1 Corinthians 3:10-11 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Paul is the master-builder. He is the one that has laid the foundation. He is the one that planted it (1 Cor. 3:6). The foundation itself is Jesus Christ. Apollos is one that waters the plant and one that builds upon the foundation. We too are also builders.

We are to build off of Jesus Christ as the foundation. We are to build off of the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery (1 Cor. 2:7,8; Rom. 16:25,26). This is the foundation for this Dispensation, the Dispensation of the Grace of God (Eph. 3:2).

Romans 16:25-26 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

No other foundation can be laid. If another foundation is laid, that is not Jesus Christ it is a false doctrine, or at least a different gospel (Gal. 1:6-9), but still the wrong foundation for this Dispensation.

Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

For we are fellow-workers with God, we are His husbandry or field, we are His building. These are all metaphors talking about the Body. We are one Body, one building, one husbandry, etc.

We are also a temple. In verse 16, it says that we are the temple of God, and therefore we have the Spirit of God dwelling inside us. We each individually are the temple of God, but also we are all one temple together in Christ as one Body (1 Cor. 12:12,13).

We need to be careful how we each build upon it. We need to be careful to maintain good works (Titus 3:8). We need to be careful to build upon the foundation of the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery. Or in other words, the gospel of Christ, the gospel of the grace of God.

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Today, we are saved by believing that Christ died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day (1 Cor. 15:3,4). As believers, we are all then placed into one Body, the Body of Christ. And it is in this Body that we “we may grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ (Eph. 4:15).” This growing together into Him is for the purpose that we “all come to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” This perfect man is the one new man (Eph. 2:15), the Body of Christ. It is God’s plan to present each and every member of Christ’s Body as perfect, complete in Him and without blame.

Those who aren’t faithful stewards, who don’t build off the right foundation, are still saved (as long as they believed), but they will suffer loss at the judgment seat of Christ. He will be saved, but his work will be burned up. His work did not help edify, or build up, the Body (Eph. 4:1-32).

1 Corinthians 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Being on the right foundation will help us “no longer be children, tossed to and fro carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting (Eph. 4:14).” Those who do build off the right foundation, who are faithful stewards, will receive a reward (1 Cor. 3:14).

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

In conclusion, it is important that we be good workers for God (Eph. 2:10). We need to be building of the right foundation, which is Jesus Christ. More specifically, it is the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery. Paul starts with the preaching of the cross in chapter one of First Corinthians and moves on to the hidden wisdom or the mystery in chapter two. The Lord Jesus Christ died for all of our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. If we believe in Him, we are then baptized by one Spirit into one Body. We are baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:27). We are made perfect in Him (Col. 1:28; 2:10). This is the message that was revealed unto Paul, which he then revealed to us, and which we should reveal to the world. This is the foundation to be build off of in order to build up, or edify the Body.

Ephesians 4:22-24 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.