So we've established that every man is a building. So therefore when the building burns so that only quality material remains, that is the loss for every man.
the work is the ministry
Not exclusively. The Epistle says "every man's work". While bricks cannot be their own builder, man can and is. Do you really think that Paul describes two category of people, ministers and laity, and only the ministers go to purgatory where their works burn? And they burn on a living lay person who is the building they built? This is a laughable proposition.
He is continuing to discuss the divisions in the church
Whatever St. Paul is discussing, the analogy of every man being a building is reinforced here. But I now see you admitted, finally, that the analogy is indeed used by Paul, so the point is moot.
nothing in chapter 3 addresses individual morality
Like you noted, in subsequent chapters specific moral issues are discussed, so it is illogical to separate the overall picture of purification given in Chapter 3 from the admonitions to be pure given subsequently.
“So we’ve established that every man is a building.”
No. We’ve established the builder is not the building - which is painfully obvious to anyone who reads English. Builders are NOT buildings!
The “You” is the church at Corinth, or the Universal Church - see 1 Cor 1.
“So therefore when the building burns so that only quality material remains, that is the loss for every man.”
Nope. The BUILDING “burns”, and the building is the Church, so the only “loss” is of false works in the church - the tares, so to speak.
The Builder only loses what he never had - a reward for lasting work. But if his work is not lasting, then it is not rewarded.
“The Epistle says “every man’s work”.”
There is an element of stupidity here. The Epistle says:
“For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.”
“Each man” refers to the subject: “God’s fellow workers” who are working in a field or on a building - take your choice of word pictures.
If I write, “We worked in the field all day. It was hot. Every man sweated.”, that does NOT mean every man in the world sweated from work. “Every” refers back to “We worked in the field”.
But this is elementary reading, something taught in elementary school if not before. A child can read 1 Cor 3 and understand it. It is not complex. But someone who puts a catechism above the word of God MAY need to twist things beyond recognition in order to make the word of God fit the preconceived theology. That is what Catholics must do to make 1 Cor 3 support Purgatory - one must stop reading 1 Cor 3 plainly, and try to distort it beyond recognition.
And frankly, I’m tired of discussing it with you. The language is plain. It is simple. If anyone reads it, they know what it means. If someone reads the Catholic Catechism first, and wants to pretend the Bible supports it, then they must read 1 Cor 3 in a way no one reads a document.