John Calvin Commentary 1 Corinthians 3:22

"whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;" — 1 Corinthians 3:22 (ASV)

All things are yours. He proceeds to show what place and station teachers should occupy—such as not to detract in any degree from the authority of Christ, the one Master. Since Christ is the Church’s sole master, and as he alone without exception is worthy to be listened to, it is necessary to distinguish between him and others, as even Christ himself has testified concerning himself (Matthew 23:8), and no other is recommended to us by the Father with this honorable declaration, Hear ye him. (Matthew 17:5). Since, therefore, he alone is endowed with authority to rule us by his word, Paul says that others are ours—meaning, that they are appointed to us by God for us to make use of them, not that they should exercise dominion over our consciences.

Thus on the one hand, he shows that they are not useless, and, on the other hand, he keeps them in their own place, so that they may not exalt themselves in opposition to Christ. What he adds, regarding death, life, and the rest, is hyperbolical, so far as concerns the passage before us.

He intended, however, to reason, as it were, from the greater to the less, in this manner: “Since Christ has put life and death, and everything in subjection to us, can we doubt that he has also made men subject to us, to help us by their ministrations—not to oppress us by tyranny?”

Now if anyone takes occasion from this to allege that the writings of both Paul and Peter are subject to our scrutiny, because they were men and are not exempted from the common lot of others, I answer that Paul, while he does not by any means spare himself or Peter, admonishes the Corinthians to distinguish between the person of the individual and the dignity or distinction of office.

“As for myself, viewed as a man, I wish to be judged simply as a man, so that Christ alone may have distinction in our ministry.” This, however, we must generally hold: that all who discharge the office of the ministry are ours, from the highest to the lowest, so that we are free to withhold our assent to their doctrine until they show that it is from Christ.

For they must all be tried (1 John 4:1), and we must yield obedience to them only when they have satisfactorily shown themselves to be faithful servants of Christ. Now, concerning Peter and Paul, since this point is beyond all controversy and the Lord has furnished us with amply sufficient evidence that their doctrine has come forth from Him, when we receive as an oracle from heaven and venerate everything that they have delivered to us, we hear not so much them as Christ speaking in them.