He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.Now he who plants and he who waters are the same, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: but each shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.
4 sermons cite this verse
… that there are rewards given for faithful service. First Corinthians 3.8, each one of us will receive his own reward according to his own labor. You don't earn your way into heaven but once you're on your way to heaven, the Bible says that you should live in such a way that God will reward you when you get there. So the reason I'm going to heaven is because I believed in Jesus and was a recipient of his grace and mercy and he forgave me. But now with the life that I have here on earth, I want to do things for God's glory so I'll have some rewards waiting in heaven. There are specific crowns identified in the Bible that God will give for faithful service. For instance, there's the imperishable crown. The imperishable crown that's given for self-control and disciplined living. Paul compares himself to an athlete training for a race. And he says, they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we do it for an imperishable crown. …
… Your faithful service will be rewarded. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3, verse 8, he says, The one who plants and the one who waters work as a team with the same purpose, yet they will be rewarded. There it is, individually. according to their own labor. Skipping down to verse 13, but there is going to come a time. He comes back to the same subject of rewards. There's going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder, each Christian has done. Everyone's work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. Some of our works are going to be burned up in heaven at the Bema Seat when we're being evaluated for the purpose of rewards. For example, I think I've mentioned this here in the past. …
… causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor." We are God's fellow workers. You are God's field and God's building. So we are fellow workers. We are not to be compared to each other, and some kind of a hierarchy that sets one above the other. In the end of chapter 3, Paul says in verse 21, all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come, all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. You can't separate in it anything because it all belongs to you. All spiritual blessings belong to you. All teachers belong to you. This is by God's design. Everything that the kingdom provides is for all of you. …
… the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor." In other words, God is the one who knows the truth and is keeping a record that relates to heavenly reward. This is divisiveness in the Corinthian church to the degree that Paul says, I can't even write to you as to mature believers. Your immaturity is showing up in all these factions built about the worship of one or another of the preachers. This is wrong. This is crippling your spiritual development. At the end of chapter 3, verse 21, He says, let no one boast in men. Let no one boast in men, for all things belong to you. That is to say that all believers possess the same spiritual realities. We have, all of us, the gift of all things that pertain to life and godliness. So don't boast in men. All things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come. …