What is Paul addressing in this cahpterchapter?
Paul is adressingaddressing babes in Christ. There spiirtualTheir spiritual level is a restriction to what and how Paul was going to address them. Due to theretheir spiritual quality, Paul had to address them as though they are not saved: as people of the world speak. He spoke to them as unto carnal. Paul went on to point out theretheir carnality vis-a-visvis-a-vis envy, strife, divisions, party spirit. Hence, I suggest that this cahpterchapter focuses on there carnality and what produced these carnal behaviours. This is the light from which to see the metaphors used by Paul.
It seems to me that there were those who became saved via Paul's message as well as those who became saved via Apollos' message. There are two camps, based on who led them to christChrist, within the church in corinthCorinth. PaulsPaul says that they are "miisters"ministers by whom ye believed."
In using another metaphor, Paul described these belivers as God's building vs 9. Henceforth, from verse 10 , Paul elaborated on these beleiversbelievers using the metaphor of a building. If these beliversbelievers are a building, they are the different material products produced by Paul and Apollos that make up the building.
Hence, some believers in this church have been produced as gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and stubble. Again, this is just a metaphor to discribedescribe the believers in Corinth.
To answer this, the metaphor of farming and husnabdryhusbandry will have to be looked at again. Paul planted, Apollos watered these beleiversbelievers. vs 7.
It seems to me that what they taught these believers when each of them visited them produced the qaulityquality of beleiversbelievers, especially the carnal ones that Paul is dealing with here. They are the products of doctrines, teachings, instructions, corrections etc they received from the labourers. DocrinesDoctrines, teachings, instructions, corrections, motivations, encouragements they taught fall into the categories of gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and stubblesstubble.
It seems to me that every beleiverbeliever is a product of what they have been taught! Those taught gold-like teachings become like gold. Those taught wood-like teachings become lkelike wood in quality and usefulness and so on.
Just as these teachers who taught wood, hay and stublestubble quality teachings "...shall be saved; yet so as by fire." The beleiversbelievers who have received such teachings also, "...shall be saved; yet so as by fire."