1 Corinthians 3
3
The Problem of Immaturity
1For my part, brothers and sisters, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ.#1Co 14:20; Heb 5:13; 1Pt 2:2 2I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, since you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, 3because you are still worldly. For since there is envy#Jms 3:14,16 and strife#3:3 Other mss add and divisions#Ti 3:9 among you, are you not worldly and behaving like mere humans? 4For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,”#Ti 3:13 are you not acting like mere humans?
The Role of God’s Servants
5What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. 6I planted,#Ac 18:4–11; 1Co 4:15; 9:1; 15:1 Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7So, then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8Now he who plants and he who waters are one,#3:8 Or of equal status, or united in purpose and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9For we are God’s coworkers.#3:9 Or are coworkers belonging to God You are God’s field, God’s building.#1Pt 2:5
10According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder,#3:10 Or wise master builder and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it. 11For no one can lay any foundation#Is 28:16; Rm 15:20; 2Co 10:16; 11:4; Gl 1:6–9 other than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. 12If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver,#Jms 5:3 costly stones,#Rv 17:4 wood, hay, or straw, 13each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire;#2Th 1:8; 1Pt 1:7 the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.#Ps 62:12; Pr 24:12; Mt 16:27; 2Co 5:10; 1Pt 1:17 14If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience#3:15 Or suffer loss, but he himself will be saved#Mt 9:22; Ac 16:30; Eph 2:8 — but only as through fire.#Jd 23
16Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple#Lk 1:21 and that the Spirit of God lives in you?#Lv 26:11; Jms 4:5 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him;#Heb 6:8 for God’s temple is holy,#Ps 20:6; 1Co 7:14 and that is what you are.
The Folly of Human Wisdom
18Let no one deceive#2Co 11:3 himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age,#Lk 16:8 let him become a fool#Mt 5:22 so that he can become wise.#Is 5:21; Jr 8:8–9; Gl 6:3 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness#1Co 1:18 with God, since it is written,#Ac 15:15; Gl 4:22 He catches the wise in their craftiness;#3:19Jb 5:13#Jb 5:13; Lk 20:23 20and again, The Lord knows that the reasonings#Mt 15:19; 1Tm 2:8 of the wise are futile.#3:20Ps 94:11#Ps 94:11 21So let no one boast in human leaders, for everything is yours#Rm 8:32 — 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas#Jn 1:42 or the world or life#1Jn 5:12 or death#Mt 10:21; Jn 8:51; Php 3:10 or things present or things to come#Rm 8:38 — everything is yours, 23and you belong to Christ,#Nm 3:12 and Christ belongs to God.
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
1 Corinthians 3
3
God’s Fellow Workers
(Hebrews 5:11–14)
1Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready, 3for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man? 4For when one of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?
5What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each his role. 6I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose,#3:8 Literally are one and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Christ Our Foundation
(Isaiah 28:14–22; Ephesians 2:19–22; 1 Peter 2:1–8)
10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames.
God’s Temple and God’s Wisdom
(Romans 12:1–8; 1 Corinthians 6:18–20)
16Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in #3:16 Or among you? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
18Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”#3:19 Job 5:13 20And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”#3:20 Psalms 94:11
21Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas #3:22 That is, Peter or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All of them belong to you, 23and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
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The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain.