Yes — to be a co-laborer with God is to work together with God and with other believers toward the completion of His purpose.
Paul's phrase in 1 Corinthians 3:9, 'we are labourers together with God,' is the biblical foundation. Les Feldick applies it to every believer: a laborer is out working, not sitting in an easy chair. This labor involves God cultivating the believer, while the believer works to bring glory to God and fill up the Body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:9 — This is the verse Les turns to when explaining what it means to be a co-laborer with God; it calls believers 'labourers together with God.'
In 1 Corinthians 3:9 (KJV), Paul writes to the Corinthian believers: 'For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.' The verse itself makes three statements: believers are laborers, they work together with God, and they are also God's field and God's building. In 2 Corinthians 5:9 (KJV), Paul says: 'Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.' Scripture therefore connects the believer's labor both to partnership with God and to pleasing the Lord.
Les Feldick begins with 1 Corinthians 3:9 and points out that a person who is laboring is actively working, not sitting in an easy chair. He says that every believer—whether carnal like the Corinthians or a spiritual giant—is a laborer together with God, and God has deliberately left His Word in the hands of mortal men rather than angels. According to Les, believers are working toward the same end, which is to bring glory to God and to fill up the Body of Christ. When the Body is complete and the last person is brought in, the Lord will take believers out of this evil world. He also stresses that this labor is not a condition of salvation—salvation is a free gift—but it is what God expects of His children after they are saved. Using the word 'husbandry,' Les explains that God cultivates and cares for believers just as a farmer cares for his crop until it is finally in the bin.
No. Les says salvation is 'a free gift' and believers are 'totally set at liberty' and 'free.' The labor described in 1 Corinthians 3:9 comes after salvation; it is what God expects of His children. Les also notes that the labor in 2 Corinthians 5:9 is not salvation—it is about being 'accepted of him' as a child of God, like an obedient child pleasing a parent.
Les says believers work every day 'toward the same end—to bring glory to God' and to 'fulfill or fill up the Body of Christ.' When the Body is complete and the last person is brought in, the Lord will take the Body out of this evil world. This is why God has left His Word in the hands of mortal men: believers are not to sit in a chair and do nothing, but to labor like a honey bee.
Every believer. Les says it does not matter whether a believer is carnal like the Corinthians or a spiritual giant—all believers are working for the same purpose. Paul wrote the same verse to the Corinthians, who were carnal, and still called them 'labourers together with God.'
Les explains that 'God's husbandry' means God is constantly cultivating believers, just like a farmer plants, cultivates, and cares for a crop until it is finally consumed and in the bin. Farmers fight the bugs and care for the crop through the season, and God does that with believers.
Why Paul Called Himself the "Chief of Sinners" — 1 Timothy 1:15 Explained
Hello and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick.
Laborers Together with God
Les reads 1 Corinthians 3:9 and explains that a laborer is not sitting in an easy chair but actively working; believers are 'laborers together with God.'
God's Husbandry and Cultivation
Les says believers are God's husbandry, and just as a farmer cultivates and cares for a crop until it is in the bin, God cultivates believers.
Every Believer Works for God's End
Les says whether carnal or spiritual, every believer is working to bring everything to God's end; God deliberately left His Word in the hands of mortal men.
Goal: Filling Up the Body of Christ
Les says believers labor to bring glory to God and fill up the Body of Christ; when the last person is brought in, the Lord will take the Body out of the world.
What the Bible Really Says About the Prodigal Son
His subjects. And we�re not subjects of a King, we�re a co-heir with a King. My what a difference. See that�s our position. You pick that up again in Paul, and you won�t find that in the Gospels. Now in Colossians chapter 1. We�ve only got about a minute left. We�ve got to pick up the King and the Kingdom. Colossians 1.
Labor After a Free Salvation
Les stresses that even though salvation is a free gift, God expects believers to be laborers together with God; freedom from the law is not freedom to sit idle.
Laboring to Be Accepted of Him
Les explains that the labor spoken of in 2 Corinthians 5:9 is not about salvation but about being pleasing to God as His child, like obedient children pleasing their parents.
1 Corinthians 3:9: For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
This is the foundational verse for the teaching: the believer is called a laborer together with God, God's field, and God's building.
2 Corinthians 5:9: Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
Paul connects labor with being accepted and pleasing to the Lord, which Les applies to the believer's daily walk after salvation.
1 Corinthians 3:9 (KJV) says, 'For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.' Les says Paul is writing to believers and describing them as active laborers working together with God.
No. Salvation is a free gift. The labor is what God expects of believers after they are saved, and it relates to being pleasing to Him as a child of God, not to earning or keeping salvation.
Yes. Les says even the Corinthians, who were carnal, were called laborers together with God. Spiritual maturity does not change the calling; every believer is working toward God's end.
Watch the Teaching: Why Paul Called Himself the "Chief of Sinners" — 1 Timothy 1:15 Explained