Grace in Focus – Episode Summary

Title: Does 1 Corinthians 3:15 Teach That Some Believers Will Have Zero Good Works?
Host: Bob Wilkin (with Sam Marr)
Date: November 20, 2025
Podcast: Grace in Focus, Grace Evangelical Society

Episode Overview

This concise 13-minute episode addresses a theological question: Does 1 Corinthians 3:15 suggest that some believers will stand before Christ with zero good works? Bob Wilkin and Sam Marr use a recent blog post and listener question as a springboard to delve into biblical interpretation, the distinction between justification and sanctification, and the meaning of "being saved" at the Judgment Seat of Christ (the Bema). Their discussion emphasizes the Free Grace view of assurance, eternal rewards, and the judgment of works—for believers and unbelievers alike.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Listener’s Question & Blog Context

• The question arises from a blog post by Bob Wilkin, responding to Roger Fankhouser's assertion that passages like 1 Corinthians 3:15 are misinterpreted to suggest some believers are utterly fruitless.
• EC, the listener, asked whether "anyone’s work is burned" in verse 15 implies the totality (i.e., that some believers will have all their works burned up, no good works left).

2. Clarifying the Text: Partial vs. Total Loss (03:08)

• Bob Wilkin rejects the "total fruitlessness" interpretation:

  “Wood, hay, and straw are not bad works. They're works that lack eternal value...” — Bob Wilkin (03:36)

• He emphasizes that Paul and Apollos, as examples of wise master builders, certainly won’t have all their works burned up.
• The passage distinguishes between works with eternal value (gold, silver, precious stones) and works of little or no eternal value.

  “If it was all burned up, how would he be healthy at the judgment seat of Christ?” — Bob Wilkin (04:14)

3. "Saved" in Context: Spiritual Health, Not Entrance into the Kingdom (05:02, 05:14)

• The verb tense in 3:15 ("will be saved") differs from Ephesians 2:9 ("you have been saved"), showing two types of salvation:
  • Past tense—possession of eternal life at faith.
  • Future tense—spiritual health/reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
• Salvation in 1 Cor 3:15 is about being "spiritually healthy" at the Bema, not about eternal destiny.

  “You can't be spiritually healthy at the Bema unless you're at the Bema, the judgment seat of Christ.” — Bob Wilkin (05:18)

4. Context Extended: The Health of the Church (06:07–06:18)

• Verses 16–17 bring the local church into the discussion:

  "If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him." — Read by Sam Marr (06:07) "All this is corporate … he's talking about the church … If you build up the church … you're going to be healthy at the Bema." — Bob Wilkin (06:18)

• Damaging the church brings present discipline and loss at the Bema.

5. Interpreting "Destroy" and Misapplied Discipline (08:06)

• Bob recounts a call with Zane Hodges, clarifying that the context (verses 5–17) is corporate, not individual health.

  “Here he’s clearly talking about the local church … you can't divorce 16 and 17 from 5 through 15.” — Zane Hodges (as recalled by Bob Wilkin, 08:46)

• Loss at the Bema is linked to breaking down the church, not a believer’s physical health.

6. Why Total Loss Does Not Fit the Passage (09:48)

• No “wise master builder” (by definition) will suffer complete loss.
• "Saved" refers to being spiritually healthy at the Bema, a reward for persevering.
• Other passages support conditional rewards ("if we endure, we shall also reign with him" — 2 Timothy 2:12).
• 1 Corinthians 5:5 and 15:2 are cited as analogous: believers are always secure in eternal salvation, but spiritual health and reward are conditional.

7. Good Works Among All People: Believers and Unbelievers (11:44–12:42)

• Bob objects to the idea that some believers (or even some unbelievers) have “zero good works”:

  "Even the unbeliever is going to be showing love to their children, love to their parents. Didn't Jesus say that even a father's going to give his son what his son needs..." — Bob Wilkin (11:53)

• At judgment, works of unbelievers are judged, implying not all are “evil.”

8. Free Grace Distinction Affirmed (12:42)

• Assurance and eternal life are never based on good works.

  “…our salvation from eternal condemnation has zero to do with us earning or gaining or maintaining everlasting life.” — Bob Wilkin (12:38)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Bob Wilkin on Exegesis (03:08):
  "This is part of the art and science of interpretation, or it's also called exegesis or hermeneutics..."

• On Spiritual Health vs. Entrance (05:18):
  "You can't be spiritually healthy at the Bema unless you're at the Bema, the judgment seat of Christ."

• Zane Hodges via Bob Wilkin (08:06):
  "...You can't divorce 16 and 17 from 5 through 15. If a person destroys God's church ... it's quite possible that some illness they then experience is a result of God's discipline in their lives."

• Bob Wilkin on Good Works (11:44):
  "If we're in the image of God, then even the unbeliever is going to be showing love to their children, love to their parents..."

• On the Non-Negotiability of Free Grace (12:38):
  "...our salvation from eternal condemnation has zero to do with us earning or gaining or maintaining everlasting life."

Important Timestamps

• 1:13: Introduction to listener question and blog context
• 2:25: Reading and contextualizing 1 Cor 3:14-15
• 3:08: On "anyone’s work" and the art of biblical interpretation
• 4:56: Discussion of saved as "spiritually healthy" vs. entrance into the kingdom
• 6:07: Reading 1 Cor 3:16-17 and expanding the context to the church
• 8:06: Hodges’ insight on the corporate interpretation
• 9:48: Why total loss of good works is inconsistent with the text
• 11:44: Good works found in both believers and non-believers
• 12:42: Free Grace assurance and conclusion

Conclusion

Bob Wilkin and Sam Marr argue persuasively that 1 Corinthians 3:15 does not teach some believers will face Christ with zero good works. Rather, all believers perform actions of at least some eternal value—based on both biblical context and theological reason. The "loss" refers to missed rewards, not loss of salvation or absolute fruitlessness. Assurance remains rooted in Christ alone, apart from works.

For further reading, check out Bob Wilkin’s blog: “Are Some Believers Fruitless?” at faithalone.org.