Thomas Aquinas Commentary 1 Corinthians 3:1-8

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able [to bear it]: nay, not even now are ye able; for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men? For when one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not men? What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? Ministers through whom ye believed; and each as the Lord gave to him. I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: but each shall receive his own reward according to his own labor." — 1 Corinthians 3:1-8 (ASV)

Previously, the Apostle exposed the strife and division among the Corinthians, who disputed among themselves about the particular ministers of Christ who had baptized and instructed them. Here, he begins to attack their judgment of these ministers as the root of their strife. In this regard, he does two things: first, he attacks their judgment for attributing more than they should to the ministers in whom they boast; and second, for looking down on the other ministers of Christ (chapter 4).

Regarding the first point, he does two things: first, he shows the loss they suffered from the strife arising from their perverse judgment; and second, he attacks their perverse judgment (verse 4). Concerning this first point, he does two things: first, he mentions the loss they have suffered until now on account of this fault; and second, he shows that they are still suffering from it (verse 2).

Regarding the first point, he does three things. First, he mentions the loss they have suffered until now from this fault. For previously he had said that the apostles delivered spiritual things to spiritual people—teachings which worldly people were not able to comprehend. Now he applies this to them, saying: But I, brothers, who along with all the other apostles speak spiritual things to spiritual people, could not properly address you as spiritual people—that is, deliver spiritual teachings to you—but I have spoken to you as people of the flesh. Here he calls "carnal" the same ones he first called "worldly," to whom things suited to their weakness must be delivered: Whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast (Isaiah 28:9).

Second, he uses a simile, saying they are like "babes in Christ"—that is, barely introduced to the perfect teachings of the faith which are given to spiritual people: Everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a child, but the perfect live on solid food (Hebrews 5:13).

Third, he gives the reason, so that they would not suppose he withholds spiritual teaching from them out of envy, which would be contrary to Wisdom 7:13: Which I learned without guile and impart without envy. That is why he adds, for you were not ready for it. As if to say: It was not out of envy that I kept spiritual things from you, but because of your incapacity, for you were not ready to grasp spiritual words: I have yet many things to say to you; but you cannot bear them now (John 16:12).

Then, when he says, and even yet, he shows that they are still suffering the same loss. First, he shows the incapacity under which they are still laboring when he says, But even yet you are not ready. As if to say: It was not strange that in the beginning you were unable to grasp a fuller teaching, because this was expected given your newness: As newborn babes, desire the rational milk without guile (1 Peter 2:2). But it is sinful that despite the time during which you could have made progress, you still show the same incapacity: For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need some one to teach you again the first principles of God’s word (Hebrews 5:12).

Second, he gives the reason why they are still unable, saying, For you are still of the flesh in life and mind. That is the reason you cannot grasp the things of the Spirit but instead have a taste for the things of the flesh: They that are of the flesh mind the things of the flesh (Romans 8:5).

Third, he gives the reason behind the proof, saying, For while there is among you jealousy and strife, are you not of the flesh and behave like ordinary men? Here it should be noted that he was right to join jealousy with strife, because jealousy is the food of contention. A jealous person is grieved at another’s good, which the latter tries to improve, and from this, strife arises. Hence James 3:16 says, Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. On the other hand, charity, through which a person loves another’s good, is the source of peace.

It should also be noted that jealousy and strife occur only among carnal people. This is because they are attracted to material goods, which cannot be possessed by many people at the same time. Whenever one person owns a material good, another person is prevented from fully possessing it. From this follows jealousy and later strife. But spiritual goods, to which spiritual people are attracted, can be possessed by many people at the same time; consequently, one person’s good is not another’s loss. For this reason, neither jealousy nor strife finds a place among them: Which I impart without envy .

Furthermore, it should be noted that carnal people are said to walk according to the flesh, even though a person is composed of spirit and flesh. For it is consistent with human nature to obtain knowledge of the spirit from the senses of the flesh. Consequently, the affections of human reason are moved by the things of the flesh, unless a person’s spirit is raised above the human level by the Spirit of God, for the heart fancies as a woman in travail, unless it be a vision sent forth by the most High . Therefore, the meaning is this: "like ordinary men"—that is, according to human nature left to itself by the Spirit of God, as Psalm 4:3 says: O men, how long shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?

