Be Careful How You Build God’s Church, Part 2

By Robb Brunansky

Published April 30, 2026

When God commissions a building project, He commands His craftsmen to be careful how they build.

God, when He gave instructions for building His tabernacle, warned Moses against building any which way, requiring he instead follow exact orders for construction (Exodus 25). This warning mirrors 1 Corinthians 3:10, where Paul tells readers to be careful how we build the church.

The first element of careful building is that we must build on the proper foundation (verses 10-11). God’s church must be built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, who is the exclusive foundation. Anyone building on another foundation is building incorrectly.

The second specification is that we must build using the proper materials (verses 12-13).

Once again, we might liken this directive to the building of the tabernacle. God did not just give Moses the pattern of what was to be built; He also stipulated the exact materials Moses was to use to build each item.

We see the same concept in play as God is building His church. There are certain materials God requires for use in our building of His temple. We are not to bring our own ideas of what would help the church or edify God’s people. The Lord clearly states how we are to build and what we must use in the process.

Verses 12-13 can be divided into three parts as we consider what it means to build the church with the proper materials.

First, we must use the proper materials on the one true foundation.

Paul reiterates the importance of the foundation (verse 12). He is only concerned now with those who are building on the proper foundation of Jesus Christ, which means false teachers are not in view in this passage. False teachers – or any unbelievers – do not build on the true foundation because they have rejected Christ’s gospel and substituted another gospel.

The issue, then, is whether Christians do ministry the right way or the wrong way. Everyone building in this 1 Corinthians 3 passage is engaged in the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Believers can do the right ministry the wrong way, not building with quality materials; they are genuinely converted and love Christ but are ineffective builders.

This understanding is vital because we easily and sometimes incorrectly accuse certain people of being false teachers when they are just poor teachers. Not everyone who has shallow teaching on areas outside the primary doctrines of the Christian faith is a false teacher. Some people are genuine believers but bad teachers. Being on the right foundation is essential to proper building, but that doesn’t mean everyone who understands the gospel should be followed. So, Paul calls the leaders of the church, and by extension those following their example, to build with the proper materials like skillful builders.

There are two types of materials we might use to build (verse 12). The first type is comprised of non-flammable materials – gold, silver, and precious stones. The second type is made up of flammable materials – wood, hay, and straw.

These two categories are significant because of how our work of building Christ’s church will be tested (verse 13). Fire is the method for the inspection process. If the inspection process is fire, then wise, careful, and attentive believers will ensure they build with non-flammable materials. All Christians can be sure the Lord will test our work in the church – our ministries, and our efforts to reach others with the gospel and to encourage other believers. We must, then, use the right materials that can survive testing by fire.

What will be tested by God is the quality of each person’s work (verse 13). We are not judged based on the outcome, but the quality, of our efforts. Did we employ gold, silver, and precious stones? Or did we build with wood, hay, and straw?

Because Paul is speaking figuratively about ministry in terms of building a structure, we must understand what it means to build with one set of materials rather than another.

Let me preface by saying we can build with gold in one aspect and with wood or straw in another – this is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Also, when Paul is talking about quality in this context, he is not talking about giftedness, but faithfulness. With those caveats, here are three building considerations to help ascertain the picture of a non-flammable ministry that will survive God’s judgment.

First, the quality of the message will be tested.

Quality ministry, built out of gold, silver, and precious stones, is aligned with God’s Word. This type of ministry accurately represents the meaning of Scripture, applying biblical truths in ways that conform to the divine intention of the text. Paul presents an interesting parallel to this concept when he writes that the Lord’s workmen should work so that they will be approved (rather than ashamed) by accurately handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). God’s evaluation of us as workmen will be based, in part, on whether we get the message right.

It does not stop at the right message, though. To be faithful, we must preach all God has said in His Word. The way we have a faithful, quality ministry with the proper materials is preaching the whole message, not just the interesting, easy, or noncontroversial parts.

Second, the quality of the method will be tested.

We must also do God’s ministry God’s way. Paul did not minister to win the approval of the Corinthians or anyone other human being. Paul sought to be a faithful builder using quality materials. If Paul built his own way, he knew these actions would be in vain. He understood the final evaluation of his ministry would not be performed by men but by God. So, he built God’s church God’s way to ensure he used quality materials like gold, silver, and precious stones.

The biblical method of building is one reason why God allows churches to be tested and attacked. God is giving us a preview of that final day through our body’s trials and tribulations. When our ministries outlast the inevitable attacks of people in this world or the demonic forces opposed to the gospel and come out even stronger, that is a great hope to us as servants of Christ that our building efforts will survive.

Finally, the quality of the motive will be tested.

The motive is the part of ministry only God sees. The reason I think the motive is a building consideration is because of what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:5. On the great judgment day, God will expose the motives of our hearts for our ministries. The Lord will reveal why we served, what drove us, and what was in our hearts as we served. Service for selfish reasons, men’s applause, enrichment, prestige and respect, and outward facades, is a work of wood, hay, and straw, that will crumble at the day of judgement.

Because we are all sinners, our motives are often a mixed bag. We love Christ, and yet our hearts are filled with degrees of selfishness that we battle. No one can build with gold, silver, and precious stones if they are motivated with pride. The motivation of our ministry is a question we must put to our hearts every day, whenever wicked pride continuously creeps up in our hearts, seeking just a little of the glory belonging to Christ alone.

As we serve the Lord, seek to lead people to Christ, and strive to edify the church, what kind of materials are we building with? When Christ returns, what will happen to our work? Will it survive because we built with gold, silver, and precious stones? Or will it burn because it was built with wood, hay, and straw? May we always build God’s church for the glory of Christ.