1 Corinthians 3
3
1 HOWEVER, BRETHREN, I could not talk to you as to spiritual [men], but as to nonspiritual [men of the flesh, in whom the carnal nature predominates], as to mere infants [in the new life] in Christ [unable to talk yet!]
2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not yet strong enough [to be ready for it]; but even yet you are not strong enough [to be ready for it],
3 For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men?
4 For when one says, I belong to Paul, and another, I belong to Apollos, are you not [proving yourselves] ordinary (unchanged) men?
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Ministering servants [not heads of parties] through whom you believed, even as the Lord appointed to each his task:
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was making it grow and [He] gave the increase.
7 So neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but [only] God Who makes it grow and become greater.
8 He who plants and he who waters are equal (one in aim, of the same importance and esteem), yet each shall receive his own reward (wages), according to his own labor.
9 For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers together) with and for God; you are God's garden and vineyard and field under cultivation, [you are] God's building. [Isa. 61:3.]
10 According to the grace (the special endowment for my task) of God bestowed on me, like a skillful architect and master builder I laid [the] foundation, and now another [man] is building upon it. But let each [man] be careful how he builds upon it,
11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
12 But if anyone builds upon the Foundation, whether it be with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13 The work of each [one] will become [plainly, openly] known (shown for what it is); for the day [of Christ] will disclose and declare it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test and critically appraise the character and worth of the work each person has done.
14 If the work which any person has built on this Foundation [any product of his efforts whatever] survives [this test], he will get his reward.
15 But if any person's work is burned up [under the test], he will suffer the loss [of it all, losing his reward], though he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has passed] through fire. [Job 23:10.]
16 Do you not discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God's temple (His sanctuary), and that God's Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]?
17 If anyone does hurt to God's temple or corrupts it [with false doctrines] or destroys it, God will do hurt to him and bring him to the corruption of death and destroy him. For the temple of God is holy (sacred to Him) and that [temple] you [the believing church and its individual believers] are.
18 Let no person deceive himself. If anyone among you supposes that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool [let him discard his worldly discernment and recognize himself as dull, stupid, and foolish, without true learning and scholarship], that he may become [really] wise. [Isa. 5:21.]
19 For this world's wisdom is foolishness (absurdity and stupidity) with God, for it is written, He lays hold of the wise in their [own] craftiness; [Job 5:13.]
20 And again, The Lord knows the thoughts and reasonings of the [humanly] wise and recognizes how futile they are. [Ps. 94:11.]
21 So let no one exult proudly concerning men [boasting of having this or that man as a leader], for all things are yours,
22 Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas (Peter), or the universe or life or death, or the immediate and threatening present or the [subsequent and uncertain] future–all are yours,
23 And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
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1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
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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