Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [1 Corinthians: Chapter 3].
technical sense of deacon comes later (Php 1:1; 1Ti 3:8,12).
{As the Lord gave to him} (\h•s ho Kurios ed•ken\). Hence no
minister of the Lord like Apollos and Paul has any basis for
pride or conceit nor should be made the occasion for faction and
strife. This idea Paul enlarges upon through chapters 1Co 3; 4
and it is made plain in chapter 1Co 12.
3:6 {I planted} (\eg• ephuteusa\). First aorist active indicative
of old verb \phuteu•\. This Paul did as Luke tells us in Ac
18:1-18. {Apollos watered} (\Apoll•s epotisen\). Apollos
irrigated the church there as is seen in Ac 18:24-19:1. Another
aorist tense as in verse 2. {But God gave the increase} (\alla
ho theos •uxanen\). Imperfect tense here (active indicative) for
the continuous blessing of God both on the work of Paul and
Apollos, co-labourers with God in God's field (verse 9).
Reports of revivals sometimes give the glory to the evangelist or
to both evangelist and pastor. Paul gives it all to God. He and
Apollos cooperated as successive pastors.
3:7 {So then neither--neither--but} (\H•ste oute--oute--all'\).
Paul applies his logic relentlessly to the facts. He had asked
{what} (\ti\) is Apollos or Paul (verse 5). The answer is here.
{Neither is anything} (\ti\) {the one who plants nor the one who
waters}. God is the whole and we are not anything.
3:8 {Are one} (\hen eisin\). The neuter singular again (\hen\,
not \heis\) as with the interrogative \ti\ and the indefinite
\ti\. By this bold metaphor which Paul expands he shows how the
planter and the waterer work together. If no one planted, the
watering would be useless. If no one watered, the planting would
come to naught as the dreadful drouth of 1930 testifies while
these words are written. {According to his own labour} (\kata ton
idion kopon\). God will bestow to each the reward that his labour
deserves. That is the pay that the preacher is sure to receive.
He may get too little or too much here from men. But the due
reward from God is certain and it will be adequate however
ungrateful men may be.
3:9 {God's fellow-workers} (\theou sunergoi\). This old word
(co-workers of God) has a new dignity here. God is the major
partner in the enterprise of each life, but he lets us work with
him. Witness the mother and God with the baby as the product.
{God's husbandry} (\theou ge•rgion\). God's tilled land (\g•,
ergon\). The farmer works with God in God's field. Without the
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