1 Corinthians 3:9 - Exposition

God's fellow workers. Throughout the Bible we are taught that God requires the work of man, and that he will not help those who will do nothing for themselves or for him. The world was to be evangelized, not by sudden miracle, but by faithful human labour ( Mark 16:20 ). God's husbandry ; rather. God's field, or tilled land. The thought which he desires again and again to enforce is that they belong to God, not to the parties of human teachers. The word" husbandry" may also mean vineyard, and the metaphor is the same as in Is 1 Corinthians 5:1 ; 27:2; John 15:1 ; Matthew 13:3-30 ; Luke 13:6-9 ; Romans 11:16-24 . God's building. This is one of St. Paul's favourite metaphors, as in Romans 11:16 , Romans 11:17 ; 2 Corinthians 6:16 ; — Ephesians 2:20-22 ; Romans 15:20 ; 2 Timothy 2:19 .