02/02/2026
One In Task -
Individual In Reward
“Now he that plants and he that waters are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.” 1Corinthians 3:8
Have you ever heard someone express a desire to return to the New Testament Church? After reading Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, one might be tempted to pray instead, “God, deliver us from the New Testament Church!” The Corinthian congregation was plagued by divisiveness, an extremely harmful problem that fractured the body into competing factions: “I am of Paul,” “I am of Apollos,” “I am of Cephas.” Paul confronts this spirit head-on and provides a clear antidote.
The solution hinges on two operative words: one and own. The Corinthians were one in the task, yet individual in the reward. As Paul explains, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” Neither Paul nor Apollos could fulfill the mission alone; they were mutually dependent laborers in Christ’s vineyard. Later, the apostle expands this principle by teaching that the diversity of gifts is essential for the edification of the church. We do not function independently, neither from God nor from one another, as we invest in the lives of others.
Unity is preserved because the task is shared, while accountability remains personal. Each servant of God receives a reward according to his or her own labor. Accountability is individual, not corporate. We are not rewarded for building personal reputations, institutions, churches, or special ministries, nor are we judged by the performance of others. God is pleased not by what we possess, but by what we do with what we have been given. The faithfulness, or unfaithfulness, of others has no bearing on our reward.
Even when we labor alongside those who compete with us or seek to undermine our work, we are called to serve freely and faithfully, trusting that God will judge rightly. He rewards not on the basis of visible production, but on faithfulness to His purpose. God honors obedience to opportunity, not merely measurable results.
To the degree that this principle is embraced and practiced, contention and divisiveness within the Body of Christ will diminish. Paul’s formula is simple, yet profoundly powerful: we are united in the task, but individual in the reward.
HOWICP
