Bible Truth #118 - 1 Corinthians 3:5-7

1 Corinthians 3:5-7

5  What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.

6  I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

7  So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

Who made it grow? God did. This is not even an implication. The clear statement of fact is that if it doesn’t grow, it’s because God didn’t make it grow. This one closely resembles the parable of the Sower and the Soils (Matthew 13). God determines the soil. If the soil changes it is ONLY because God changes it, the soil can’t change itself. The soil is the hearts of man. The seed is God’s Word, the witness and proclamation of the Truth by Paul to the people. The watering by Apollos seems to be the follow-up witness and testimony of another believer. But it is clear that unless God makes it grow, i.e. converts the heart, or regenerates the dead spirit of the lost man, IT IS NOT GOING TO GROW.

Please do not resort to the idea “Well God will make it grow if He sees that man really wants to be saved, if he really wants a relationship with God.” How many times does the Bible have to say that the lost man hates the Light and will NOT come into the Light (John 3:20), no one is righteous (Romans 3:10), no one understands or seeks God (Psalm 10:4, Romans 3:11), the lost man can’t please God (Romans 8:8), the lost man can’t understand ANYTHING from the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14), that he can do ONLY evil continually (Genesis 6:5)? In his lost condition man is Totally Depraved!

A lost man has a dead spirit and wants NOTHING to do with God. If no one is righteous, how can a lost man do a righteous act and “accept” Jesus? He can’t! That is why it takes GOD to MAKE the seed grow, and I say again - unless God makes it grow, it will not grow. And if God wants to make it grow, need I say that it WILL grow?

The life application - unless God makes a man believe he will not believe, and if God gives a man belief he WILL believe (John 6:29, Philippians 1:29).

And one other thing that is easy to overlook... did you read anything in those verses about the lost man wanting it, or desiring it, or seeking it? NO! Once again the lost man has NOTHING to do with his salvation.

Just as God is the One Who determined the condition of the soil (Matthew 13), God is the One who has decided, not man, GOD decided whether to make the seed grow or not. And He decided before the foundation of the world upon whom He would bestow mercy and grace. HALLELUJAH!!

We become children of God NOT by human decision (John 1:13).