Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Corinthians 3:12

"But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble;" — 1 Corinthians 3:12 (ASV)

Now if any man. This applies to any teacher, concerning the doctrines he instills, or to any private Christian, concerning the hopes he cherishes. The main discussion, undoubtedly, concerns teachers of religion. Paul carries forward the metaphor of the building in this and the following verses.

He supposes that the foundation is laid, that it is a true foundation, and that the essential doctrines regarding the Messiah are the real basis on which the building is built. But, he says, even admitting that, it is a subject of vast importance to pay attention to the kind of structure that will be built on it; whether it will be truly beautiful and valuable in itself, and such as will endure the trial of the last great day, or whether it will be inferior, worthless, erroneous, and such as will ultimately be destroyed.

There has been some difference of opinion regarding the interpretation of this passage, arising from the question of whether the apostle intended to represent one or two buildings. The former has been the more common interpretation, and the sense according to that is: "The true foundation is laid, but on that it is improper to place base and worthless materials. It would be absurd to work them in with those that are valuable; it would be absurd to work in, when building, wood, hay, and stubble with gold, silver, and precious stones. There would be a lack of continuity and beauty in this. So in the spiritual temple. There is an impropriety, an unfitness, in building the spiritual temple, to interweave truth with error, sound doctrine with false doctrines." See Calvin and Macknight.

Grotius interprets it: "Paul imagines for himself a building, partly regal and partly rustic. He presents the image of a house whose walls are of marble, whose columns are made partly of gold and partly of silver, whose beams are of wood, and whose roof is thatched with straw." Others, among whom are Wetstein, Doddridge, and Rosenmuller, suppose that he refers to two buildings that might be built on this foundation—either one that would be magnificent and splendid, or one that would be a rustic cottage or an inferior hovel, thatched with straw and made of planks of wood.

Doddridge paraphrases the passage: "If any man build, I say, upon this foundation, let him pay attention to the materials and the nature of his work; whether he raises a stately and magnificent temple upon it, adorned as it were like the house of God at Jerusalem, with gold and silver, and large, beautiful, and costly stones; or an inferior hovel, consisting of nothing better than planks of wood roughly put together, and thatched with hay and stubble. That is, let him consider whether he teaches the substantial, vital truths of Christianity, which it was intended to support and illustrate; or sets himself to propagate vain subtleties and notions on the one hand, or legal rites and Jewish traditions on the other—which, although they do not entirely destroy the foundation, disgrace it, as an inferior building would do a grand and extensive foundation laid with great pomp and solemnity." This probably expresses the correct sense of the passage.

The foundation may be well laid; yet on this foundation a building may be built that will be truly magnificent, or one that is inferior and worthless. So the true foundation of a church may be laid, or of individual conversion to God, in the true doctrine concerning Christ.

That church or that individual may be built up and adorned with all the graces which truth is fitted to produce; or there may be false principles and teachings superadded; doctrines that will delude and lead astray; or views and feelings cultivated as piety, and believed to be piety, which may be no part of true religion, but which are mere delusion and fanaticism.

Gold, silver. On the meaning of these words it is not necessary to dwell or to lay too much stress. Gold is the emblem of that which is valuable and precious, and may be the emblem of that truth and holiness which will bear the trial of the great day. In relation to the figure which the apostle here uses, it may refer to the fact that columns or beams in a building might be gilded; or, perhaps, as in the temple, that they might be solid gold, so as to bear the action of intense heat or so that fire would not destroy them. So the precious doctrines of truth, and all the feelings, views, opinions, habits, and practices which truth produces in an individual or a church, will bear the trial of the last great day.

Precious stones. By the stones here referred to are not meant gems, which are esteemed of so much value for ornaments, but beautiful and valuable marbles. The word precious here, timiouv, means those which are obtained at a price, which are costly and valuable, and is particularly applicable, therefore, to the costly marbles which were used in building. The figurative sense here does not differ materially from that conveyed by silver and gold. By this building thus built on the true foundation, we are to understand:

1. The true doctrines which should be used to build up a church—doctrines which will bear the test of the trial of the last day; and,

2. Such views regarding piety and duty, such feelings and principles of action, as will be approved and seen to be genuine piety in the day of judgment.

Wood. This material might be easily burned. A building built of wood instead of marble, or slight buildings, such as were often put up for temporary purposes in the East—such as cottages, or places for watching vineyards, etc. (See Barnes on Isaiah 1:8).

Hay, stubble. These materials were used for thatching the building or for a roof. Perhaps grass was also sometimes used in some way to make the walls of the building. Such a building would burn readily and would be constantly exposed to catching fire. By this is meant:

1. Errors and false doctrines, such as will not be found to be true in the day of judgment, and as will then be swept away.

2. Such practices and mistaken views of piety as will grow out of false doctrines and errors. The foundation may be firm. Those who are referred to may be building on the Lord Jesus and may be true Christians.

   Yet there is much error among those who are not Christians. There are many things mistaken for piety which will yet be seen to be false.

   There is much enthusiasm, wildfire, fanaticism, bigotry; much affected humility; much that is supposed to be orthodoxy; much regard to forms and ceremonies, to days, and months, and times, and years (Galatians 4:10); much overheated zeal, much precision, and solemn sanctimoniousness; much regard for external ordinances where the heart is wanting, that will be found to be false and that will be swept away in the day of judgment.