Christians should build with gold, silver, and precious stones, not wood, hay, and stubble.
In 1 Corinthians 3:12, Paul lists six materials believers may use to build on the foundation of faith. Les Feldick teaches that gold, silver, and precious stones can withstand fire, while wood, hay, and stubble go up in a puff of smoke. Therefore, believers are to build with the materials that endure.
1 Corinthians 3:12 — This verse lists the six building materials that directly answer what believers can use to build upon their faith.
1 Corinthians 3:13 — This verse reveals that every believer's work will be tried by fire, showing which materials are worth using.
In 1 Corinthians 3:9–13, Paul describes believers as God's building. He says, "For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." Paul then explains that he laid the foundation and warns each man to take heed how he builds on it. Verse 11 declares, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." Verse 12 lists the six materials: "Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble." Verse 13 says, "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." The Scripture itself does not define exactly which activities correspond to each material, but it plainly teaches that believers build something on the foundation of Christ and that this building will be tested by fire.
Les Feldick points out that Paul, as the wise master builder, gave believers the blueprint for building on the foundation of faith in Christ. All six materials—gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble—are potential materials for the Christian to use in his daily experience. Les emphasizes that the first three are indestructible by fire while the last three "can go up in a puff of smoke." Les uses the analogy of a wall: every believer has been given a section of the wall to build. Building with gold, silver, and precious stones takes effort and enterprise—he compares it to the little pig who went and got bricks. Wood, hay, and stubble, by contrast, are easy and readily available, which is why many Christians settle for sticks and straw. That building work will someday be examined at the bema seat, the judgment seat of Christ, where fire will reveal what sort of work each believer built. The foundation is not being built for salvation; the foundation is already laid, and it is Jesus Christ.
The Scripture lists six materials: gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble (1 Corinthians 3:12). Les Feldick distinguishes two categories: gold, silver, and precious stones are materials that can withstand fire, while wood, hay, and stubble can go up in a puff of smoke. All six are potential materials for the Christian to use in his daily experience.
According to Les Feldick, the valuable materials are "kind of hard to come by"—a believer cannot just sit down and let them come. He says the believer should be enterprising and "go out and hustle" for the gold, silver, and precious stones. By contrast, wood, hay, and stubble are easy to find, which is why most fellow Christians settle for sticks and straw in their section of the wall.
Paul writes that every man's work will be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire (1 Corinthians 3:13). Les Feldick identifies that day as the bema seat, the judgment seat of Christ. He says every believer's work will be "put in the spotlight someday" and the fire will reveal what we have done with our little section of the wall.
No. Les Feldick emphasizes that the foundation is Jesus Christ, and no other foundation can be laid (1 Corinthians 3:11). Only a believer—someone who has already trusted Christ for salvation—can build on that foundation. Paul the master builder laid the foundation, but Jesus is the foundation. The building is the believer's post-salvation work, not an attempt to earn salvation.
The Finished Work as the Foundation
Les establishes that the apostles could not preach the gospel of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection before it happened—so the only foundation believers can build on is that finished work.
The List of Six Materials
Les counts six materials in 1 Corinthians 3:12 and sorts them into two groups: three that fire cannot destroy and three that go up in a puff of smoke. All six are potential materials for the Christian's daily experience.
God Gives Believers Six Materials
Les says God gives every believer six materials to work with as they build together with God into the building God is constructing.
Two Distinct Kinds of Material
Les stresses that the first three materials—gold, silver, and precious stones—withstand fire and heat, while wood, hay, and stubble go up in a puff of smoke.
The Effort Behind Valuable Materials
Les pictures each believer with a section of a wall and says gold, silver, and precious stones are hard to come by. He urges believers to be enterprising like the little pig who got bricks rather than settling for sticks and straw.
The Testing of Works at the Bema Seat
Les says every believer's work will be made manifest and put in the spotlight at the bema seat, the judgment seat of Christ, where fire will reveal what we did with our section of the wall.
The Only Foundation
Les emphasizes that if the foundation sags or crumbles, the building is ruined; but the believer's foundation is sound because there is no other foundation than Jesus Christ.
Building on the Master Builder's Foundation
Les uses the analogy of a long brick wall: Paul the master builder laid the foundation, but Jesus is the foundation; every believer is given a little section to fill in as a laborer.
1 Corinthians 3:9: For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
This verse sets the building metaphor and shows that believers are God's building.
1 Corinthians 3:10: 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.
Paul lays the foundation and warns every man to be careful how he builds on it.
1 Corinthians 3:11: For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
This verse identifies Christ as the only foundation for the believer's building.
1 Corinthians 3:12: Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
This verse lists the six materials that answer the question directly.
1 Corinthians 3:13: Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
This verse shows that the quality of each believer's building will be tested by fire.
The six materials are gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble. Les Feldick says the first three can withstand fire and the last three go up in a puff of smoke.
Christians should use gold, silver, and precious stones because they are the materials that survive the fire. Les Feldick teaches these are harder to come by but worth the effort, while wood, hay, and stubble are the easy materials many people settle for.
Yes. Les Feldick says every believer's work will be made manifest and tried by fire at the bema seat. The fire will show what sort of work each person built with, and this testing is about reward, not salvation.
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