By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.
1 Corinthians 3:10 NIV
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses a serious issue that threatened the unity of the church. Believers had begun to divide themselves into factions, claiming allegiance to Paul, Apollos, Peter, or even Christ in a party-spirited way (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:1–5). Instead of embracing God’s grace and remaining united in Christ, they allowed human personalities to fracture their fellowship.
Paul responds with striking humility: “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task” (1 Corinthians 3:5, NIV). With these words, he deliberately lowers himself and Apollos, reminding the church that leaders are not the source of life or faith. They are merely instruments, servants carrying out assignments given by God.
Even though Paul had been used powerfully by God—preaching widely and with signs accompanying—he refuses to exalt himself. He sees himself not as a master over people but as a servant under God’s authority. His posture reflects a deep truth: effectiveness in ministry does not rest on human excellence but on God’s grace and timing.
Paul expands on this when he writes: “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it” (1 Corinthians 3:10). Here, he locates his gifting, wisdom, and fruit in God’s grace alone. Ministry is never the accomplishment of one individual; it is cooperative. One lays the foundation, another builds, and still another waters—but it is God who makes it grow. Every true competence comes from Him.
This perspective guards our hearts against pride, platform-building, and the dangerous pull of personality cults. It protects us from placing our confidence in methods or ministers instead of in Christ Himself. It also steers us away from measuring worth by outward results and reminds us that God values faithful obedience above visible success.
For every servant of God, the right posture is clear. We must remember that we are simply vessels through whom God chooses to reveal His grace. Our eyes must remain fixed on the source—God Himself—rather than on ourselves or the outcomes of our efforts. Humility should shape how we see ourselves and how we present ourselves to others.
What God desires is a heart that acknowledges Him as supreme and the source of all grace. It is a heart content to be a servant through whom He accomplishes His will, without striving for recognition. It is a heart committed to building wisely and faithfully on Christ, the only true foundation.
Living It Out
The lesson for us today is both simple and profound. We are not the centre; Christ is. Our ministries, talents, and opportunities are gifts of grace, not trophies of self-achievement. Like Paul, we are called to serve faithfully, humbly, and dependently, knowing that God alone brings the increase.
As you consider your own service to God, ask yourself: Am I seeking recognition, or am I content to be a servant? Am I building with pride, or with the grace God supplies? May we each learn to take our place as “only servants,” honouring Christ as the foundation and trusting Him to bring fruit from our labour.