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 with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. 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 Problem of Immaturity
1Brothers, 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, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, 3because you are still fleshly. For since there is envy # Jms 3:14,16 and strife # Other mss add and divisions # Ti 3:9 among you, are you not fleshly and living like unbelievers? # Lit and walking according to man 4For whenever someone says, “I’m with Paul,” and another, “I’m with Apollos,” # Ti 3:13 are you not unspiritual people? # Other mss read are you not carnal # Lit not just human
The Role of God’s Servants
5What then is Apollos? And 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 the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9For we are God’s coworkers. # 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, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it. 11For no one can lay any other foundation # Is 28:16; Rm 15:20; 2Co 10:16; 11:4; Gl 1:6-9 than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. 12If anyone builds on that 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 # The day of Christ’s judgment of believers 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, it will be lost, but he will be saved; # Mt 9:22; Ac 16:30; Eph 2:8 yet it will be like an escape through fire. # Lit yet so as through fire # Jd 23
16Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s sanctuary # Lk 1:21 and that the Spirit of God lives in you? # Lv 26:11; Jms 4:5 17If anyone destroys God’s sanctuary, God will destroy him; # Heb 6:8 for God’s sanctuary is holy, # Ps 20:6; 1Co 7:14 and that is what you are.
The Folly of Human Wisdom
18No one should deceive # 2Co 11:3 himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, # Lk 16:8 he must become foolish # 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; # Jb 5:13; Lk 20:23 # Jb 5:13 20and again, The Lord knows that the reasonings # Mt 15:19; 1Tm 2:8 of the wise are meaningless. # Ps 94:11 # Ps 94:11 21So no one should 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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