John Calvin Commentary 1 Corinthians 3:7

"So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase." — 1 Corinthians 3:7 (ASV)

Neither is he that planteth anything. It appears, nevertheless, from what has already been said, that their labor is of some importance. We must observe, therefore, why Paul depreciates it in this way. First of all, it is important to note that he is accustomed to speak of ministers, as well as of sacraments, in two different ways.

For in some cases, he views a minister as one who has been set apart by the Lord, firstly, for regenerating souls and, afterwards, nourishing them to eternal life; for remitting sins (John 20:23); for renewing the minds of people; for raising up the kingdom of Christ and destroying that of Satan. Viewed in this way, he does not merely assign to him the duty of planting and watering, but also provides him with the efficacy of the Holy Spirit, so that his labor may not be in vain. Thus, in another passage, he calls himself a minister of the Spirit, and not of the letter, since he writes the word of the Lord on people’s hearts (2 Corinthians 3:6).

In other cases, he views a minister as one who is a servant, not a master—an instrument, not the hand; in short, as human, not God. Viewed in this way, he leaves him nothing but his labor, and that labor itself dead and powerless, if the Lord does not make it efficacious by His Spirit.

The reason is that when the ministry itself is discussed, we must consider not only the human minister but also God, working in him by the grace of the Spirit. This is not to suggest that the grace of the Spirit is invariably tied to human words, but rather because Christ exercises His power in the ministry He instituted, making it evident that this ministry was not established in vain.

In this manner, He does not take away or diminish anything that belongs to Him with the intention of transferring it to humans. For He is not separated from the minister; on the contrary, His power is declared to be efficacious in the minister. However, since our judgment is sometimes depraved, we improperly use this to praise people too highly. To correct this fault, we need to make a distinction: we must set the Lord on one side and the minister on the other. Then it becomes clear how needy humanity is in itself, and how utterly devoid of efficacy.

Therefore, let us understand that in this passage, ministers are compared with the Lord. The reason for this comparison is that humankind, while grudgingly valuing the grace of God, is too lavish in praising ministers. In this way, they snatch away what is God’s in order to transfer it to themselves.

At the same time, Paul always observes a most fitting balance. For when he says that God giveth the increase, he implies by this that the efforts of people themselves are not without success. The same is true for the sacraments, as we shall see elsewhere. Hence, although our heavenly Father does not reject our labor in cultivating His field, and does not allow it to be unproductive, yet He insists that its success depend exclusively upon His blessing, so that He may have all the praise.

Accordingly, if we desire to make any progress in laboring, in striving, in pressing forward, let us understand that we will make no progress unless He prospers our labors, our strivings, and our diligence, so that we may entrust ourselves and everything we do to His grace.