Fathers

1 Corinthians 3

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And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 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. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 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. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your's; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

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What the Fathers say

1 Corinthians 3:15

Eastern Fathers

Theophylact of Ohrid

He himself will not perish in the same way as his works, that is, he will not pass into nothingness, but will be "saved," that is, preserved whole, so that he may burn in the fire. Among us too, regarding wood that does not easily burn up and turn to ash, it is customary to say that it remains whole in the fire, so that a considerable amount of time is required for its burning. …

Commentary on 1 Corinthians ↗

Western Saints

Gregory the Dialogist

For when St. Paul saith, that Christ is the foundation: and by and by addeth: And if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble: the work of every one, of what kind it is, the fire shall try. If any man's work abide which he built thereupon, he shall receive reward; if any man's work burn, he shall suffer detriment, but himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire. …

Dialogues, Book 4, Chapter 41 ↗

Thomas Aquinas

Secondly, he shows the same thing in regard to evil works, saying: If any man's work burn because of any of the above fires, he shall suffer loss for doing them, but not to the point of damnation; hence he adds: but he himself shall be saved with eternal salvation: "Israel is saved by the Lord with everlasting salvation" (Is 45:17), but only as by fire, which he previously endured either in this life or at the end of the world; hence it says in Ps 66 (v.12): "We went through fire and through water; yet thou hast brought us forth to a …

Commentary on 1 Corinthians ↗

Bonaventure

The purgatorial fire is a corporeal fire, by which nevertheless the spirits of the just, who in this life did not fulfill condign penance and satisfaction, are afflicted to a greater or lesser degree, according as they carried with them from this life more or less of what is combustible. They are afflicted, however, less gravely than in hell, and more gravely than in this world; yet not so gravely that they do not always hope and know that they are not in hell. …

Breviloquium, Part 7 ↗