1 Corinthians 3
3
Wisdom applied to divisions in the church
1Brothers and sisters, I couldn’t talk to you like spiritual people but like unspiritual people, like babies in Christ. 2I gave you milk to drink instead of solid food, because you weren’t up to it yet. 3Now you are still not up to it because you are still unspiritual. When jealousy and fighting exist between you, aren’t you unspiritual and living by human standards? 4When someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and someone else says, “I belong to Apollos,” aren’t you acting like people without the Spirit? 5After all, what is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants who helped you to believe. Each one had a role given to them by the Lord: 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God made it grow. 7Because of this, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but the only one who is anything is God who makes it grow. 8The one who plants and the one who waters work together, but each one will receive their own reward for their own labor. 9We are God’s coworkers, and you are God’s field, God’s building.
10I laid a foundation like a wise master builder according to God’s grace that was given to me, but someone else is building on top of it. Each person needs to pay attention to the way they build on it. 11No one can lay any other foundation besides the one that is already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12So, whether someone builds on top of the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, or hay, 13each one’s work will be clearly shown. The day will make it clear, because it will be revealed with fire—the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. 14If anyone’s work survives, they’ll get a reward. 15But if anyone’s work goes up in flames, they’ll lose it. However, they themselves will be saved as if they had gone through a fire. 16Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and God’s Spirit lives in you? 17If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person, because God’s temple is holy, which is what you are.
18Don’t fool yourself. If some of you think they are worldly-wise, then they should become foolish so that they can become wise. 19This world’s wisdom is foolishness to God. As it’s written, “He catches the wise in their cleverness.”#3.19 Job 5:13 20And also, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are silly”.#3.20 Ps 94:11 21So then, no one should brag about human beings. Everything belongs to you— 22Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, things in the present, things in the future—everything belongs to you, 23but you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
1 Corinthians 3
3
The Church and Its Leaders
1Brothers and sisters, I couldn’t speak to you as people who live by the Holy Spirit. I had to speak to you as people who were still following the ways of the world. You aren’t growing as Christ wants you to. You are still like babies. 2The words I spoke to you were like milk, not like solid food. You weren’t ready for solid food yet. And you still aren’t ready for it. 3You are still following the ways of the world. Some of you are jealous. Some of you argue. So aren’t you following the ways of the world? Aren’t you acting like ordinary human beings? 4One of you says, “I follow Paul.” Another says, “I follow Apollos.” Aren’t you acting like ordinary human beings?
5After all, what is Apollos? And what is Paul? We are only people who serve. We helped you to believe. The Lord has given each of us our own work to do. 6I planted the seed. Apollos watered it. But God has been making it grow. 7So the one who plants is not important. The one who waters is not important. It is God who makes things grow. He is the important one. 8The one who plants and the one who waters have the same purpose. The Lord will give each of them a reward for their work. 9We work together to serve God. You are like God’s field. You are like his 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 what has already been laid. That foundation is Jesus Christ. 12A person may build on it using gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay or straw. 13But each person’s work will be shown for what it is. On judgment day it will be brought to light. It will be put through fire. The fire will test how good each person’s work is. 14If the building doesn’t burn up, God will give the builder a reward for the work. 15If the building burns up, the builder will lose everything. The builder will be saved, but only like one escaping through the flames.
16Don’t you know that you yourselves 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 all together are that temple.
18Don’t fool yourselves. Suppose some of you think you are wise by the standards of the world. Then you should become “fools” so that you can become wise. 19The wisdom of this world is foolish in God’s eyes. It is written, “God catches wise people in their own evil plans.” (Job 5:13) 20It is also written, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of wise people don’t amount to anything.” (Psalm 94:11) 21So no more bragging about human leaders! All things are yours. 22That means Paul or Apollos or Peter or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All are yours. 23You are joined to Christ and belong to him. And Christ is joined to God.
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