By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.
If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.
If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
1 Corinthians 3:10–15
1 Corinthians 3 has always been an important passage in my life.
It’s a passage about grace. But it’s also a passage about what we do with that grace.
To understand it, it is important to note that the Bible is clear: We are not saved by works—we are saved by grace alone through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8–9) when we admit our sin and ask for forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross
And yet, again and again throughout the New Testament, we are called to live holy lives—even though our works can never earn our salvation.
Scripture gives us many reasons to live holy lives:
– Because God’s kindness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).
– Because the work we do for His Kingdom is never wasted (1 Corinthians 15:58).
– Because we’ve been bought with a price and are no longer our own (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).
– Because the way of Jesus is the path to abundant life (John 10:10).
– Because the light of our lives brings glory to God (Matthew 5:16).
And here, in 1 Corinthians 3, the Holy Spirit gives us another reason:
Our lives will be tested—and our work will be rewarded.
Paul paints a striking image. A foundation has been laid—Jesus Christ Himself. But we don’t just stop at the foundation. We build. Every day, in small and large ways, we add to it.
And one day, our work will be revealed for what it truly is.
Will it last? Or will it burn?
Paul isn’t talking about salvation here—he makes that clear. The foundation is already in place. But what we do with it matters.
Some will build with things that endure: love, sacrifice, truth, faithfulness.
Others will pursue things that are fleeting: pride, wealth, comfort, applause, distraction.
And when the fire comes—when the Day brings everything to light—some will receive a reward. Others will still be saved, but with nothing to show for a life that could have pointed to something greater.
So what kind of work endures?
In Paul’s words, it’s the work of planting and watering spiritual seeds in the lives of others (1 Corinthians 3:6).
It’s building into people.
It’s spreading truth.
It’s living in a way that lifts others toward Christ.
That doesn’t always look big. It might look like inviting someone to church, sharing your story, serving quietly, giving generously, raising children in the faith, forgiving freely, or encouraging someone to trust God just one more time.
These are the materials that survive the fire.
Now, some might say, “We shouldn’t live for rewards.”
And I understand the hesitation. But if that were true, why would the Holy Spirit promise them?
Maybe the question isn’t whether rewards are wrong. Maybe the better question is: What will we do with them?
My grandfather once answered that same question this way: “I want to collect as many rewards as I can on the way to heaven—not for my sake, but so I have more to lay at the feet of Jesus when I finally see Him.”
We don’t build with gold and silver to make much of ourselves. We build so we’ll have something beautiful and lasting to offer the One who gave everything for us.
So today, live with eternity in mind. Build with care. And choose what lasts.
Prayer
Father, thank You for your grace that saves me and the work You’ve given me to do. Help me build with care—not for my glory, but for Yours. Let my life be filled with things that last, things that are rewarded when the Day brings them to light. And one day, may I lay it all at Your feet. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.