1 Corinthians 3:5, Ministers By Whom Ye Believed

1 Corinthians 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

The Apostle Paul knows that his name was used by those in the Corinthian church to sow discord and disunity by this deliberate attempt to form factions and create cliques. He reasons with them that ministers like himself are servants of God, entrusted with the spiritual mandate to fulfil the Great Commission. He serves his Master, Jesus Christ. They are to follow him as he follows his Master Jesus Christ.

He is guided by the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel where he was led. God established the church in Corinth after souls were converted. He wants them to understand that it is the work of God’s grace from beginning to end as he testified later in 1 Corinthians 15:9-11 wrote thus of his life story as a minister of Christ, “For I am the least of the apostles, who is not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I laboured more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” 

He acknowledges that he is but a servant for His Master. But for the grace of God, he would have perished in his sins persecuting the church of God. His service to God was to repay his gospel debt. Therefore, he urges the believers to have a proper perspective of God’s servants in Christ’s church. Amen.