each one’s work will become manifest, for the day will show it up, because it will be revealed by means of fire; and the fire itself will prove what sort of work each one’s is.” (1 Corinthians 3:12, 13)

¹¹ What would happen to these buildings in a fire? The answer was as obvious in Paul’s day as it is in ours. In fact, the city of Corinth had been conquered and set ablaze by the Roman General Mummius back in 146 B.C.E. Many structures of wood, hay, or stubble had surely been utterly destroyed. What of the sturdy buildings of stone, decorated with silver and gold? These, no doubt, survived. Paul’s students in Corinth may well have passed by such buildings daily—proud stone survivors of disasters that had long since leveled their less durable neighbors. How vividly, then, Paul made his point! When teaching, we need to regard ourselves as builders. We want to work with the best, most durable materials possible. That way our work is more likely to last. What are those durable materials, and why is it vital to use them?

It would not survive the “fire.” What fire was Paul talking about?

13. What does the fire in Paul’s illustration represent, and of what should all Christians be aware?

¹³ There is a fire that we all face in life—tests of our faith. (John 15:20; James 1:2, 3) The Christians in Corinth needed to know, just as we today need to know, that everyone to whom we teach the truth will be tested. If we teach poorly, there may be sad consequences. Paul warned: “If anyone’s work that he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward; if anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved; yet, if so, it will be as through fire.”c—1 Corinthians 3:14, 15.

14. (a) How might Christian disciple makers “suffer loss,” yet how might they attain to salvation as through fire? (b) How can we minimize the risk of suffering loss?

¹⁴ Sobering words indeed! It can be very painful to work hard to help someone become a disciple, only to see the individual succumb to temptation or persecution and eventually leave the way of the truth. Paul acknowledges as much when he says that we suffer loss in such cases. The experience may be so painful that our salvation is described as being “as through fire”—like a man who lost everything in a fire and was himself just barely rescued. For our part, how can we minimize the risk of loss? Build with durable materials! If we teach our students so as to reach their hearts, moving them to value such precious Christian qualities as wisdom, discernment, fear of Jehovah, and genuine faith, then we are building with durable, fire-resistant materials. (Psalm 19:9, 10; Proverbs 3:13-15; 1 Peter 1:6, 7) Those who acquire these qualities will continue to do God’s will; theirs is the sure hope of remaining alive forever. (1 John 2:17)