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.

Made manifest. The real nature of a man’s work is not always apparent in this life, but it will be revealed in its true light “when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ” (Rom. 2:16). The character of the spiritual instruction imparted will then be fully revealed in the results the teaching has produced in the lives of those who have received it. Some will be weighed and found wanting. Others will receive the crown of immortality.

The day. That is, the day of final judgment, the day of the Lord, referred to as “that day” in 1 Thess. 5:4.

Revealed by fire. Only fireproof materials are left when a building is burned down. The fire represents times of crisis, including the “hour of temptation,” that will come upon all the world “to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev. 3:10). The literal fires of the last day are apparently not referred to here, for the fire represents a testing work and men may be saved who pass through it (see 1 Cor. 3:14, 15). In times of trouble the real nature of the faith of God’s professed children will be made manifest. If they are truly converted and have been thoroughly indoctrinated with the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, the fires of persecution and trial will only cause their faith to grow stronger and their love for the Lord to shine out more brightly. If, on the other hand, they have received faulty instruction, composed of a mixture of human philosophy and worldly compromise, their faith will not stand the test of trouble, and they will fall away from Christ and His church. Only those who have built faithfully on the true foundation, Jesus Christ, and have used durable materials will see their work endure to the end.