1 Corinthians 3
3
Servants of God
1As a matter of fact, my brothers and sisters, I could not talk to you as I talk to people who have the Spirit; I had to talk to you as though you belonged to this world, as children in the Christian faith. 2#Heb 5.12–13I had to feed you with milk, not solid food, because you were not ready for it. And even now you are not ready for it, 3because you still live as the people of this world live. When there is jealousy among you and you quarrel with one another, doesn't this prove that you belong to this world, living by its standards? 4#1 Cor 1.12When one of you says, “I follow Paul”, and another, “I follow Apollos” — aren't you acting like worldly people?
5After all, who is Apollos? And who is Paul? We are simply God's servants, by whom you were led to believe. Each one of us does the work which the Lord gave him to do: 6#Acts 18.4–11, 24–28I sowed the seed, Apollos watered the plant, but it was God who made the plant grow. 7The one who sows and the one who waters really do not matter. It is God who matters, because he makes the plant grow. 8There is no difference between the one who sows and the one who waters; God will reward each one according to the work each has done. 9For we are partners working together for God, and you are God's field.
You are also God's building. 10Using the gift that God gave me, I did the work of an expert builder and laid the foundation, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. 11For God has already placed Jesus Christ as the one and only foundation, and no other foundation can be laid. 12Some will use gold or silver or precious stones in building on the foundation; others will use wood or grass or straw. 13And the quality of each person's work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone's work; the fire will test it and show its real quality. 14If what was built on the foundation survives the fire, the builder will receive a reward. 15But if anyone's work is burnt up, then he will lose it; but he himself will be saved, as if he had escaped through the fire.
16 #
1 Cor 6.19; 2 Cor 6.16 Surely you know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you! 17So if anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you yourselves are his temple.
18No one should fool himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise by this world's standards, he should become a fool, in order to be really wise. 19#Job 5.13For what this world considers to be wisdom is nonsense in God's sight. As the scripture says, “God traps the wise in their cleverness”; 20#Ps 94.11and another scripture says, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are worthless.” 21No one, then, should boast about what human beings can do. Actually everything belongs to you: 22Paul, Apollos, and Peter; this world, life and death, the present and the future — all these are yours, 23and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
1 Corinthians 3
3
The Church and Its Leaders
1Brothers and sisters, I couldn’t speak to you as people who were led by the Holy Spirit. I had to speak to you as people who were still following their own wrong desires. You’re not growing as Christ wants you to. You’re still like babies. 2The words I spoke to you were like milk, not solid food. You weren’t ready for solid food, and you’re still not ready for it. 3You’re still following your own wrong desires. If you’re jealous and you’re arguing, aren’t those desires in charge? Aren’t you acting like ordinary human beings? 4When one of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting like ordinary human beings?
5After all, what is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants who helped you to believe. The Lord has given each of us our own work to do. 6I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7So the one who plants doesn’t matter, and neither does the one who waters. It’s God who matters. He makes things grow. 8The one who plants and the one who waters have the same goal, and the Lord will give each of them a reward for their work. 9We’re working together to serve God. You’re like God’s field and God’s building.
10God has given me the grace to lay a foundation as a wise builder. Now someone else is building on it. But each one should build carefully. 11No one can lay any other foundation than the one that has already been laid, and that foundation is Jesus Christ. 12A person might build on it using gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13Every person’s work will be recognized for what it is, because the Day of Judgment will expose it. Everyone’s work will be put through fire to test how good it is. 14If what a person has built doesn’t burn up, God will give them a reward for their work. 15If what a person has built does burn up, they’ll lose everything. They’ll still be saved, but only like someone escaping from a fire.
16Don’t you know that together you are God’s temple? Don’t you know that God’s Spirit lives among you? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. God’s temple is holy, and you together are that temple.
18Don’t fool yourselves. If any of you think you’re wise by the standards of the world, you should become “fools” so that you can become truly wise. 19The wisdom of this world is foolish in God’s eyes. It is written, “God catches wise people in their own clever plans.” 20It is also written, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of wise people don’t really amount to anything.” 21So don’t brag any more about human leaders! Everything is yours, 22including Paul and Apollos and Peter, and the world and life and death and the present and the future. All these things are yours, 23and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
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