Fourth, he clarifies the proof, saying: For when one of you says, "I belong to Paul," because you have been baptized and instructed by Paul, and another, "I belong to Apollos," which shows that there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not merely men?—that is, carnal and not spiritual, indulging in jealousy and strife for human things. For as a person is, so is he affected by corresponding things and desires them: They became detestable as the thing they loved (Hosea 9:10).

Then, when he says, What then is Apollos? he rejects their judgment, because they attributed more to their ministers than they deserved. First, he discloses the truth; second, he excludes their error (verse 18). Regarding the first point, he does two things: first, he describes the status of their ministers; and second, he speaks about their reward (verse 8). Concerning this first point, he does three things: first, he describes the status of the ministers; second, he proposes a simile (verse 6); and third, he explains his intent (verse 7).

Regarding the status of the ministers, he mentions two things. First, that they are not masters but ministers, saying: You boast of Paul and Apollos. So I ask you, What then is Apollos and what is Paul?—that is, what is their dignity and power, if you are to be reasonable in boasting of them? And he answers that they are servants of God. As if to say: What they do when baptizing and instructing, they do not do as masters but as God’s ministers: Men shall speak of you as the ministers of our God (Isaiah 61:6).

But someone might consider it a great thing to be a minister of God and suppose that one should boast of men who are ministers of God. This would be true if God could not be approached without human intermediaries, as happens when people glory in a king’s ministers, without whom the king cannot be approached. But this is not applicable here, because Christ’s faithful have access to God by faith, as it says in Romans 5:2: Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. Therefore, he is careful to say, through whom you believed. As if to say: By faith you have now been joined to God and not to men. That is why he said previously (2:5), That your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Therefore, you should rejoice first in God and not in men.

Now, it sometimes happens that ministers of men have some dignity or skill that makes them fit to be ministers. This is not true of God’s ministers. Therefore, he shows that the worthiness and power of God’s ministers comes entirely from God, saying, as the Lord assigned to each. As if to say: Each one of us has as much power in ministering as the Lord has granted to him; consequently, there is no reason for boasting in us for our own sakes: Our sufficiency is from God, who has qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant (2 Corinthians 3:5).

Then, when he says, I planted, he stresses a similarity between ministers and farmers. Here, two differences in their activities should be noted. One is the difference between the activity of one minister and that of another. In this regard he says, I planted—that is, in preaching to you I was like a planter, because I was the first one to preach the faith to you: I have put my words in your mouth, that you might plant the heavens (Isaiah 51:16). And Apollos watered—that is, he acted as a person who waters plants to nourish them and make them grow. In the same way, we read in Acts 19:1 that after Paul had converted many Corinthians, Apollos came and contributed greatly to the believers, showing publicly from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ, and fulfilling what is said in Sirach 24:31: I will water my orchard.

The second difference is found in the work of ministers, who by planting and watering cooperate externally with the work of God, who works internally. Hence, he adds, but God gave the increase: He will increase the harvest of your righteousness (2 Corinthians 9:10). So too, in the material world, planters and waterers work from the outside, but God works from within through the activity of nature to make plants grow.

Then, when he says, so neither he that plants, he draws two conclusions from these premises. The first of these is based on the minister’s dependence on God. Inasmuch as Paul planted and Apollos watered, they were only ministers of God, having nothing but what they received from God; and they worked only from the outside, while God worked within. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is important and great, but only God who gives the growth. For God is independent and great in Himself. An action is not attributed to the instrument, which a minister is, but to the principal cause. Hence Isaiah 40:17 says, All nations are as nothing before him.

The second conclusion is based on a comparison between the various ministers. The one who plants and the one who waters, since both are God’s ministers—having nothing but what they receive from God and working only from the outside—are equal. Since the only basis for preferring one over another is some divine gift he has received, they are equal as far as their own merits are concerned. Furthermore, since their intention is to be God’s ministers, they are one in the harmony of their wills. Consequently, it is foolish to have dissensions about people who are one: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity (Psalms 111:1); We, though many, are one body in Christ (Romans 12:5).