What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 3:5? What then is Apollos? 1 Corinthians 3:5a: “What then is Apollos?” • Paul deliberately asks “what” rather than “who,” shifting attention from personality to purpose (compare 1 Corinthians 1:12–13). • Apollos was an eloquent teacher from Alexandria who “vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate” and “proved by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 18:24–28). • By framing Apollos as a “what,” Paul reminds the Corinthians that even the most gifted leader is simply an instrument in God’s hand, never the focus of faith. And what is Paul? 1 Corinthians 3:5a: “And what is Paul?” • Paul places himself under the same scrutiny, refusing any special status (see 1 Corinthians 4:6–7). • His question undercuts party spirit—no apostle or pastor is the object of devotion; only Christ is (1 Corinthians 1:30–31). • This humility echoes John 3:30: “He must increase; I must decrease.” They are servants 1 Corinthians 3:5b: “They are servants…” • The word “servants” highlights menial, table-waiting labor (Luke 22:27). Paul and Apollos are waiters bringing God’s feast, not chefs inventing it. • Jesus modeled this role: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). • Leadership in the church is therefore a calling to humble service, not celebrity (1 Peter 5:2–3). Through whom you believed 1 Corinthians 3:5b: “…through whom you believed…” • Faith came “through” these servants, never “because of” them. They were channels, not sources (Romans 10:14–17). • This protects the congregation from personality worship and anchors their trust in Christ alone (2 Corinthians 4:5). • God delights to work through human messengers so all glory returns to Him (2 Corinthians 4:7). As the Lord has assigned to each his role 1 Corinthians 3:5c: “…as the Lord has assigned to each his role.” • Ministry assignments originate with the Lord, not with personal ambition (Ephesians 4:11–12). • Paul will soon clarify: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6). • Every believer likewise receives a God-given role within the body (1 Peter 4:10–11), ensuring diversity without division and unity without uniformity. summary Paul’s single verse dismantles party spirit by reframing leaders as assigned servants. Apollos and Paul—gifted yet ordinary—function only as channels through which God brings people to faith. All tasks, gifts, and growth originate with the Lord, ensuring that worship centers on Him alone and that every servant, whatever the role, labors for His glory. |
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