.
Verse 13. No preacher is a mind reader, consequently be may be misled by some who are not acting with sincerity. However, he should heed the admonition given at the end of verse 10, and not use any unscriptural teaching to persuade his hearers to act. The final test of a man’s work will come when Jesus is revealed at the last day. But it may be that some of his “converts” will prove unfaithful even while in the life of the preacher, so that he will behold them falling under the fiery trials that are to come before the professed servants of Christ (1Pe 4:12).
1Co 3:13. each mans work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare itnot some day sooner or later (as some critics), nor (with Calvin and others) the day of clearer light or advancing knowledge; least of all, that never-failing refuge of poor critics, the day of Jerusalems destruction;for what had those Corinthians to do with that? One definite day alone suits all that is here saidthe day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ (Rom 2:16).
because it shall of revealed by fire (see 2Th 1:7)literal fire, as seems clearly taught, the bursting forth of which will perhaps be the visible herald of Christs coming. At the same time, this fireas elsewhere so hereis but as the symbol of that fiery judgment which shall search to the bottom every case, as indeed is immediately expressed.
and the fire itself shall prove each mans work of what sort it isand with what result?
1Co 3:13. Every mans work shall be made manifest God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil, Ecc 12:14. There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid, that shall not be known. But the apostles primary meaning here is, that it shall be made manifest what kind of materials every spiritual builder uses, that is, what kind of doctrines every minister of Christ preaches, whether they are true or false, important or trivial, calculated to produce genuine repentance, faith, and holiness in the hearers, or not; to promote the real conversion of sinners, and edification of believers, or otherwise: and of consequence, what kind of converts every minister makes, whether they be such as can stand the fiery trial or not. For the day shall declare it Perhaps, 1st, , might be rendered, time will declare it; for time, generally a little time, manifests whether a ministers doctrine be Scriptural and sound, and his converts genuine or not. If his preaching produce no saving effect upon his hearers, if none of them are reformed in their manners, and renewed in their hearts; if none of them are turned from sin to righteousness, and made new creatures in Christ Jesus, there is reason to suspect the doctrine delivered to them is not of the right kind, and therefore is not owned of God. 2d, The expression means, The day of trial shall declare it; (see 1Pe 4:12;) for a day of trial is wont to follow a day of merciful visitation; a time of suffering to succeed a season of grace. Where the gospel is preached, and a church is erected for Christ, the religion of such as profess to receive the truth is generally, in the course of divine providence, put to the test; and if it be a fabric of wood, hay, and stubble, and not of gold, silver, and precious stones, it will not be able to bear the fiery trial, but will certainly be consumed thereby. The religion (if it can be called religion) of those who are not grounded on, and built up in Christ, (Col 2:7,) will evaporate like smoke from wood, hay, and stubble, in the day of trial. But, 3d, and especially the day of final judgment, the great day of the Lord, is here intended, and this day shall declare it; shall declare every mans work to all the universe: because it shall be revealed by fire Which shall consume the earth with its increase, and shall melt down the foundations of the mountains; the heavens and the earth, which are now, being kept in store, reserved unto fire, against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men, 2Pe 3:7. And the fire shall try every mans work As fire tries metals, and finds out and separates whatever dross is mixed with them; or, as the fire of that great and awful day will penetrate the earth to its centre, and consume whatever is combustible, so shall the strict process of the final judgment try, not only the religion of every private Christian, but the doctrine of every public teacher, and manifest whether it came up to the Scripture standard or not. Although there is here a plain allusion to the general conflagration, yet the expression, when applied to the trying of doctrines, and consuming those that are wrong, and the trying of the characters of professors, is evidently figurative; because no material fire can have such an effect on what is of a moral nature.
Vv. 13. The same figure continues. The edifice before being inhabited by the Master must pass through the proof of fire, in which the materials of bad quality will be reduced to ashes, but from which the good materials will come forth intact.
Commentators are mostly at one in our time in applying the day of which the apostle speaks to the epoch of the Lord’s advent. Grotius thought of the meaning of the Latin dies in the phrase dies docebit: time will show. Neander also held that the history of the Church is the grand means of putting to the proof the doctrines of teachers. Calvin, adopting a similar interpretation, understands by the day the time when true Christian knowledge comes out in its clearness; as happened, for example, at the epoch of the Reformation. But it is impossible to prove that this meaning, with its different shades, can be that of the term the day. Others have applied it to the date of the destruction of Jerusalem, because this event was particularly suited to dissipate in the Church the Jewish opinions which Paul was combating; but what Paul combats in this whole passage is worldly wisdom rather than theocratic prejudices. St. Augustine thought of the day of affliction which puts to the proof the reality of the inner life; and Hofmann, of Antichrist’s great persecution, which will bring victory to the good, defeat to the bad. It seems that such was the meaning already given to our passage by the author of the (the doctrine of the twelve apostles) in the second century; for in chap. 16 the warning, Watch, is first founded on the calamities of the last days, and next the author adds: Then will appear, like a Son of God, the seducer of the world, and the race of men will come (into the burning of trial), words which can only be taken from our passage. But, when that day is referred to in Scripture, it is more distinctly qualified; comp. Eph 6:13 (the evil day); Heb 3:8 (the day of temptation); 1Pe 2:12 (the day of visitation); Rev 3:10 (the hour of trial), etc. It is therefore more natural to abide by the first meaning: the day of Christ, when the separation will be made between believers themselves; comp. 1Co 1:8, 1Co 4:5.
