“He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.” I Corinthians chapter 3, verse 8
In church culture, it seems that the one who actually leads a person to Christ is the one who gets the most credit. In God’s eyes, the one who plants and the one who waters are the same.
This does not mean that your work doesn’t matter in the end. Some workers plant the gospel—they will be rewarded according to their labour. Some workers see growth arising from the gospel and they nurture that growth—they will be rewarded according to their labour. Some workers get to reap a plentiful harvest—they too will be rewarded according to their labour.
It’s interesting that in God’s economy, there is perfect equality among workers that communism could never achieve, yet there is also opportunity to be rewarded on an individual level.
Ultimately, all the credit goes to God. He gives the opportunities and causes the growth. In contrast, we are not “anything” (v. 7); we are “servants” (v. 5).
But God also calls us his “fellow workers.” This word is used only one other time in the New Testament, in I Thessalonians 3:2, where Paul calls Timothy “God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ.” The word “fellow” is the word for synergy, where you have two working together for more productivity.
How would you evaluate your own labour for the gospel? When was the last time you mentioned gospel truths to a non-Christian?
It’s encouraging to know that as you share your faith with someone, you are never by yourself—you are working alongside God! How gracious he is to consider us as partners. He will bless your work.
About Ben Kwok