Tag Archives: 1 Corinthians 3:15

Trial by Fire: Literary and Theological Context of 1 Corinthians 3:15

1 Corinthians 3:15 — εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον κατακαήσεται, ζημιωθήσεται, αὐτὸς δὲ σωθήσεται, οὕτως δὲ ὡς διὰ πυρός. (“If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved—yet so as through fire.”)

This verse concludes Paul’s architectural metaphor in 1 Corinthians 3:10–15, where ministers are likened to builders constructing upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. Paul warns that each person’s workmanship will be tested by eschatological fire. Verse 15 pivots on the fate of the builder whose construction does not endure: though the work is destroyed, the person is ultimately saved—but as through fire.… Learn Koine Greek