The manifestation which will take place at that time will be effected by means of fire. Many, and Meyer himself, seem to take this word in its literal sense, quoting as parallel 2Th 1:8, where the Lord is represented as coming from heaven with flames of fire. But it must not be forgotten that the building to be proved exists only figuratively, and that consequently the fire which is to put it to the proof can only be also a figurative fire. The term therefore can only denote here the incorruptible judgment pronounced by the omniscience and consuming holiness of the Judge who appears. His Spirit will thoroughly explore the fruit due to the ministry of every preacher. When, in the Apocalypse, the judgment is described which the Lord passes on the Seven Churches, it is said in connection with that of Thyatira (Rev 2:18): These things saith the Son of God, who hath eyes like unto a flame of fire. The look of a holy man may become an insupportable fire to the wicked, how much more that of the Lord! This penetrating look will then separate between what is real, solid, indestructible, and what is only transient, apparent, factitious. The subject ordinarily assigned the verb , is manifested, is that of the preceding proposition, the day: The day of Christ is manifested with fire or by fire. But then it seems no more possible to take the term fire in the figurative sense. Others take as subject that of the first proposition of the verse, the work: The work is manifested by means of fire. But this sense leads to an intolerable tautology with the following proposition; the apostle does not so repeat himself. Bengel and Osiander understand as subject, the Lord; but to reach this subject we must go back to 1Co 3:11; then it is difficult to suppose that Paul would have said: The Lord is manifested with fire. Is it not better to take in the impersonal sense? For it is by fire that manifestation takes place, that is to say, that things are manifested as what they really are. This proposition enunciates not a fact, but a principle; hence the verb in the present , which contrasts with the two futures the preceding () and the following ().
The , because, supposes the principle recognised, that judgment, of which fire is the emblem, accompanies the day of the Lord.
From this principle flows the consequence enunciated in the last proposition. If the pronoun is authentic, which is read after by the Vatic. and three other Mjj., it may be taken as relating to the fire: the fire itself, that is to say: the fire in virtue of its own proper nature; or what seems simpler, it should be taken in relation to the work, , and made the object of : the fire will attest it, the work, so as to bring out what it is ( ).
The double result of this putting to the proof is described in 1Co 3:14-15.
each man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day [the judgment day] shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire [as to its quality]; and the fire itself shall prove each man’s work of what sort it is. [All of the building materials here mentioned were familiar in Corinth. The first three kinds were found in their fireproof temples–material worthy of sacred structures, and the latter three were used in their frail, combustible huts which were in no way dedicated to divinity. The argument is that Corinthian Christians should build the spiritual temple of God, the church, with as good spiritual material as the relative earthly material employed by their fathers in constructing idolatrous shrines. The church should be built of true Christians, the proper material; and not of worldly-minded hypocrites, or those who estimate the oracles of God as on a par with the philosophies of men. The day of judgment will reveal the true character of all who are in the church, as a fire reveals the character of the material in a temple structure. The Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory is in some measure founded on this passage; but the context shows a purging of all evil men from the church as an entirety. There is no hint that the evil in the individual is purged by fire, leaving a residuum of righteousness. Our sins are not purged by fire, but by the blood of Christ, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission– Heb 9:22]
13. The work of each one shall be made manifest, for the day will reveal it. The great judgment day, for which all other days were made, will reveal the work of every human being. There are many other days constituting salient and notable epochs in Christian experience, and significantly adumbratory of the final Judgment, because it is revealed in fire, and the same fire shall prove the work of each one what sort it is. These are prominent allusions to the fires of the final judgment. This whole earth is to be sanctified by fire (2Pe 3:10), consuming out of it all the effects of sin, utterly cremating it preparatory to its transformation into a new heavenly sphere (Revelation 21), to be occupied by redeemed saints and unfallen angels forever. This combustion of the earth will be going on during the Judgment, which will be no twenty-four-hours day, but a period adequate to the magnitude of the occasion. Fire throughout the Bible symbolizes purity, and consequently typifies all the castigatory judgments of the Almighty conducively to the purification of humanity and the earth, and the vindication of Divine government. Hence fire is prominently characteristic of the final judgment.
Verse 13
Revealed by fire; tried and exposed by the terrible scrutiny of the great day.
3:13 {7} Every 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.
(7) He testifies, as indeed it truly is, that all are not good builders, not even all of those who stand upon this one and only foundation. However, this work of evil builders, he says, stands for a season, yet it will not always deceive, because the light of the truth appearing at length, as day, will dissolve this darkness, and show what it is. And as that stuff is tried by the fire, whether it is good or not, so will God in his time, by the touch of his Spirit and word, try all buildings, and so will it come to pass, that those which are found pure and sound, will still continue so, to the praise of the workmen. But they that are otherwise will be consumed and vanish away, and so will the workman be frustrated of the hope of his labour, who pleased himself in a thing of nothing.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes