Topical Bible: Church: God's Husbandry (Farm)

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The metaphor of the Church as God's husbandry, or farm, is a profound biblical image that illustrates the relationship between God and His people. This concept is primarily drawn from 1 Corinthians 3:9, where the Apostle Paul writes, "For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building." This imagery emphasizes the Church as a cultivated field, tended by God and His servants, to produce spiritual fruit.

Divine Cultivation

In the metaphor of the Church as a farm, God is depicted as the divine farmer who plants, waters, and nurtures His people. This imagery underscores the active role of God in the spiritual growth and development of believers. Just as a farmer prepares the soil, plants seeds, and ensures they receive adequate water and sunlight, God prepares the hearts of His people, plants the seed of His Word, and provides the necessary conditions for growth through the Holy Spirit.

Role of Church Leaders

Church leaders, such as pastors and teachers, are seen as fellow workers with God in this agricultural process. They are tasked with planting and watering the seeds of faith, as Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7: "I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." This passage highlights the collaborative effort between God and His servants, while ultimately attributing the growth to God alone.

Spiritual Growth and Fruitfulness

The goal of God's husbandry is the spiritual growth and fruitfulness of His people. Believers are called to bear fruit in keeping with their faith, as Jesus taught in John 15:5: "I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing." This fruitfulness is characterized by the development of Christian virtues, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, as outlined in Galatians 5:22-23.

The Harvest

The imagery of the Church as a farm also points to the eschatological harvest, where God will gather the fruits of His labor. In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus speaks of the plentiful harvest and the need for laborers: "Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.'" This harvest represents the culmination of God's redemptive work, where the faithful are gathered into His eternal kingdom.

Conclusion

The metaphor of the Church as God's husbandry provides a rich and dynamic picture of the relationship between God and His people. It emphasizes God's active role in nurturing and growing His Church, the collaborative work of church leaders, the call to spiritual fruitfulness, and the anticipation of the final harvest. This imagery invites believers to participate in God's work, trusting in His provision and guidance as they grow in faith and bear fruit for His glory.

Nave's Topical Index

1 Corinthians 3:9
For we are laborers together with God: you are God's husbandry, you are God's building.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

1 Cor. Iii. 3-Jan
... before he hath been casting down the rulers of the Church, where he ... Now if ye be
God's husbandry, it is right that you should be called ... Ye are God's building.". ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily viii 1 cor iii.htm

Hymns of Wales.
... of a province were gathered into the membership of the church of Christ. ... But such
excitements are the May-blossom seasons of God's eternal husbandry. ...
/.../brown/the story of the hymns and tunes/chapter xi hymns of wales.htm

A Sermon on the Parable of a King that Married his Son, Made by ...
... made in this town, that whosoever would come unto the church at such ... he doth so,
he sinneth damnably: for he more regardeth his husbandry than God and his ...
/.../latimer/sermons on the card and other discourses/a sermon on the parable.htm

The Tabernacle of the Most High
... Yonder is a large farm. ... It is for the maintenance of the household that the husband
carries on his husbandry. ... Now God's church is God's center? ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the tabernacle of the most.htm

The Tenth Commandment
... it cloaks itself under the name of frugality and good husbandry. ... though not to the
graven image in the church, yet to ... take the name of the Lord thy God in vain ...
/.../watson/the ten commandments/2 1 the tenth commandment.htm

The Life of Captain John Paton.
... up in the art and occupation of husbandry till near the ... I said, All authority according
to the word of God. ... by the Father to be head to the church, Colossians 1 ...
/.../howie/biographia scoticana scots worthies/the life of captain john.htm

C??sarius of Arles.
... to my simple words, that so the whole Church of the ... Does God deserve this of us,
that we should neglect our ... By our husbandry, we shall only live a few days in ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/neander/light in the dark places/caesarius of arles.htm

What Carey did for Science --Founder of the Agricultural and ...
... with brow serene, And place in GOD my trust ... the improvement of the implements of
husbandry, the improvement ... One of the Church missionaries, Mr. Jetter, who had ...
/.../smith/the life of william carey/chapter xii what carey did.htm