It Is God Who Counts

Readings:
Job 5
I Corinthians 3

Focus:
I Corinthians 3:7: "It is not the gardeners with their planting and watering who count, but God who makes it grow."

Paul has become aware that the Christians at Corinth have divided into factions, some championing him, others championing Apollos, another Christian leader of the time. Their partisanship is so strong that it is dividing their church. It is not a division over essential doctrine, such as whether or not Jesus is the Son of God, but merely over who is more important.

Paul wants the Corinthians to know that this sort of discord keeps them from growing spiritually. As he says, when they are distracted this way, they are still on the human level only. There is so much more they could be open to, if only they would realize that what matters is not which human leader they follow, but God himself. He is the one to whom they owe allegiance, and to whom they should pay attention. The human leaders are only there to point to God.

That is how it should be with all true church leaders. It is not they who count, but God.